Can ten dates be enough to fall in love (again)?

Synopsis

Is it the end of their love story or just the beginning?

Callum and Alice McClaren have spent two wonderful years building a life and a home and making plans for a future together. But when Alice is involved in a car crash, Callum fears that he has lost her forever. As he sits by her bedside he promises he’ll do anything if only she’ll open her eyes…

But when Alice does finally wake up, she has absolutely no memory of being in love with Callum or the life they once shared. In fact, all she remembers about him is how incredibly annoying he once was! How can she have forgotten him if she really did love him so deeply?

Callum is determined to prove to Alice that what they had was special, so he makes her a deal: he’ll recreate their first ten dates and make her fall in love with him all over again!

Alice isn’t sure Callum can fill in all the gaps in their story.And what if going back to the start only means the end?

My review

Alice and Callum have gone from annoying each other for years to be soulmates for the past two years. Life couldn’t be any better and they are making plans for a future together, a future they never imagined to have.
But a car accident turns all their plans overboard. Callum sit every day by her bedside, praying that Alice would open her eyes. However, when she finally does, she doesn’t remember any part of being in love with Callum, on the contrary… as she only remembers the bits before they got together where no love was involved.
Callum isn’t one to give up and he makes a deal with Alice: he gets ten dates to make her fall in love with him again. Ten dates to recreate their first ten, to proof that their love is special and worth fighting for.
But if Alice can’t remember her ever loving Callum, was their love truly so special? 

This story was one of the sweetest yet also most heart – braking stories I’ve read!
We have all read books where the main characters finally get their happily ever after. But what happens when that happily ever after gets taken away from us? 

I loved reading how Alice and Callum got from enemies to lovers, and as a nice extra, we know that Callum has always been in love with Alice. Is there anything better than that? Oh yes there is… as Callum is Alice’s brother best friend!
And while it would have been nice to read more in details how this power couple did get together, discovering their first ten dates together, seeing how they fell in love in the past (and hopefully again!) was perhaps even better than having an actual prequel. 

This book gave me initially Nicolas Sparks – vibes, and reminded me of ‘The Vow’ movie, but I quickly realized that while there were similarities, this story is very unique, and even more wonderful! 

While reading, I could completely comprehend the state of mind of both Alice and Callum.
Alice wakes up, losing two years of her memory, not knowing if those two years will ever come back. And she finds herself in a situation past – Alice would never have imagined. She bought a house on her own, with plans of renovating it according her plans, and for sure she didn’t think of settling down with someone, the least of all with Callum. 

Yet waking up, with Callum by her side, with her family having no issues of Callum having there, confused her. And I can only try to understand that confusion…
I could comprehend her wanting to be alone, feeling the pressure of everyone around her to remember. And I could completely understand the anger she felt with the realization how many wonderful she has missed/forgotten.
But also her worries that her memories would never return, making her wonder what the right thing to do is. Is it fair to give Callum a chance when perhaps she will only hurt him in the end by not remembering or loving him back? Or will her memory return and can they pick up again where they left off?  

On the other hand, my heart broke for Callum… he finally got the girl, but now has lost her in a terrible way. I cannot decide what would be worse, never had the person you love, or having that person not remember you…
Yet it’s clear from every word, every action how deeply Callum loves Alice. He is even ready to make a deal that perhaps would end up in him having to walk away…
His confidence that Alice will remember him, was so sweet to read about! And the patience he shows, made me even fall in love with him, even if he truly belongs to Alice!  

When this broken couple start to redo their ten dates, I would have thought the dates would be unforgettable. But having the total opposite was perhaps even better than the wine – and – dine dates I imagined. Because with each date it was clearer to see how well Callum knows Alice and that sometimes the most simple dates are the best ones! 

And it warmed my heart to see that Alice, even if she doesn’t remember loving Callum, clearly still reacts to him, even if it’s subconscious.
For me it was proof that even if our head abandons us, the heart will always remember! 

The closer I got to the end, the more afraid I got. Because while the ever romantic in me wished Alice to remember quickly but I also saw that those things cannot be rushed, not even in a book. And those last chapters not only made me cry, broke my heart, but they even made my heart stop for a minute!  

This was a marvellous story to read, about the power of love, and the lengths we would go to have our soulmate by our side again. But not only we would go lengths, we would also show patience and even do the unthinkable for our partner’s sake.
I DEVOURED this book and I even shooed people away who would dare to disturb me! 

But perhaps the author should be a bit worried now, as my expectations will be sky-high from now on! 😊