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A review by nadine_booklover
The Man I Can't Have by Shanora Williams
4.0
”Every single one of these kisses are stolen, because I don’t belong to him.”
Another first for me this year. I’ve never read one of Shanora’s books before and again I have to ask myself how did I miss this talented author?
The Man I Can’t have is a book with many layers, but not the obvious ones. You need to pay close attention to every detail.
In an ingenious way Shanora Williams hid hint after hint between the lines, they blended flawlessly into the story so that you didn’t pay them any attention. Only at the end she does make you see. Not only does she open your eyes to the hidden things happening in the story but you can’t help make the comparison to real life. How many things do we not see because they seem “normal”? How often do we miss hints that would give us a clue about what is going on?
”This fire. This forbidden power. The ache that only he can create and take away.”
To be honest, I was quite wary of this book. I’m not into cheating in romance books (neither I am in real life) but I’m very well aware that this is a thing and you can’t avoid being confronted with it or make it disappear just because you don’t want things like that to happen. Because it does. For very different reasons and each person involved needs to deal with it their own way. And each case is different.
This book shows it clear as a blue sky that not everything is black and white. Most things are something in between, a grey zone. Feeling lonely in a marriage/relationship is a real thing. So is staying in that marriage/relationship out of convenience. Everything about this books screams: Open your eyes, THIS is also reality.
”He is so perfect – everything I’ve always wanted in a man. Too bad he can’t never be mine.”
It took me some time to get used to the characters and their connection or lack thereof. It took me some time to connect to the characters, because each of them is complex in their own ways. Even though they might come across as simple, believe me: they are not!
The vibes, why Gabby lent towards Marcel are so relatable, it shocked me a little. And even though I want to say that Gabby comes across as a woman that’s not strong enough to stand up for herself and that she hides behind the fact that she is Kyle’s wife, she is everything but. She is real, her struggle is real and in the end it totally broke me.
Marcel seems to have a six sense, I can't explain it.He's a - by his past - broken soul and his soul recognized Gabby's instantly. This connection is not only obvious but tangible. You feel his struggle to stay away from Gabby in every fiber of yours and you really do get why he's breaking. Why both are breaking, giving in.
”How can a man survive knowing that sad truth? That he fell in love with a woman he can’t even have?”
With The Man I Can't Have, Shanora Williams delivers a story that challenges your fundamental principles. This book is incredibly moving and leaves you hanging with a big bang cliffhanger.
”He isn’t the man I can’t have. He’s the man I’ve always needed.”
Another first for me this year. I’ve never read one of Shanora’s books before and again I have to ask myself how did I miss this talented author?
The Man I Can’t have is a book with many layers, but not the obvious ones. You need to pay close attention to every detail.
In an ingenious way Shanora Williams hid hint after hint between the lines, they blended flawlessly into the story so that you didn’t pay them any attention. Only at the end she does make you see. Not only does she open your eyes to the hidden things happening in the story but you can’t help make the comparison to real life. How many things do we not see because they seem “normal”? How often do we miss hints that would give us a clue about what is going on?
”This fire. This forbidden power. The ache that only he can create and take away.”
To be honest, I was quite wary of this book. I’m not into cheating in romance books (neither I am in real life) but I’m very well aware that this is a thing and you can’t avoid being confronted with it or make it disappear just because you don’t want things like that to happen. Because it does. For very different reasons and each person involved needs to deal with it their own way. And each case is different.
This book shows it clear as a blue sky that not everything is black and white. Most things are something in between, a grey zone. Feeling lonely in a marriage/relationship is a real thing. So is staying in that marriage/relationship out of convenience. Everything about this books screams: Open your eyes, THIS is also reality.
”He is so perfect – everything I’ve always wanted in a man. Too bad he can’t never be mine.”
It took me some time to get used to the characters and their connection or lack thereof. It took me some time to connect to the characters, because each of them is complex in their own ways. Even though they might come across as simple, believe me: they are not!
The vibes, why Gabby lent towards Marcel are so relatable, it shocked me a little. And even though I want to say that Gabby comes across as a woman that’s not strong enough to stand up for herself and that she hides behind the fact that she is Kyle’s wife, she is everything but. She is real, her struggle is real and in the end it totally broke me.
Marcel seems to have a six sense, I can't explain it.He's a - by his past - broken soul and his soul recognized Gabby's instantly. This connection is not only obvious but tangible. You feel his struggle to stay away from Gabby in every fiber of yours and you really do get why he's breaking. Why both are breaking, giving in.
”How can a man survive knowing that sad truth? That he fell in love with a woman he can’t even have?”
With The Man I Can't Have, Shanora Williams delivers a story that challenges your fundamental principles. This book is incredibly moving and leaves you hanging with a big bang cliffhanger.
”He isn’t the man I can’t have. He’s the man I’ve always needed.”