Synopsis:
Two souls, drawn together beneath a fierce sky…Calvin Ellis’s neat and orderly life is shattered when his grandfather dies, leaving him ownership of a quirky bookstore in Big Sur, California. The Mad Ones: once a place famous for poetry readings and bohemian rebellion, it now teeters on the brink of financial ruin.
Lucia Bell’s glamorous life as a super model is put into stark perspective when she shows up for a photo shoot, at a bookstore, in the middle of nowhere. She finds herself oddly intrigued by the quiet, nerdy owner with the huge glasses reading behind the register.
One night they share a passionate and frenzied kiss against a bookshelf. Outside the store, lightning strikes. Trees topple. And the world shakes beneath their feet.
As the storm tears its way through Big Sur, Calvin and Lucia share and explore their most secret desires. Hopes and dreams they once thought lost are recaptured. But inevitably, as reality roars back, they find themselves stuck at a crossroads.
Two conflicting paths. And each must make their own decision.
Which life will they choose? And will it include the other?
Review:
Bohemian by Kathryn NolanMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
Bohemian is a one of a kind beautiful love story that will stay with you forever. It not only makes you want a love as sweet and passionate as Lucia and Calvin’s, but it also makes you reflect on life. It’s very rare that books put your life in perspective the way Bohemian did, but I have to say Kathryn Nolan did an amazing job tying together a beautiful love story, poetry and sage advice that so many of us can take something away from.
While reading Bohemian I found myself thinking about my my own life more than a few times. I would especially stop and think about my own life when Calvin would remember a conversation he once had with his grandpa or he would read an entry from one of his grandpa’s many notebooks. Those words were meant for Calvin, but when I read his grandpa’s words I felt like I was the one receiving the great life advice he was giving him.
His grandpa’s words really resonated with me and where I’m at in my life right now, because I can really relate to Calvin and Lucia on a personal level. I can especially relate to Lucia Bell, because she’s 26 years old just like me, and as much as I hate to admit it, I was just as obsessed with social media as she was. I would check my phone constantly when I was really into Instagram and now I’m not obsessed with social media, but I have the terrible habit of checking my phone when I go to places where there is no internet. Lucia would do the exact same thing when she knew full well there was no internet around. She really reminded me of myself and my generation.
We’re all so consumed by our phones that we often don’t see what’s around us. All we care about is social media and how many likes, followers and comments we get. At first it’s fun but then it just borders on obsessive, and as much as I wish I could exclude myself from this narrative, I can’t. I’ve literally been there and done that. I may not have had millions of followers like Lucia, but there was a point when all I cared about was how many likes I had and how many followers I gained or lost.
Let’s be honest though, I’m not alone in this struggle. I know a lot of us deal with this same issue or have struggled with it at one point or another, and I’m sure we can also agree that we wish we had a hot sexy nerd like Calvin to distract us from social media, but we all aren’t as lucky as Lucia, who gets the man of most women’s dreams. But we can make a conscious decision to change that part of us if that’s what we want, which is another thing I’m taking away from Bohemian. I need to be more self-aware and I need to stop caring about likes and follows because at the end of the day, the only thing that matters is what I think of myself. Not anyone else.
I have to admit that I did not expect to come out of Bohemian with all these thoughts, but I can’t help it. Nolan did an amazing job interweaving romance, erotica and life lessons that so many of us could take a thing or two away from.
One part that really resonated with me was something Calvin’s grandpa said to him when he visited him for the last time before his grandpa passed away. His grandpa told him, “Life is beautiful. We live our lives differently, which is one of the best things about living. I’ve lived long enough on this earth to know that to be true. I just…I want to know if you’re happy.” When I read this part, I honestly felt as though it was directed at me, because just like Calvin and Lucia, I’m at a point in my life where I’ve just basically settled for what I have and am contempt but I can’t say I’m happy and that’s not okay. I need to fight for my happiness and go after what I want just like Lucia and Calvin did.
Bohemian was kind of like a wakeup call for me. This story and its beautifully written words could not have come into my life at a more perfect time, because I really needed to hear everything I did. It really struck a chord with me and made me feel all kinds of things, but more than anything, it made me feel like it was written for me and very few books make me feel that way, so I cannot recommend this story enough.
I am honestly glad I took a chance on Bohemian, because it impacted me in a way I never expected, and I hope that this story manages to impact other readers like it impacted me. But even if you don’t take away from it what I did, it’s still an amazing story just the same, because it had all the elements that make up any good romance novel.
It has a great storyline and two lovable characters who have some of the hottest chemistry. It also has a hot nerd who we know as Calvin. He is so shy, it’s honestly adorable. I love the way he blushes around Lucia, but underneath his timid personality is a dominate just waiting for the right woman to come along to unleash his innermost desires and let me just say, when those desires are unfurled things get hot and I mean HOT!
If that’s not reason enough to buy it, then I don’t know what is.
I hope you take a chance on Bohemian and take a trip to Big Sur, California with Calvin and Lucia. If you do, it will be the trip of a lifetime, I promise.
I loved Bohemian wholeheartedly and don’t feel like five stars is enough so I give it 6 GOLDEN STARS, because it deserves all the stars! *throws confetti in the air*
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Favorite Quotes:
- “We have a lot of clothes, you know. It’s a fashion shoot. I’ll wear, easily, between ten and twelve different outfits a day. Most of them completely seethrough. Get used to seeing me basically naked every day,” I deadpanned. He didn’t laugh this time, but held my gaze. And for the briefest of moments—the briefest—I caught a flicker. Lust. My cheeks burned—even though I never blushed—but I re-crossed my legs, regaining the power.
- “Life is beautiful. We live our lives differently, which is one of the best things about living. I’ve lived long enough on this earth to know that to be true. I just…I want to know if you’re happy.” “Of course,” I said. “I got my dream job. I go to as many science fiction conventions as I want. I’ve got Claire. We’ve got an apartment in the city. I have a car.” I shrugged. “I’m not sure what else I need.”
- I swallowed, took another sip of coffee, and caught Lucia staring at me: one long assessment—my messy hair, my three-day stubble. The plaid shirt I had probably buttoned incorrectly. “You’re not hiding a latte behind that Rilke, are you?” she finally asked.
- Lucia continued to hold my gaze as I let the images I’d locked up the past few days finally shake loose in my mind. It must have shown in the way I was looking at her, because there was something…exhibitionist…about her reaction to me. She bit her lip. Gripped Taylor’s hair. Licked his bicep. Raised her arms over her head and arched dramatically, almost exposing her breasts.
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