Customer Reviews

A Love Story

5 star:		(1)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(3)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

This story could have been told chronologically in 100 pages or less as a BET Arabesque novel. I did not like the way it jumped back and forth from the past to the present. I lost interest very quickly.

This was a cute story about childhood best friends becoming lovers. It was light listening, the actors did a good job performing the book, and I laughed several times. Easily something to listen or read by the beach or on the plane.

After his family moved from Brooklyn into her Queens neighborhood, Aaron Simmons met Nina Carruthers in kindergarten. They became best friends and remained that way through the ups and downs of the next twenty-five years always there for the other when needed.

Nina detests Aaron `s bartending at a strip club. So when they finally get it on, she wants to see this Cocoa, who he once said is the only performer at the club he would not mind dating. As they move in together, she keeps secrets from him such as bailing out her father and he hides from her that he had sex with Cocoa. Hoping he will leave the strip joint to pursue his goal of becoming a photographer, Nina offers to fund this endeavor. However, the photos of Cocoa worry Nina because she fears that her beloved best friend will soon end their relationship as lovers and as pals while he cannot believe she no longer trusts him like she did when they were just best buds for two decades.

Rotating male and female perspectives, Denene Miller & Nick Chiles provide a well written beautiful love story that provides the deep tone of each of the lead couple. The story line uses flashbacks to give some additional insight into the shared past, which enhances the understanding of both players. A LOVE STORY is a fine tale that uses a gimmick to near perfection to provide a beguiling contemporary romance in which the readers see up front and personal what makes the stars tick especially the fear of never going back if the romantic relationship fails.

Harriet Klausner

What better person to fall in love with than your best friend? Someone who has been with you through the ups and downs of life, someone who knows you better than you know yourself. Someone who loves and shares unconditionally, puts up with your flaws, celebrates your good points, and even goes so far as to have your back even when they may not agree with your choices. Do best friends make the best lovers, partners, or spouses, or is this a line you're better off not crossing? Denene Millner and Nick Chiles are back this summer with their latest novel, A LOVE STORY, which details the lives of best friends Aaron and Nina, who after more than two decades have decided to cross the line, surpassing the "just friends" boundary.

Aaron is a struggling photographer/bartender who was raised to be the perfect gentleman. Nina has a good job, is outspoken, beautiful and knows what she wants out of life, and isn't afraid to go after it. Forming an unbreakable bond during childhood, their friendship was one similar to the scenes that unfolded in the popular movie Love and Basketball. A LOVE STORY travels through their childhood, on to the present time, and then back through various points in their lives. As different as night and day, yet held together by an unmistakable bond, you can't help but to want to see them together as a couple.

Using their trademark "he say/she say" style, Denene Millner & Nick Chiles have written A LOVE STORY from alternating male and female points of view, allowing the reader a glimpse into the actual thoughts and emotions of both protagonists. In addition to this, they've added a myriad of flashbacks helping us get to know both Aaron and Nina individually, then as friends, and finally, as a couple.

While the flashbacks do a commendable job of giving us the history of the characters, they just weren't appealing to me. Instead, it was a bit distracting. I found myself rushing through a scene to get back to the present time in hopes of finding out what would happen. I really wanted to know if what we've grown to believe over the years would work for the characters: that falling in love and being in a relationship are better when you're friends first.

Perhaps the book would've been more enjoyable had the story been told in chronological order, but I'm afraid had it been done that way, it really would've seemed like a replica of the aforementioned movie. In spite of this, I did love the dialogue, the humor, the friendship between the characters, and also the twists that jumped up unexpectedly throughout the book. I mostly enjoyed seeing both sides of the story and knowing how each character felt about various issues. Millner and Chiles did an admirable job of peeking under the surface of love and relationships; especially as it pertains to those who are friends first.

Reviewed by Tee C. Royal
of The RAWSISTAZ Reviewers

Aaron and Nina have been friends since they were kindergartners playing outside on the same block. Their friendship is based on many shared memories that we are exposed to through flashbacks and strong feelings of love and protection. After years of serving as each others sounding board for past relationships, triumphs and disasters, they've decided to act on the strong feelings that exist between them. Soon after they move in together, Nina's insecurities about the job Aaron holds as a bartender at a strip club soon threaten their happy future. Soon curiosity overwhelms her and Nina sneaks a visit to see with her own eyes the only dancer that Aaron has admitted once have considered as a prospective girlfriend, whose name is aptly Cocoa. Nina is harboring her own demons including the tumultuous relationship she has with her vagabond father. Nina's insecurities explode when she finds pictures of Cocoa "hidden" among many that aspiring photographer Aaron has taken in the past. All of the issues in their relationship come to a head when this finding is uncovered.

Nina and Aaron's bond is well established in this book. As a reader I was really rooting for them when they decided to pursue a relationship. The twists and turns that are interjected due to the personal issues each of them is dealing with add nice tension to this friends-turned-lovers tale. I also like the style of the book that alternates between telling the story of each of their perspectives.

Aaron and Nina have been best friends since they were in grade school. Now, both in their 30's, they have taken their relationship to a new level in Nick Chiles and Denene Millner's latest He say/she say novel, A Love Story. Each character reminisces about their families, their early childhood friendship, and adventures in alternating chapters, detailing how they came to be a couple.

Nina was older than Aaron by just a few minutes, but in their relationship she often lorded over him as if she were ages ahead of him. Aaron was always the sensitive one, willing to talk things out as opposed to Nina's quick tempered, ready to fight demeanor. Aaron comes from a "Leave it to Beaver" lifestyle while Nina's father is hiding out as a wanted man, believing that his bad luck is due to the white man. Nina is a professional while Aaron is a struggling photographer and bartends to bring in extra income. She's a neat freak, he is a slob. She has issues with trust and he wonders why she does not trust him. With all the opposites its a wonder they can connect on a romantic level or maybe they are together just because they have always been together. This couple struggles to find a happy medium.

The background about the family and the couples informative years was very interesting and provided enough background for strong character development. The look inside the strip clubs was enlightening The sex scenes were steamy and tastefully written. What made the reading difficult and slow was the amount of narrative. I would have liked to see the characters telling this story, they could have made it more exciting. I would recommend this book if you have a quiet weekend to sit and read a love story.

Jeanette
APOOO BookCluba