My rating: 5 of 5 stars
First of all I am truly grateful to have gotten an ARC for this AMAZING novel!!!
I am most definitely getting it in paperback if it comes out in the form. That's how much I loved it!
The characters were believable to their very core. Since I am Mexican American I totally connected with The Cabral Family. Especially when it came to the food and partying and most of all the unconditional love from a big Mexican family.
I dare not compare this to other romance novels because its different from all the other ones that I have read. This time not only were Samuel and Kaye meant to be, they previously were and sadly divorced. The plot is reversed and which case I thought was very intriguing. Kaye had to start from new to get to know Samuel better even though they knew each other from childhood. They were married at a young age and unfortunately Samuel fell into drugs and told her that he couldn't be married to her. Without telling her the reason being that he didn't want to drag her down with him. She didn't know at the time and so she filed for divorce. Seven years later the truth comes out and despite having a "girlfriend" (in which case is his editor) he still wants to win back Kaye. They figure out how they can stay as friends first after everything that Samuel has done to her (not going into detail because that for you find out) :)
Throughout the entire time I lost myself in the pages. At times I was so mad at Kaye when she doubted him that he loved her when obviously there were signs that Samuel kept sending her way and was indeed still head over heels for her. At the same time though he had put her through a tough time during their divorce by keeping her out of the loop so it's totally understandable to not believe the chemistry was still there.
Samuel was such a beautiful character to me. He was the tormented author. Had a troubled life growing up due to an abusive mother. Beside that he had to cope with his new life of being watched 24/7 due to his new fame from being a successful author. He couldn't even be himself in his own hometown. He didn't like the fact that everyone was after him and no one gave him his space only because he was famous. It opened my eyes about how I tend to obsess over my favorite authors and idols that I forget that they too are human and get bothered of being pestered.
I loved how throughout the book I read about their childhood memories. Loved reading how innocent they were and how Samuel always protected Kaye. Even at a young age they were connected to the dot with one another. He loved her and she loved him. They would go and play together; they did it all together.
In the end I had hoped for a happy ending and I did receive it. Happy to see Samuel and Kaye trying to reconnected as friends and possibly beyond that. I guarantee you that this novel will have you laughing at Hector's Tom hippie jokes to getting flustered or have tears of joy.
Its a beautiful story about forgiving the past and giving out second chances even if the truth is painful to hear or even mention.
I recommend Hydraulic Level Five with a passion, but I also recommend Sarah Latchaw as a author worth following and purchasing her books!
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