Author: Lisa Mangum (Twitter)
Publisher: Shadow Mountain
Buy online: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | IndieBound
Book borrowed from the national library
(Actual) Rating: 4 of 5 stars
Not really familiar with the author either. Never read one of her books before and I picked up this book by random. Sometimes it's just really awesome that you got to read a random book simply because of how the title attracts you so. That's what happened between this book and me- we just connect. Like it's got something good to trade with me. You read my book and you'll get what you need/want. That whole concept was included in the plot and I find it new and interesting. I'm still finding out how trading anything get to what you want.
"Someone once told me that if you don't know what you want, you'll never get it."
I don't feel like typing out the summary/book synopsis to you because I don't have to. You go prepare yourself to this kind of quest/adventure also you'll get to literally go around the NYC - keeping you on the edge of your seat.
It's so wonderful, realistic and adorable at the same time. I've never been to NYC much less barely know anything about its place. It's so nice to get to "go" to NYC without even moving physically just mentally. Haha! Sam and Sara were finding themselves and out of nowhere they bumped to each other without meaning to. I like how Sara thought about her safety, she knew she shouldn't be talking with strangers and all. Usually when you talk to strangers, you somehow feels awkward or uncomfortable. But for both Sam and Sara, they just clicked immediately.
"My dad taught me never to talk to strangers" "We're all strangers in the beginning." "Then what are we in the end?"
At least Sara was mindful about what reaction or her feelings towards the first time she met Sam. She thinks before she does it - whether it's safe or just plain dangerous to talk to him. But still - reminder: BEWARE of strangers. You never know. There was one book that I didn't like because of the character where she met him at the airport and doesn't even know him and liked or let's say love him all of a sudden - so called love at first sight. Weird. In my opinion, love has its process to go through and it's not easy just like that.
Gotta keep moving.
After Hello has got an ending that's simply believable and true and likely to happen. It's right the way how the ending should look like. It was neat. I was glad it was not goodbye for both Sam and Sara. They are beginning to accept what life has to offer. They've learned from each other something valuable. Each has got story that has benefit them. Lending a hand to help each other is truly nice and sweet through out the book. Understood each other better without bad remarks or judging what one has gone through or done wrong in their past. Sara is the character that touched my heart and I felt her deep need for her family to be whole. The family she wished she could put back together. Broken not but completely and absolutely not the end of everything- she needs to stand up and get moving. Same goes for Sam.
"Happiness can be close by, even if your heart is far away."
Not all people in this world truly wants wealth but happiness. Let's get an example. How do you know celebrities are happy. They may have every riches and stuffs for daily needs. The question is are they truly enjoying what they have and happy of how they live their lives? Like Sara, she just wants her mom back and that's all you have to make it up to her. We should be all grateful for every little things we have. It doesn't have to be money. It could be because of a loving whole family that has always got our back, every day in this life from when we were born they took care of us. Fight for us even when it has come to almost a collapsed one perhaps.
"Sacrifice. Giving up more so that the other person can get what they need."
I want to talk about being able to keep moving forward in life. That's what Sam had been doing but until he met Sara, that's where he was sure that not everything has to be thrown away and letting go of it as if it didn't exist or happened at all.
He'd always believed that stagnation killed, and maybe that was still true, but stagnation wasn't the same as stillness.
"You've got to keep moving. Stagnation kills."
You don't have to run away from it. Face it. The past is there to haunt you but you can't throw it away - it's part of who you are. It may have been bad, but you know that things will get better one day. One day it'll just be as if it had been a dream. It's all in your mind.
"Letting go didn't mean throwing away, after all."
I've also come to know everything is not the same in this world. Everyone and every thing is different. We all have uniqueness in us that only us has owned it.
There's so many wonderful stuff hidden in the book that it felt gold to me. I have to dig and dig to find purest gold that's got my heart so full. I love the light romance behind every scene. Left me goosebumps. Sam is sure of those genuine one of a kind type of guys in every girls dream.
Not every thing we have comes from luck. We make it possible ourselves, we make luck. Everything happens for a reason. Anyway, music has helped through bad times. Listening to positive songs helped so much. When Sam and Sara met Daniel here's a quote that I liked from him: "Every day You can't play for as long as I have without music in your soul demanding to be released." Reminds me of David Archuleta. Big time. There's a part in the book when Sam and Sara touched on religion in one of their conversation. "Do you think God is going to make a personal appearance just for you? I thought the whole point of belief was that you didn't see things first?" I blurted out as if Sam and Sara could hear me: It's because even when your mind finds it hard to believe, keep your heart open to God." I think that's what's Sam is doing even if he couldn't believe just yet, his heart is still waiting where it will come to know more about God. He is open about it. I like that.
I actually find really cute when he said that it was all right to cry your eyes out in Times Square - I would do that when I get to NYC. For real though, I admit, I had pour my tear out of my eyeballs before but not in a huge crowded and bustling one.
I rushed out when it was dismissal time, I avoided everyone on the way out didn't bother meeting up with my friends. I didn't even want to take the bus home. I walked on the pavement crying. My heart was ready to burst right out of my chest and tears I couldn't held anymore just flowed down my cheeks. It felt good. No one had to ask why I had puffy eyes before I reached home I was done with the crying. While I was in that stage of my crying, weird, because my head was playing a tune that was quite appropriate - Thousand Miles by Vanessa Carlton. Yep, laugh all you want. LOL.
Here's my advice: If you want to cry make sure you cry it out really hard where you walk a quite a long way. Make sure to turn on a good emo song while crying too. It'll help. Sometimes it's best to let those tears go away. Let it out. Don't store it in you till it's hurting you anymore you can't even see clearly of the things you're missing out in life.
So much for my rambling. Let's just say, go on ahead and read After Hello, engaging and evocative, in my opinion. Can't get enough of it! Love love love!
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