The Edge of Always  - J.A. Redmerski

First, I'll say Edge of Always wasn't a bad book; not by a long shot.  Edge of Always is as heartwarming and poignant as it's predecessor, Edge of Never, but I was...how can I say this?  I was bored; that's the only word I can find to describe it.  

 

When Edge of Never ended, I was left feeling all warm and fuzzy.  Andrew had cheated death by miraculously surviving a horrible brain tumor. He and Camryn were in love, engaged, and expecting a baby. All was well in my world with that HEA for them.  Although I was happy for sequel, I didn't feel it was necessary because these MCs were left in a good place. Frankly, I would have enjoyed a new story starring a supporting character from Edge of Never instead of continuing Camryn and Andrew's story.

 

The book blurb alluded to a "tragedy"...from the moment the author released the book blurb long before the actual book release, I had it pretty much figured out.  I was hoping that the author would go in another direction and I'd be wrong, but I wasn't.  The "tragedy" was exactly what I was expecting.  The emotions and Camryn's reaction around said tragedy were predictable and expected.  I would have liked to learn more from Andrew's POV here as this part of the book leans more on Camryn's emotions; understandably so, but getting more from Andrew would have been a nice addition.  It was a tragedy indeed. It broke my heart as much as it does the MCs; but it was a bump in the road. This conflict/twist wasn't something that I felt would truly shake Andrew and Camryn's love or commitment for one another.  Isn't that what story conflict is supposed to do?? I'm supposed to wonder if Camryn and Andrew's relationship will survive this, right?  Rather, I never for one moment felt it would.  They had already been through so much previously, so why??? What purpose does it serve besides to get us readers all weepy.  

 

To help heal from their tragedy, Camryn and Andrew embark on Road Trip 2.0...this time for months, rather than weeks like we got in Edge of Never.  Things are very low key; thus, there are various time jumps with sweet moments like Camryn's and Andrew's birthdays and re-visiting friends and old memories in New Orleans.  Road Trip 2.0 added very little new to the story except the brief introduction to Elias and Bray who will be the hero/ine in Ms. Redmerski's upcoming book, Song of the Fireflies.  I could appreciate the drama here because things were going particularly slow, but this just seemed to come out of nowhere, then go away as fast as it was introduced.  Being that these characters were introduced here, I wondered how/if these four characters will intersect again in Song of the Fireflies.  Otherwise, why introduce the new characters, if this incident and/or Camryn and Andrew wont be pivotal in any way in the future book?

 

As for the ending/epilogue, loved it...it was sweet and just what an epilogue should be.  A glance into the future to see that the MCs have faired well and things are truly happily ever after.  

 

I appreciated the author continuing Camryn and Andrew's story for the fans, like myself, who loved Edge of Never, but to me this felt too much the same as book 1 with a few predictable blips thrown in for good measure; not the epically great story that captivated me in Edge of Never.