Losing Sam
Losing Sam, Book 1
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Losing Sam
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Narrated by:
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Lori Prince
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By:
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Nicole Maser
Jess Miller is a focused, driven high school senior whose only goal is to get into the strict Christian college that her late mother attended. But when another student gets picked for early admission instead of her, she can see her dream slipping away.
With only two months left until winter break, Jess gets one final chance to prove herself to the board of admissions by doing a volunteer project at the local rehab center. Although it'll just be one more thing to add on top of her already packed academic and athletic schedule, she's determined to make it work and secure her spot at Trinity University.
That is, until she meets Sam, the charismatic and mysterious girl she's forced to volunteer with every day.
With time running out and everything on the line, Jess must finally confront her inner demons and choose between what she's always known and what her heart truly wants. And she has to do it before it's too late.
©2023 Nicole Maser (P)2025 Podium AudioContinue the series
I don’t usually read stories set in high school, but I’m glad I gave this a shot because the setting and age of the characters allows for them to make decisions that may be hard to justify with older characters. I recently read Tryst Six Venom and one review of that book said if either character were older, you wouldn’t be able to root for them, but the element of youth and discovery mean you can have empathy while they make mistakes and learn from them. The same goes here.
I find a lot of romance novels lack character depth, have similar writing and follow predictable tropes—which can be fun but also tiring. I often feel like I’m reading about characters, not real people. Or like I’m reading a genre, rather than a story. But Nicole is one of the few authors in this space who can break past that barrier. I’m less interested in reading about near perfect people who have the best intentions, and superficial flaws but their miscommunication lead to some low stakes complication that’s quickly resolved and followed by a HEA. I’ve heard this book described as a very slow burn, but I think that’s only true if you’re measuring from start to where the spice begins—and I don’t think that’s the point of this story.
There is some spice, but it’s well done and narrative driven. It’s age appropriate and realistic, it makes you feel for them but it’s not intended to be a focal point or smut. I like spice but this isn’t the story for it to take centre stage.
Spoilers:
Jess is frustrating, but she feels real and her behaviour makes sense based on her character and life experience. Without Sam’s POV, the reader is trusted to make judgements about her behaviour, and on the surface she seems less flawed and almost saint like in how patient she is. By the end though, I found that Sam’s flaw is that she plays it too safe with Jess. She’s too accomodating of Jess’ fears, allows Jess too much understanding and ends up hurting herself in the process. By the time Jess is ready to be more honest, Sam’s taken on too much of the emotional burden in their relationship and she shuts down emotionally. It reads, again, as her being mature and understanding but it’s her throwing in the towel while so much is unresolved. It’s letting Jess off the hook, but not actually moving on because clearly neither of them can. It’s not her being perfect, it’s a sad, realistic flaw in her character, but it makes sense because of who she is and how old they are.
Well written and compelling throughout
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