~Marcella Nielsen ~
iReflect 2017
"Where you are is home..."
At age fourteen, Zelda Rossi witnessed the unthinkable, and has spent the last ten years hardening her heart against the guilt and grief. She channels her pain into her art: a dystopian graphic novel where vigilantes travel back in time to stop heinous crimes—like child abduction—before they happen. Zelda pitches her graphic novel to several big-time comic book publishers in New York City, only to have her hopes crash and burn. Circumstances leave her stranded in an unfamiliar city, and in an embarrassing moment of weakness, she meets a guarded young man with a past he’d do anything to change...
Beckett Copeland spent two years in prison for armed robbery, and is now struggling to keep his head above water. A bike messenger by day, he speeds around New York City, riding fast and hard but going nowhere, his criminal record holding him back almost as much as the guilt of his crime.
Zelda and Beckett form a grudging alliance of survival, and in between their stubborn clash of wills, they slowly begin to provide each other with the warmth of forgiveness, healing, and maybe even love. But when Zelda and Beckett come face to face with their pasts, they must choose to hold on to the guilt and regret that bind them, or let go and open their hearts for a shot at happiness.
First impressions before start:
The title and book cover don’t give me much to go on, other than this book being in the romance genre. I don’t know what the title, “The Butterfly Project” could mean; a literal butterfly project (doubtful)…or it being a metaphor for something more meaningful. What I’m fixating on is the fact that the couple on the cover seem to be standing in some sort of building…and they’re under an umbrella. Maybe another metaphor? (...doubtful).
I love romance books and from reading the blurb I can tell this book may have a deeper, maybe even darker, plotline. I hope my heart comes out of this unscathed.
"I write romances with flawed characters, characters with artistic hearts: builders, poets, and writers of various makes and models. I love to write book lovers; those who have found refuge, companionship, and escape in books, much as we do in real life. I like realism, honesty, authenticity in storytelling. I love to write about enduring love, soul-deep love, in as real a setting as I can make, but with big smooshy HEAs. I believe in diversity, open-mindedness, and inclusion. I like sweetness mixed with steam, love conquering all, and above all, hope. Love always wins."
More books from Emma Scott...
The Butterfly Project
by Emma Scott
My Rating:
Thoughts:
I LOVED THIS BOOK!
“Wasn’t love a kind of chaos theory? One small look, one smile or one word could alter the course of a life forever.”
This book was one of failure, regret and guilt. Of second chances, hope and love. It had good humour, real romance and a deeper story than I had anticipated. It made me cry, made me laugh and made my heart hurt and soar.
I didn’t put this book down once! I completely forgot what sleeping and eating was and just read. This story was captivating, emotionally and mentally moving and…real. I felt like I was watching the character’s lives as if I were right next to them. I felt their pain and guilt as if it were my own. I lived, cried and loved right along with them.
Characters:
Zelda Rossi – Running low on money, with nowhere to go and her dreams crushed, Zelda is out of options. The only person she knows in this city is a waiter boy she met. With no other options she propositions the waiter. She will help pay his rent if she can share his apartment for a few months until she gets back on her feet.
Beckett Copeland - Beckett is barely staying above water; his two jobs aren’t enough to pay his weekly rent. He has no choice but to trust this girl he hardly knows to save him from eviction. But will she still want to stay with him when she finds out what he did?
Zelda and Beckett were characters who were plainly imperfect. They lived everyday stuck in that one moment that changed their lives, unable to move forward. All they saw was their past mistakes, all they felt was guilt. The most unlikely of circumstances brought these two together and together they healed but their pasts constantly lurked behind them.
"I recognized the weight of guilt that hung around his neck, because I wore it too.”
Plot:
This story was told in dual point of view which has always been my favourite format for reading a book. When a book is told from one person’s point of view, I feel like I’m only getting half the story. This is not the case for all books, but I tend to connect more with each character when I get to be inside the minds of both, especially in romances. The plot was very easy to follow. The author’s genius in evading the full back story of both characters had me flying through the book just to get the full story. On the outside, Zelda was an amateur graphic novelist from Philadelphia and Beckett was a born and bred New Yorker. No one would guess that behind their smiles were two kids lost and wounded. New York is said to be the City of Dreams, but not for them.
To Zelda, New York was cold and unforgiving.
To Beckett, New York was its own kind of prison he couldn’t escape.
The back story of the protagonists was gripping and a reminder of how cruel this world can be. It was also a reminder that we shouldn’t let the past define us but strengthen us.
Last Note:
In every romance story there are two basic elements; a central love story and an emotionally satisfying and optimistic ending (RWA, n.d). How the author uses these two elements is purely up to them to twist and turn it into the story it becomes. It is a tossup if their efforts paid off and if they successfully delivered a story worthwhile. Emma Scott was able to do this and more with this story.
I read a lot of books, some good, some bad, and some I wish I never picked up. It is a rare occasion when a book truly moves me and isn’t just basic literary entertainment but a life learning and eye opening experience. This book made me believe in the strength of love.
I’ll definitely be re-reading this one again!!
Author's Note:
The Butterfly Project is a novel that reveals the power of forgiveness, and how even the smallest decisions of the heart can—like the flutter of a butterfly’s wings—create currents that strengthen into gale winds, altering the course of a life forever.
References:
Romance Writers of America. (n.d). Retrieved on 30th September 2017 from https://www.rwa.org/romance
Scott, E. (2017). The Butterfly Project. California: Emma Scott.