A PLACE WITHOUT YOU by JEWEL E ANN

‘I love this girl with more love than I thought I had left in my heart. Henna takes everything that’s good in my life and multiplies it.’

What a way to start the reading year with this unforgettable epic, believable and all-encompassing love story! However, the love aspect is just a small part of A Place Without You, because this is so much more than a love story. This is a life story. This is a story that will engulf you in its pain, its beauty, its honesty, and its love. The love between Henna and the tortured Bodhi, the love between Bodhi and his father, and Henna’s love for her Mum, Dad, and stepdad. There are so many layers to this story and every single one had us on the verge of tears – happy and sad – or ugly crying for so many reasons throughout. So many emotions! We’re confidently calling it early and saying, whilst this may only be our first read the year, this book will be on our Top Reads list of 2019.

“You’re my boy, Bodhi. I might not be able to always catch you when you fall, but it won’t stop me trying.”

Jewel E Ann has done it again with her inherently incredible talent for creating some of the most beautiful characters we’ve ever read, and Bodhi and Henna have been added to that list. There is a sincerity and quirkiness to her characters who never fail to worm their way into our hearts. Bodhi is the stuff book boyfriends are made of. His good looks secondary to his beautiful heart. What a man!!

“Love is not a rational emotion. It jumps out of planes and dives off cliffs. It leaves a permanent mark on everything it touches. I can do the right thing, or I can love you, but I can’t do both.”
Our love is forbidden and complicated. It’s hard and unforgiving. If we want it, we need to let it hurt sometimes.”

A Place Without You begins as forbidden first love, and despite the obstacles, Bodhi and Henna endure, and even during the time they spent apart, not once, not even for a single second, did we ever doubt the sincerity of their love. Their connection was intense, convincing, passionate and truthful. As we read, we knew this book was going to sear our souls, we could feel this book was going to break us and heal us, and it did exactly that in its poignant and moving prose.

‘I know one thing for sure – long after our time ends, I will feel an invisible pull to her for the rest of my life.’

A good story can make you reflect and think about your life, it can evoke memories, making you feel a deeper connection with the characters and that’s exactly what happened in A Place Without You. We love to feel a story, to really experience every moment with the characters, to understand their journey and we felt that way throughout Henna and Bodhi’s story. Not one single emotion was spared by the extraordinary writing of Jewel E Ann. The way this lady injects humour and warmth into the most painful moments, the way she merges passion, romance, despair and swoon with a dose of realism is the reason we desperately continue to devour her stories.

Henna: Someday…I’m going to find you.
Bodhi:  Wouldn’t that be something?
Henna: Oh, it will be.

Henna and Bodhi meet at a Coachella festival, sharing an intense connection in a definitive moment, that would prove fate is one clever phenomenon. Bodhi is drawn to Henna’s spirited and carefree nature, something so very different from the life he leads. As the story unfolds (and we’re giving nothing away here because you must experience everything for yourselves) we learn about the guilt that consumes Bodhi, and his want to experience the life he could have with Henna and it’s crushing.

“I want him to want me. Like the epic kind of love where he comes for me. The kind where he doesn’t take no for an answer. The kind that involves begging and groveling. I want him to chase me. Need me. I want him to hold me in his arms the way I’ve held him in my heart.”

Never predictable, always moving, and tinged with moments of humour and swoon, we were completely swept up in a story that called to our hearts. Never on the peripheral, always feeling present in this telling of insurmountable love – love in so many forms. The undercurrent of family loyalty, sacrifice and responsibility spoke to our hearts, the romantic heart of the story moved us in a way we’ll never forget.

‘So, this is what it feels like to understand that the world is not a place or a destination. It’s a moment. When we touch, it’s the world. It’s life.’

Words are not enough to convey how utterly beautiful this story is, nor what we took away from A Place Without You. From the stage at Coachella to the mountains of Colorado and the beautiful trips around the world, Jewel E Ann held us in the palm of her hand with every single page. Sweet, romantic, emotional, beautiful, compassionate, honest…one word sums it up..perfect!

Be sure to make this your first read of 2019 – trust us, you won’t be sorry! Prepare for a tearjerking wonderful and unforgettable experience.

“Hi. Remember me?”
“I’m pretty sure you’re still my greatest memory.”