I told myself that if she showed, that would be the sign I needed.
If she showed, maybe we could find a way to rewind, rewrite, do it all over. Do it all better. Do it all again, only differently.
It's silly; it's something out of a Hollywood ending, and I'd know that better than most. It's not how I'd write it, but it's how the studio would want it, what would appeal to the demographic they were courting: Men will want to go home and screw their wives, call their girlfriends; women will weep and know that love conquers all.
I snort to myself, though it's lost in the bluster of the wind, the squeal of a motorcycle racing too quickly down Ocean Avenue, empty on this overcast Sunday morning.
Did I ever believe that? Did I ever pin my hopes that love could conquer all? It feels like so long ago: when we first met each other, when we loved each other without conditions.
I've been a fan of Allison Winn Scotch's books for a while now, and I usually enjoy them. I enjoyed this one as well but the chronology is very confusing at first—the story is told from both Ben and Tatum's POVs, and it starts in November 2016, which is the present time. After that, the story goes both backwards and forwards, and the second chapter takes place in October 1999, at the beginning of their love story.
Official synopsis:
When their paths first cross, Ben Livingston is a fledgling scriptwriter on the brink of success; Tatum Connelly is a struggling actress tending bar in a New York City dive. They fall in love, they marry, they become parents, and they think only of the future. But as the years go by, Tatum’s stardom rises while Ben’s fades. In a marriage that bears the fallout of ambition and fame, Ben and Tatum are at a crossroads. Now all they can do is think back…
A life of passion, joy, tragedy, and loss—once shared—becomes one as shifting and unpredictable as a memory. As the pieces of their past come together, as they explore the ways love can bend and break, Ben and Tatum come to see how it all went wrong—and wonder what they can do now to make it all right.
Like I mentioned above, this story was very hard to follow at first. One chronology is going backwards and the other is going forwards, so the chapters that are the most recent are throwing names and people at us that we haven't yet met. Once you get into the groove of it, though, you start to realize that Ben and Tatum's story is very interesting, even though they're on the brink of divorce currently.
At the beginning of their relationship, Tatum was an aspiring actress and Ben was a screenwriter. His star is on the rise for a few years, but then Tatum's career takes off, and soon she's a Hollywood A-lister, whereas he's writing scripts for a TV show. That causes tension between them. They later have a son together, Joey, who wasn't planned, but both of them love him.
Meanwhile, Tatum is getting more and more stressed about her career—being the best, trying to stay super skinny, etc.—which is driving a wedge between them.
This wasn't my favorite Allison Winn Scotch book that I've read so far, but the story was pretty interesting. It would actually make a great movie, in my opinion; maybe one day it will get optioned as a film. I'd recommend this book for anyone who is interested in movies and/or for anyone who likes love stories.
3.5 out of 5.
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*Disclosure: I received a copy of this book for reviewing purposes. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.
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Between Me and You, by Allison Winn Scotch
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