source: arc from author
rating:★★★★★
from goodreads:
Life doesn’t always follow the itinerary.
Mallory had everything mapped a carefree summer in Europe, living life on her terms before her first ever nursing job began—no strings, no distractions. She was ready to conquer the world, one passport stamp at a time.
When a threatening encounter with a dark stranger sends her careening off course, she finds herself lost in an unfamiliar place. Amidst all of the uncertainty, she bumps into Emil.
Steady, kind, and patient, Emil is definitely not part of Mallory's plans...but maybe he's exactly what she doesn't know she needs. Offering everything and asking nothing in return, he's a detour she never expected, but one she might not be able to walk away from.
As Mallory struggles with her past, she now also has to grapple with her future, wondering if this twist of fate is—in fact—exactly what she never knew she wanted?
She has to make a decision
Stick to the life she’s always intended?
Or risk it all for a love that feels risky, uncertain…but possibly meant to be?
my review:
i LOVED this book in all ways possible. two worlds apart was an immersive love story. lenora's descriptions of all the places they travelled made me feel as if i was there right along with them. it is a slow burn but it is definitely worth the read. it kept me interested the whole way through. thank you to lenora for not only being a great author but a great person overall.
mallory roth, knows exactly what she wants in life and has a grand scheme of a plan worked out for herself and her life. she took all the steps necessary to get to where she wanted to be and it all worked out for her BUT she wanted to travel the world before she started her "big girl" life.
emil, the bosnian native, the small town boy with unfulfilled big dreams. the sweetest and most caring stranger. he was going about his normal life when this american girl stumbled into his life and changed his whole world.
two worlds apart was a slow burn but it had enough detail in the middle to ensure that the whole story came together and wasn't boring at all. this book made me cry, laugh, and kept me giddy the whole way through. i really did not expect the ending but it came together really well. i would have loved to know what all happened in the 5 months in between and what led them to the point they ended up in but it was overall written very well. i also really liked that it showed that nothing really ever goes as planned and you really just have to roll with the punches and take life for what it is. i liked that there was spicy scenes without all the spice described, im all for smut but it is nice to have a book with spicy scenes and none of the spicy details.
congrats to lenora on her first published book. i am definitely looking forward to reading the next book in the series and hopefully theres cameos!!
favorite quotes:
"it would be too obvious to declare that life doesnt always go as planned, because of course it didnt."
"if you were with me, id always have the best of both."
"life is for living, not waiting."
"its work to be with the one you love, but those things are what make it worth it."