Man of my Dreams
By: Faith Andrews
Genre: Adult Contemporary Romance
Mia Murphy may be married to the man of her dreams. But the man in her dreams is the one that got away—her high school crush.
Mia’s stuck in a rut, just like every other stay-at-home mom, and the only thing saving her from her monotonous routine is her perfect husband, Declan. He’s gorgeous, he adores her, and the man stole her heart with his sexy singing voice. Mia feels like the luckiest girl in the world, until she discovers that Mr. Perfect is not Mr. Faithful. Mia is devastated. Everything she once believed about Declan and their marriage is now covered in a big cloud of doubt and regret. On impulse, she kicks the cheating bastard out, pushing them into a separation that could mean the end of the picture-perfect couple.
But when Mia receives an invitation to her high school reunion, she finds herself abandoning the present for the oh-so alluring pull of the past. Although her heart still belongs to her husband, inescapable thoughts of her crush, Noah, resurface. And ten years later, Noah isn’t afraid to make his move. When the build-up of fantasies and ‘what ifs’ comes to a head, sparks fly and it’s Mia’s turn to question if her marriage is everything she wants out of life. Searching for answers, Mia dives head first into dating Noah, falling further away from her husband and closer to her old flame.
But Declan’s not giving up so easily. Mia is his one and only and he’s not about to let another man win her heart.
*****5 Fantastic Stars*****
We are all plagued by those “What if?” questions. What if what I chose was wrong? What if I had chosen differently? What if I made a mistake? What if?
Well Man of my Dreams explores that very question and so much more in such a phenomenal way that will literally take your breath away. This book explores what it means to think you’ve got it all planned out and together, and then to have that all thrown up in the air like a handful of anguish and emotion filled confetti with pieces and pieces falling away. All the while you’re rushing to grab those emotionally laced pieces, put it all back together again into something that makes sense and feels right, and figure out how the confetti even got thrown up in the air in the first place.
I cannot rave enough about how much I loved this book, and getting to spend some time with Mia, Declan, and Noah while reading their truly unforgettable story. This fantastic book is about a lot of things, but at the end of the day it really focuses in on what happens when the man of your dreams and the man in your dreams find themselves on a collision course to your heart.
What I simply adored about this book:
- The combination of the past and the present. I loved how this book flashed back between past and present with Mia, Declan, and Noah. It explained so much about these 3 dynamic characters, and gave a glimpse into so many crucial moments. It illuminated the magic of the past, while also explaining a lot with what was going on in the present tense of the book. This combination made it very easy to understand what was happening, and why things went the way they did.
- Lovely Mia. To say that I adored Mia is an understatement. She was a wonderful female MC to read, with her vast realness and authenticity that made everything she was feeling and experiencing so very real to me. I loved her character from the moment I stepped into her head, and it was a joy to get to know her. She was sassy, she was smart, she was determined, she had flaws, she had pain, and she was so real. She was just all around fabulous, and through the entire book I just wanted to know her more. I wanted to laugh with her, comfort her, and protect her because she was so real to me. The level of connection I had to her character was just magnificent.
- The female friendship. I absolutely loved reading Grace and Mia’s friendship, and they just brought a big old smile to my face every time they were together. Their friendship was so easy to believe and feel because of how thoughtfully written and authentic it was. I especially loved what the friendship did for both the characters, but especially Mia. These two define what it is to have a best friend, and the way they push each other but are there for one another in every beat just made me love them so much.
- The realness. This story and its characters are exceptionally real and the issues they face are so relatable. The story feels so real that I felt like I knew the characters personally, and that I was experiencing the events of the book with them. The questions, the doubts, the vulnerabilities, the emotions, the happiness, the joy, and everything else felt so real that it was exceptionally hard to leave the reality so thoughtfully crafted in this book.
- Declan, Declan, Declan. Declan was someone I didn’t know if I would love because of the choices he made and the affects that had on Mia. I was in her corner, but about 35 seconds into meeting Declan Murphy, I loved him just as much. The man has flaws and he makes some pretty craptastic choices, but getting to know him over this book cemented him as one of my favorite male characters. He’s charming as all get out, and the fight he has it outstanding. And yes sometimes I literally wanted to slap him in the face for the many things he did and didn’t do, and the things he did and didn’t say, but through it all, I loved him to pieces.
- The different kinds of love. This book captures many different kinds of love so fantastically. I couldn’t help but feel all of that love in my bones. It’s got the love between friends that just exemplifies what it is to have true friends, the love between family members that will warm your heart, and the love between partners that is truly magical in a way. All that love was bursting out of this book, and I highly enjoyed every second I got to experience all those kinds of love.
- The depth of feelings. There are some pretty deep feelings roaming their way around this book from many of the characters that grace the page. Those feelings are felt wholly in the things said and the action of the characters, along with all that is left unsaid and the actions not taken by some of these characters. The feelings you will experience in this book from these characters are powerful as all get out, and will leave you feeling it all.
- Can we get a little love for Noah? Noah is the man Mia always had a thing for, and she couldn’t get him out of her mind. I tend to agree with that sentiment because I can’t get him out of my mind either! He was just an all-around good guy and if there was anyone that Mia needed, it was Noah. I honestly don’t think I could love his character more if I wanted to because of what he brings to the story, and all that he does for Mia. He is just an amazingly sweet man that had me practically swooning. He’s also the big what if too, and exploring that side of him was outstanding.
- The what if questions. This book is bursting with these kinds of questions, and you will find these questions thoughtfully weaved into the story in so many ways. Those questions added a magnificent layer to the story, and made it simply easy to understand the questions, doubts, and thoughts Mia, Declan, and Noah had. Everybody has those what if questions, and this book turned those questions into an unforgettable story.
- Second Chances. I love me a second chance romance, and this book has that in more ways than one. You’ve got Declan vying for a second chance to make right his wrong, and then you’ve got Noah who’s fighting for a second chance at something he missed out on long ago. Those second chances are outstanding, and the way they incorporate into the story made me really question who’s second chance I wanted to work out more.
Man of my Dreams was just a truly unforgettable story that felt so utterly real to me with every word I read. Declan, Noah, and Mia glued themselves to my heart in such a wonderful way, and I heart those 3 to death. I cannot rave enough about them, and their story in this book. Their story is one full of realness and authenticity, emotion and vulnerability, and so much freaking love.
This book is what real love stories are made of, and I loved every second I spent within the world Faith Andrews created. Her writing is so thoughtfully crafted, and it brings these characters and their story to life in such a beautiful way that will blow you away.
This book poses the question “What if?” but do yourself a major favor and don’t find yourself asking “What if I had read Man of my Dreams?” because that is one what if you don’t want or even need to ask.
This book is yours for the taking, and I promise you will be oh so glad you did.
ps. Back to You is the follow up novella to Man of my Dreams, and it’ll blow you away just as much as Man of my Dreams will!! You can find my review of this so freaking wonderful novella HERE , but be warned that the events in this novella happen AFTER the events of this book, so if you read my review of Back to You before reading Man of my Dreams it’ll spoil some things for you. (And when I say some things, I mean a lot of things!) And as we know I try valiantly not to spoil anything on here, so that’s why you’ve got a little more leg work to find the review. Happy Reading!!
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