Review: Unexpected by Faith Sullivan

Unexpected

Author: Faith Sullivan

September 11, 2001.

A day that forever changes the destiny of college overachiever, Michelle Rhodes.

Shattered, confused and alone, no one understands the trauma consuming her until she meets Connor Donnelly.

A native New Yorker, he believes he can aid in getting her life back on track. But what if he's even more broken inside?

Offering her a chance at a fresh start, Connor convinces Michelle to move in with him. Hiring her to waitress at his bar, their mutual attraction only complicates matters.

As more details surrounding Connor's past emerge, Michelle uncovers the full magnitude of the loss he's trying to hide. Refusing to let her feelings for him hinder his recovery, she makes a decision that winds up hurting them both.

By sacrificing her heart, Michelle thinks she is helping Connor come to terms with his grief. Little does she know, Connor is gambling everything for the sake of having a future with her.

What happens is truly unexpected.
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Michelle is a young girl from a small Pennsylvania town and is stuck in New York when the 9/11 attacks take place. She is shaken to her core by the events and struggles to cope so she moves back to her home town. Connor is a young man suffering his own losses from 9/11 while trying to manage his family pub since his father's heart attack. When he learns about Michelle, he wants to help fix her because he thinks it will fix him too.

Unexpected was a great book and I really enjoyed reading it. I liked that Michelle and Connor were so different from each other but ended up being exactly what the other needed. She was sweet and quiet and naive and Connor was tough and experienced. They had this undeniable attraction but Connor was so focused on fixing Michelle as a way to fix himself. It bothered me sometimes the way he would act like a big brother towards her one minute and then flirt with her and lead her on the next. I also would have like Michelle to be a little stronger when it came to dealing with Connor but considering her age and inexperience, I understood her weakness.

One of my favorite things about this book was the theme. This book really highlighted the fact that 9/11 was a tragedy that affected everyone, whether you lost somebody or not. It didn't matter how connected people were to the events of that day, the entire country felt the loss and sorrow of the attacks. The plot highlighted people's need to lean on each other for support and that you can find a way out of the darkness from some one you least expect too. This was a heartwarming read and definitely a recommended read.

IPOD Picks:

"Try" by Pink

"Near to You" by A Fine Frenzy

"Down" by Jason Walker

Sources:

Synopsis: Goodreads

Cover Photo: Goodreads