Review: This Love Story Will Self-Destruct by Leslie Cohen

This Love Story Will Self-Destruct by Leslie Cohen

Published: January 23, 2018

Publisher: Gallery Books

Format: via audiobook

Rating: 4 /5

Synopsis

This is the classic tale of boy meets girl: Girl…goes home with someone else.

Meet Eve. She’s a dreamer, a feeler, a careening well of sensitivities who can’t quite keep her feet on the ground, or steer clear of trouble. She’s a laugher, a crier, a quirky and quick-witted bleeding-heart-worrier.

Meet Ben. He’s an engineer, an expert at leveling floors who likes order, structure, and straight lines. He doesn’t opine, he doesn’t ruminate, he doesn’t simmer until he boils over.

So naturally, when the two first cross paths, sparks don’t exactly fly. But then they meet again. And again. And then, finally, they find themselves with a deep yet fragile connection that will change the course of their relationship—possibly forever.

Follow Eve and Ben as they navigate their twenties on a winding journey through first jobs, first dates, and first breakups; through first reunions, first betrayals and, maybe, first love. This is When Harry Met Sally reimagined; a charming tale told from two unapologetically original points of view. With an acerbic edge and heartwarming humor, debut novelist Leslie Cohen takes us on a tour of what life looks like when it doesn’t go according to plan and explores the complexity, chaos, and comedy in finding a relationship built to last.

My Thoughts

This story is raw and messy and I fully enjoyed it. In This Love Story Will Self-Destruct, we have Eve and Ben who continue to meet over the years but never actually take the time to get to know each other until years later. We see that they run in the same circle of friends but never really talk. Their first meeting is while they are still in college but Eve is so hung up on a certain guy that she never sees anyone else. She continues to date this guy who is truly an ass and clearly doesn't love her but she loves him and nothing will change her mind. We see Eve as she goes through the struggles through her twenties with her job, friends and especially relationships. We see how she changes and realizes what she wants in life. We also find out more about her past, her family and how she battles with the loss of her mom years ago.

Ben is sweet and nice and likes order in his life. When he first saw Eve he liked her but knew she wasn't really into him. As he and Eve reconnect over the years they are at different places in their lives and something just clicks. It’s almost as if they were meant to be together. Ben brings calm into her life and Eve needs and deserves that and in time she opens up about her personal life and then Ben connects all the dots and realizes he knows more about Eve than they both wouldn't believe. When he finally tells Eve what he knows and she is mad and upset and one night she makes a huge mistake that she will never be able to take back.

I really enjoyed this story and I loved the characters and how we are shown their separate stories but then when it finally merges everything just comes together seamlessly. I liked how they are opposites and I believe that balances them out. I also liked that their relationship was messy and raw which life is like. Nothing is perfect and showing us that makes it all very real. This is one of the most real relationships I’ve read about in a long time. So if you want a realistic tale of love and loss look no further than this read.