The Only Epikia

I admit that I have mixed feelings rating this one because there's a part of the story that I have been swooned over...and then there's a part that I felt so irritated that I stopped reading it for awhile, but read it again for the sake of finishing the novel. So I have the love and hate thing going on while reading this one.

For the part that I was swooned over--I always enjoy reading, even watching, stories about taking another chance, meeting years after and realizing the mistake you had by letting them go, round two of burning the passion and romance (eh--yep, I just said that) and all that crap, and this is no exception: It put a smile on my face while I was reading this one...well, the first part, anyway. Nate and Lucy met in their young adult years--20 and 19--in Venice, Italy. Him, a Harvard Student who went to Italy for their school program, studying renaissance painters; Her, an art student, studying renaissance art. For how many months, they had an intense, oh-so-young relationship, but there's a problem: Nate is from America while Lucy is from England and days are only left before they depart from each other. So, they spent their remaining days strolling in Venice, when, one day, they met a creepy old man who gave them, ugh, no, it's actually 'sold' them an old coin, which was broken in two, the other half for Nate, the other for Lucy...that makes it two halves of one whole. This old man told them the legend behind the bridge of sighs--if a you kiss underneath the bridge at sunset, at gondola, when the bells of the church are ringing, you will have everlasting and eternal love. You will be together forever and nothing will break you apart. Being the young and in love couple, they did kiss underneath the bridge at sunset, at a gondola while the bells of the church are ringing, BUT, they broke apart. Although they have tried the long distance relationship for a year, Nate still broke things off with Lucy...which left Lucy devastated.

Years later, now in New York as an Art Gallery assistant, Lucy still have this strange longing for Nate even it has been ten years since the last time they saw each other in person. She have moved on but she knew that in the depths of her heart and soul, Nate was THE ONE and consider herself as lucky because not all people who have been searching for their soulmates, true love, amore, ame soeur, that one special person with whom they will spend the rest of their life with can really meet them, and by some miracle, she met him--but she lost him, she blew it...or he blew it. She never really thought about it often as she used to, but, sometimes when she least expect it, something will remind Lucy of Nate and think of 'what if's' and all that thinking. But, at the end, they did meet, and they continue their relationship, and here you thought it will be ...and they lived happily ever after. but they didn't--they also stopped seeing each other in the end.

Now for the part that I got irritated and stopped reading it halfway--the middle part of the story became ridiculous and I was annoyed on how they, Nate and Lucy, broke things off the second time: It's like they're not in their almost 30's but instead they're acting like kids and fought like one and GAAAAH--WHAT THE HECK? Yes, they did changed, they're not like what they used to in their 19 and 20 years of age, there might be irreconcilable differences...but, WTH? Nate's exit in the story is kinda, bleh, ugh. Even the encounters with Nate and Lucy, it's, UGGGHHH, though some are funny, but mostly, UGGHHH. And then, there's Adam--no, I am not really irritated with him, but it's a little bit disappointing that his character wasn't really fully developed. He's not really the main character, yes, but, I haven't really connected with him...he could've been a good character, if he was written well.

See, I did have the love and hate thing with this one...I loved the first part...hated the middle part...and not satisfied in the end. I haven't read it straight like I usually do (and that luxury is so rare these days because I have lots of things to do) because, like I said, it got annoying...but I think what I did was better, because it made reading the middle part until the end bearable. If I have read this without interruption, I might rate it as a two...but since I didn't, it's a 2.5stars for me.