The History of Us: a novel
- Downloads：7632
- Type：Epub+TxT+PDF+Mobi
- Create Date：2022-07-20 11:21:36
- Update Date：2025-09-06
- Status：finish
- Author：Jennifer Bardsley
- ISBN：1713663716
- Environment：PC/Android/iPhone/iPad/Kindle
Reviews
Erin （erinevelynreads）
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A sweet， second chance romance set in rural Washington。 I loved getting to know Dustin’s big family and a bit about numismatics from Andrea’s father’s collection。 I also enjoyed the mystery element。 Overall， the romance was a bit light， but I enjoyed the story。
Shirley P。 Stout
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Great family storyOne person can ruin so many things like that creep Care。 He caused so much pain for his family。 So happy that true love survived 18 long years and had a wonderful ending。
Rebecca Love
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The History Of us by Jennifer bardsley I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 Thank you to netgalley and Jennifer Bardsley for the opportunity to read this book。 This was cute， I enjoyed it。 But it didn't quite hit me in the emotions as much as it could have。 That could entirely be down to me having an off day though and I think that anyone who connects so either of the main character situations would definitely appreciate it more。 For this reason I The History Of us by Jennifer bardsley I received an advance review copy for free， and I am leaving this review voluntarily。 Thank you to netgalley and Jennifer Bardsley for the opportunity to read this book。 This was cute， I enjoyed it。 But it didn't quite hit me in the emotions as much as it could have。 That could entirely be down to me having an off day though and I think that anyone who connects so either of the main character situations would definitely appreciate it more。 For this reason I gave it 3 stars。 It wasn't by any means but there are other books I like more。The scenes with the female MCs dad seemed （to me） to be well written。 I loved the touch at the end when she speaks with her mam too。 Often stories like this can focus too much on the main relationship and the drama but the author did a great job of keeping the side character front and centre here。 I'm glad we got the miscommunication about the break up trope out of the way quickly。 I hate it when it gets dragged out for almost the whole book。 I'm also glad that there was no steam in the book。 I'm sure some would have appreciated but it would have felt out of sync with the rest of the book in my opinion。The MCs were likeable and the relationship believable but its their relationships eith the side characters that make this book i think。 I'd love a book about dustins siblings finding their own happy endings， especially leanne she deserves one。 。。。more
Robin Pang-Maganaris
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I loved every bit of this book — from the very first sentence to the last！ A perfect summer read。 Highly recommend。
Shannon
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I’m so glad to be selected for The History of Us book tour with @letstalkbookspromo 。 I love a good romance， especially if there is a little twist of mystery！ This book is second chance love story while two people track down some stolen prized possessions。 Andrea’s father is in a care facility living with late-stage Alzheimer’s。 His prized possession is his Double Eagle coin collection， valued at $100，000， is at Andrea’s house that gets burgled。 Dustin is Andrea’s high school boyfriend and first I’m so glad to be selected for The History of Us book tour with @letstalkbookspromo 。 I love a good romance， especially if there is a little twist of mystery！ This book is second chance love story while two people track down some stolen prized possessions。 Andrea’s father is in a care facility living with late-stage Alzheimer’s。 His prized possession is his Double Eagle coin collection， valued at $100，000， is at Andrea’s house that gets burgled。 Dustin is Andrea’s high school boyfriend and first love。 He also happens to be her best friend’s brother and the brother-in-law of the suspected burglar。 Andrea and Dustin work together to try and recover the stole property。 Is it enough to rekindle their lost love？Author Jennifer Bardsley does a great job capturing the angst that siblings have when they are looking out for each other。 She also did a great job on the back and forth between the two love interests without it being too quick or too drawn out。 。。。more
Andrea （Hammock and Read）
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Alzheimer's and coin collections are center in this second chance romance between Andrea and Dustin - 18 years later。 They are trying to catch Dustin’s brother-in-law by driving around the Olympic pensensla。 Andrea also learns more about her mother and gains some empathy towards her with her father- who has Alzhemiers。 Must say it's funny and a bit weird to read about a character with the same name， age， and close location-that has never happened。 I really enjoyed all the name drops and now have Alzheimer's and coin collections are center in this second chance romance between Andrea and Dustin - 18 years later。 They are trying to catch Dustin’s brother-in-law by driving around the Olympic pensensla。 Andrea also learns more about her mother and gains some empathy towards her with her father- who has Alzhemiers。 Must say it's funny and a bit weird to read about a character with the same name， age， and close location-that has never happened。 I really enjoyed all the name drops and now have some new places to visit！ closed door 。。。more
Melissa （Nissa_the。bookworm）
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Thank you to @letstalkbookspromo and @jenniferbardsleyauthor for having me on this tour of The History of Us！Read this if you👩🏼❤️💋👨🏼 love second chances💘 want a clean romance🪙 are a coin collector👴🏻 have a relative with Alzheimer’s Andrea is a 36 year old， single woman， still hung up on her high school boyfriend， Dustin。 Though it’s been 18 years since they were together， he’s always on her mind。 As she struggles to care for her father living with Alzheimer’s in a special facility， she meets Thank you to @letstalkbookspromo and @jenniferbardsleyauthor for having me on this tour of The History of Us！Read this if you👩🏼❤️💋👨🏼 love second chances💘 want a clean romance🪙 are a coin collector👴🏻 have a relative with Alzheimer’s Andrea is a 36 year old， single woman， still hung up on her high school boyfriend， Dustin。 Though it’s been 18 years since they were together， he’s always on her mind。 As she struggles to care for her father living with Alzheimer’s in a special facility， she meets Cade， Dustin’s brother in law， when her father ends up getting his hand stuck inside of a paper towel dispenser。 To calm him， she reminds him of his coin collecting hobby， hidden behind a photograph in her house。 Unbeknownst to her， Cade is listening to every word， and ends up stealing the entire collection， taking off along the West coast to pawn them all and start a new life， leaving behind his daughters and wife。 As Dustin and Andrea search for Cade and the stolen coins， their relationship rekindles， and Andrea wonders if a second chance really is possible。This was a really cute， clean romance， told from 2 POVs （Andrea and Dustin）， alternating every chapter。 I enjoyed how the first chapter really set up the entire plot。 I skipped the synopsis， so I was shocked that Cade turned out to be a bad guy。 I also enjoyed all of the imagery of the PNW and the Seattle area。 As someone who had grandparents just north of Seattle， it was nice to read about it！ 。。。more
Bev
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Andrea's father has Alzheimers and is in a special facility。 As an only child， all the stress is on her。 Trying to run her business and visiting her father every day。 Her mother walked away when he was diagnosed and now has another partner even though they aren't divorced。 She is forever trying to get Andrea to leave her father behind and move closer to her。 Selfish much？ Dustin Karlsson flips houses with his sister。 He and Andrea were together through high school but had a terrible argument at Andrea's father has Alzheimers and is in a special facility。 As an only child， all the stress is on her。 Trying to run her business and visiting her father every day。 Her mother walked away when he was diagnosed and now has another partner even though they aren't divorced。 She is forever trying to get Andrea to leave her father behind and move closer to her。 Selfish much？ Dustin Karlsson flips houses with his sister。 He and Andrea were together through high school but had a terrible argument at their prom and went their separate ways。 Neither has ever forgotten the other or lost their love for each other。 When they meet again sparks fly。 Cade， who is Dustin's brother-in-law， is a thief and steals an extremely valuable coin collection from Andrea's home。 Trying to find him brings them both back together。 When Andrea finds out that her beloved father had interfered with the romance between her and Dustin she is shocked。 He was a very successful lawyer and represented the three Karlsson kids against a huge company after their parents were killed。 This book was just fabulous and I loved every word of it。 。。。more
Just Love books
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There are two things that mean the world to Andrea one of them being her father and the other being the collectible coins that help jog his Alzheimer fogged memory， so when her home is robbed and someone steals the coin collection Andrea is determined to get to the bottom of this thrift and retrieve the coins even if it means asking her high school sweetheart Dustin for help… however the last thing that she expected was for old feelings to resurface and for them to find more than just a few old There are two things that mean the world to Andrea one of them being her father and the other being the collectible coins that help jog his Alzheimer fogged memory， so when her home is robbed and someone steals the coin collection Andrea is determined to get to the bottom of this thrift and retrieve the coins even if it means asking her high school sweetheart Dustin for help… however the last thing that she expected was for old feelings to resurface and for them to find more than just a few old coins while their cross-country the Pacific Northwest…。。Firstly I have to mention this book cover！ I loved the dreamy vibe that set the scene to a sweet little romance。 It was pretty hard not to fall in love with Andrea and Dustin as they found their way back to each other。 I will say that this was a pretty closed door romance but that really didn’t take to much away from the overall reading experience。。。Andrea， gosh girl my heart just broke for you。 This leading lady really had a lot going on， I mean it is not easy to watch one of the most important people in you life slip away and be unable to do anything to help them。 In saying this I have to say that Bardsley has done a great job with handling these sensitive issues and showing how the families have to deal with this illness。 As for our hero Dustin， I really liked that he was more invested in find the coins as they also effected his family and that Tim was also an important person in his life。 I think their shared history only made this book all the more emotional and touching。。。The History Of Us was a sweet and emotional read that is definitely worth checking out。 。。。more
Penelope Wright
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I loved this book！ So sweet， and just what I was looking for。 I wanted some action with my romance， but I wasn't in the mood for anything heavy。 This book was just the ticket。 I loved Andrea and Dustin's relationship， it was totally believable and relatable。 The side characters were great too， as was the mystery/chase。 Excellent read！ I loved this book！ So sweet， and just what I was looking for。 I wanted some action with my romance， but I wasn't in the mood for anything heavy。 This book was just the ticket。 I loved Andrea and Dustin's relationship， it was totally believable and relatable。 The side characters were great too， as was the mystery/chase。 Excellent read！ 。。。more
ShanKL （ShopCoffeeKids - Instagram）
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Small town， second-chance romance - I am so here for them！Add in a little intrigue of “who” burglarized the house， stealing a mint of rare coins and you’ve got super sleuth lovers。 This mash-up of tropes works well in this story。Andrea and Dustin team-up to travel the Pacific NW hot on the trail of the missing coins。 They breech the communications error that landed them apart to discover it was all a hedgehog - yeah that’s right a hedgehog kept them apart for 18 years！Don’t flip a coin on whethe Small town， second-chance romance - I am so here for them！Add in a little intrigue of “who” burglarized the house， stealing a mint of rare coins and you’ve got super sleuth lovers。 This mash-up of tropes works well in this story。Andrea and Dustin team-up to travel the Pacific NW hot on the trail of the missing coins。 They breech the communications error that landed them apart to discover it was all a hedgehog - yeah that’s right a hedgehog kept them apart for 18 years！Don’t flip a coin on whether to read this book， Just Do It！Thank you @berittalksbooks and the author for the complimentary， signed copy of this romance。 。。。more
Perrin Larton
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Loving second chance at romance titles， I jumped at this one。 It was cute。 It was a fun book。 It was more of a 'slammed door' rather than 'open door' romance and I kind of wanted more of a sexy read。After breaking up in their senior year of high school， Andrea and Dustin come back into each others orbits to figure out who stole Andrea's dad's coin collection。 It wasn't much of a stretch to figure out who did it， but， no spoiler so I won't say more about that。 The 'mystery' of the stolen coins se Loving second chance at romance titles， I jumped at this one。 It was cute。 It was a fun book。 It was more of a 'slammed door' rather than 'open door' romance and I kind of wanted more of a sexy read。After breaking up in their senior year of high school， Andrea and Dustin come back into each others orbits to figure out who stole Andrea's dad's coin collection。 It wasn't much of a stretch to figure out who did it， but， no spoiler so I won't say more about that。 The 'mystery' of the stolen coins seemed to D。R。A。G。 This reader was almost sure who did the crime very early on， so I really wasn't invested in the twists and turns to find out the culprit。As a daughter helping to take care of elderly parents， I can relate to Andrea's issues regarding her father's Alzheimer's diagnosis。 The way the author dealt with this situation was fabulous。 After a wonderful start and a middle of the book slump， the ending was great。All is all， a sweet story of second chances。 。。。more
Melonie
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This book captivated me from the first page to the last。 Warm， cozy feel good with romance， second chances and a lot of suspense。 The characters feel like old friends， and I didn't want the book to end。I enjoyed it so very much。 Jennifer Bardsley knows how to write a captivating story that captures your emotions and leaves you feeling good at the end of the story。 I also really liked the Epilogue at the end that wrapped everything up perfectly。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC opportunity！ This book captivated me from the first page to the last。 Warm， cozy feel good with romance， second chances and a lot of suspense。 The characters feel like old friends， and I didn't want the book to end。I enjoyed it so very much。 Jennifer Bardsley knows how to write a captivating story that captures your emotions and leaves you feeling good at the end of the story。 I also really liked the Epilogue at the end that wrapped everything up perfectly。 Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC opportunity！ 。。。more
The Page Ladies
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The History of Us is a cute small town romance story about giving love a second chance。 The character development was good。 Especially when it came to feeling what they felt。 There was a nice chemistry between Dustin and Andrea。 It was a sweet， tender and heartwarming romance。 The writing is great and I liked the touch of mystery！ The pace is great in the beginning but it does slow a little in the middle but then it picks back up again and I really liked the ending。 It was a good read！ Thank you The History of Us is a cute small town romance story about giving love a second chance。 The character development was good。 Especially when it came to feeling what they felt。 There was a nice chemistry between Dustin and Andrea。 It was a sweet， tender and heartwarming romance。 The writing is great and I liked the touch of mystery！ The pace is great in the beginning but it does slow a little in the middle but then it picks back up again and I really liked the ending。 It was a good read！ Thank you Literary Bound Book Tours and Jennifer Bardsley for sharing this book with me！ 。。。more
Janine
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The History of Us is a sweet second chance story。 I read a lot of this book in one sitting！ I really liked the writing and fell in love with Andrea and Dustin。 They seemed like such a natural couple and I loved seeing them come back together。Andrea’s dad has Alzheimer’s， which is a bit of a tough topic for me because my grandma had Alzheimer’s and I’m terrified that it will continue on through the family。 I thought that the storyline with her father was very well written and added a lot to the s The History of Us is a sweet second chance story。 I read a lot of this book in one sitting！ I really liked the writing and fell in love with Andrea and Dustin。 They seemed like such a natural couple and I loved seeing them come back together。Andrea’s dad has Alzheimer’s， which is a bit of a tough topic for me because my grandma had Alzheimer’s and I’m terrified that it will continue on through the family。 I thought that the storyline with her father was very well written and added a lot to the story。 The biggest complaint I have about this book is the miscommunication trope！ Andrea and Dustin had a lot of issues in the first half of the story and I could not stand it。 I just get way too frustrated and want to scream at the characters。 Just talk to each other， people！！I enjoyed reading this one and thought the author did a great job of developing the characters。I received this book for free as part of an Instagram book tour。 。。。more
Carly Rushforth
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Andrea’s dad is in a care facility suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s， with her mother already moved on its down to Andrea to visit her dad everyday and take the brunt of his decline。Andrea’s dad used to be a coin collector and everyday that she visits him she brings him a coin from his collection and it brings him back to her when he talks about his rare and valuable coin collection。 Tragically her home is robbed and Andrea and her high school sweetheart go on a road trip to hunt them down Andrea’s dad is in a care facility suffering from early onset Alzheimer’s， with her mother already moved on its down to Andrea to visit her dad everyday and take the brunt of his decline。Andrea’s dad used to be a coin collector and everyday that she visits him she brings him a coin from his collection and it brings him back to her when he talks about his rare and valuable coin collection。 Tragically her home is robbed and Andrea and her high school sweetheart go on a road trip to hunt them down and catch the person who stole them。This story is like a cute episode of Virgin River or something like that ， it’s just full of wholesomeness and the sweet small American town vibe that I love so much。 。。。more
C。E。 Clayton
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“The History of Us” follows Andrea and Dustin in a dual POV tale as a shared betrayal brings these ex high school sweethearts back together。 Andrea and Dustin first met when Andrea’s father represented Dustin and his siblings after a tragic event took their parents from them at a young age， and once the two met， the rest， as they say， is history。 Thrust back together over a decade later， the two must examine how and why they broke up so suddenly in their senior year， and get past their own misgi “The History of Us” follows Andrea and Dustin in a dual POV tale as a shared betrayal brings these ex high school sweethearts back together。 Andrea and Dustin first met when Andrea’s father represented Dustin and his siblings after a tragic event took their parents from them at a young age， and once the two met， the rest， as they say， is history。 Thrust back together over a decade later， the two must examine how and why they broke up so suddenly in their senior year， and get past their own misgivings and hurts toward the other in order to track down a thief who took advantage of both Dustin’s family， and Andrea by stealing her father’s—suffering from Alzheimer’s disease—prized coin collection。 As far as second chance romances go， which can be tricky depending on why the couple broke up to begin with， this one really hits the sweet spot。First things to note about this romance: if you’re looking for super steam， keep walking。 The romance in this is incredibly sweet and tender， but the “spice” happens off page， which I was honestly fine with！ It fit the tone of this story very， very well。 But also note that part of the book can be a little painful… Alzheimer’s is a devastating disease for everyone involved， and Andrea does her best to always take care of her dad， but it can be very painful to see her go through that， and how her mother chooses to deal with his diagnosis as well。 I applaud the author’s ability to both treat Alzheimer’s disease and those who suffer through it with dignity， but also not shirking from the reality of the toll it takes。 So， just know that going in， that while this is very much a sweet， second chance romance， the book does deal with heavier topics and doesn’t shy away from the dynamics and resentment of the mother/daughter relationship when it comes to caring for Alzheimer’s patients， as well as the complex relationship of siblings forced into parental roles。The book starts off really strong， but the middle does suffer from a bit of a lull where things， especially the hunt for the person who stole Andrea’s coins， feels like it comes to a halt。 Things do pick up again， and I really loved how this book ended， but I did find myself wanting to speed through that middle section。 Plus， one of Dustin’s siblings annoyed me to no end。 I won’t say who to avoid all spoilers， but while I definitely could sympathize with the character， their aggressively blind devotion to their partner felt like too much at times， and I was more frustrated by them then I ever felt empathy for their plight。 Ultimately， that’s why this gets 4 stars from me， the romance was sweet， the “mystery” fun even if it wasn’t that mysterious， but that lull and the sheer frustration I had for one character did suck some of the enjoyment away， but all in all， that’s just my personal taste。 If you want a sweet， PG-13 romance with a sprinkling of mystery， I highly recommend this beauty！ And thank you to the author and Literary Bound Tours for providing an ARC for an honest review！ 。。。more
Addie Woolridge
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Super lucky that Jennifer let me read an early copy of this one！ Equal turns thoughtful and sweet， The History of Us is a darling read。 Dustin and Andrea shine as a couple， and Port Inez is the type of small-town that will draw you in like you are a member of the Karlsson family。
Jessica whatjessireads
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The History of Us is a small town， second chance romance。 The story centers around Andrea and Dustin， who dated in high school and who reunite 18 years later to track down a coin thief。 Andrea returns to town to care for her father， who has Alzheimer’s， and one of the few things he remembers is his coin collection。 When Andrea discovers the collection is stolen， she partners with her high school boyfriend Dustin， who broke her heart， because he discovers the coin thief is his brother-in-law。 Whi The History of Us is a small town， second chance romance。 The story centers around Andrea and Dustin， who dated in high school and who reunite 18 years later to track down a coin thief。 Andrea returns to town to care for her father， who has Alzheimer’s， and one of the few things he remembers is his coin collection。 When Andrea discovers the collection is stolen， she partners with her high school boyfriend Dustin， who broke her heart， because he discovers the coin thief is his brother-in-law。 While their intent was only to find the coins the adventure leads them both to rediscover their past relationship and rebuild a new one。I’ve never read a second chance romance quite like this。 The second chance romance books I usually read， the main characters they end up together fast， but I really appreciated the apprehension and them trying to figure things out first。 Personally， I feel like I can relate to this more and it felt more real for me。 This was a heartwarming， comforting romance read。 I really loved this book it was perfect for me since I needed a heartwarming and sentimental read。 This book is perfect for anyone but especially if you are a fan of Nicholas Sparks books。 。。。more
lauren | laurensreadinglist
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This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers。 To view it， click here。 Y’all know I love to hand out stars， and I truly hate to rate a book under three stars。 I actually don’t know if I’ve ever even written a negative review。 But this one was just not good。 I’m going to give a generous two stars， because I did appreciate what the author was trying to do with the history of Washington State， even if it did seem awkwardly interjected in the story。 I was not engaged in this story at all。 Major plot points were incredibly unrealistic。 A failed actor and former locksmit Y’all know I love to hand out stars， and I truly hate to rate a book under three stars。 I actually don’t know if I’ve ever even written a negative review。 But this one was just not good。 I’m going to give a generous two stars， because I did appreciate what the author was trying to do with the history of Washington State， even if it did seem awkwardly interjected in the story。 I was not engaged in this story at all。 Major plot points were incredibly unrealistic。 A failed actor and former locksmith turned handyman （yes all of this for one person） hears one conversation in which he learns a woman has a safe behind a painting， and next thing you know he has figured out who she is （his wife’s brother’s ex girlfriend from high school）， and where she lives， and has broken into her home and stolen the safe right out of the wall along with her fathers coin collection worth thousands of dollars。 Then two totally normal people， a builder and a graphic designer， those same high school exes， become amateur investigators and start looking for him。 It was a too unbelievable to me。 It was also really hard to get into the characters。 The FMC， Andrea， seems very immature， even though she is 36， cares for her dad who now lives in a memory care facility， and has a successful career as a graphic designer。 There were also several points brought up that didn’t really fit into the plot and were left hanging out there。 The sheriff was an on-again/off-again boyfriend of Dustin’s sister/ Andrea’s best friend， but Andrea seems to dislike him or feel like he isn’t helping the investigation， but then it’s never mentioned again。 Dustin’s brother’s ex girlfriend was included in one scene and brought up again later， but there was no resolution。 The author makes a point of how dishonest Andrea’s was， which didn’t fit into the story at all， given Andrea mentions several times what great memories she has with her dad， how loving and kind he was to others， etc。 And later out of the blue Andrea’s mom apologizes for not standing up to Tom when Tom tried to break up Dustin and Andrea （although Dustin broke up with her because she wanted to bring her pet hedgehog to prom and he thought it was another guy？？）。 Character dialogue was… weird。 There were several word choices that seemed like they were chosen from a thesaurus。 And throughout it all， Andrea and Dustin display basically no chemistry but go from dating a little while in high school and breaking up after prom， not seeing each other for about 18 years， having dinner together like once， and then they’re making wedding plans。 The whole book felt flimsy and unorganized， and it just didn’t work for me。 Thank you to the author & publisher for an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for my honest review。 。。。more
Lori Murray
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Just couldn't get into the story。 And I couldn't connect to the characters。 The writing wasn't bad， so that was a plus。 I would try to read other books by this author， this one just wasn't for me， unfortunately。 Just couldn't get into the story。 And I couldn't connect to the characters。 The writing wasn't bad， so that was a plus。 I would try to read other books by this author， this one just wasn't for me， unfortunately。 。。。more
Linda
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💞Adventure， romance & sweet family memories😊4。5🌟 starsI found The History of Us to be a fairly fast-paced， sweet read set in the Pacific Northwest with plenty of elements that to enjoy， including:- Second chance romance for Andrea and Dustin;- A touching daughter-father relationship affected by dad Tom's Alzheimer's;- Two cute little girls for the mischief factor;- An irresponsible villain to hate; and- A poignant story of tragedy， grief， and surviving children hanging on to their parents' memor 💞Adventure， romance & sweet family memories😊4。5🌟 starsI found The History of Us to be a fairly fast-paced， sweet read set in the Pacific Northwest with plenty of elements that to enjoy， including:- Second chance romance for Andrea and Dustin;- A touching daughter-father relationship affected by dad Tom's Alzheimer's;- Two cute little girls for the mischief factor;- An irresponsible villain to hate; and- A poignant story of tragedy， grief， and surviving children hanging on to their parents' memory。 I especially liked how Dustin consciously preserved the family home and memories and mementos of family life before his parents' deaths。 Family relationships feature almost as much as the central romance。 They enriched the story。 The road trip in search of stolen goods added some action and I thought the search for Dustin's missing brother-in-law added a good bit to the plot。 And 36 year-old Andrea learns to really look at her mother and see the good along with the bad。 The end of the search was somewhat abrupt and anticlimactic， but otherwise a really great read。 I would definitely read more by this author。Thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for sharing a complimentary advance copy of the book; this is my voluntary and honest opinion。 。。。more
Cheryl
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I love when a character driven story just hits me in the heart。 That is exactly what author， Jennifer Bardsley does with The History of Us。 As soon as I started reading， I was instantly emotionally connected with Andrea and her father。 Luckily， my parents do not have Alzheimer's， but I could easily imagine one of them experiencing it and me being in Andrea's shoes。 I found myself reading multiple chapters at a time。 Then there is Andrea and Dustin's past。 I like that they slowly worked out their I love when a character driven story just hits me in the heart。 That is exactly what author， Jennifer Bardsley does with The History of Us。 As soon as I started reading， I was instantly emotionally connected with Andrea and her father。 Luckily， my parents do not have Alzheimer's， but I could easily imagine one of them experiencing it and me being in Andrea's shoes。 I found myself reading multiple chapters at a time。 Then there is Andrea and Dustin's past。 I like that they slowly worked out their heart break and reconnected but not instant。 Thus， it felt real as they were pouring out their feelings。 While， the story may have focused on Andrea and Dustin， Dustin's sister played a good part in the story as well。 Overall， I really enjoyed this book and do want to read other books by Jennifer。 。。。more
Jordan ~ booknook。sisters
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This was such a cute read。 I was hooked at the beginning， it did kinda slow in the middle and then picked up again at the end。 I enjoyed chemistry between the main characters Dustin and Andrea and seeing how their relationship changed over the years。 I liked the plot and was fully invested in seeing if Andrea got the coins back or not。
Shafaq Shafqat
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First of all， CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW BEAUTIFUL THE COVER IS？？？In all honesty， the cover made me select this book and I was not disappointed。The History of Us is an easy， light read that I finished in 2 days。 You might think it's another small town romance but it's NOT。 It has a little bit of suspense， a whole lot of family drama， and information about collectable coins。The story revolves around Andrea， who has moved back to her hometown to take care of her dad who has Alzheimer's。 Andrea has boug First of all， CAN WE TALK ABOUT HOW BEAUTIFUL THE COVER IS？？？In all honesty， the cover made me select this book and I was not disappointed。The History of Us is an easy， light read that I finished in 2 days。 You might think it's another small town romance but it's NOT。 It has a little bit of suspense， a whole lot of family drama， and information about collectable coins。The story revolves around Andrea， who has moved back to her hometown to take care of her dad who has Alzheimer's。 Andrea has bought a beyond lovely refurbished house which surprisingly was sold to her by high school boyfriend， Dustin。 Things didn't end well between the two when they were in high school but they never really moved on。 Andrea and Dustin's family find themselves in a turmoil when both families are robbed by someone they both know。 Andrea and Dustin embark on a journey of catching the culprit and recovering Andrea's father's valuable coin collection。 Will this crime solving rekindle their love that they had buried deep within？ Read to find out！Although I felt the chemistry between the leads was a bit lacking。 But， I absolutely loved all the side characters。 If you're looking for a light yet fun read， you should definitely pick this up。Overall rating: 3。5/5Taking away 1。5 stars because of lack of chemistry 。。。more
Mezka
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4/5 ⭐️I was granted an e-copy via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review。One of the only things Andrea’s father， who has Alzheimer’s， remembers is his coin collection。 When it’s stolen， she pairs with Dustin（her high school boyfriend who broke her heart） to retrieve it， after finding out that it was Dustin’s brother-in-law who stole it。 They only intended to find out the coins， but they ended up unearthing their own history。I liked Andrea’s character。 Not only because she spoke about Twilight 4/5 ⭐️I was granted an e-copy via NetGalley in exchange of an honest review。One of the only things Andrea’s father， who has Alzheimer’s， remembers is his coin collection。 When it’s stolen， she pairs with Dustin（her high school boyfriend who broke her heart） to retrieve it， after finding out that it was Dustin’s brother-in-law who stole it。 They only intended to find out the coins， but they ended up unearthing their own history。I liked Andrea’s character。 Not only because she spoke about Twilight and admitted that she probably wouldn’t like it she reread it because of the Edward stalking Bella part（Dustin gets a bonus point for calling Edward a sparkly vampire） but also because her love for her father was truly beautiful to read。 She doesn’t give up on him， fighting to make sure there’s something he remembers。Second chance love is usually a trope that’s a hit or miss for me。 Eighteen years had passed since Dustin and Andrea’s break up and it would’ve been weird if they had gotten together fast。 I liked that the author rebuilt their relationship by first addressing what happened between them in the past all the while making it clear that there was an obvious chemistry between them。 And they listened to audiobooks together， which is an instant ship for me。This book was the kind of book that you flow through quickly but don’t have much to say about。 I was delightfully reminded of Nicholas Spark books and I think this would appeal to readers who enjoyed his works。Minor Spoilers Why did I give it four stars？ Well， firstly there wasn’t much of a plot。 Yes， finding lost coins and building family relationships is warming but I don’t know…I needed more。Secondly， I don’t like how it justifies cheating。 Andrea’s dad gets Alzheimer’s and her mom just moves on with her boyfriend。 Like just moves on because divorce is complicated（despite being such a good lawyer）。 Andrea’s dad， despite forgetting a lot of things， doesn’t forget her and keeps asking for her。 This is cheating， plain and simple and I didn’t like that。 。。。more
Shakera
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As a second-chance romance， this was quite enjoyable。 However， as a suspenseful romance， I found it lacking。 It was easy to not only figure out the guilty party but also figure out how the romance happens。 I enjoyed the characters and the writing， but at times the pacing was a bit slow。 I loved how Bardsley handled the telling and understanding of Alzheimer’s。 That was extremely well done。 Overall， it was quite enjoyable as a second-chance romance。
Kristens。reading。nook
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I was first introduced to Jennifer Bardsley last year when I was invited on tours for both of her Harper Landing novels。 I fell in love with her writing style and the setting for the books so I was excited to get my hands on her latest。I was fully invested in Andrea and Dustin’s stories， both their individual happenings and their rekindling romance。 This was just the story I needed after a stressful week！
Donna
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The storyAndrea lives in a small town in the Pacific North West， a ferry ride from Seattle。 She lives a quiet life。 Morning walks with her best friend， her work as a graphic designer and daily visits to her father who lives in a memory care facility with Alzheimer’s。 She brings a coin from his collection to him every day and it’s the one thing he does remember。 When his collection is stolen the safe in her house， Andrea teams up with her ex-boyfriend from high school， Dustin， to recover the coin The storyAndrea lives in a small town in the Pacific North West， a ferry ride from Seattle。 She lives a quiet life。 Morning walks with her best friend， her work as a graphic designer and daily visits to her father who lives in a memory care facility with Alzheimer’s。 She brings a coin from his collection to him every day and it’s the one thing he does remember。 When his collection is stolen the safe in her house， Andrea teams up with her ex-boyfriend from high school， Dustin， to recover the coins。 The forced proximity leads to the truth being spoken about， and a second chance for Andrea and Dustin。 My thoughts I really enjoyed the author’s Sweet Bliss and Good Catch stories set in a nearby Harper’s Landing town。 The writing in this new book seems to be richer， in both facts and emotions。 Both Andrea and Dustin are dealing with the past， unresolved emotions and family issues。 Coupled with a chase to recover the coins， it makes for a super story！ I read an eARC copy courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher。 。。。more
Morgan Emmanuelli
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