Belong to Me by Marisa de los Santos

de los Santos' first novel, Love Walked In, was one of my favorite books read last year, so I was eager to read her follow up novel, Belong to Me. I was fortunate enough to grab an ARC from Midwinter, as this title is not due for release for a few more weeks.

This novel continues the story of Cornelia, whom we met in the first book, as she and her husband settle into life in the suburbs. This novel weaves in her story, the story of her neighbor Piper, and mother and son duo Lake and Dev, who are new to town. All three stories get their own chapters, with characters overlapping each other, and influencing each other. Oddly, Cornelia's chapters are written in first person, and the other two characters in third person, but once you get going, you hardly notice.

de los Santos packs a lot into this lovely novel, weaving in and out of her characters lives with lovely prose and phrases I have to read several times to really appreciate - you can tell de los Santos is a poet. Just like with Love Walked In, I didn't want this novel to end...the characters had become my friends, and I was loath to part from them, though I had to see where their stories ended...

This is a wonderful follow up to the first novel, and I only wish I had many more stories to read from these amazingly crafted characters. I loved everything about this book - the characters (Aiden stole the show!), the plot, the prose, even the book's cover.

Read Love Walked In, fall in love with it, and then pick up this novel.

You won't be sorry.

Labels: book review