Adult Book Series Reviews

Mini Reviews | Wide Open Spaces & One Last Wish

by Pilar

These books are part of the Shooting Stars series by Aurora Rose Reynolds.

Wide Open Spaces by Aurora Rose Reynolds

Rating: ★★★ / 5 stars.
Length: 220 pages.
Trigger Warnings: N/A.

“Love never dies. Sometimes it transforms into something else altogether, but it never goes away.“

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As I said in my review for Fighting to Breathe, I am amazed by the amount of emotion that Aurora managed to include in these books. She is an incredible author, but for those who questioned her ability in writing more than feel-good romances, this series definitely proves them wrong.

Wide Open Spaces tackles themes like adoption, broken and found families, and building a new life with grace and so much respect. I loved reading about Shelby and how she struggled with some of her past decisions. Her internal dialogue was a pleasure to read and, despite the fact that I’ve never been through something similar, I could understand her and why she felt that way. On that note, the romance was just too cute and satisfying. The past that they had was both adorable and heart-wrenching, so seeing them get to know each other again and move on from what they went through… I seriously cannot describe it, I feel like I’m repeating myself over and over again.

Still, this might not be everyone’s cup of tea, so make sure it is the type of book you enjoy before picking it up. If you like fast-paced, second-chance romance, check it out.

One Last Wish by Aurora Rose Reynolds

Rating: ★★.6 / 5 stars.
Length: 145 pages.
Trigger Warnings: death of a loved one.

“It’s a different kind of happiness. A happiness I feel all the way down to my soul.“

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This one disappointed me. I liked the first two books, so I had high hopes for this one, specially because of who it is centered around. The synopsis also sounded very interesting and mentioned situations that could have definitely made for a great story about moving on and remembering loved ones that have passed.

I think the main reason I didn’t like this one as much as the others is the pacing. Aurora’s books are already very fast-paced, which I don’t mind because it is her style. However, it was like she put a x2 speed on her already quick narrative, and because the topics were so serious and could’ve included so much reflection and growth from the characters, I didn’t really like it. Also, Aubrey (the main character) wasn’t as developed as the those from the other books either. I never really connected with her and some of her reasons behind being so stubborn frustrated me.

All in all, this wasn’t bad, but it could’ve been a lot better. Maybe if you’ve read the rest of the series, you might want to give this a try just to see where it all ends up, but you could also skip it, you’re not missing much.

I hope you liked my mini reviews and, if you’ve read these books, let me know what you thought of them!