Blogger Wife Chat Review ~ After the Climb ~ Kristen Ashley

What would happen if the love of your life was suddenly pushed back into your life? Imogen and Duncan figured this out the hard way - after their friend Corey committed suicide and had something for them to look at together after his death. They had both lived with other people during the long period they were apart, and they weren't sure it was a good idea to even see each other again.
And the secrets that were told made everything they had lived up until now feel unreal. Even if they both tried to stay neutral, it was impossible for them to stay away from each other.

You know my feelings about second chance romance, wifey, so I’m sure it’s not a surprise that I adored After the Climb. But, then, it’s KA and she had a little help from friends 😉 in writing this one. Oh! And that it released on my birthday? Sweet!!

Hmm… are you one of the friends who helped out with this one?  And you know I love second chance romance at least as much as you do! Plus, KA always makes all the feels come out 🙂 

Okay, so that beginning was a doozy! I don’t know if I’ve ever disliked, dare I say hated, a character as much as I do Corey. I can’t imagine the myriad emotions that Imogen (Genny) experienced. But I felt a few of them for certain. And then there was Duncan who only felt part of those emotions for reasons we won’t discuss here. How did you feel about how After the Climb kicked off?

oh my God! Corey was the worst! And I just felt so much anger towards him during the whole After the Climb story! I mean – they were best friends. And then he was the one who only thought of himself. Even when he realized he didn’t have a chance at what he wanted, he stood by his stupid choices.

I adored the fact that Genny’s daughters as well as others including Duncan’s best friend were all on-board with doing all they could to reunite this couple. A common theme with KA is the importance of family and friends and Genny’s and Duncan’s family and friends blended so easily. They all got along and it felt like they’d known each other all along. It was as if it was fated. 😉 What did you think of everyone being behind a reunion for Genny and Duncan?

Yeah, I agree! I loved all the relationships we got in After the Climb. Genny’s daughters were amazing. But then again, so were Duncan’s boys. I loved how they came together to do their best so their parents could be happy. 

I admired that Genny and Duncan had taken paths that allowed them to be successful and fulfill dreams before finding their way back to each other. Duncan in particular needed to make something of himself in order to feel worthy of Gen. But it broke my heart that they’d lost all that time even if it was necessary and they got their amazing kids out of it. How did you feel about the paths they took?

Oh, I did too. They were both very driven individuals. And I think they both had fairly good lives – even apart. I think sometimes, these things happen. But here, it happened because of someone. And while I totally got that they were both happy they had their kids, it still made me so, so sad that they had spent so much time apart. And finding each other again – through Corey ironically enough – was far from an easy walk for them.

Gen’s ex-husband, Tom, played an interesting role. I appreciated that he and Gen had such an amicable split despite the reasons for it and that they could remain a solid unit for their kids. I was shocked at his reaction to Genny and Duncan but then I got it. Did you feel for Tom at all?

Tom was interesting. But he was also a little bit short sighted about things. However, I did feel for him. I think Genny was possibly the love of his life, and while he made a huge mistake, that love never really lessened. And I can’t imagine being with someone who might still love someone else…

The tension courtesy of Corey and his ex-wife, Sam, was intense. I don’t know why I can be shocked by the lengths people will go to out of selfishness but I was. These two took so much from Gen and Duncan – well, Corey mostly. But hadn’t they suffered enough? I couldn’t believe Sam’s play. What were your feelings and reactions to the tension?

Sam pissed me off so bad! She was a shrew, and I don’t even understand why she absolutely wanted her five minutes of fame. What a way to get it, though. Especially because it was Gen and Tom who basically raised her son – out of the goodness of their hearts. And she put him in a hot seat, too. I was at the edge of my seat for some parts where Sam was present, and I’m still getting worked up about her now, answering your question 😉 

In After the Climb, KA delivered an engaging, beautiful story that was a perfect read for this unsettling time. I can always count on her to give me comfort. I can’t tell you, wifey, how eager I am for the next installment. But I bet you can guess. 😉

It was definitely a beautiful story! And I loved that Duncan and Genny were mature characters, still ready for love. And the fact that they had been so close when they were younger just made it even sweeter. I also loved that the bombshell happened at the beginning, so that they could work on a new relationship the whole time.

Reading this book contributed to these challenges:

• 2020 COYER all year long
• 2020 New Release Challenge

About Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms

Brandee is a mom of 3 and a soon-to-be empty nester. She is also an avid reader, a genre omnivore, and a compulsive one-clicker - but she's in recovery. Besides being a reader, she's also a writer and hopes to divide the vast quantities of spare time she'll soon have between reading and finally publishing her first book.

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