A gripping love story from the bestselling author of Fractured.
Emma Marshall can’t wait to marry her childhood sweetheart, Richard. But then a tragic accident changes everything, and introduces a stranger, Jack, into her life. Gorgeous and mysterious, Jack is like no-one Emma has met before. But Richard is the man she loves…
Two different men.
Two different destinies.
How will Emma end her story?
After reading Dani’s debut, ‘Fractured’ last year (which you can find my review of here) I had been eagerly awaiting The Story of Us for months then when it finally arrived I literally screamed when I saw a quote from my review of Fractured was in the back cover. I quickly proceeded to tell Becci from Head of Zeus that she was currently my favourite person in the entire world and then got stuck straight into the book. The Story of Us is about Emma, who on her Hen night, gets into a serious accident with her two best friends Caroline and Amy. She was due to marry Richard, her childhood sweetheart and the love of her life in a matter of days but the accident introduces a new, mysterious stranger into her life called Jack. Emma and Jack have an undeniably strong connection which Emma puts down to the fact that he saved her life on that fateful night – but could it be more than that? Whilst Emma’s life has turned upside down, secrets get revealed, revelations come to surface and she’s stuck in the middle of her two destinies.
Just like with ‘Fractured’, I read this in a matter of days. Dani’s writing style is so fluent, relatable and easy to follow it makes it hard to stop. The story starts with a short chapter titled “The End” and there continues to be a few of these throughout the book. They give absolutely nothing away and that’s my favourite thing about Dani’s story-telling; she leaves you on the edge of your seat from beginning to end and just when you thought you’d figured it out she throws in another curveball. I was convinced I had it all sussed out but of course, I was wrong on every occasion. I absolutely loved the premise and the idea of someone having two different destinies. There is so much more to this book than a girl being stuck between choosing two guys; it’s massively about friendship, sacrifice, loss and what happens when your entire world changes in an instant.
Dani Atkins is a natural born story-teller who’s books I have completely fallen in love with. I would probably read the back of a cereal box if I knew she’d written it. Her stories, although enjoyable in their own right, always come with important messages which you will take away with you and remember long after you’ve put the book down. With Fractured, it will leave you wondering “what if?”. With The Story of Us, it teaches you that life is unexpected and in the blink of an eye, your whole life and destiny can be altered. Nothing is set in stone – people will come into your life and leave it in the most unpredictable of circumstances. Relatable main character, interesting premise and an all-round amazing book. I expected nothing less from this incredibly talented author.
Goodreads | Amazon UK | The Book Depository | Facebook | Twitter
4.5/5