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A review by katiedermody
Into the Mountains by Kelsey Schulz
First beta read (Sept+ 2024): I think this may end up being my fave of the trilogy. Not going to say anything about it at the moment, though!! So happy to be beta reading for Kelsey again and will likely read it again in this state and then again when it's finished.
Second beta read (Jan2025): read it again in its entirety vs chunk by chunk like the first time, and love the story even more! Excited to next read the arc or finished version to see where it finally ends up.
ARC review (Feb2025):
It's official, Charlotte and Elias are my favorite Blue Grove couple with my fave story. I'm not surprised, since right from the start of book one I was drawn to Charlotte and hoped she'd get a book, especially when it was teased at the end that she and Eli knew each other. Their second chance romance is full of the humor and camaraderie I expect from a Blue Grove novel (found family, and some real family, is a huge theme all through the trilogy), but it's also full of grief and the variety of emotions that come with it.
Charlotte and Elias were high school competitors who didn't realize the other liked them in return, who eventually ended up dating the summer after their freshman year of college. They fall in love that summer but it all comes crashing down at the same time Charlotte experiences some big family loss, and then they don't see each other again for 15 years.
Now they've both been in Blue Grove for a while, Eli with his son Ethan since he lost his wife and stayed there with her family, and Charlie for about a year when she followed Avery there; now they're forced to spend time together working on a project. They try to put their past behind them but aren't able to, especially when it turns out their attraction and feelings never really disappeared completely. Add in a dash of family meddling, a precocious almost nine year old and his growing collection of cats, and a camping trip and they can't ignore things anymore.
The spice was great in this one, as from about halfway through we see their time together as almost 20 year olds and their new dynamic now. The pacing of their attraction return and relationship re-establishing felt right, not rushed or to dragged out. The flashbacks in general were well placed and gave helpful insight as needed. I also think the story as a whole wrapped up the series well.
I was fortunate to beta read this one twice for Kelsey and now to read the arc and it's been a joy to see the progress as the story took shape. Thank you again friend, for involving me in the process!
Second beta read (Jan2025): read it again in its entirety vs chunk by chunk like the first time, and love the story even more! Excited to next read the arc or finished version to see where it finally ends up.
ARC review (Feb2025):
It's official, Charlotte and Elias are my favorite Blue Grove couple with my fave story. I'm not surprised, since right from the start of book one I was drawn to Charlotte and hoped she'd get a book, especially when it was teased at the end that she and Eli knew each other. Their second chance romance is full of the humor and camaraderie I expect from a Blue Grove novel (found family, and some real family, is a huge theme all through the trilogy), but it's also full of grief and the variety of emotions that come with it.
Charlotte and Elias were high school competitors who didn't realize the other liked them in return, who eventually ended up dating the summer after their freshman year of college. They fall in love that summer but it all comes crashing down at the same time Charlotte experiences some big family loss, and then they don't see each other again for 15 years.
Now they've both been in Blue Grove for a while, Eli with his son Ethan since he lost his wife and stayed there with her family, and Charlie for about a year when she followed Avery there; now they're forced to spend time together working on a project. They try to put their past behind them but aren't able to, especially when it turns out their attraction and feelings never really disappeared completely. Add in a dash of family meddling, a precocious almost nine year old and his growing collection of cats, and a camping trip and they can't ignore things anymore.
The spice was great in this one, as from about halfway through we see their time together as almost 20 year olds and their new dynamic now. The pacing of their attraction return and relationship re-establishing felt right, not rushed or to dragged out. The flashbacks in general were well placed and gave helpful insight as needed. I also think the story as a whole wrapped up the series well.
I was fortunate to beta read this one twice for Kelsey and now to read the arc and it's been a joy to see the progress as the story took shape. Thank you again friend, for involving me in the process!