The Lives Between Us – book tour & review!

The Lives Between Us by Theresa Rizzo
I’m really pleased to be part of the book tour for The Lives Between Us by Theresa Rizzo, which was published on July 1st. Here’s some info about the book, the author and then read on for my review!

Synopsis:
How far would you go to save the one you love?
Reporter Skylar Kendall has run from commitment all her life, pushing people away before they leave her, until her niece worms her way into Skye’s heart and settles in tight. Skye relaxes into a career she enjoys and relishes being a doting aunt.
Then her niece becomes gravely ill. Unable to bear yet another loss, Skye is determined to find a cure, but the girl’s only hope lies in the embryonic stem cell therapy Michigan Senator Edward Hastings repeatedly opposes. When Skye fails to find alternative treatment in time, she vows to end the senator’s political career.
Curious about the woman behind the scathing articles on his best friend, Mark Dutton pursues Skye. Dating Mark gives her access to Hastings’s life and secrets that would launch Skye’s career and satisfy her need for retribution… Only she hadn’t counted on falling in love.Can she avenge the lives lost to politics at the expense of her new love and friends?

The Lives Between Us
About the author:
Author Theresa RizzoTheresa Rizzo is a bestselling, award-winning author who writes emotional stories that explore the complexity of relationships and families through real-life trials.
Born and raised in Grosse Pointe, Michigan, she currently lives outside of Boulder, Colorado with her husband of thirty-two years. She’s raised four wonderful children who are now scattered across the country. Theresa’s debut book, He Belongs to Me, won the 2014 National Indie Excellence Award for romance and the 2014 Readers Crown Award for Mainstream Women’s Fiction and was a finalist in the General Fiction Category of The 2013 USA Best Book Awards.
Find Theresa on the web at theresarizzo.com, or connect with her on facebook, twitter and Goodreads.


[My Review]
I really enjoyed The Lives Between Us! I enjoyed the subject matter, which is not something I’ve read about before and which is pretty complex, with many conflicting opinions and arguments. Theresa Rizzo manages to make the issue and debate around using embryonic stem cells (fairly) easy to understand – there were still a few points where I lost track of what they were taking about exactly, but not many- and injects human interest and entertainment value into it too. I feel like I learnt something from this novel, and I really liked that!
I enjoyed the fast pace of the novel, and the characters which were well developed and convincing. Though Skylar got on my nerves at times and I didn’t always agree with all of the Senator’s beliefs, none of the characters were portrayed as ‘evil’ just because of which side they were on. They all had their faults (though Mark sometimes seemed almost too good to be true, I kept expecting him to slip up a lot more than he did!) and didn’t seem overly simplified in their opinions and beliefs. It was tricky at times to decide who exactly I felt most sympathy for, and that shows Rizzo’s skill at creating interesting characters that I wanted to read more about.
There were points, particularly when describing the romance between Mark and Skylar, where I felt it was a little ‘cheesey’ for my tastes. However for a lot of readers I imagine this all added to the drama and interest in the outcome for the characters. I felt that some were very forgiving considering what had happened, but I guess that was intentional to show you that forgiveness is so important, no matter how someone has hurt you or betrayed you.
Overall I would definitely recommend this book. Although the subject matter is pretty serious, it’s not just about that – it’s about the way people deal with tough choices and circumstances, and highlights that important message: there are lots of different sides to every story. It’s easy to read and something a little different- give it a go!
[Rating: 4/5]
The Lives Between Us is out now.
** Many thanks to the author for providing an ARC in return for an honest review **

0 comments

  1. Hi Laura, Thanks for sharing your thoughts on The Lives Between Us. I have to agree with your assessment of the story. There is a little something here for everybody. Glad you enjoyed it.

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