All That We Are

De: Melissa Toppen

Narrado por: Marissa Pistone

Duración: 7 h y 50 m

Resumen del Editor

They say everything happens for a reason - that there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. For the longest time, I didn’t think that was true. I had stumbled around in the dark for so many years that I didn’t think I would ever find my way out. But when I finally did, it came in the most unexpected way.

Miles Hollins had been my brother’s best friend for as long as I could remember. We didn’t like each other much growing up. Or rather, we couldn’t stand each other. But after 10 years of being gone, a lot had changed.

He wasn’t the same boy I remembered. I wasn’t the same girl, either. So much had happened.

I moved away and got married.

Miles joined the military.

We both returned home broken in our own way.

I struggled to find my place in my new life. Miles struggled just to get through the day. But together, we slowly began to heal. I quieted his demons, and he gave me a sense of belonging. For a while, that was enough.

But this is real life, and in real life, nothing stays perfect forever. In real life, not every story ends with a happily ever after. Sometimes, the scars we carry are just too deep.

I promised him I would fight.

He promised me I would lose.

I’ll do everything in my power to prove him wrong. Because, it’s when you find the one thing you can’t live without that you truly find yourself.

All That We Are is a stand-alone contemporary romance.

©2019 Melissa Toppen (P)2020 Melissa Toppen

Second chance and forbidden romance

I really enjoy author Melissa Toppen’s writing. Her characters have depth, their relatable and the plot to their story is always appropriately paced to fit their personalities. It’s easy to get sucked in and swept away because the story is very believable and easy to connect with.
This was a beautiful second chance romance with a touch of enemies to lovers, friends to lovers, brothers best friend, and forbidden.

Miles and Harlow didn’t get along much as kids but now that they’re both grown up and Harlow is back in town after suffering through a horrible divorce, they find comfort in each other that they both never expected.

As Harlow works through her personal battles and learns to stand on her own two feet, Miles battles demons from his past. When the two are together all their problems seem to melt away but eventually it catches up with them when they least expect it.

I really enjoyed this couple and routed for them from the very beginning.

This was my first time listening to this narrator. While I did enjoy her voice, she does tell both characters POV’s which became confusing once or twice trying to remember which character she was performing for as her male voice wasn’t much different from her female voice. But honestly she still did a good job and I would listen to her again.

Love ex military romance

Miles and Harlow's story pulled at all of the heartstrings. A vet who can't move forward because he's trapped in the past and a girl who is starting over after a failed marriage to a real jerk. I love that Harlow and Miles grew up together, but were never really friends. When they reconnect they have instant chemistry. Ms. Toppen tells a great story with such well developed characters and a story that will keep you riveted. Definitely pick this one up!

I found the narrator a little distracting. She sounded the same for Harlow and Miles and sometimes I didn't know who was talking. It took away from the story.

An Emotional Slow Burn

This book is a blend of enemies to lovers and brother's best friend romance. I found it easy to root for this couple in this somewhat of a slow burning romance. I felt the slow burn element of this story was extremely appropriate to this couple's history, their present and their respective pasts. I liked both characters as individuals and together as a couple. Harlow and Miles were both complex and they each had their own emotional baggage to deal with. Miles was often very sweet, kind, sexy and just a straight-up good guy. Harlow came across as very relatable and I think many readers will really relate to her. I really enjoyed the evolution of the relationship between these two, From former adversaries, to friends and then to lovers, the layers flowed well and kept me deeply engaged in their story. There is a bit of drama, some emotional turmoil and a few stumbling blocks along the way for this couple. Single narration and I liked the narrator's performance. All and all, a very entertaining, emotional tale.

“It’s the bumps along the way...”

Sugary sweet with just enough angst to make it that much sweeter. Harlow and Miles have so much chemistry it leaps through the speaker. You almost forget they didn’t care for each other to begin with.
I love how Melissa Toppen pulls me into her stories and leaves me wishing for just MORE.
The narrators voice changed a bit in the latter part of the book, which kinda threw me, but I still enjoyed every moment. Sigh...Harlow and Miles