Scour the Decades for True Love

This book was beautiful, haunting, and exceedingly frustrating. At it’s core, it was the study of how small decisions can have such huge impacts on your life.

About the Book

Three Decades,

Two Hearts,

One wish…to be together.

Lottie used to be a dreamer, but never did she see herself as a housewife to a controlling husband.

When Lottie’s Nan unexpectedly passed away in the late 50s, her dreams died alongside her. Blinded by grief, her actions changed the course of her life and that of Henry Hollister, her first love.

With Henry haunting her dreams and a burden of regrets, Lottie and Henry wish for nothing more than to turn back the clock to a time of innocence. A time when no one was in the way to stop their plans.

Is it ever too late to follow your dreams?

Is it ever too late to be with the one you truly love?

My Thoughts

I feel like this book could easily be used as the premise for a much more interesting after-school special about a number of topics – abstinence, underage drinking, fighting, drugs, and so on. It almost seemingly had a bit of be careful what you wish for because the grass isn’t always greener sort of vibe going on with it.

The story spanned such a long time, and I enjoyed seeing the fashion and sensibilities change some throughout the tale. Some of the dialogue seemed a bit anachronistic, with terms like “hanging out” seeming a bit modern, but I’m not an expert. Otherwise, the atmosphere and setting were beautifully developed.

The characters were interesting. I loved Henry and rooted for him and Lottie pretty much from the get-go. So much so, that I had a hard time rooting for and liking Lottie – considering most of her decisions silly and confusing. But I’m not the sort of person who thinks all female characters need to be logical or enjoyable. I did like her to some extent, enough that I was compelled to find out what happened to her – especially because I needed her to end up with Henry. I needed poor Henry Hollister to get the girl.

I ended up faking myself out (or the author did perhaps) multiple times on who the “controlling husband” was going to be. It added a bit of mystery. The twists and turns that got us there, in the end, were brilliant, almost making this fit into the “romantic thriller” category for me. I really enjoyed the relationships between the different characters, and seeing them flourish and fail.

It looks like the book will have a sequel, considering the “To Be Continued” at the end of the story, and I really look forward to seeing what comes next. I was definitely left unsettled and wanted to know what happened to Lottie and Henry after we left them. I will definitely be picking that up, and I am so grateful to the author and Love Books Tours for including me on this tour.

Who’s It For?

This one is billed as just Romance, but there is a lot going on here. I saw some social commentary, some thriller, some mystery. There was also some exploration of some really serious topics. It’s not a light, fluffy beach-read kind of romance. It’s a tear-jerker, one that’s going to tear you up and it’s going to challenge you. It’s also probably going to make you scream in frustration, and if you’re the type to scream at the characters – that’s going to happen.

Content Warning: Domestic Abuse, Child Abuse, Teen Pregnancy, Child Death, Parent/Grandparent Death, Child Removal

About the Author

Mel Higgins has been writing since her teenage years, starting with tales of her friends. Now she prefers to write romance novels. When Mel isn’t in her office writing, she loves spending time with her husband, their two children, and their pet pugs going on many adventures. As well as traveling and sipping lychee martinis.

Dear Lottie is Mel’s debut novel.

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