Ebook The Girl He Used to Know A Novel Tracey Garvis Graves 9781250200358 Books
Download As PDF : The Girl He Used to Know A Novel Tracey Garvis Graves 9781250200358 Books
New York Times bestselling author of On the Island, Tracey Garvis Graves, presents the compelling, hopelessly romantic novel of unconditional love.
Annika (rhymes with Monica) Rose is an English major at the University of Illinois. Anxious in social situations where she finds most people's behavior confusing, she'd rather be surrounded by the order and discipline of books or the quiet solitude of playing chess.
Jonathan Hoffman joined the chess club and lost his first game―and his heart―to the shy and awkward, yet brilliant and beautiful Annika. He admires her ability to be true to herself, quirks and all, and accepts the challenges involved in pursuing a relationship with her. Jonathan and Annika bring out the best in each other, finding the confidence and courage within themselves to plan a future together. What follows is a tumultuous yet tender love affair that withstands everything except the unforeseen tragedy that forces them apart, shattering their connection and leaving them to navigate their lives alone.
Now, a decade later, fate reunites Annika and Jonathan in Chicago. She's living the life she wanted as a librarian. He's a Wall Street whiz, recovering from a divorce and seeking a fresh start. The attraction and strong feelings they once shared are instantly rekindled, but until they confront the fears and anxieties that drove them apart, their second chance will end before it truly begins.
Ebook The Girl He Used to Know A Novel Tracey Garvis Graves 9781250200358 Books
"When this ARC showed up in the mail, I completely forgot that I had even signed up to be a part of the campaign. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure that the campaign was legitimate because it said that there were 1000 ARCs available, which was utterly mind-blowing. I am so incredibly happy to have had the pleasure of being introduced to this phenomenal book that I don’t think that I would picked up under normal circumstances.
Before I even say anything else, I am going to start by saying I LOVED this book. I read this book in one sitting. This book has officially gone into the “I will recommend this to anyone who will listen to me†repertoire.
The book opens with Annika bumping into her college boyfriend Jonathan at the grocery store 10 years after they broke up. Annika wants to flee the situation, but she chooses to stay rooted and speak to Jonathan. Both are a bit rattled seeing each other after so long and it is clear by Jonathan’s body language that he is hesitant to embrace Annika. Prior to Jonathan leaving the store, Annika asks Jonathan if he’d like to get together some time, which he ultimately agrees to. Annika wants another chance with Jonathan to start fresh and right the wrongs from their past.
‘But I will call. I’ll apologize. Ask him if we can start over. “Clean slate,†I’ll say. Such is my desire to replace the memories of the girl he used to know with the woman I’ve become’
While at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Annika is only ever at the Wildlife Medical Clinic (she had an extreme passion for animal care), the library, or the student union playing chess. Annika is an exceptional chess player since she’d been playing with her dad since she was a kid. Her roommate Janice ultimately coerced Annika into joining the chess team in order to get Annika to be more social and assimilate into collegiate life. Jonathan ultimately joins the chess club after immediately being attracted to Annika not only for her looks but her quirks as well.
I really enjoyed that this story is told from both Annika’s and Jonathan’s first-person POV because it becomes more evident throughout the book how difficult their relationship was on each of them. Annika is on the autism spectrum, which is addressed throughout the book. This causes a whole slew of complications for both Annika and Jonathan since this is uncharted territory for the both of them.
I don’t want to give any specifics of the plot, but I think that the author does a heartbreakingly beautiful job of showing the difficulties and also the joys that Annika’s unique character brings to the story. Annika is brutally honest and has absolutely no filter. She knows that society has told her that she is attractive, but she doesn’t grasp its importance. This story isn’t just about second chances. It’s also about letting go of someone you love in order to understand how to love yourself first.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and @SmartBitches for the advanced copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own."
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The Girl He Used to Know A Novel Tracey Garvis Graves 9781250200358 Books Reviews :
The Girl He Used to Know A Novel Tracey Garvis Graves 9781250200358 Books Reviews
- When this ARC showed up in the mail, I completely forgot that I had even signed up to be a part of the campaign. To be honest, I wasn’t even sure that the campaign was legitimate because it said that there were 1000 ARCs available, which was utterly mind-blowing. I am so incredibly happy to have had the pleasure of being introduced to this phenomenal book that I don’t think that I would picked up under normal circumstances.
Before I even say anything else, I am going to start by saying I LOVED this book. I read this book in one sitting. This book has officially gone into the “I will recommend this to anyone who will listen to me†repertoire.
The book opens with Annika bumping into her college boyfriend Jonathan at the grocery store 10 years after they broke up. Annika wants to flee the situation, but she chooses to stay rooted and speak to Jonathan. Both are a bit rattled seeing each other after so long and it is clear by Jonathan’s body language that he is hesitant to embrace Annika. Prior to Jonathan leaving the store, Annika asks Jonathan if he’d like to get together some time, which he ultimately agrees to. Annika wants another chance with Jonathan to start fresh and right the wrongs from their past.
‘But I will call. I’ll apologize. Ask him if we can start over. “Clean slate,†I’ll say. Such is my desire to replace the memories of the girl he used to know with the woman I’ve become’
While at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, Annika is only ever at the Wildlife Medical Clinic (she had an extreme passion for animal care), the library, or the student union playing chess. Annika is an exceptional chess player since she’d been playing with her dad since she was a kid. Her roommate Janice ultimately coerced Annika into joining the chess team in order to get Annika to be more social and assimilate into collegiate life. Jonathan ultimately joins the chess club after immediately being attracted to Annika not only for her looks but her quirks as well.
I really enjoyed that this story is told from both Annika’s and Jonathan’s first-person POV because it becomes more evident throughout the book how difficult their relationship was on each of them. Annika is on the autism spectrum, which is addressed throughout the book. This causes a whole slew of complications for both Annika and Jonathan since this is uncharted territory for the both of them.
I don’t want to give any specifics of the plot, but I think that the author does a heartbreakingly beautiful job of showing the difficulties and also the joys that Annika’s unique character brings to the story. Annika is brutally honest and has absolutely no filter. She knows that society has told her that she is attractive, but she doesn’t grasp its importance. This story isn’t just about second chances. It’s also about letting go of someone you love in order to understand how to love yourself first.
Thank you to St. Martin’s Press and @SmartBitches for the advanced copy. This did not influence my review. All opinions are my own. - I'm really sorry to give this book only 3 stars. I truly wanted to love it because Annika's character could and should have been not only a breath of fresh reading air but also a amazing character to learn from. Yet I found myself at the 50 percent mark feeling a bit bored by the story and that bummed me out. There were some scenes in the book that stirred emotions for me and that I found engaging such as Janice going to get Annika from the dorm room with Jake. that part was so good but then it would run so bland again for me .I wanted more of Janice and Annika , Janice was such a great character and hearing from her more would have been great .some of the laugh out loud positive moments where when Annika was giving 'feedback on Janice's boyfriend ." . Jonathan was kind of weird for me, he was the main character yet you never truly get to know him and feel his love for Annika . He was written to aloof for me a bit removed , illusive .I get that Annika needed to be told in that manner but I feel like everyone else got told in that same emotional detached manner and I think it hurt the whole storyline. I liked Tina the therapist and her interactions with Annika the best .Again those sessions were far and few apart but held the most insight and depth and should have been in a lot more of this read to really shed more light on Annika .The ending was very rushed, it had so much potential because the author really made it interesting, it could and again should have given us so many feels but again it feel flat for me and was emotionally disconnecting and again hurt the read for me. You get the feeling that this book is very personal to the author and I really respect that but somehow that whole story came across lacking "emotional depth and understanding of everyone's emotions and thoughts Lacking too much emotional dialogue, again with Annika it would have been extremely understandable but not from them all. Sorry to say it was just a okay read for me and I'm really sorry to write that because if the other characters represented themselves with depth and expression I think this book would have been a great read and eye opener.
- Without a doubt, “The Girl He Used to Know†by Tracey Garvis-Graves, tops the list of my favorite books thus far this year! In fact, I can’t rave enough about this unique and compelling second-chance romance that left an indelible impression upon my soul. Boasting well-developed, multi-dimensional characters and a premise unlike any I’ve encountered before, Tracey Garvis-Graves delivers a gripping, emotional story that you won’t soon forget.
While Annika and Jonathan’s arduous journey towards reaching their HEA is paved with many pitfalls, as a reader that longs for the exceptional, I found it to be a road well worth traveling. Ignorant to most social clues, Annika has struggled to fit in for most of her life. And then there was Jonathan, who loved her, flaws and all. That is, until Annika inadvertently broke his heart. Now, years later—after a chance encounter—Annika hopes to win Jonathan back by proving to him how much she has changed. Still, some obstacles might be too great to overcome. So, the question remains, can this couple rise to the challenge? Or will fate step in and prevent them from ultimately beating the odds?
Eliciting a myriad of emotions, “The Girl He Used to Know†broke my heart and then slowly pieced it back together. It’s raw, it’s gritty, and it’s real. And it’s what true romance is all about.
