Author: J.T. Geissinger
Publisher: J.T. Geissinger, Inc.
Publish Date: September 29, 2019
Pages: 342
Rating: 5/5
Spice: 5/5
Genres: smut, dark romance, contemporary romance, fiction
Content Warnings: death of a child, mental illness, terminal illness, violence, sexual content
In my opinion, this is one of the most underrated novels in the bookish community. This is the second novel I’ve read by this author and have yet to experience any sort of disappointment. Her mind is so twisted, it’s insane! And I love it! The first novel I read by her was Pen Pal, which left me in complete emotional wreckage. It took months for me to move on and I probably think about it at least once daily. So when I began reading this novel, I made sure to put my mental seatbelt on. Actually, after my first couple of chapters, I remember pausing to say, “this book is about to wreck meeee!” And I was right, but in a much different way than Pen Pal.
Depending on your perception, this book brought awareness to various aspects of life such as mental illness, end of life, loss and grief. However, it also shed light to the importance of true friendship and infinite depths of unconditional love.
Because of the insane plot twist after twist after twist, I am not exactly sure where to begin when describing Olivia and James. I’ll start by saying I enjoyed her personality so much. She’s creative, observant, well-read, and quick with witty comebacks. She has a best friend, Kelly, who always reminds her to “live a little”, despite the loss and pain she’s experienced in certain roles of her life. Another thing I love about Olivia is that although she may conceal her feelings with others, she doesn’t hide them from herself. She knows what she’s feeling. She reads between the lines. It seems like she’s one of those who’d say, “give it to me straight.”
On the other hand, James is piercing yet calmly intense. He’s more of a quiet confidence sort of guy and even more observant than Olivia. I guess when you’re an artist, you kind of have to be a bit more visually inclined than the average person, right? He noticed everything about her. All of her cues, verbal and non-verbal. He never missed a thing when it came to her. One of my favorite observations from Olivia describing James was when she thought, “I’ve never been looked at like this by a man, with such raw, unapologetic intensity. I feel naked. I feel seen.” I feel like this spoke to just how intensely observational James was and I loved it!
Now, of course there’s a villain in this story and it happened to be Olivia’s ex-husband, Chris. I recently learned a few terms and couldn’t wait to use them, and now here’s my opportunity. He’s a crust mite! A crumb bum! I don’t want to leak the details but he was not a good man to Olivia. His character revealed the importance of having a loving and dedicated partner in marriage. Luckily, the ending took yet another turn, which shifts the readers mood.
As for the spice, JTG did not disappoint whatsoever. There were several spicy scenes but there was one scene in particular that left me completely flabbergasted. You can find it in chapter 21 (you’re welcome, friend).
The way that Olivia and James yearn for one another is so deep. The terms “beautiful” and “passionate” wouldn’t do any justice when describing them. Most of us are familiar with the phrase, “if it seems too good to be true, it is”. However, I’d say this book challenged that belief. Part four of this book is introduced with a quote from Ernest Hemmingway that reads, “There’s no one thing that’s true. It’s all true.” And to that, I can agree. Because although things may not be what they seem, that doesn’t mean that they can’t be…
*Sporadic mental dissection that makes sense in my brain, but I couldn’t form the words to make it make sense in yours: “…because you thought it was this, but it was really that, but you made it this, and it actually turned out to be that… and that was everything you ever wanted and needed… and every bit of it was true.”
Curious for more? Indulge in the full story on amazon: Perfect Strangers by J.T. Geissinger
DISCLAIMER: This is an affiliate link, which means I may earn a small commission from your purchase. Your support is greatly appreciated and helps me to continue creating thoughtful reflections.
Consider this your invitation deeper into the archive.
Wander through more of my novel reviews and let curiosity lead… You won’t regret it.
Romance & Reality 
Leave a comment