Reader's Review: Next to Me by Tara Kohl


This book was chosen by a friend for a local book club meeting.  I downloaded the free sample from Amazon, but since I am blessed to know the author, excitedly, I picked up my signed copy along with a bottle of my favorite wine (Ladies Best Friend) and settled in for a good read. 

One thing I really enjoyed about the book was its readability.  The language was simple and flowed easily. There are some decent sex scenes, and a little bit of language (part of the book was set at college, after all), but I don't think it is crude.    

At its core, the story is about Kacey and Wes.  Once best friends, turned lovers, and how their relationship evolves over an extended period of time.

This book had several references to the late 90s and made me feel like I was reliving my early college days at times.  Kohl did a nice job developing the characters, and I felt like these could have easily been my friends.  

While I don't want to give away too much of the book, I do want to leave you with one quote in the book that really stood out to me, "Losing Chuck and Amber and surviving the accident without them had been horrific, something that would surely impact her forever. On top of that was the news about Mike. And then Wes, the boy she'd fallen quickly in love with, who left her to fight her battles alone. All of it together were, by far, the most painful experiences she would ever have to endure. On that Sunday morning, she began to see that they were the most important experiences as well."  

Beyond college, this story follows Kacey and Wes throughout their lives apart.  It's not just their story, but a story about overcoming obstacles, real relationships, loss, and love. 

I'd recommend this book to anyone from friends my age (and older) to late teenaged girls. While it's along the line of women's fiction, I wouldn't quite call it "chick lit" as it is deeper,  layered with many different themes.  

Good book, Tara Kohl.  I look forward to seeing what you write next.  

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