Wow. This story gave me a huge mix of emotions, it was chilling to the core but the adventure Hannah goes on was absolutely beautiful. There were so many layers to this story, filled with self-discovery, maternal instincts and finding trust in people.

Following Hannah through this journey had me on the edge of my seat, I was rejoicing at her new found love, not just from Andrew Brody! (sigh, what a character) but all of her new friends, congratulating her when she got a win (for leaving Victor, for getting a house, for getting a job) and also cried for her when the times got hard. I wanted her to win at life, to thrive and be happy. I’m glad that she and the other characters in this story, got their happy ending.

This story is so hard hitting and I loved the language used, the writing style was engaging, brutal in areas but soft in others. Details to certain things were almost minut and I found myself being protected from the brutality of the situation. Events that were explained weren’t in high detail, as if all that I had gleaned from conversations made the full picture instead of it being spelled out for me or the gaps were filled in from my imagination. Hannah’s situation was brutal, and horrible and even unthinkable to those who are lucky to not witness/experience these acts. But we know they happen and it’s almost like the writing was supposed to reflect that. Keep us guessing, thinking, imagining what the situation would be like and be thankful to not be in it.

I loved Hannah, I fell in love with Ava and Brody and Bullet. Seeing her blossom from a little seed in the grass into a full blown oak tree with maternal instincts to match was such a joy. I was rooting for Hannah, I almost thought it was justifiable that Victor should have died (I really didn’t like him) and I like that it didn’t happen, because it would have tainted Hannah and all she deserves is joy and love, not to have something sinister haunting her like a cloud.

A wholesome read, one with a very important message to send to this world and I loved every word of it. Courage and bravery is always there, you just need to grab a hold of it and let it lead the way.

I started reading this thinking that it was a happy go-lucky rom-com and instead found a very emotional coming of age romance. Which was the type of wholesomeness that my heart truly needed.

Hannah White managed to escape a domestic violence home to start a new life for her & her new daughter. In this small town, she meets Police Officer Andrew Brody and unexpectedly fall in love, while simultaneously healing.

Once I started reading, it was incredibly difficult to put this book down. I loved the writing style, I loved how the story flowed and kept me captivated. I love how invested I felt in these characters.

My only complaint is how quickly the relationship between Hannah & Brody developed. It felt odd how quickly she developed feelings after leaving an abusive relationship. I would have loved to see a deeper friendship develop first.

Thank you NetGalley & HQ Digital for the ARC in exchange for my honest review.

I was provided an ARC by NetGalley and HQ publishing in exchange for an honest review.

I didn’t know what I was getting myself into but wow this book was a roller coaster of emotions for me. It was almost like looking into a mirror. Hannah is the first book character I saw myself in. We both lived through the same trauma, and it was refreshing to see someone just like me in a book. For a long time, I avoided books with this topic, but for some reason, this book spoke to me. I’m so glad I had the honor of reading it. Not to mention the epilogue was an exact replica of what happened to me and my forever. Dog and all.

Some of the things I loved was the setting and the friendships between all the characters. It really provided such a small town feel with everyone knowing everyone. The friendships Hannah made really showed the care everyone had for her and her daughter. Not to mention Andrew is such a gentleman. I was constantly swooning over him.

I did have some issues with the dialogue. I found some points to be confusing and hard to tell who was speaking. Some points didn’t have “he said/she said” so I had to go back a few times to try to understand the conversation. Another issue I had was that we occasionally missed weeks at a time between scenes. I think it would have been nice to see them getting closer to make their relationship more believable. Even if it was just a look into their text conversations. It wasn’t until the end that I finally accepted that they made sense together.

If the content of DV isn’t triggering to you, I highly suggest you pick up this book. Romance aside, this was an empowering book about a woman taking control of her life and getting the freedom and independence she deserves.

Blurb (from NetGalley):
One broken marriage. One broken heart. One chance to meet someone new.

Hannah leaves her unhappy marriage with her daughter Ava and moves to the village of Leadsham to start afresh. She plans to keep a low profile, focusing on Ava and making a new life for them, far away from her violent ex-husband.

What she hadn’t counted on was Andrew Brody. A police officer with a strict moral code, he knows something’s wrong as soon as he meets Hannah, and he wants to help. But Hannah has been let down by the police – and men – before, and pushes him away.

But the more Hannah tries to ignore Brody, the more she’s drawn to him. Caring, kind and patient, he’s nothing like the man she’s running from. Can Hannah finally put her past behind her, and open her heart to someone new?


REVIEW:

When I saw this cover on NetGalley, I thought it'd be a cute little romance, with maybe some banter or something. And wow, this book definitely took me by surprise. In a great way!

The story is way more emotional, deep and layered than I initially thought. It made for an intertaining read yes, but also a very interesting and educating one.
So yes, it is a romance story, but it's also a story about a journey to self rediscovery, to self affirmation of a brave young mother.

The characters were really well portrayed!
Brody is truly amazing! I fell so in love with him way too quickly

Rachel Dove’s Someone Like You is an inspirational account of a single mother, Hannah, who flees her abusive husband in search of a new life.

The topic of domestic violence is serious and heavy. It can be traumatic for some readers, so proceed with caution.

While the plot is riddled with triggering events, Rachel Dove does a beautiful job of taking the difficult subject and infusing it with hope. Hannah manages to create a community for herself and her daughter. She slowly gains independence and learns to trust herself along the way.

I especially loved that a man is not the hero. Hannah is the hero of her own story. While she has others whom she can count on for support, she manages to put an end to her own abuse.

Someone Like You does have a love story. It is a super sweet romance between Hannah and Brody. Brody understands that Hannah is vulnerable and needs to take their relationship slowly. This is a very slow burn, but super realistic and satisfying!

Special thanks to NetGalley.com and HQ for allowing me to read this book in exchange for my honest feedback!