Lotus

A Love Story

By: Jennifer Hartmann

Narrated by: Marie Hawkins, TJ Clark

"All these years, I've never given my heart to anyone . . . The truth is, I didn't have a heart to give. My heart was with a ghost."

To the rest of the world, he was the little boy who went missing on the Fourth of July. But to Sydney Neville, he was everything. Her heart hasn't been the same since her best friend disappeared, but she's learned to build her life around that missing piece.

Twenty-two years later, the last thing Sydney expects is for Oliver Lynch to return. Having been captive underground for decades, he's unfamiliar with the strange new world that awaits him—but he's alive. He's here. And no matter how he's changed, he and Sydney both still feel the connection that runs between them.

But as their reborn friendship begins to feel like something more, Sydney and Oliver realize there are still jagged, painful truths creating space between them. The walls Sydney's built don't want to come down, and as Oliver hunts for his missing memories and lost time, he realizes his nightmare is not yet over.

With nothing as it seems, is there space for love to bloom in this dark place?

Contains mature themes.

©2020, 2023 Jennifer Hartmann (P)2023 Tantor

**** OH MY WORD !!

this is a GOOD book
good plot
great narration
the only thing I didn't like was the use of the word GD
it's so tacky to add that word in a book
I would totally give 5 stars if it wasn't for that
this book would have been pure perfection

Just okay.

This book was just okay for me. It has a super cute message behind the “word” lotus. However, I had a hard time getting into some of the book. To me it felt like she didn’t know where to go with the book, there was so much happening but at the same time, nothing was happening. It was like Oliver and Sydney were going in circles and nothing was happening with them, then there was this twist with her sister. It was just kinda of all over the place for me. I still think it was a good book, just not one of my favs from Jennifer.

Highly Recommend! <3

This is the second book I’ve read by Jennifer, the first being Still Beating. I love how she ties everything up, nothings left to be desired or leaving you wondering. The books even go as far as to give you a glimpse into the future after the story is over. I highly recommend this read!

LOVED!

This story had my heart swooning! Such a wonderful story of two childhood best friends and find themselves back in each other’s arms after one of them was kidnapped and missing for 22 years.
Narrators did an excellent job♥️

Beautiful things can grow from the dark

Jennifer Hartmann always delivers emotional, heavy stories, and this one was no different—but I’ll always be honest in my reviews.

While Oliver re-enters the world as an adult, I did struggle with how much focus was placed on sexual tension and physical connection versus his emotional healing. Given everything he endured, I found myself wanting a deeper dive into his recovery and growth, similar to what we saw in Still Beating.

That said, once the story hits the three quarter point, it really starts to come together and build momentum. The way everything connects and unfolds was done really well, and it definitely had me hooked.

Overall, I truly enjoyed the book, even if I found myself wanting a bit more from certain aspects.

As for the audiobook, the narrators were new to me. While I did enjoy the emotional depth they brought to the story and the way they handled some of the heavier moments, it didn’t fully pull me in the way some performances do. It was good overall, but not one I found myself completely immersed in.