Labor Day has come and gone, which means it is officially the end of summer. *Insert tears here.* That also means that it is time to end my Summer of Series. At the beginning of this summer I set out to read some of the many unread series that I owned. I had a goal of reading 5 of them, and I ended up reading 4 including the one I’m posting about today. (Check out more on those series here: The Blackstone Affair, The Stage Dive Series, The One Night Series) So I almost made my goal, but really I had the chance to read and LOVE so many of the books that I’ve had forever and have been dying to read! I honestly couldn’t be more thrilled with what I got to read and experience with these books this summer….it was amazing to say the least.
I absolutely loved my Summer of Series, and I wish it wasn’t ending here, but alas summer is over so I guess I must move on to something else. That in no way means I am abandoning the idea of reading all of those fantastic series, it just means I need to find a new name for my series reading endeavor…I’m thinking of calling it Falling Into Series… (Get the fall theme?!) but we’ll see where that goes. I wanted to end my Summer of Series with a series that I have had for forever. Literally. And I think it’s only fitting that not only was this series not on my original Summer of Series list, it’s only two books which makes it more of a duet than a series, but I just couldn’t not read it anymore. So with a little encouragement from one of Author M. Mabie (who is amazing by the way, if you haven’t read her books, do it. I LOVED them all!) I decided to finally read The Edge of Never & The Edge of Always by J.A. Redmerski.
What can I say about these books….I LOVED every spectacular word of them. Wholeheartedly with everything that I had. They were mesmerizing, bursting with vibrancy and feeling and so much meaning, and I was so beyond emotionally invested in everything that I was reading. Camryn and Andrew’s story gave me everything, and I gladly accepted everything they gave me because I was completely blown away by everything that I got from them. These characters are more, their story is more, and just everything about them is more. I loved these books, and I’m so mad at myself for waiting years to read these books. Yes, years!!
I have waited way too long to fall in love with these characters, but I couldn’t be more thrilled with what I got from their characters and from their unforgettable story.
The Edge of Never & The Edge of Always tells the story of Andrew Parrish and Camryn Bennett. Two vibrant, unique, authentic and mesmerizing souls whose paths cross in the middle of nowhere on a Greyhound bus, and what happens when their two distinctive paths begin to intersect in ways they never imagined they could. Their journey together in this series has its ups and downs, twists and turns, and it definitely puts your emotions through the ringer a bit, but through all of that you fall heart first in love with these two characters and just who they are. Their characters are real and messy and they have gone through way more than any one person deserves, and when you begin their story you will begin connecting to them from the very first word and you honestly won’t stop. I don’t know if I will ever truly stop thinking of these characters in some way, shape or form. They’re that memorable. They’re that consuming. They’re that everything.
This author does an amazing job of allowing you the chance to get to know them, to understand them, and to fall in love with their characters over the course of this series. You get such a foundation with them both, you get the phenomenal opportunity to get into both of their heads, and you just get them. You get why they think the things they do, why they’ve made the choices the do, why they chose to go on this great adventure with one another, and so much more. You get Camryn and Andrew full force, and it’s the best thing because it allows you the chance to love them fiercely. I cared so much for the two of them, felt for everything that they were going through, and just relished in the connection I felt to them both. I loved their characters so truly, connected with them so hard, and just loved them both to pieces because they were who they were and they didn’t apologize for it one bit.
Suffice to say, Andrew and Camryn are just about every positive adjective under the sun.
Camryn is real and relatable, and has such a determination and fire to her that just makes you love her. You get to know her first in these books, and I felt like she was the closest of friends after reading these books. Andrew is charming and witty, and has that same kind of determination that just sets him apart. He’s highly memorable for so many reasons, much of which comes from the life and goodness that just emanates from him in the most amazing way. These two cross paths in the most unlikely of ways, when neither of them is looking for anything, and yet soon they find that they have found their everything.
Their connection and story begins to build, and build, and build some more in The Edge of Never, and then continues to build and grow and evolve in The Edge of Always. J.A. Redmerski does an utterly fantastic job of creating that build, that tension, and all of the glorious feeling to go along with it. She pushes these characters in the best way, she makes them fight and work and choose, she allows them to grow and evolve as individuals, and that results in something that is nothing short of spectacular. Getting what I did from Andrew and Camryn’s characters was wonderful in every way. These two have such a spirit and drive to them that is so distinctive, and you get to experience that vibrancy and liveliness while falling so hard for their characters.
Their story was mesmerizing and enrapturing to say the least, and the moment I started these books I could not put them down. Along that event filled ride, I got every lick of emotion and feeling and intensity from them both because of this author’s fantastic writing and storytelling. She creates a book and a world that you get to live and breathe and experience everything in. You get every hope and fear, every want and desire, every moment of falling and feeling, every moment that makes your heart literally beat out of your chest. You get everything because J.A. Redmerski thoughtfully crafts and cultivates everything in such a way that you’re there with Camryn and Andrew, living and experiencing it all, and that will just leave you in literary awe with what you get from them.
What can I say? I loved these books.
I loved the moments that made me laugh, the moments that felt like my heart was being ripped out of my chest repeatedly, the moments that gave me hope and tried to heal me right along with Camryn and Andrew. I loved when these characters made me feel, and think, and wonder, and when they just blew me away with who they were. I loved where I got to see them go, how they evolved and changed, and how they stayed the same too. I loved everything about The Edge of Never & The Edge of Always because these books were well rounded, outstandingly written, and just captured every single aspect that makes a book exceptional to read.
When I finished these books, I seriously wanted to kick myself for having waited so long to read them, but in the end I am just so in love with these books and what they gave me. They gave me so much, and I know that I will never forget so many things about these books and Andrew and Camryn’s wonderful little selves. This series was just amazing. Period. I loved every feeling and emotional word, every breathtaking moment, and every single thing I felt and thought and experienced while reading because it just made me fall under the spell of these characters even more. I loved getting to be there through it all with them, and let me just say that J.A. Redmerski gives you every ounce of their story in a way that just works for these characters. Their story will satisfy you in every way, make you feel so much, and will have you loving everything that you’re getting because it is truly something else.
These books are some of the best I’ve read, and what they evoked in me as I experienced them fully is something I will always remember and love. Just like I will always love Camryn and Andrew, everything they went through, everything they fought for, and everything that they are, because all of that is absolutely phenomenal.
These books reminded me once again what books can do for you, what they can make you feel and think and experience, and how they can blow you away in every way if you give them the chance too.
Keep reading below to find out more on The Edge of Never & The Edge of Always by J.A. Redmerski!
**Please be aware that both books in the series are featured below. While the synopsis’, quotes, as well as my reviews for each book are as spoiler free as possible, you might find out more than you want to about Andrew and Camryn’s story if you read too much, so if you plan to read the books, start with The Edge of Never. **
~The Edge of Never~
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“Heart always wins out over the mind. The heart, although reckless and suicidal and a masochist all on its own, always gets its way.”
Synopsis:
Twenty-year-old Camryn Bennett had always been one to think out-of-the-box, who knew she wanted something more in life than following the same repetitive patterns and growing old with the same repetitive life story. And she thought that her life was going in the right direction until everything fell apart.
Determined not to dwell on the negative and push forward, Camryn is set to move in with her best friend and plans to start a new job. But after an unexpected night at the hottest club in downtown North Carolina, she makes the ultimate decision to leave the only life she’s ever known, far behind.
With a purse, a cell phone and a small bag with a few necessities, Camryn, with absolutely no direction or purpose boards a Greyhound bus alone and sets out to find herself. What she finds is a guy named Andrew Parrish, someone not so very different from her and who harbors his own dark secrets. But Camryn swore never to let down her walls again. And she vowed never to fall in love.
But with Andrew, Camryn finds herself doing a lot of things she never thought she’d do. He shows her what it’s really like to live out-of-the-box and to give in to her deepest, darkest desires. On their sporadic road-trip he becomes the center of her exciting and daring new life, pulling love and lust and emotion out of her in ways she never imagined possible. But will Andrew’s dark secret push them inseparably together, or tear them completely apart?
Read My 5 Star Review of The Edge of Never
~The Edge of Always~
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“I guess we are just two lost souls swimming in a fish bowl,” I say.
Her eyes narrow. “I’ve heard that somewhere before.”
I smile and point at her briefly. “Pink Floyd. But it’s the truth.”
“You think we’re lost?”
I tilt my head back a little and look up at the stars behind her and say, “In society maybe. But together, no. I think we’re right where we need to be.”
Synopsis:
Five months ago, Camryn and Andrew, both dealing with personal hardships, met on a Greyhound bus. They fell in love and proved that when two people are meant to be together, fate will find a way to make it happen.
Now, in the highly anticipated sequel to The Edge of Never, Camryn and Andrew are pursuing their love for music and living life to the fullest as they always swore to do. But when tragedy befalls them, their relationship is put to the ultimate test. As Camryn tries to numb her pain, Andrew makes a bold decision: To get their life back on track, they’ll set out on another cross-country road trip. Together they find excitement, passion, adventure-and challenges they never could have anticipated.
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