Release Blitz: Between Hello & Goodbye: Emma Scott

by - Sunday, June 26, 2022

 

Between Hello & Goodbye
Emma Scott
Releasing: June 26, 2022
Add to Goodreads

She's a city girl in Seattle. He's a firefighter in a rainforest. This is never going to work...
 
Faith Benson isn't your emergency contact, she's the party-girl friend you call for a good time. The gal-pal who loves mimosas at brunch and martinis at Happy Hour. But her carefree lifestyle threatens her job at a top Seattle ad agency. There's no one better at landing big accounts (when she shows up) but her boss demands she take a leave of absence to get her head on straight.
Faith heads to the remote Hawaiian island of Kauai, far away from the vices that get her in trouble. A twisted ankle on Day One requires rescuing by a man who is vice personified—a gorgeous firefighter who awakens feelings in her heart she never knew existed.
Asher Mackey doesn't get involved with beautiful tourists beyond taking them to bed and then watching them leave his tiny island. He's devoted his life to the safety and care of everyone around him...except himself. Until he meets Faith Benson, the city girl whose vibrant, inner beauty shines a light on the dark corners of his life, showing him how safe—but empty—it truly is.
Despite their best efforts to keep their distance, Faith and Asher fall hard and fast, but there's an ocean between them. Both are building their lives on opposite sides of the Pacific while their feelings for each other grow more profound and undeniable by the day.
Something has to give.
When Asher receives devastating news, he and Faith have to decide once and for all to entrust their hearts fully to the other or return to their safe—but separate—worlds. Because neither can endure much longer, living somewhere between hello and goodbye.


Between Hello and Goodbye is a contemporary romance about love, loss, and experiencing life in all its facets. It deals with sensitive topics that may be triggering for some readers.
Trapped somewhere between hello and goodbye...

Faith Benson can’t seem to get control of her life in Seattle. She’s great at her job but lets her party girl personal life infiltrate at times and she makes poor choices. So when she is sent on a sabbatical to figure out what she wants, she ends up in Hawaii. It is just supposed to be two weeks of rest, recharging, and a little adventure. She is seeking introspection and no distraction.  But it doesn’t take long for her to need rescuing.

Asher McKay is a paramedic on the small island. He’s been a protector all his life and sacrifices for those he loves. He’s strong, stoic, broody, and fiercely loyal. He has deep roots in his community and he has his own emotional baggage. One crazy not-so-meet-cute with the outspoken tourist sparks a bit of antagonism with a side of interest, but he knows she’s not some tourist just to play with.

“He saved me and ruined me at the exact same time.”

Due to the circumstances, his protective nature comes out and they find themselves forming a tentative friendship and both know that they shouldn’t let it be anything more. Flirtation. Avoidance. Repressed lust. Friends WITHOUT benefits. Both of them are afraid of emotional attachments and relationships. Their life circumstances are totally different. But they build a deeper connection anyway despite valiantly trying to resist. Eventually, the sparks catch and they can’t stop the fire and the fall. But life can be messy, complicated, and sometimes completely out of control. No matter how much they try to manage their own circumstances, sometimes there are things that cannot be changed. Every time they think they may have an answer, it seems like life intervenes again.

This is a witty, captivating, emotional, angsty, heartwrenching, and inspiring story of love, loss, strength, hope, and healing. These two are opposites in some ways and kindred spirits in others. They both put up fronts and try to avoid the hard emotions. They both are discovering things about themselves and what they want and need, but it is not straightforward or easy. And even realizing what they want won't fix the other issues. I became totally invested in this story and stayed up way too late to finish it. I felt all of the feelings with these characters along the way. 

I enjoyed the setting and people of Hawaii. All of the side characters added depth. I loved getting more with her best friends, Silas and Max, from Someday, Someday. 

Emma Scott poured her heart and soul into this profound and personal story and it shows. The emotions are raw, the characters are real and flawed, the connections run deep, and the pain is real, but so are the moments of joy. 
Faith is great at her job in Seattle, but not so much at being serious about a lot of aspects of professional life (and real life, really). On an ultimatum from her boss, she takes a vacation to Hawaii to assess her priorities and make decisions about her future. Her trip was supposed to be 2 weeks to think and reflect, but it didn't take long for her to find herself out of her comfort zone and in need of help.

Asher is an EMT in Hawaii, having made his home there years ago after his brother fell in love with the islands and a local woman. After a chance, dramatic meeting, Asher knows she isn’t just a normal tourist but he also isn’t sure how to convince her of that. He is a protector at heart, and has sacrificed a lot in the name of keeping those he loves safe.

The chemistry between them was quick and each was drawn to the other in a way that had them questioning everything. But they still live two very different lives, and know that they should keep things friendly between them for the sake of the differences in their lives. This part of the story grew frustrating for me because it was clear the feelings between them were so different, but neither was sure how to broach the topic of the future. When their ability to keep things platonic grew too much, they were fiery together.

There were a couple key points in this book that made me fall in love with these two again and again and made the second half of the book perfection. The emotions run high and there are some very painful emotions that have to be worked through as individuals and as a couple.

Overall, this story was a beautiful, heart wrenching tale. These characters had such a journey that was clearly tied to the author’s own emotional journey. I’ve never been to Hawaii, but the magic of the islands was clear in the descriptions and the pieces of the culture that were used in this book.

I'm not going to lie or sugar coat my review. I had a major love hate relationship with Between Hello and Goodbye. There were times within the first 40-45% of the book I strongly contemplated not finishing. I was easily distracted, bored, and honestly, I didn't feel much connection to the characters. As this was a highly anticipated read, I was sad about all of this. When it comes to an Emma Scott book, it's a rare occurrence for me not to be completely in love with her stories.

And then that pivotal moment hit, which turned the book completely around. Thank god for that moment because all I could think was something major and traumatic was coming and these characters are depressing me. I was nervous the angst/tragedy wouldn't hit the same if I didn't become invested soon. I love a good friends to lover storyline, but there was something about their friendship that wasn't doing much for me. However, once Ash and Faith started moving from friendship to love interest things began to pique my interest. I went from not really caring, to flipping the pages and trying to figure out what and who the catastrophe was going to be. I was invested in their outcome, and it broke my heart to think about the detrimental ordeal that was heading their way.

From that point on, I was all about Ash and Faith. I needed them to breathe air in the same space, not an ocean away. It was hell navigating the long distance with them. It tore at my heart, quite a few times. And I may or may not have cursed them both out a time or two. Ugh, pig headed people, who think they know what's best for everyone, drives me insane!

I'm truly glad I stuck it out it because I'd finally found the heat, the tension, the chemistry, the connection, and the emotion that I didn't get during the first half. And when that somethin' somethin' I'd been dying for decided to make an appearance I became an emotional, hot mess.

...damn you, Emma Scott!!

Emma Scott
Emma Scott is a USA Today and Wall St. Journal bestselling author whose books have been translated in six languages and featured in Buzzfeed, Huffington Post, New York Daily News and USA Today's Happy Ever After. She writes emotional, character-driven romances in which art and love intertwine to heal, and in which love always wins. If you enjoy emotionally-charged stories that rip your heart out and put it back together again, with diverse characters and kind-hearted heroes, you will enjoy her novels. Visit www.emmascottwrites.com



You May Also Like

0 comments