The Day He Came Back

The Day He Came Back is a tour de force of longing and second chances. An adult story about true love and sacrifice. Yet it’s so much more. It doesn’t fit neatly into any little boxes. And everyone should read it. I was overcome by the stark portrait of choosing between selfish and selfless love, between family we’re born into, and the family we choose. TDHCB is a simple, stellar romance set amid an elegy on sacrifice, greed and the callous indifference of illness. You will fall for Raven, just as Gavin did, and this story will stay with you. Long after you’ve tried to move on, these lovely people won’t let you. The Day He Came Back is so full of soul. It pulses with need and brutal honesty, and it’s the perfect tonic to a long season of stories of redeemed bullies and immature jerks. Raven and Gavin are honest, devoted star-crossed lovers. Gavin Masterson is a prince among men. Gavin is the modern hero we need today, and in a sea of caricatures and nasty book boyfriends, he surfaces as the answer. The only man we need. He’s complicated, yet smitten and he knows it, his obligations weigh on him, yet he keeps himself and the readers above water, never pandering or compromising himself or his ideals. He expresses himself and while he’s patient, the story unfolds leaving no doubt that he knows what he wants, even if events beyond his control force his hand. And yet he is no heartbreaker. He’s a deliberate, careful lover and the bittersweet developments in this story make it impossible to stay away. What I liked most about Gavin? How Ward drew him, with so many dimensions, and yet he was always honest and committed, to everyone. It’s hard to write a man as smitten and not have him sound like a girl, but Ward gave us a real young man who grows into an incredible adult, full of love, and passion, longing and fear and vulnerability, altho he never came across as pitiable. Gavin moved me in every scene. I kept thinking to myself, true love is the family you choose, whelp. I love this story. Raven is the epitome of self sacrifice, and her journey from curious outsider to head over heels young love was thrilling and she is up there with my favorite young heroines. She had so much thrust upon her. And over and over she put everyone else on her back, choose their battles over her own. No wonder Gavin fell so hard. I can understand what happened, and the heartbreak was agonizing yet felt inevitable. How did Ward do that? God, my emotions were all over the place. Tears and laughter mixed equally because the narrative was freaking compelling, and it was fantastic. I can't say anymore, you’ll have to read the story, and I don’t want to spoil it, but Ward has a gift. She can weave a complicated world where we care deeply for everyone in the story, and the humanness she conveyed--even in the simplest of phrases--moved me. About that title. It was in so many ways, a perfect metaphor for Raven’s beats in this story. I feel like Gavin had many days and he came back over and over (I'm not giving anything away, I'm talking about the effect of the story). Gavin wanted Raven from the moment they saw each other. Their first scenes together are the perfect launch for their languid romance. There is great plotting and 'yell at your kindle' arcs that carry us through, even the brother and best friend find peace. Sigh, I could go on, I enjoyed this story so much. I highly recommend it for anyone who loves true love.

Enjoyed it very much, the pacing, the plot and the twist. The Characters each had goodness, depth and likability. Of course an joked the romance and HEA! Raven such strong girl who had sense of self and worth. Who was tested emotionally and physically but came out on top 💪 Gavin can I just he is one of the best male characters that was just so good to be thru but when he got heart by the breakup and finding the truth later on 😥 I like that you made Paige into decent character and not be bad gal. It was just to late since Gavin 💓 has always belonged to Raven. Thank goodness Weldon turned out to be ok douche 😁👍 and I just ❤🙋 Marni she was so don't beat around the bush kind of gal. That was the quickest coming out ever 😂 A great job dealing with real life subject matters like alcoholics, consequences and Dementia. So heartbreaking when any love ones passes and the longer remember 😭 Raven definitely bless her heart for holding Mr M and making it as dignified for him. Thanks for your beautiful writing.

I can’t even begin to explain how much I loved this book!! I’ve seriously had this one in my library for a couple of years and have NO idea why it took me so long to read it. It was phenomenal! Love how it was separated into parts, love the dual POV… and ohhhh Gavin and Raven’s relationship was everything! The buildup and their history was incredible, the tension was amazing, full of angst and emotion and oh boy, the DRAMA! Just an overall amazing read and one I would highly recommend!!

Penelope Ward has once again reminded me why I love her work so much. The Day He Came Back is wonderfully written and heartbreakingly beautiful. The characters were well developed and the plot well thought out. I loved everything about it! Get ready to meet your next book boyfriend because Gavin will knock you off your feet! Gavin and Raven come from two different worlds and Ward does a stellar job of setting the scene where the haves and the have-nots exist in their own worlds and never shall the two mix. But that doesn't matter to our hero and heroine who find ways to be together when they shouldn't be. I loved Gavin---he was completely unexpected! A down-to-earth, loyal, loving man who follows his heart when it matters the most. Raven is a fun, hard-working woman who faces many challenges with as much strength as she can. When the unexpected happens, Gavin and Raven are ripped apart and forced to go on without one another. Ward starts the story in the present tense then jumps back ten years to give the couple's history then forwards back ten years to pick up where the story started. This is done perfectly and I really enjoyed getting the full backstory along with the present story. The Day He Came Back is emotional and will leave you with a lump in your throat. My heart broke for both Gavin and Raven but in the end, these two find their happily ever after in the perfect way. Their story is a bumpy one but it's a beautiful one. 5 stars

3.5*** The Day He Came Back was a cute second chance romance, I'm a sucka for such books but I have to say that I expected more from this book. I thought the story of Raven and Gavin was adorable but I would have liked more character development, more insight on the years they were apart and more elaborate information on their feelings for each other. Penelope can write beautiful stories that capture your heart, I would have wished a little more would have been put in this book. I think my favorite part of this book was the past and how they met and developed their relationship. I would have wanted more in the second half when he came back, more of a struggle to re-connect, more of insight on how he was able to make the tough decision of loving Raven again. All in all the book was good, I just think that certain parts could have been more elaborated.

THE GUIDE TO ROMANCE NOVELS REVIEW Not my first read by author, I don’t know a lot of people actually anyone who hasn’t read a Penelope Ward book, I mean HELLOO!! I was preparing because of the Blurb that got me! Right away my heart was hurting, but the back-story of Gavin & Raven…oh be still my heart. To come to an understand of the HOW was beautifully broken. THIS STORY WILL TEAR YOU DOWN & THEN BUILT YOU BACK UP! O.M.G. Part one was a killer, and i mean that in every emotional feelings type of way. The whole back-story of them was very informative and heartbreaking on a lot of way. All the side characters, Raven’s mother and Gavin’s family, all had a backstory and some connection in a way. So to say that I disliked a character is hard, except except except Gavin’s mother, WOW she was a kicker!! It’s hard to say much because I don’t want to ruin it for you, but there was so much I just want to spill it all! Oh, and you will love Marina, HA! I want to be best friends with her and have her on my side of the ring! Gavin: as a young man he was level headed, gorgeous and fun. Raven: as a young woman she was strong, already grown up and eventful. Gavin: As a man he is a knock out drop dead gorgeous and still his old self just more responsibilities as it seem. Raven: As a woman she is broken, marked and still the honest beautiful girl she was. This is a story of a boy and girl that fell in love so much that nothing could tare them apart, until one day something did, or did it in the first place at all? One summer proved that LOVE exists but did it still exist? It’s heartbreaking of the events that occur down to the last %. It’s a book that I couldn’t put down and reading it made me feel as if i was living it. I laughed, cried, got angry and loved with Gavin & Raven. A contrast story! Penelope really is a magician!

Gavin and Raven had an instant connection from the moment they met. The story doesn't open there though. It opens in the present after 10 yrs from when they met one another. Raven is Gavin's father's nurse, and she is about to come face to face with Gavin after all these years. Then it goes to the beginning of their story, when Gavin was 21 yrs. old and Raven is 20 yrs. old. Gavin is home for the summer before going to law school and Raven is working at his family's home with her mom before going to nursing school. As I said before, when they meet the connection is instant. Which is why the have a hard time staying away from each other. Too bad someone is willing to go to any means to make sure this relationship doesn't last. One of the things that I loved, was how open Gavin and Raven were about their feelings. The vowed to be honest with one another and until the meddler interfered they kept that promise. Now we're back to the present and there is still some truths that need to be revealed, but how will that impact their lives and will it change things for the better or make things worse?

The Day He Came Back is an emotional, angsty second-chance romance from Penelope Ward. Right from the start, Gavin and Raven’s story hooked me in, and I had a hard time putting it down. Packed with the sweet, tender first love feels, the first half of the story is full of all the excitement of young love, genuine connection and new attraction. These two fell fast, hard and deep. But despite all the common ground they found, they came from very different worlds. Raven was the hired help at Gavin’s family’s estate, and his mother makes is crystal clear that Raven has no place in Gavin’s life. Gavin isn’t only rebelling against the control his mother is attempting to exude over his life, he really cares about Raven, and he’s never felt this way before. They start sneaking around, and their time together only deepens their feelings for each other. Life is often cruel, though, and Raven is forced to make an unimaginable choice that shatters both of their young hearts. Ten years later Raven is back at Gavin’s family’s estate as his father’s caregiver who is suffering from dementia. A surprise visit brings the biggest surprise of all for both of them. The feelings they both still harbor come roaring back, but there is a lot of hurt, a lot of change and some big secrets to sort through. Ward takes readers through their heartbreak step by step as this couple forgive and heal. The love is still there, though, that’s not going away. Will they grab this chance or let it slip away? Oh my poor heart! Ward certainly toyed with it in this book as I felt all the feels. From the highs of young first love, to the lows of it being lost and then the hope of it being found, Ward took her readers through the facets of Gavin and Raven’s relationship, then and now. A beautiful, poignant, and romantic love story, The Day He Came Back by Penelope Ward gets five stars from me.