Will love be enough?

Synopsis

A forever love…or a future dashed?

Midwife Ella Mehenick can’t wait to marry the love of her life, Dan Ferguson. They have both waited so long for their perfect day, and they know their future together will be everything they’ve ever dreamed of. But when Ella suddenly and unexpectedly collapses at work – all plans are put on hold.

Dan just wants Ella to get better, but Ella, so used to caring for others, struggles to accept she needs care herself. She doesn’t want Dan to give up everything for her and suddenly the life they dreamed of seems to be slipping through their fingers…

Once rock solid, Ella and Dan suddenly seem further apart than ever before. Can they find a path back to their happy ever after or will Ella’s change of heart risk everything they love?

My review

Midwife Ella couldn’t be happier… she loves her job, she has the best friends in the world and she cannot wait to marry the love of her life, Dan.
It took the couple a while to get at this point, but both of them cannot wait to spend their future together.
That is until Ella collapses and suddenly their future may turn out the total opposite of what they envisioned.
How can Ella, a real care – taker, accept help from others? And it is right that Dan should be giving up everything to take care of her?
What once was a couple that was rock solid, is now a couple at loss… And perhaps their happily – ever – after will never come… 

This story was one that I did not like at all…
Before Jo starts to panic, as I was a fan from the very start of this series, I have to explain myself… 

In my eyes, Ella and Dan had their story, had their perfect ending, and everything would go only for the best for them. Because they are just that kind of couple, even all the happiness wouldn’t be enough, as they deserve so much and even more.
So reading now a story where things don’t go as I wanted them to go, well, that just a big NO from me. 

But I also understand the reason why this story needed to be written… Because while this story is fiction, and Ella and Dan are not real people, Ella’s story is a real story for so many people.
And having now an extra voice, can only help the real people out there to make us understand them better. 

As a reader, I knew when Ella starts to have some issues, that it wouldn’t be something that would pass easily. And seeing her struggling more and more, not exactly knowing what is happening to her, made my heart clench.
And when the diagnosis came, it truly broke my heart. And being just a reader of this story, I can only try to imagine the shock of people who receive this news for real… 

I have to admit, I didn’t understand Ella’s actions and reasoning for the full 100%, as it felt she was doing all the wrong things for the wrong reasons. Why wouldn’t she tell her friends, why did she keep on pushing Dan away?
But again, who am I to judge, as it is not me who is in that situation?
And yet somehow, somewhere deep inside, I could comprehend her too… Because she wanted to protect her loved ones, she didn’t want to become a burden, she didn’t want to ruin their lives by having to look after her. 

What frustrated me the most, was that Ella couldn’t understand that loving her means that all the characters, her parents, Dan, her friends, wouldn’t mind to take care of her. Love is a package deal, you don’t just walk away when things get difficult. And the people who love you, won’t look at you with pity… 

But I am repeating myself again, as a bystander, it’s always easier to say things like that, but if I were ever in that same position, who knows how I would react… 

This is a book with a strong and important theme. Unfortunately health issues are more and more present in our lives, and I don’t think there is one person in the world who doesn’t have a family member, a friend or even an acquaintance without health issues.

And this wonderful author, who broke my heart, put perfectly into words how difficult it can be to come to terms with a life – changing diagnosis. It makes you take the wrong decisions, which you may think are altruistic, but in fact are somehow selfish. You don’t love someone only during the good times, but you stand by their side during the most difficult ones, you work thing out together.
But what is as almost as important as standing strong together, is keeping to communicate. Because what sometimes is being done for the right reasons, without communication it can be the wrong thing to do. 

I found this a heart – breaking story, but also filled with heart – warming moments. Ella for sure didn’t deserve this outcome, but in truth nobody does in real life… Yet it warmed my heart to see her surrounded by so many people who love her, who would do anything for her even while she kept pushing everyone away.
But with this story I am more convinced that before, that love won’t let to be pushed away, even at the darkest and most difficult moments…