Rachel Blum and Andy Landis are eight years old when they meet late one night in an ER waiting room. Born with a congenital heart defect, Rachel is a veteran of hospitals, and she’s intrigued by the boy who shows up all alone with a broken arm. He tells her his name. She tells him a story. After Andy’s taken back to the emergency room and Rachel’s sent back to her bed, they think they’ll never see each other again.
Rachel, the beloved, popular, and protected daughter of two doting parents, grows up wanting for nothing in a fancy Florida suburb. Andy grows up poor in Philadelphia with a single mom and a rare talent that will let him become one of the best runners of his generation.
Over the course of three decades, through high school and college, marriages and divorces, from the pinnacles of victory and the heartbreak of defeat, Andy and Rachel will find each other again and again, until they are finally given a chance to decide whether love can surmount difference and distance and if they’ve been running toward each other all along. – Goodreads
Damn it, my emotions are still reeling. This one hit me right in the feels. Thanks for that, Jennifer.
Rachel and Andy are high school sweethearts—but their story starts long before that. Rachel has had a heart condition her entire life, and they end up meeting in the hospital when they’re young. They come from separate sides of the tracks—Rachel from a rich, Jewish family and Andy from a low-income, single parent household. This is fine, until they’re older and begin to realize that their differences are coming between them.
The storyline is fantastic and spans over many years. It switches point of view between Rachel and Andy with each chapter, and also labels the year. It was easy to understand and gave a great look at each character as they progressed through life.
Andy and Rachel have a very on again off again relationship throughout their adolescent and adult life as they realize their differences—in beliefs, backgrounds, goals, and aspirations. They both just seemed so real. Even Andy, who turned into a freaking Olympic runner.
I literally don’t even know how to put into words how much I love this book. Definitely my new favorite Weiner novel. 5/5 on Goodreads.
lifebetweenreads.com 