4 stars

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Synopsis:

Brina and Eagan meet for the first time when she's nine and he's fourteen. They like each other from the very beginning, although their bond isn't immediate, but it grows over the years. What links them is the fact that their parents are photographers and are extremely devoted to their work and to each other; so much so that both Brina and Eagan have to learn how to take care of themselves from a very young age. Despite their differences, age, gender, nationality, Brina is Italian and Eagan is American, they find comfort in their growing friendship. Then Brina becomes a teenager, and her feelings for her friend start changing and deepening. New desires stir within her. As soon as Brina realizes how those feelings complicate her friendship with Eagan, she runs away from him. A few years later, Brina is twenty and Eagan is twenty-five, they find one another once again. Brina is studying cinema in Rome and she's also trying to become a musician. Eagan begins to work as an architect in the same city. Eagan wants to be a part of Brina's life anew. Brina, however, is still in love with him; she finds it difficult to act merely as a friend and she keeps pulling away. Set in the beautiful Rome, this is a sensual and romantic story of friendship and love. (Recommended for ages 17+, due to sexual content and language) Genres: Contemporary Romance, New Adult

My Review:

This was one of those books that just warms you heart form the start. Its a story of two friends who fall in love with each other. Its about their journey from one point to the other and the many obstacles they face along the way. It was a book that you hoped you knew the ending to, but weren't quite sure along the way. I truly enjoyed getting to know Eagan and Brina's story and I hope you do as well. You really get a great knowing of the characters by how the book is written. We get a lot of flashbacks and a lot of characters POV change. Its easy to follow and I thought it was done seamlessly. It gave a really good depth to the story line. The plot was straightforward and you knew where it was going. It had just enough smaller plot lines built into it to give it a full scope of the characters lives. Eagan and Brina have been best friends since they were children. They met through their parents and sadly shared similar lives. Both their parents were so in love that they couldn't bear to be apart. This left Brina in the care of her Nanny and Eagan in the care of various family members. Both children basically grew up beings raised by everyone but their parents. This played into their relationship growing up, as well as how they develop relationships in the future. Eagan grew from his childhood and had a circle of support throughout his life to get him to the point he is at when we meet him. Brina has had none but Eagan, and as we find out, at some points she lost him as well. This was one of those stories that drove you crazy at some points and at other had you hanging on every word. I will be honest that at points in the book I was just done with Brina and Eagan. Each of them had their "what the heck" decision moments, but I just couldn't give up on them. They each did a lot of growing in different ways. Eagan had one life altering day that changed his world and forced him to grow up, while Brina is still doing the growing. I really enjoyed this book. It was a nice light read and was simply heartwarming. I hope that we get more from this world and these characters. I definitely fell in love with them.