Paul James loved Clara Bateman.
Hating her would have been easier.
She was the past, and he was hell-bent on keeping her there.
Or so he thought...
Craigslist Ad: DESPERATELY SEEKING EPIC
You’re my father.
I don’t know much about you. I know your name is Paul James, you’re a thrill seeker, and once upon a time you did stunts and people called you ‘Epic.’
I’ve been told you don’t know about me. That it’s complicated.
But for me it’s simple.
Here’s the thing: I’m twelve years old…and I’m dying.
And as much as this could crush my mother, I have to meet you before I go.
In time, I’m sure she’ll understand. She’s still in love with you.
So, Epic, if you read this, please come back. You don’t have to be my dad. You don’t even have to tell me you love me or you’re sorry. Just come see me.
Patiently waiting, but running out of time,
Neena
5 Stars
Review by Lisa Kane
Remember...no good-byes," she reminds us. "There's only see you later."And until we meet again."
What a beautiful story this is!
Neena is dying. She is twelve years old, has leukemia and wants to meet her father. His name is Paul James and he earned the nickname Epic for his renowned stunts. But he doesn't know about her and she wants to change that so she places an ad in Craiglist. Of course there is no way that this won't go viral. Which of course it does. Which leads to some life changing developments.
Clara Bateman is distraught at Neena's actions, but what can she do? Maybe this is for the best. She's sent emails and tried to get ahold of Paul herself. But never got any response. She is business partners with him in their skydiving business, but their only communication is through a lawyer and she deposits his portion of the profits monthly to a bank account. But if he could be tested to see if he is a match for a bone marrow transplant maybe, just maybe he could be the miracle they need to save Neena's life.
"You think I haven't tried to reach him by now?" I suddenly snap. "I've emailed, called...nothing. He won't respond. I even had Richard try, figuring he wasn't responding because it was me." My heart squeezes a little.
Meanwhile, her best friend and employee, Marcus devises a plan to force Paul's hand to come home. And it works. A furious, but soon to be blindsided Paul is on his way home, determined to make sure that Clara will never want to see him again.
I have to go home.
Her.
I have to face her.
The two things I've been running from. If she thinks our reunion will be pleasant and professional, she's got another thing coming. I'm going to make sure she never asks for another f*#king annual meeting again.
But this story has attracted the attention of a trio of wantabe high school reporters-Ashley, Will and Zane and they are determined to get this story out. They are more than a little zealous but they are the vehicle for Clara and Paul's history being told.
I don't do babies and white picket fences.
That's the background. NO spoilers. Just some facts. But the real story....oh lord.. get the tissues and the vodka ready. Both of these characters are good people. Both love this little girl and would do anything and everything to race against the unforgiving hands of the clock.
My baby is leaving. No parent should ever have to endure their child passing. I could be run over at this very moment by a speeding semitruck a hundred times and still not feel this level of pain.
Your stomach will drop, your throat will get the biggest lump and your eyes...there were times I was sobbing so hard I had to keep swiping at my eyes to see the words on the page.
"She's a little girl. Don't...hurt her. Don't make her fall in love with you if you know you're just going to take off again."
Neena herself is a beautiful soul. She is just on the cusp of being a teenage. She wants to be like everyone else her age. She wants to giggle over boys and go to the mall with her friends and travel to all the cool places her father has seen. Instead she feels ugly and is bald and except for her mom's friends; she is isolated. Too sick to go to school. Instead of shopping excursion and plans for the weekend, she is planning her own funeral. My heart broke over and over for her and yet she never wanted pity. She is tired but is so afraid of what her dying will mean for those she leaves behind.
"If I tell you a secret, will you promise not to tell anyone?"
"Yeah, of course."
She inhales deeply as if bracing herself for whatever she's about to say. "I'm a little scared to die."
This is where I reached for my second box of tissues, but there is no way I can't find out how this will end. I owe it to these gorgeous characters and this beyond beautiful story.
"You are my most epic adventure, princess."
Please, please read this book. Is it hard at times? Hell yeah, but life can be tragic and heartbreaking but also full of hope and second chances.
"I'm here, Clara. I'm not going anywhere. I promise. Where you go, I go."
Review by Lisa Kane
Remember...no good-byes," she reminds us. "There's only see you later."And until we meet again."
What a beautiful story this is!
Neena is dying. She is twelve years old, has leukemia and wants to meet her father. His name is Paul James and he earned the nickname Epic for his renowned stunts. But he doesn't know about her and she wants to change that so she places an ad in Craiglist. Of course there is no way that this won't go viral. Which of course it does. Which leads to some life changing developments.
Clara Bateman is distraught at Neena's actions, but what can she do? Maybe this is for the best. She's sent emails and tried to get ahold of Paul herself. But never got any response. She is business partners with him in their skydiving business, but their only communication is through a lawyer and she deposits his portion of the profits monthly to a bank account. But if he could be tested to see if he is a match for a bone marrow transplant maybe, just maybe he could be the miracle they need to save Neena's life.
"You think I haven't tried to reach him by now?" I suddenly snap. "I've emailed, called...nothing. He won't respond. I even had Richard try, figuring he wasn't responding because it was me." My heart squeezes a little.
Meanwhile, her best friend and employee, Marcus devises a plan to force Paul's hand to come home. And it works. A furious, but soon to be blindsided Paul is on his way home, determined to make sure that Clara will never want to see him again.
I have to go home.
Her.
I have to face her.
The two things I've been running from. If she thinks our reunion will be pleasant and professional, she's got another thing coming. I'm going to make sure she never asks for another f*#king annual meeting again.
But this story has attracted the attention of a trio of wantabe high school reporters-Ashley, Will and Zane and they are determined to get this story out. They are more than a little zealous but they are the vehicle for Clara and Paul's history being told.
I don't do babies and white picket fences.
That's the background. NO spoilers. Just some facts. But the real story....oh lord.. get the tissues and the vodka ready. Both of these characters are good people. Both love this little girl and would do anything and everything to race against the unforgiving hands of the clock.
My baby is leaving. No parent should ever have to endure their child passing. I could be run over at this very moment by a speeding semitruck a hundred times and still not feel this level of pain.
Your stomach will drop, your throat will get the biggest lump and your eyes...there were times I was sobbing so hard I had to keep swiping at my eyes to see the words on the page.
"She's a little girl. Don't...hurt her. Don't make her fall in love with you if you know you're just going to take off again."
Neena herself is a beautiful soul. She is just on the cusp of being a teenage. She wants to be like everyone else her age. She wants to giggle over boys and go to the mall with her friends and travel to all the cool places her father has seen. Instead she feels ugly and is bald and except for her mom's friends; she is isolated. Too sick to go to school. Instead of shopping excursion and plans for the weekend, she is planning her own funeral. My heart broke over and over for her and yet she never wanted pity. She is tired but is so afraid of what her dying will mean for those she leaves behind.
"If I tell you a secret, will you promise not to tell anyone?"
"Yeah, of course."
She inhales deeply as if bracing herself for whatever she's about to say. "I'm a little scared to die."
This is where I reached for my second box of tissues, but there is no way I can't find out how this will end. I owe it to these gorgeous characters and this beyond beautiful story.
"You are my most epic adventure, princess."
Please, please read this book. Is it hard at times? Hell yeah, but life can be tragic and heartbreaking but also full of hope and second chances.
"I'm here, Clara. I'm not going anywhere. I promise. Where you go, I go."
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | iBooks
B N Toler lives in Virginia. When she's not reading and writing, she's thinking about reading and writing. Before she became a self-proclaimed writer, she worked as a real estate agent and as an orthodontic technician. **She will notice your teeth before your eyes or hair or anything.**
She enjoys shopping (way too much) and is on a first name basis with several employees at the local Target in her town.
She loves music,(bluegrass, country, 80's, actually she loves most music ~her favorite song is American Pie by Don McLean and she worships anything that is Elvis and Johnny Cash and Eric Church) dancing, (even though she sucks at it)reading, writing, eating (too much) sleeping late, (which she rarely gets to do) and laughing. If you can make her laugh, she will love you forever.
No comments:
Post a Comment