The Only Man
My Rating: 3.25
Genre: Romance
Format: eARC*
Publication Date: March 21, 2022
Author: AS Kelly
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The Only Man Blurb
I was a different man, once.
I was a man with only one woman on my mind – the only woman I wanted to hold in my arms.
I was her man.
But things change. Life changes you. Choices, mistakes, resentment: they all change you.
So do unkept promises.
We hurt each other. We loved each other, then hated each other, then missed each other, then grew apart.
And then…
One day, we found each other again.
At the wrong time, in the wrong place.
Because the two of us are wrong together – we’re too far apart, too incompatible.
We’re the main characters of a story that doesn’t belong to us.
But I still keep loving her, even though she hates me.
And she keeps hating herself, because she can’t help but love me.
And we keep searching for each other, even though we’re destined to lose each other.
I wish I could be a different man, just once.
I wish I could be the kind of man who’s ready to give everything for the woman he loves.
Someone who was ready to let her go.
Because I want her to be happy more than I want her to be mine.
The Only Man Review
As a quick reminder, here is my rating structure:
- 1 star: Did not finish
- 2 Stars: Finished but I do not recommend
- 3 Stars: Liked but could use some improvements
- 4 Stars: Loved this book!
- 5 Stars: Rare. The unput-down-able, binge read obsession.
My star ratings are also based also genre based. I compare all books with books of the same genre. While I would love to believe that my love of books in general transcends all bias, there are genres I prefer over others.
I’m human.
Example: If I read a mystery novel and think it deserves a 5-star rating, then I have compared it to other mystery books, and determined it to be one of my absolute favorites. The unputdownable mystery.
This will hopefully keep me from comparing Outlander, a personal obsession of mine, with the experience of reading The Hate You Give. Both 5 star books for me, but completely and totally different. I couldn’t even try to rate them against each other, so I don’t. Makes my life easier. 🙂
My Thoughts
While most would consider this an enemies to lovers novel, I kind of think of The Only Man as the subset, lovers to enemies back to lovers. These are not people who hate each other but don’t really know each other, then as they finally get to really know each other, they fall in love.
In The Only Man, their relationship revolves around the past which attempts to suffocate the life out of any future they could have.
The Only Man is also the fourth book in a series and I believe should be read that way. Strictly speaking, you can read The Only Man on its own, all of the information is there, but the side characters are such an integral part to the story that I wouldn’t recommend it. There are some particularly involved scenes with lots of people that is endearing if you know everyone’s stories, but can come off as annoying without context. It would be like being the new partner at a family gathering, nerve wracking and kind of annoying.
HOWEVER, if you’ve read the previous books, these scenes are endearing and charming, forming some of the best parts of this novel.
As for the main characters and story of The Only Man, I have to say that I am a bit underwhelmed. I just felt like there was too much time spent on the mystery revelation. For me, if that part was removed from the book, my rating probably goes up an entire point. I was so bogged down by not knowing what was going on that I almost missed a very cute story.
There is some serious emotional depth in what would normally be a pretty surface-y genre. AS Kelly manages to really get into the psychological impact heartbreak can have even decades after it happened.
Conclusion
A little slow to start, but filled with a lovable supporting cast, I could recommend The Only Man to die hard fans of the chick lit genre.
*Special thanks to AS Kelly and Rachel’s Random Resources for providing a copy of The Only Man in exchange for an honest review.
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