A Way to Get By

An unorthodox love story

READ. THIS. BOOK. Seriously. Read it.

I finished A Way to Get By a month ago and I’m still thinking about it. I’m also probably annoying Tina Torrest by pestering the life out of her with my questions and observations! This is one of those books where I would give it more than 5 stars, I loved it that much.

This was a completely different style to Tina’s previous books and I couldn’t get enough. I loved the dual point of view, and also the switch from past to present. The story flowed effortlessly back and forth, and I couldn’t turn the pages fast enough. I just NEEDED to know what had happened between Eddie and Bren, to take them from a couple very much in love, to so much heartache now.

Brenda and Eddie were high school sweethearts, before it all went wrong, and their tale of courtship was so sweet. Their story is set in the mid 70’s to early 80’s, and fans of Ms Torrest’s books will be pleased to know the location is the fictional town of Norman with a few Easter eggs hidden amongst the pages. Once you finish the story, make sure you head to the last few pages and you can check if you caught them all!

It’s easy to wax lyrical about a story you’ve read, and want to shout about it from the rooftops, but it’s really hard to do it for this book, because this is one of those stories where you really need to experience it for yourself. One thing is for sure, the ballad of Brenda and Eddie will leave you breathless. Their story has taken over my life! I even had to give them their very own blended name. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you *drum roll* #Breddie.

The blurb said “it’s not a romantic comedy”, but it does have some pretty funny moments.
The blurb said “it’s not a fairytale”, but the start of Eddie & Brenda’s relationship was the typical fairytale/high school sweetheart romance.
The blurb said “This is not what you’re expecting” – and that is so true.

It’s an unorthodox love story. It’s about seeing the bigger picture. It’s about putting the love of your life first, and doing whatever it takes to make them happy. Even if that means you end up miserable.

And just like Forrest Gump, that’s all I have to say about that.