Holly Bourne: SOULMATES

Warning! This book will make you cry! Guaranteed!

September is a month of reading love stories. I have read some pretty good ones so far and a lot of them left a long-lasting impression on me. Well, that was until I read SOULMATES. 

SOULMATES is a debut novel by english author HOLLY BOURNE. Yey, finally an english girl writing a proper down-to-earth love story. I have found this book browsing through Waterstones last month (yeah, I know I have a problem.. being told off all the time!) and the plot immediately caught my attention. 

"Soulmates do exist. But not as you think. Every so often two people are born who are the perfect match of one another. Soulmates. But what if meeting your soulmate is earth-shattering, literally? An epic, electrifying and extra-ordinary debut about falling in love. 

A love story to end the world..."

Now this could go two ways:  

• It will be crap. The plot will lack the excitement of the promised story or it would under-developed. A soppy disaster and the author will not be able to pull it off. 
• It will be incredible. A future New York Times best-seller.

Which one it will be?

I must say I am so happy that the latter is the case. Soulmates is a wonderful love story. We all heard and read the stories of Romeo&Juliet, Edward&Bella, Ian&Wanderer, Park&Eleanor, Jared&Melanie, Andrew&Camryn, Antonio&Cleopatra... Love stories where protagonists fought for their one true love to survive. But you haven't read a story like Poppy's & Noah's. 

Poppy is this skeptical girl who thinks love is just a hormonal reaction of our bodies. She doesn't believe in love. She doesn't believe in soul mates. A pretty sarcastic girl when it come to the whole love thing. But then one day everything changes. She meets Noah and love hits her like a hurricane. She falls for him deep and fast. And Noah falls in love with her. And it's all wonderful, until... well I am not going to spoil it for you. But I have to issue a warning: YOU WILL CRY! A LOT! And if don't cry, then you don't have a heart. You are soul-less. 

Now there are books and there are BOOKS!!! BOOKS with capital letters I mean. Amazing stories which will leave a permanent mark on you. They will change you. SOULMATES IS ONE OF THEM. 

Soulmates is a unique story which gets to you straight away. From the first page. It will get under your skin so deeply then you will never be able to shake it off. 

The way and the language the author used when writing this book is very close to you. You will find yourself in Poppy's character and you will relate to her in so many ways. At least I was. I loved the way Poppy thinks and stands up for herself. It's entertaining to watch and read. And then we have Noah... OH MY GOD. The boy is dreamy. Musician. Romantic. Bad boy attitude. Check, check, check.. and I cannot forget to mention that he has a huge sex-appeal. Catch-ing!! Poppy, you are one lucky girl.

Holly wrote this novel in very entertaining and very british manner which I am so thankful for. It was so much easier to imagine the surroundings and the characters' manners and the ways they talk. Smart. Funny. Unique experience. Modern day Romeo&Juliet. Energetic. Sexy. This book takes you on extra-ordinary journey. It will make you fall in love with it and the idea of finding the right person for yourself - YOUR SOULMATE. 

There are moments, which made me stop reading and think about the words I have just read. The meaning behind them and the actual truth. Pure truth about love and soul mates. And there was a particular question raised. If you would know that you cannot be with your soulmate because it would destroy the world.. If you could know that you need to be separated and there will be pain and hurt...For the rest of your lives you would know that there is a piece of you missing which cannot be ever filled.. Would you fall in love with the person again? Would you do it all over? And there is only one answer to that question, which is beautifully put in author's words:

.......

"Here's what I have learnt since that awful day. What should happen isn't always what does happen, especially where love is concerned. Happy endings are reserved strictly for the fiction shelves of bookstores. In reality, people don't chase their lovers through airports to stop them getting on aeroplanes. The most popular guy in school doesn't fall for the class geek. Friends don't suddenly realise their eternal adoration for each other at the countdown do New Year's Eve, on the top of Empire State Building, in the rain.

Noah and I could never run into the sunset. 

Real love doesn't mend everything. Real love doesn't conquer all. And, most importantly, real love doesn't require a happily-ever-after, that's not what it's about. But real love does change you. It moulds you. It burns your heart into a charred cinder that relights like a phoenix, stronger and more blazing than ever. 

The true test of life isn't how you cope when everything is going your favour, it's how you deal with things that could destroy you, if you let them. 

That's the thing about love. However you have it, however you've had it - it never goes. Once it's touched you, it's touched you for ever. You'll be permanently scarred by its brilliance. You can walk through the rest of your life with the wonderful knowledge...

Someone once loved me and it was beautiful. 

No one can take that from you. 

And there are times, sometimes, when you need to remember that. Acknowledge it. Remember how lucky you are that you ever had it at all. 

And then there are the times when the only appropriate thing to do is stop crying, let it go, with light and love in your heart, and to continue living with your life to the best of your ability. "

.......

Now, this is the bit which made me cry the hardest. Even now re-typing it, it makes me cry again. Tears down my faces. And the reason? It's the truth about love said in the most simplest way. 

Soulmates. Epic love story. A story which will change you un-expectedly. You change the way you look at soulmates and one true love. If you are a believer, it will strengthen your faith. If you are an unbeliever, then it will change your mind. You will become a believer. You will be a hopeful romantic. And most of all, you will want so badly for Poppy & Noah to stay together. You will pray that somehow there will be a way, new discovery perhaps, which will allow them to be together for ever like they are meant to be. 

Holly Bourne wrote the most wonderful love story which will stay with you even after your turn the last page. It will permanently become a part of you for ever. It will open your horizons and you will start to appreciate love more. 

Beautifully written. Easy to follow. Enchanting. This book will have you under a spell. You will start reading and you will not be able to stop. You become hungry for more. The type of hunger which can only be satisfied with finishing the book. And once you are finished, once this tragic love story is over, you will be filled with weird satisfied sadness. 

This story doesn't have a happy ending. But this story is true to the core, keeps you grounded and it will change you for ever. 

Original story by very british Holly Bourne about epic love. It's a must-have and must-read. 

Thank you Holly for writing this masterpiece.