Books & Spoons Review MEANT TO BE MINE by Lisa Marie Perry

Loving him was hard. Wanting him was so damn easy . . .

Sofia Mercer may have been sick as a teen, but she’s no delicate flower. And she’s proven it by making it on her own and starting a new life away from the town that turned against her, away from the boy who broke her already fragile heart. But when her aunt Luz dies unexpectedly, leaving Sofia with a mountain of regrets and the keys to a quirky boutique, Sofia has no choice but to return to Cape Cod. Only, this new life in her old town comes with complications.

Burke Wolf was Sofia’s first love—a relationship that burned bright and went up in flames. Seeing him again, Sofia can’t help but get caught up in that all-too-familiar tornado of passion and pain. He’s battled his own demons—that much is clear. But Sofia can’t afford to be careless with her heart . . . and loving Burke again might just break it completely.

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Life certainly gets real, dire and frightful in this first story of the new series, where tomorrow is not foregone conclusion and every moment lived should be treated as an extra gift. 
Sofia and Burke have a history, not just between them, but they both have overcome something spectacularly huge in their lives, more than once, more than one way and they are still just fighting for the survival, to make it for another day. And it is, or could be, heartbreaking and devastating, but for some reason, I had a hard time understanding the reasons behind their actions, thoughts, and reasoning. I kept going back and forth, trying to understand, but all the way to the end, the came of love-you-love-you-not kept me wondering, without never getting the answers or reasons I needed. 
There are serious issues dealt with, drug abuse, domestic violence, child abuse, failing organs, just to mention some. Maybe there was too much tried to put into one story since it felt so out of focus at times. 
The story does build a picture of the town and its inhabitants, with great details and many points of view, and unique characters, the set  and the scene for the series is well set. Maybe a little too wide picture was painted, maybe the focus was a little spread out, but for those who loves rambling stories of small towns, and more than one storyline in one book, this might e a direct hit. 
As I was reading the story, I was aware of the fact that 'it's not you, it's me' was happening. There were moments that I am sure some will find hilarious, but the humor didn't just connect with me. There was angst in the relationships and lives or the characters, but I didn't feel the connection to their anguish. So after I finished the story, I was aware that it was well written, and most likely will be loved by many yet I wasn't the correct target audience for this tale, as it didn't connect with me with anything deeper than being a good story with too much happening.
~ Three Spoons

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