paige (ptsungirl)'s Reviews > After I Do

"We walk up the mountain until we can barley move, until we think we can't go one more step, and then we keep going. We never let the mountain win."

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This was such a stunner of a book. While the summary was intriguing, I don't think that I really knew where the plot would take me until I truly got into it. What a controversial idea on how to save a marriage. What an interesting way of navigating love and all the different ideas surrounding it.

Lauren has so many different forms of love surrounding her. She has a sister who doesn't care when love comes into her life, but knows she wants it. Knows that she'll never search for it, but also never say no to it. She has a brother who stumbled into love, and is doing everything he possibly can to build a life out of it. A mother who tried love, thought it wasn't for her, and may be realizing it is. A grandmother who loved her entire life. A friend who was so broken by love, but still unable to say no to its charm. A co-worker who is in love, deeply, but not as happily as can be.

Each story that Lauren is surrounded by is so extremely important to her figuring out if she can or cannot be with Ryan. Each love is another stepping stone into figuring out if she can let him back into her life after they hurt each other so much. It was compelling, beautiful, and heart-breaking. I think it's so cool that you can see how perfectly matched Lauren and Ryan are even though we hardly see any of the actual good in their relationship.

And you want to know the coolest thing of all?

I didn't dislike either one of them.

In stories of separation and lost love, it's almost impossible to be neutral and not take sides. Especially if it's someone you personally know. Ryan's family disliked Lauren the moment he told them their situation, but Lauren's family supported her while loving him all the same. Found family is so special because so many of us are at an age where we feel lost in our families, and lost in our lives. Lost in decisions that nobody is ever truly prepared to make. But when you read a family that is so beautifully developed together, it's sometimes even better.

I love that Lauren found herself in her time away from Ryan. I love when it clicked, for her, what being in love truly meant. I love that he was so selfless in their decision and that she respected everything he asked for. I love that they aren't angry at the decisions they made in their time apart. I love that Lauren realized that sometimes the most important part of loving someone is not taking them for granted.

Marriage, by societal standards, is a very odd concept. The breaking of marriage, even more so. I hope that when I find the only person I want to hold onto me through life, we can both be as clear-headed and kind to each other as Lauren and Ryan were in their toughest moments. This may have started out as a plot I didn't think I could get behind, but it turned into one of the most beautiful stories about love I've ever read.

Marriage is different for everyone, and whether or not it works out in the end, it should always be worth the try.

- Paige