In "Someone Else's Love Story" by Joshilyn Jackson, the story follows Shandi, a young single mother, and William Ashe, a man with a tragic past, who meet during a convenience store robbery. Their lives intertwine in unexpected ways, leading to struggles in love, questions of paternity, and personal growth. The book explores themes of love, grief, denial, giftedness, autism, and faith, all while delving into the complexities of relationships and personal histories. Jackson's writing style is described as rich in character development, full of lovable and flawed characters, and with a touch of humor and suspense that keeps readers engaged until the end.

Characters:

Characters are richly developed, showcasing their vulnerabilities and strengths, with Shandi and William at the forefront of the emotional journey.

Writing/Prose:

The writing style is characterized by a humorous yet poignant tone, offering a deep dive into character psychology and emotional depth.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot revolves around Shandi and William, whose lives intertwine during a traumatic event, leading to a complex exploration of love and personal healing.

Setting:

The setting is rooted in a Southern locale, bringing cultural depth to the characters' experiences and interactions.

Pacing:

The pacing fluctuates, beginning with gripping tension before delving into backstories and building towards an impactful conclusion.

I fell in love with William Ashe at gunpoint, in a Circle K. It was on a Friday afternoon at the tail end of a Georgia summer so ungodly hot the air felt like it had all been boiled red. We were both ...

Notes:

Shandi Pierce, a young single mother, has a son named Natty, whom she believes was conceived immaculately.

The story begins with a harrowing incident where Shandi and Natty are taken hostage during a robbery at a Circle K convenience store.

William Ashe, a fellow hostage, heroically protects Natty and is later revealed to be a geneticist mourning the loss of his wife and daughter.

The narrative alternates between Shandi's vibrant perspective and William's more methodical outlook, creating a rich character dynamic.

The book explores themes of love, faith, tragedy, and the concept of miracles in everyday life.

Characters in the novel face unique inner battles and complex relationships, each dealing with their own pasts.

Shandi's best friend, Walcott, plays a significant role as her emotional support throughout the story.

The story highlights the beauty and struggle of personal sacrifice in love and relationships.

William's character is suggested to be on the autism spectrum, adding depth to his interactions and emotions.

The novel features unexpected plot twists that challenge reader expectations about love and connection.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings for Someone Else's Love Story include themes of violence (due to the robbery), discussions of loss and grief, and implications of sexual assault, which may affect some readers.

Has Romance?

The romance in Someone Else's Love Story is medium, as it explores the complexity of love between the main characters, Shandi and William, while also touching on other forms of love and relationships.

implied steam level

From The Publisher:

Someone Else's Love Story is beloved and highly acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson's funny, charming, and poignant novel about science and miracles, secrets and truths, faith and forgiveness; about falling in love, and learning that things aren't always what they seem-or what we hope they will be.

Shandi Pierce is juggling finishing college, raising her delightful three-year-old genius son Nathan, aka Natty Bumppo, and keeping the peace between her eternally warring, long-divorced parents. She's got enough complications without getting caught in the middle of a stick-up and falling in love with William Ashe, who willingly steps between the robber and her son.

Shandi doesn't know that her blond god Thor has his own complications. When he looked down the barrel of that gun he believed it was destiny: It's been one year to the day since a tragic act of physics shattered his world. But William doesn't define destiny the way others do. A brilliant geneticist who believes in facts and numbers, destiny to him is about choice. Now, he and Shandi are about to meet their so-called destinies head on, making choices that will reveal unexpected truths about love, life, and the world they think they know.

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1 comment(s)

ehanut203

Loved It

4 months

At first, I didn't like this book. The first fifty pages or so are kind of telly, not showy. And that is a thing I cannot abide. Then I thought it was too much like

Shine Shine Shine, which I loved, and thus resented this book for copying. But it isn't either of those things, and I'm glad I finished it.

Shandi (I already forget her last name, it doesn't matter) is moving to Atlanta to live in her father's condo with her three year old son, Natty, so he can go to an advanced preschool while she finishes college. The book opens with her and Walcott, her best friend, packing her things into the car and saying a tearful goodbye to her sweet but manipulative mother, Mimmy. On the way to Atlanta, Shandi and Walcott stop at a gas station, where Shandi and Natty are caught up in a robbery that quickly goes awry, and where Shandi meets a man she believes to be her soulmate.

William, Shandi's new friend, is an "au-tastic" doctor of genetics. He and Shandi share a moment of destiny during the robbery, although Shandi doesn't realize how different William's definition of destiny is from hers. She enlists him (while hoping to seduce him) to find out the identity of Natty's father. The rest of the book is an exploration of love, faith, science, religion, and what emotions are or are not mutually exclusive states. To write appropriately about this book would necessitate a five page paper or bullet points, but I don't think bullet points would do it justice (and I'm too lazy to even okay yeah). What I love about this kind of book is that while it is rich in symbolism and metaphor, labels can't be pinned onto characters too easily. There isn't just a god, there are gods, and people have different kinds of faith in them, and different ways of expressing faith. There is destiny, but that is a word we all may define differently. There are miracles but there is also science.

I think I might have missed the part that makes this book uniquely southern (don't even get me started on the comparisons to Flannery O'Connor, I mean I like your work a lot Jackson but come on), but I still really enjoyed it and recommend it.

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Someone Else's Love Story

Joshilyn Jackson