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    Someone Else's Love Story: A Novel
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    Someone Else's Love Story: A Novel
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    Someone Else's Love Story: A Novel
    Ebook405 pages6 hours

    Someone Else's Love Story: A Novel

    By Joshilyn Jackson

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Someone Else's Love Story is beloved and highly acclaimed New York Times bestselling author Joshilyn Jackson's funny, charming, and poignant novel about science and miracles, secrets and truths, faith and forgiveness; about falling in love, and learning that things aren't always what they seem—or what we hope they will be.

    Shandi Pierce is juggling finishing college, raising her delightful three-year-old genius son Nathan, aka Natty Bumppo, and keeping the peace between her eternally warring, long-divorced parents. She's got enough complications without getting caught in the middle of a stick-up and falling in love with William Ashe, who willingly steps between the robber and her son.

    Shandi doesn't know that her blond god Thor has his own complications. When he looked down the barrel of that gun he believed it was destiny: It's been one year to the day since a tragic act of physics shattered his world. But William doesn't define destiny the way others do. A brilliant geneticist who believes in facts and numbers, destiny to him is about choice. Now, he and Shandi are about to meet their so-called destinies head on, making choices that will reveal unexpected truths about love, life, and the world they think they know.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherHarperCollins
    Release dateNov 19, 2013
    ISBN9780062105677
    Author

    Joshilyn Jackson

    Joshilyn Jackson is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of ten other novels, including gods in Alabama and Never Have I Ever. Her books have been translated into more than a dozen languages. A former actor, Jackson is also an award-winning audiobook narrator. She lives in Decatur, Georgia, with her husband and their two children.

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    Reviews for Someone Else's Love Story

    4/5

    221 ratings46 reviews

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    • 3/5
      I received this book from SheReads in exchange for a fair and honest review.Someone Else’s Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson was exactly that: Shandi is placed into someone else’s love story. After surviving a robbery at a gas station, 21-year-old mother Shandi falls in love with William. But William’s story is a little bit more complicated, as he lost his child and wife due to a tragic accident.Someone Else’s Love Story is not even close to being the kind of book I would normally pick up. But for a book that centers on a “love” story, it worked for me. While the book did of course have a sappy, happy ending, it also had some bumps in the road and some heartbreak.To see the entire review, visit Love at First Book
    • 5/5
      Single mother Shandi is deeply, lovingly devoted to her brilliant three year old son, so when the handsome William steps between her son and an armed robber, she immediately loves him too. Unfortunately for Shandi, William is still barely recovering from a devastating tragedy in his life and he has some secrets of his own. Their interaction will help both of them find out what they want and what they need as their lives shift around them.

      This the third book I’ve read for the SheReads book club and the third one of those books I’ve given five stars, so if you’re looking for some good women’s fiction, I would consider these ladies an expert source of recommendations. Like many books I’ve fallen completely in love with, I have very few notes on why I liked it, because I was so deeply absorbed in reading. However, one thing clearly stands out to me as the most amazing part of this book: the characters. The characters were so believable, so unique, so real. Every character had their own history and their own quirks. The author somehow managed to write dialogue and narration that sounded completely natural but which were also examples of extremely beautiful writing.

      The plot for me was almost indistinguishable from the characters because it followed directly from how these characters would act. At times I felt as though the author had simply created these characters and set them going, with the plot coming organically from the actions each character would naturally take. William was one of my favorite male characters ever. People with a truly scientific mindset are so infrequently featured as the heros of a book and that paired with his empathy for others made me fall just as in love with him as Shandi. The ending was a complete surprise but not in an unbelievable way and I loved it too. This whole book was a beautiful, hopeful, emotional ride and I can’t recommend it highly enough.

      This review first published on Doing Dewey.
    • 5/5
      Jackson is one of my favorite authors because her writing style is beautiful, and her stories are always twisted Southern gothic tales that suck you in from the beginning. Her latest is no different: Shandi is being held at gunpoint when she falls in love with a handsome stranger who helps protect her son. As the story goes on, there are many revelations about Shandi and William's backstory that will keep surprising you.
    • 4/5
      I enjoy Joshiyn Jackson's novels. She writes with a lot of emotion and has a way of making you feel as though you are experiencing what is happening. This novel has so much depth and I found I was interested in her wonderful characters. Single mom, Shandi, her genius 3-year-old son, Natty, and William, the story's hero, are the main, well-developed characters. I didn't know much about the interesting plot and I think that's one of the reasons I enjoyed it so much. It is never predictable!!There are light, funny, moments and some very intense, dark times which make the novel so readable. The author knows how to skillfully construct her novels and make them into page-turners.
    • 4/5
      3.5 starsShandi was drugged and almost raped a few years ago and now has a little boy, Natty. William lost his wife and little girl in a car crash exactly one year before he and Shandi are in a convenience store that is held up by Stevie. William takes a bullet to protect Natty and Shandi is head over heels! I listened to the audio and the narrator was the author. She did a fine job, though I wasn’t crazy about some of the male voices, which were a bit stilted (though that could also have reflected personalities). Some of the story was told looking back, and some continuing on from the hold up. I really didn’t like William, though, nor was I interested in his and/or Bridget’s story. I found Shandi’s story much more interesting (once it got going, after the hold up).
    • 5/5
      Joshilyn Jackson just keeps getting better. This latest novel certainly exceeds the "southern fiction" genre label of her previous offerings "Gods in Alabama" and "BackSeat Saints". It's much more than just a chick-lit romance; it has a hint of mystery, and an assortment of men and women and relationships. As the title indicates, it's truly a story of relationships. The resolution of who is in love with whom and who will end up together is handled so beautifully that the reader doesn't even realize that these permutations of relationships exist until well into the story. As I read, I actually found I couldn't decide who should win the fair maiden's hand.It's told as almost a series of small individual stories. The main character Shandi tells us her (almost) unbelievable story from the beginning in the first person. The story opens: "I fell in love with William Ashe at gunpoint in a Circle K." Then other characters' stories begin to emerge in the words of a neutral narrator. In addition to a love story, or several love stories, it is a story of friendship, of parenthood, and a tale of betrayal and forgiveness. There are plot lines about date rape, genetic research, and the power of suggestion. This one is not going to be available until later this fall, but it would be a wonderful holiday gift for readers of southern stories, romance and good literary fiction. Put it on your list. It's going to be a winner.
    • 3/5
      Joshilyn Jackson's books are snart, funny and have a great deal of heart . The characters in this book are riveting. Shandi is a young single Mom raising a 3 year old genius son. This story is about 2 broken peop;e who learn to move beyond the pain that has shaped their lives.
    • 5/5
      Receiving an advance reader's edition to do a review of "someone else's love story" by Joshilyn Jackson, I was sad to learn it won't be available to the public until December, 2013, but what a wonderful Christmas gift this will make to all of the readers on your list.,"I fell in love with William Ashe at gunpoint in a Circle K," is the beginning sentence of this emotionally powerful novel. At no point do you want to stop reading, as you also will fall in love with the characters, Natty, his mom Shandi and of course, William.Date rape enters the plot line, and is a part of the evolving story, but the author does not dwell on this; it is simply a way to bring William into the plot thread. Aggressive best friends and a complicated family life also are a part of the thread but I won't give any more away. Buy the book and enjoy this funny, charming and poignant book about genetic research, forgiveness and faith and eventually accepting what life gives us. This is not a book about revenge but about how to move on past a damaged past.
    • 3/5
      Entirely likable story. I was interested enough to keep reading. Most of it was quite predictable, but nonetheless readable.
    • 5/5
      Someone Else's Love Story is a quirky but touching story about a man and a woman who are thrown together as hostages in a convenience store robbery. Shandi is a young single mother of a precocious three year old. William is a young man mourning the loss of his wife and child in a car accident a year ago. Shandi is immediately smitten with William, and you wonder if they will end up together, but it is Someone Else's Love Story.This book touches on a lot of issues: religion, date rape, autism, giftedness, grief, denial and so much more. The characters are wonderfully flawed, wonderfully blessed, and very quirky. It's a very rich story, but told in a modern casual "voice" that belies the depth of sentiment. Could not put it down.Disclosure: I received a pre-release version of this book in exchange for an honest review.
    • 5/5
      I honestly was not expecting to enjoy Someone Else's Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson, so I put off reading it and that was a mistake. Someone Else's Love Story is a brilliant work of literature and I loved every moment I was reading it. I highly recommend this book to everyone.
    • 4/5
      Someone Else's Love Story is a tale of faith, love and tragedy. A tragedy can bring forth upon one's mind a mechanism to mask which truly happened during said tragedy.Two strangers met while being held hostage in a Circle K store and one falls in love with the other because he was brave enough to save her son. Shandi's son Natty is her entire life and truly believes that is was a virginal birth...or does she.Her knight in shining armour is Dr. William Ashe, a brillant research scientist who looks like a football linebacker. William is also extremely handsome but never considered his body or his looks to be the essence of his life. He may be border line Autisic and his social skills did not match the persona which he puts out to the world. He does safe the day by throwing a paperweight into the head of the robber knocking him into a coma. Unfortunately William is accidentally shot by the robber's gun.Shandi, the single mother, deems it her duty to care for William when he is sent home from the hospital. The story of the hold-up was broadcasted and Shandi discovered that it was a year ago that day in which William lost his wife and child in a car accident. She finds herself slowly falling more in love with him.This is the fourth novel which I have read of Joshelyn Jackson and is my favorite; it is an endearing story.
    • 5/5
      The strength of Joshilyn Jackson's latest novel, Someone Else's Love Story lies in the terrific characters she creates. Right away, from the first sentence, "I fell in love with William Ashe at gunpoint, in a Circle K.", you know you are in for a fantastic ride.Shandi is a single mom of a extraordinarily intelligent four-year-old boy Natty. They are headed to Atlanta with her best friend Walcott, when they stop at the Circle K to get Natty a ginger ale to settle his upset stomach.Shandi notices the ruggedly handsome William Ashe in the store and when the store is held up by a young gunman and William moves to protect Natty, she is completely smitten. A hostage situation occurs and William does his best to try and keep everyone safe.When the standoff ends in an injury to William, Shandi makes it her mission to care for him. She also discovers that he is a research geneticist, and she hopes to get William to help her discover the father of her son, whom she does not know.As Shandi and William and Natty grow closer, William's best friend Paula becomes angry. She is openly hostile to Shandi, and tells her that William will never love her. He loves his wife Bridget, whom he lost in a car accident, along with their two-year-old daughter, two years ago.Walcott also discourages Shandi from beginning a relationship with William. Shandi doesn't understand why Walcott, her best friend since childhood, has become so distant since the robbery. He has always been there for her, through her high school pregnancy, and he loves Natty, but recently he has been AWOL.William is very intelligent, but socially he is very awkward. As his story unfolds, we find that he is probably somewhere on the autism spectrum, perhaps closer to Aspergers Syndrome. He struggled socially as a child, and only connected with people when he was a high school football star. Paula and Bridget were the only two people who understood him.Jackson has said that this is William's story, and in a story filled with so many interesting characters, he stands out. His wooing of Bridget, with help from Paula, is so moving and sweet. The someone else in this love story is Bridget and William.I loved Shandi's fearlessness, her willingness to put herself out there and work to find love. She is a wonderful mom too, and her love for Natty is stronger than iron. She would do anything for her son, who is so different from other kids his age. Part of her attraction to William is that she thinks Natty might be like him- a brilliant mind, but maybe socially different.There is big twist at the end, one that totally took me by surprise. It changes everything in the story and kudos to Jackson for not tipping her hand.I loved this book, and felt like these characters were real people, people I would love to know. I adored the friendships, the romance, the family, the whole package. Jackson took me on a ride that I won't soon forget.
    • 4/5
      Ever since reading "Between, Georgia", one of my favorite books of the last decade, I have not passed up a Joshilyn Jackson book when I've come across one. I have yet to be disappointed, although none so far have moved me quite to the degree of that particular book. Her books are smart and funny, with a great deal of heart, a deft feel for dialogue, and a Southern flavor that arises honestly from her roots.Shandi Pierce is a young single mom, in denial about the act of violation that resulted in her virgin pregnancy, raising a three-year-old genius son and caught in an ongoing war between her Christian mother and Jewish father. When she decides to change her life by moving in with her father and his harridan wife and going to school and enrolling Natty in a fine school, they are caught enroute in a gas station robbery that changes her world when a fellow hostage, a troubled Norse god (figuratively) named William Ashe steps between Natty and a gun. William has been struck by the first anniversary of the loss of his wife and 2-year-old daughter. When Shandi learns that he is a brilliant geneticist, she asks him to help her discover the identity of her unknown attacker who is Natty's father. This leads to a conclusion in which two broken people learn to move beyond the pain that has shaped their world. This is a fine and moving story that almost measures up to "Between, Georgia", which is high praise indeed.
    • 4/5
      A sweet story about two broken people who meet through a convenience store robbery and end up fixing each other in an unexpected way. This was my first Joshilyn Jackson book and after reading this I will be on the lookout for some of her other titles. This was the kind of quick, feel good read that you can mindlessly enjoy while being removed from life for awhile.
    • 5/5
      Shandi Pierce is no stranger to miracles—she was still a virgin when she had her son, Natty, and he in the flesh is an everyday blessing—and so when, in an extraordinary turn of the cosmic screw during her move to Atlanta, she's held at gunpoint in a Circle K, she sees no other option than to consider her fateful meeting with William Ashe just that: a miracle. This is the moment that changes everything for her; it is the moment she decides she will no longer pretend that beautiful Natty's conception was a miracle—immaculate and tidy—and unbeknownst to her yet, it is the moment she embarks on the poignant quest to finally face up to reality.Joshilyn Jackson's newest novel is a quirky, surprisingly tender journey that tests the boundaries of personal strengths, as well as weaves a glittering story about destiny or—as pushed by science and numbers—lack thereof.The story consists of an exchange between two distinct narratives: Shandi's vivid, smart, and smart-assed first-person voice intertwined with Will's blunted, methodical, and seemingly objective point-of-view. The unique timeline—primarily placed in the present, but with flashes of significant events revealed during opportune moments—allows readers to become intimate with both characters who are similar in that they are both cynically hopeful, loved, and lonely, but diverge because they are ultimately fighting their own inner battles—battles they expose to one another, but cannot expect the other to completely understand. This is, by any measure, a love story—multiple love stories—but it is not their love story, because their stories are established before they even get the chance to meet.There's nothing that wasn't well done in this novel. The story is intriguing and immersed me completely; the style is at once unusual, observant, and accurate; and the characters are lively, unforgettable.Shandi is a new favorite female protagonist of mine; she's all of cute, hilarious, mature but still playful, and kickass, and I loved getting to know her in mind and in heart. She totes her delightful genius son Natty—who is obsessed with insect abdomens and has the grammatical capacity of a 40-year-old English professor—and her best friend Walcott-the-poet—whom she's been overly dependent upon since childhood—to Atlanta and as her closest family, these two will absolutely make you melt. Will is a character who doesn't reveal much about himself, but is complex in his own way, and I loved how he is portrayed too.When the two meet, it's an act of fate—of destiny—and it happens like a collision. Suddenly, Shandi is propelled to search for the truth about Natty's conception, while on the other end of the spectrum, Will learns, through Shandi's own frantic fixation, what faith is and what miracles are—things he never allowed himself to believe in previously, when his world was all science and coincidence. Shandi inadvertently shows Will that hope, that thing with feathers, will find a way to piece his broken life back together... and while the two fragmented souls use one another complete themselves, there is solace—and emptiness—in knowing they do not complete each other.I can't say much more without giving the important plot points away, but I will end with this: Someone Else's Love Story is brilliant. It is complicated, inspiring, and transfixing, and I don't know how Jackson pulled it off, but it so perfectly embodies the pain of sacrifice—the giving up and giving in for love—as well as the importance of family, faith, and the true definition of being holy. The unorthodox style and the god-honest narration will have you chortling with glee, while the ironic, nearly sacrilegious parallels will stun you emotionally. You have got to read this book.Pros: Amazing storytelling // Fresh, intelligent, witty voice // Elaborate, enjoyable style // LOVED Shandi // LOVED Will // Loved all the other characters // Huge plot twist that throws everything off cue // A nontraditional love storyCons: The novel as a whole neglects the more pragmatic aspects of Shandi's life, such as school and work // Unresolved issues by the endVerdict: With incredible attention to detail and penetrating insight of the human syndrome, Someone Else's Love Story is an unconventional love story with a memorable, dazzlingly human cast of characters, and enough personality to make you want to become the author's best best friend. Joshilyn Jackson presents the best and the brightest of deep, soulful, sassy Southern literary fiction with her newest novel; Shandi's rightful investigation and Will's slow resurrection cross paths in an exquisite, charming story about chance, love, faith, and most of important of them all, hope.Rating: 9 out of 10 hearts (5 stars): Loved it! This book has a spot on my favorites shelf.Source: Complimentary copy provided by publisher via tour publicist in exchange for an honest and unbiased review (thank you, Harper Collins and TLC!).
    • 5/5
      Have you ever read a book and felt like it was unfolding so perfectly, so exquisitely, that the only thing you can compare it to is watching a rose as its pedals unfurl to greet the sun? Sounds pretty cheesy, doesn't it? And yet - it's so perfect for Someone Else's Love Story. The first chapter of this book was so perfectly paced it made my toes curl with complete love. The descriptions were so exquisitely painful and pleasurable all at once that my teeth ached. I wanted to sink into the pages of Jackson's story and not emerge again until all was revealed and life was returned to its mundane self.Read the rest of this review at The Lost Entwife.
    • 3/5
      For about three quarters of this book, I really didn't understand what was happening. Who's love story WAS this?! Shandi thinks she loves Will, Will loves his dead wife, Walcott loves Shandi, and Paula loves the idea of Will & Bridget? The last couple of chapters made everything that was confusing incredibly clear, but it would have been nice to have some of it cleared up before the very end.
    • 5/5
      Ms. Jackson is the queen of Southern fiction. However, Someone Else’s Love Story veers away from the more specifically Southern elements. While the action occurs in the heart of Dixie, Shandi and William are universal characters. Nothing about them or that happens to them is unique to their location. Rather, the story just happens to unfold in Georgia but could just as easily have occurred anywhere else around the country. What happens to them could have happened to a family member, a friend, or a neighbor. This generic quality only serves to make Shandi and William that much more enjoyable and sympathetic because no longer are they strictly a product of their environment.As for what happens to them, Ms. Jackson finds multiple ways to rip out a reader’s heart and stomp it to pieces. Just when one begins to recover and hope for a happy resolution, she rips it out and steps on it again and yet again. While a reader may be an emotional mess because of all the drama, both Shandi and William show a strength and fortitude that is breathtaking in its focus and simplicity. One can only marvel at the way they both move forward out of the depths of tragedy, taking those elements of life they most desperately want and shrugging off the rest. Their individual quirks will make a reader fall in love with them; their determination will make readers bow to their grace under pressure and superior humanness.To share any more about the novel would be to spoil a simply beautiful story about love and forgiveness, dreams and reality, and the battles that ensue to obtain it all. Ms. Jackson brings her trademark wit to soften some of the harsher edges of her story, while she outdoes herself in the creation of an entire cast of extremely realistic and vibrant characters. All of them are thoroughly enjoyable and feel like long-lost friends rather than words on a page. With her cast in place, Ms. Jackson draws a reader into her world from the stellar opening sentence and does not let go. Long after finishing the novel, readers will still be thinking about Shandi and William and their search for happiness and love.Someone Else’s Love Story is written perfection. It has all the tragedy, love, and humor as one would expect from Ms. Jackson. What sets this novel apart from her previous ones is her characters. Shandi is so tough and yet so fragile, while William earns his own place in a reader’s heart with his unique approach to life. Beautifully scripted, Ms. Jackson’s newest novel takes readers on an emotional roller coaster and leaves them with that wonderful, much-sought reader’s high.
    • 3/5
      This new book by Ms Jackson is a very good one. The characters are all engaging and the story they tell will keep you reading. There are many love stories in this book and not just the obvious ones. I liked the last book I read A Grown-Up kind of Pretty by this author better than this book. Southern writing, setting and characters.
    • 5/5
      This beautiful novel drew me in from the first page and held me to the last. It is definitely a complicated love story, but the love is sincere and often heartbreaking.Shandi is a single mother of precocious, bright three year old Natty. She has convinced herself that Natty was a miraculous virgin birth. She cannot face the reality of this being the result of a party she cannot remember. She also refuses to see Natty as a mistake. She is a wonderful mother, fully devoted to Natty.William is a brilliant research scientist, he is a genius. However, he has Asperger’s. He is struggling with emotions and life. He is also trying to deal with the car accident that resulted in the loss of his wife and young daughter.Shandi and William’s worlds collide at a convenience store where a robbery takes place. Shandi, Natty and William are taken hostage along with several others. William becomes the hero, first sheltering Natty and then taking control of the hostage situation. Shandi immediately feels drawn to William, as does Natty. A deep bond forms between the three of them.As their relationship grows, they find out more about each other and their pasts. They inevitably learn more about themselves, as well. There are many twists, turns, and surprises in this book.Joshilyn Jackson has a way with portraying characters that you care about, in difficult situations. This is a sweet, touching novel filled with people who ultimately seek not only to be loved, but to love others, too.
    • 4/5
      Do you believe in love at first sight? Falling head over heels before you've ever even met a person? How can you know a person's heart when you've never even met them? In Joshilyn Jackson's newest novel Someone Else's Love Story, young single mother Shandi Pierce is pretty sure she fell in love with William Ashe without even knowing his name. When he chose to step in front of her three year old son to protect him from a guy robbing a convenience store, protecting the child from the possibility of being shot, she fell for him and fell hard. But what does she really know about him and what does she really know about her own heart, for that matter? Shandi grew up pulled between her Christian mother and her Jewish father. They divorced very acrimoniously when she was young and she has spent her entire life trying not to choose one of them over the other, not one parent, not one religion, not one anything. She lives with her mother, who has no use at all for men after her debacle of a marriage. But Shandi is not so sheltered from the male of the species, turning up pregnant her senior year in high school despite still being a virgin, as certified by a doctor. Her baby, Nathan, aka Natty Bumppo, is a boy. Even her long time best friend, Walcott is a boy. And now Shandi's moving out and into a condo in Atlanta offered up by her father and her ice-queen of a stepmother so that Natty, who is a genius, can attend a better preschool than is available to him in the mountains, and so she is closer to school as she works towards her degree. But moving isn't the only big change in her life, it precipitates massive change on all fronts, starting with being held up at the gas station on the way to the condo. While Shandi sees William as her savior, a beautiful older man willing to sacrifice himself for her child, William sees his actions in an entirely different light. Only partially hearing the news report on the hold-up, Shandi learns that the robbery is the one year anniversary of a terrible accident that shattered William's life. Knowing he is without family, she swoops in to care for him, determined to make him fall in love with her despite the instant antagonism she feels toward his glamorous best friend Paula, the woman who has seen William desperately in love with his wife Bridget and daughter Twyla, and who is intent on telling Shandi that his kindness and caring towards her is not love. But in addition to making him fall in love with her, Shandi also wants his help in locating Natty's father. William Ashe is clearly a brilliant man who also happens to be a geneticist and could in fact solve the mystery of Natty's father. William Ashe is also somewhere on the autism spectrum. And that last fact explains better how he saw what happened in that gas station. Yes, he was protecting Natty, but he also figured that he was staring down a date with destiny in the form of a gun barrel. He was fully prepared and willing to die, not for Shandi or her son, but because it was a choice he wanted to make, an option he would have embraced. It takes a long time for Shandi to come to understand William and who he really is in truth, not just as the blond god Thor of her imagining. But it takes an equally long time for her to understand herself as well. Why does she want to find Natty's father and punish him? Why is she so determined to find love with William? The miracle here isn't that Shandi has had a virgin birth, it is that she ultimately makes the sacrifice that will lead all of the characters in the novel to the right ending, to the love stories in which each of them belong, that she and sweet, giving William, find a way to make their own miracles. Jackson has written beautiful, emotionally damaged characters in Shandi and William. Secondary characters Walcott and Paula are amazing too, devoted and protective. The plot here is not the one a reader might expect of a love story but it is so carefully and lovingly written that by the end, it is the only narrative imaginable. Your heart will weep for William and you will sympathize with Shandi and you will spend a lot of time rooting for them to find happiness. The novel beautifully shows the possibilities that bloom even in the ashes of a tragedy. It is a delightful and heartwarming read.
    • 4/5
      The basics: Shandi Pierce, a twenty-one-year-old college student raising three-year-old genius Natty, meets William Ashe, a man devastated by the loss of his wife and daughter, when they're both in a Circle K when it's robbed. This strong, shared connection lingers as they navigateMy thoughts: I've heard so many of you singing the praises of Joshilyn Jackson for years, so I was excited the SheReads Book Club finally forced me to read one of her novels. I picked it up knowing nothing about it, and I particularly appreciated the novels surprises because they were unexpected. Shandi and William take turns narrating the story, and I enjoyed seeing their shared experiences through both of their eyes. Initially, the pace felt slow. I longed for the first part, when they're held hostage in the Circle K, to end. I could sense the entire novel wouldn't take place in the Circle K, and I wanted to know what would happen to all of them after the robbery. Admittedly, I enjoyed the novel more once the after became the present. Each time I started to lose faith in the story, Jackson pulled me back in with a surprising twist that explained away my hesitations. While I didn't know what to expect when I started Someone Else's Love Story, my expectations kept changing as I read and the story moved in surprising directions.The verdict: Someone Else's Love Story is a novel filled with humor, grace, friendship, and love. It's also a novel with quite a few unexpected turns. These turns kept me turning the pages and celebrating the delicate humanity of the characters.
    • 4/5
      The moment William Ashe stepped in front of her three year old son to protect him from the gunman in Circle K, twenty one year Shandi Pierce recognised the stranger as her destiny, a truth William seemed to confirm in a whisper as Shandi hovered over him after he was shot saving their lives. Though Shandi believes William to be her saviour, her soul mate, and as a geneticist, the man able to help her identify her son’s father, William’s heart, and his destiny, are not yet determined.We are told from the beginning to expect an unconventional love story in Someone Else’s Love Story, and that is exactly what we get, and more.“That afternoon in the the Circle K, I deserved to know, right off, that I had landed bang in the middle of a love story. Especially since it wasn’t – it isn’t – it could never be, my own.”Someone Else’s Love Story is a funny and poignant novel exploring the miracles of love, faith and science. The plot seems fairly light and simple, a romantic comedy flavoured with southern eccentrics, but there are serious undertones as her main protagonists, Shandi and William, struggle with loss, grief and anger associated with the tragic events that have touched their lives.One of the issues I thought Jackson dealt with particularly well arises from the circumstances of Natty’s conception. Though the situation may make some readers uncomfortable, I felt it was handled in a thoughtful and realistic manner.Jackson’s characters are quirky and complex, never entirely what you expect, but somehow ordinary and familiar as well.Shandi is an appealing protagonist, though young she has an admirable core of strength evidenced by her mothering of her precocious son Natty, her determination to finish college and her resilience in dealing with her warring parents (and her bitch of a stepmother). Her life has not been easy but, with the support of her best friend Wolcott, she refuses to let go of hope.William is an complicated hero, a man whose has suffered an awful tragedy and struggles every day with shattering loss. I am a little over the glut of characters on the ‘spectrum’ in contemporary fiction at the moment but William is high functioning, a brilliant geneticist, and his difficulty with processing emotion works well within the context of the story.I found Someone Else’s Love Story to be an engaging read. There is grief, pain and tragedy, wonderfully tempered by heart, humour and southern charm.
    • 4/5
      Joshilyn Jackson seems to have a knack in drawing quirky, but realistic characters, in quirky, but realistic situations. This story of tangled lives that become even more entangled after a robbery at a Circle K, had a lot of the good stuff I look for in a book I read for relaxing. I'd just come off of two more serious (and for me sad/depressing) books so this was a welcome balm. Loved the love the characters have for others, as well as the hurt, mistrust, and misunderstandings they have as well. Set in Rural Georgia (and Atlanta), the area I was when reading the novel, was also a treat. Plot summary available elsewhere, but I think I shall always adore Shandi for recognizing the specialness of her son (who reminds me of a kid I know) and the wonderful way William has learned to deal with his world perceptions (his Au-tastic nature, as his best friend says.) The virgin birth (which was documented in a different way than the last virgin birth I read about in a book) was a really fine touch, too.
    • 4/5
      A young single mother spots an attractive guy in a convenience store and immediately decides they are absolutely meant to be. So of course they're going to fall in love, right? Not quite. A robbery ensues, injuries occur, and a series of events is set off that leads to struggles in love, questions of paternity, and ultimately growth. It's all so dramatic and really, really fun. I listened to the audiobook, which is read by the author herself (something I tend to dislike for fiction..) and the narration is perfect for the story.
    • 5/5
      Shandi Pierce and William Ashe meet during an armed robbery at a convenience store. She's a single mom who has convinced herself she's had a virgin birth, he's a scientific savant with a recent past filled with tragedy. She thinks that destiny brought them together, but there's much more to William Ashe's story than meets the eye. This book is hilarious in a totally effortless way, is full of lovable characters, and definitely was not the story I was expecting.
    • 5/5
      Listened to the audio version. First time reading this author. This was amazing story! Loved the characters and the storyline. A few unexpected but pleasant surprise twists. Looking forward to reading more by this author.
    • 4/5
      I'm giving this book a 4 star because it was well written, the characters were well done, but too much driving around in cars and not developing the main story line. Then the author threw in a twist at the end,actually two twists, and then ended the book in a couple short chapters.
    • 5/5
      In Someone Else's Love Story by Joshilyn Jackson Shandi Pierce and her three year old son, Natty, are moving to Atlanta where they will live in her dad's condo while Shandi finishes college. Her best friend, Walcott, is helping her move. At a Circle K convenience store right outside the metro area, Shandi and Natty get stuck in the middle of an armed robbery and become hostages. Shandi immediately falls in love with another hostage, a huge blond Thor-like geneticist named William Ashe, when he puts himself between Natty and the robber. William and Shandi end up needing assistance from each other, but it is clear that friends of the two disapprove. Walcott tries to convey his disappointment in Shandi's choices and Shandi is locking horns with William's best friend, Paula.

      Someone Else's Love Story is narrated by Shandi and William. While Shandi can be very emotional, it is clear, even before it is confirmed, that William is on the spectrum (Asperger's) and remains emotionally detached. Seemingly these two would be a good match, but something is not quite right. William has issues in his past that are unresolved and unknown to Shandi, but the same can be said of her.

      Joshilyn Jackson is one of the best southern writers around today, in my opinion, and continues to impress me more and more with each book she writes. (I think I need to start praying for her health so she'll be writing books for a long time.) All of her characters feel like real people. Each of them has a head full of secret thoughts that keeps them apart even while their hearts want to connect to someone or something. In this case a near tragedy draws Shandi to William, but at the same time Shandi needs William to do something only he can do for her.

      In Someone Else's Love Story she has created a real sense of time and place and then populated her world with characters that are easy to empathize with. I wanted everything to work out, somehow, for everyone in this book. This isn't a conventional love story, though, even if it seems it might be. Jackson has a few twists and turns for the reader. She sends us through those twists and turns with a good dose of humor and heart, faith and redemption, and family. This is a book that you will stay up too late reading and not regret it for a moment.

      Even though I had an advanced reading copy, I simply must share two quotes. (Let's be clear, if I can't stop myself from quoting an ARC, you know the writing is incredible - and it is that good.)

      "Anniversaries can open up old wounds, he'd said.... William is not a fan of metaphors; they are so often inaccurate. William, the priest should have said, anniversaries are just like being vivisected."(pg 64)

      "It was an ugly thing to witness. Betrayal is always ugly, even on a shaded patio full of little birds." (pg. 205)

      Very Highly Recommended

      Disclosure: I received an advanced reading copy of this book from HarperCollins for review purposes.