SWEET HOME by TILLIE COLE
25 October, 2013
Our Review
Jenny: Well, if you’re looking for a book to shut yourself away and escape into a somewhat “fairy-tale” world then Sweet Home might just be the book for you.
I say “fairy-tale” because for me, parts of the story were a tad unrealistic and over the top, the drama was a bit exaggerated in places, but overall this was a sweet, witty, at times quite sad romance with the required angst set against the backdrop of college life in Alabama between a sweet English girl and a sometimes volatile yet loving American quarterback. Yep, if you like your romance with a heavy dose of sweet and sexy, this one is for you.
“Be patient with him, care for him, treasure him….He deserves it.”
We loved Eternally North by this author and were happy to see that same warm humour was present in this book though Sweet Home is a lot more dramatic than North. Do you agree Gitte?
Gitte: Absolutely Jenny. Upon starting I thought I wasn’t going to get on with Sweet Home as I’m not a huge fan of insta love and also I wasn’t quite sure or even convinced of the intense attraction and the inferred clichés. So yes, you are spot on when you use the word fairy-tale because putting aside the obvious fact that this is a modern day Rome & Juliet it was just that, a fairy-tale. It’s every young girls dream. The gorgeous prince falling in love with the ugly duckling and living happily ever after. Throw in some grit and modern day heart breaking tragedy and you have Sweet Home. I have to say I loved the setting and the sports theme. Being Danish/British, this is like crack to me as I swoon at the Southern accent and I love the rituals and passion that comes with the football.
“Hey, Mol.”
“Hey, you.”
“You gonna give up that sweet kiss?”
“If that’s what you want.”
“It most definitely fuckin’ is.”
I loved the previous work by this Author so no, I wasn’t disappointed as such as the sense of humour and the writing was yet again brilliant.
“Whatever, darlin’, you won’t be thinking of studying when your ankles are wrapped ‘round some stud’s neck as he wears you like a necklace, tickling your belly button from the inside!”
I’m not sure though that this time the story was as good, it was as you said, just that bit too unrealistic overall for me too. Saying that, I was unable to put the story down after the half-way point and had to finish it in one sitting!
Jenny: Oh that Southern accent was totally swoony and like you I couldn’t put it down either! There were so many questions I needed answered! We meet 20 year old Molly who is a delight. She lacks confidence, but has an extremely gifted intellect and pretty much keeps to herself. Molly has truly known pain, sadness and loneliness in her life and certainly had to grow up fast. She takes off to Alabama to attend College and this is where she meets 21 year old Romeo, the gorgeous man whore who doesn’t do relationships and has a hard time communicating his feelings. .
“Intensely fuckable! You wanna see him on the football field…Christ, it’s something!”
These two couldn’t be more opposite. Molly, the reserved brainiac, Romeo the Quarterback and town hero. Molly, who feels she’s quite ordinary, though we know there’s a gorgeous butterfly waiting to break out of that cocoon, Rome, who is as hades. But there is an instant spark between them; a meeting of souls Romeo knocks Molly for a sixer and vice versa. She’s smitten and the feeling is mutual. Romeo was such an intense character. I will say I found his domineering ways a little uncomfortable at times though I did understand his reasoning and my heart really did go out to this guy who had been devoid of love in his life and had so many issues.
“I like the way you are with me. I like me when I’m with you. I feel like I could tell you anythin’, that I could bear my fuckin’ black soul. You make me feel…well…you know…You get me?” – Romeo
They have something that bonds them together, something that calls to each other deep within. They see the pain and suffering in each other and together these damaged souls seem to fit. All is right when they’re together but these two have mountainous obstacles to overcome and some are quite horrific.
Gitte: So opposites attracts, that certainly couldn’t have been clearer than in this case. I loved Molly, though I do have to say, who seriously wears orange crocs in public at her age? Molly is a pretty, sweet and intelligent girl who’s had such a tragic childhood. She has no self – esteem as such but she certainly does not lack in the strength of her convictions. She runs for fear of her heart being broken, a mark of her past, which makes her very lonely and unable to fully give herself to a person. I completely understood her issues and really felt for her. The journey she takes in Sweet Home is so bloody sad yet heart-warming too.
“I get so lonely that at times, I literally think it might kill me.”
As for Romeo, he was your stereotypical bad boy jock. He was, in the cheesy term I hate, man about campus, the guy everyone wanted to be and all the girls wanted to shag.
‘Rome was obviously one of those guys – a player…heartbreaker…every inch the typical bad boy. With looks like that, it wasn’t exactly surprising.’
He was passionate, protective and had a real thoughtful and vulnerable side. Despite not understanding his instant love for our Molly as the pairing is so out of left side, I did get there in the end. Romeo is INTENSE, but I got that too, once his past is explained. I wanted to cry for him and his childhood.
Molly and Romeo make sense, when you break it down and look at what made them the people they are today, you understand what they offer each other. You understand their love and the calming effect they give one another.
“I like the way you are with me. I like me when I’m with you….”
Jenny: Ah yeah, the orange crocs were an issue for me too haha. Molly and Romeo certainly do make sense and as the story progresses you understand their love. I would have liked a little more insight into what made Romeo tick. This was a sweet take on Romeo and Julies with very sad undertones. This story of boy meets girl, love abounds despite the odds, despite family interference and personal tragedy, all set against a college backdrop.
“Maybe I’m not as damaged as I thought.”
It was passionate, funny, sad and swoony and provided the perfect escape. What did you think of Sweet Home Gitte?
Gitte: Well, both Molly and Romeo pissed me off at various points of this story but overall I thought they were good characters. I would have loved to have had more in Romeo’s POV and not just the small chapter at the end. I think that would’ve made the journey even more heartfelt and intense. Saying that though, I really felt for them and it was a very addictive read once we hit that halfway mark. Yes, it was a bit unrealistic and very fairy-tale like, but for readers wanting that swoony escape I think this is definitely an easy and sweet read! Especially if you’re like me and swoon at the Southern accent and get all excited about sport themes!
“Don’t run from us. Just….don’t run.”
Synopsis
At age twenty, Molly Shakespeare knows a lot.
She knows Descartes and Kant.
She knows academia and Oxford.
She knows that the people who love you leave you.
She knows how to be alone.
But when Molly leaves England’s grey skies behind to start a new life at the University of Alabama, she finds that she has a lot to learn — she didn’t know a summer could be so hot, she didn’t know students could be so intimidating, and she certainly didn’t know just how much the folks of Alabama love their football.
When a chance encounter with notorious star quarterback, Romeo Prince, leaves her unable to think of anything but his chocolate-brown eyes, dirty-blond hair and perfect physique, Molly soon realises that her quiet, solitary life is about to dramatically change forever…
Mature New Adult novel — contains adult content, highly sexual situations and mature topics. Suited for ages 18 and up*
Other Books By This Author
Standalone Emotional Romance
Deadly Virtues Series (Dark)
Sweet Home : The Carillo Boys Series (Emotional Romance)
Lord of London Town (Dark Romance) - (TBC as series)
Scarred Souls Series (Dark Romance)
Hades Hangmen Series (Dark Romance - Biker)
One Comment:
Leave a Reply
Latest Posts
NEVERMORE BOOKSTORE (Townsend Harbor #1) by KERRIGAN BYRNE & CYNTHIA ST. AUBIN
‘Sometimes passion was a whisper, other times a roar. This time? It was a storm.’
HAPPY PLACE by EMILY HENRY
“Part of me wants to pretend I have you, but another part thinks I’ll die if you don’t tell me you love me, even if it doesn’t change anything. Even if it’s just getting to hear it one more time.”
MORE THAN I COULD by ADRIANA LOCKE
‘It’s such a simple word – just four letters. Home. But there aren’t enough letters in the alphabet in the world to capture the meaning of it.’
SWEET MEMORY (The Painted Daisies #1) by LJ EVANS
“I’m afraid I’ll fall completely, head-over-heels in love with you, and that you’ll fall back. I’m afraid we’ll discover we’re the missing pieces of each other’s souls.
The words had a beat -a rhythm- like it was a song she’d already written.
THE NEW GUY (Hockey Guys #1) by SARINA BOWEN
“All you had to do was love me.”
Featured Author
COLLEEN HOOVER captured our hearts back in 2011 with her unique, warm, funny, sweet, and utterly captivating stories. Our love affair with this incredibly talented author has never waned. Colleen is one in a million!
Upcoming Releases
Be sure to keep updated on all the books headed our way by visiting our TBB Upcoming Releases Page.
Latest New Releases
We’ve got all the latest releases, so be sure to head on over to our New Releases Page!
Sales
We’ve got some amazing books currently on sale! Be sure to hop on over to our sales page and check them out!
TotallyBooked Shop
Have you checked out the fabulous items available in our shop? The Tote Bag is perfect for book signings! <3
Keep In Touch!
by
tanya-a said:
The synopsis was sounding intriguing… until I read the name of the male protagonist. Romeo Prince? Seriously? That did it for me. I just can’t take any book seriously with a ridiculous character name like that. Too cheesy for words. Ugh.