Book Review: The History of Us

 

Andrea Wint’s life in the small town of Port Inez, Washington, is a simple one. She works, enjoys the gorgeous view from her bay window, and visits her dad at the memory-care facility. Her father is in the late stages of Alzheimer’s, but Andrea brings in one coin from his valuable collection every day—little bits of precious metals that seem to bring him back to himself, even if just for a few moments.

So when Andrea’s house is burgled and the coins disappear, she’s bereft.

To track down the culprit, she turns to Dustin Karlsson, who just happens to be her former high school sweetheart. Years ago, they broke each other’s hearts, and some wounds are slow to heal. But Dustin feels indebted to the ailing Tom Wint and wants to help.

What’s more, Dustin has a personal stake in finding the perpetrator. In fact, he suspects the thief could be his own brother-in-law, a gambler and a drunk who skipped town, leaving Dustin’s sister and two young nieces behind.

As Dustin and Andrea travel the Pacific Northwest in an effort to recover the missing coins, old feelings rekindle. Maybe their happily ever after can still be minted.

My Review

I love when a character driven story just hits me in the heart. That is exactly what author, Jennifer Bardsley does with The History of Us. As soon as I started reading, I was instantly emotionally connected with Andrea and her father. Luckily, my parents do not have Alzheimer's, but I could easily imagine one of them experiencing it and me being in Andrea's shoes. I found myself reading multiple chapters at a time. 

Then there is Andrea and Dustin's past. I like that they slowly worked out their heart break and reconnected but not instant. Thus, it felt real as they were pouring out their feelings. While, the story may have focused on Andrea and Dustin, Dustin's sister played a good part in the story as well. Overall, I really enjoyed this book and do want to read other books by Jennifer.