The Smallest Part by Amy Harmon

My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Category: Adult
Genre: Romance
Content: Strong language, a couple of steamy sex scenes.


It was a big lie. The biggest lie she’d ever told. It reverberated through her head as she said it, ringing eerily, and the girl behind her eyes—the girl who knew the truth—screamed, and her scream echoed along with the lie.
“Are you in love with Noah, Mercedes?” Cora asked. “I mean . . . I know you love him. You’ve been friends forever. We all have. But are you in love with him?”
If it had been anyone else—anyone—Mercedes would have stuck out her chest, folded her skinny arms, and let her feelings be known. She would have claimed him. But it was Cora. Brave, beautiful, broken Cora, and Cora loved Noah too.
So Mercedes lied.
And with that lie, she lost him. With that lie, she sealed her fate.
She was the best friend, the bridesmaid, the godmother, the glue. She was there for the good times and the bad, the ups and the downs, the biggest moments and the smallest parts. And she was there when it all came crashing down.
This is the tale of the girl who didn’t get the guy.

After finishing Making Faces I wasn't ready to move on from this author, so I picked this one up pretty soon after. Yet again I was moved by the powerful story here. Not as much as I was with Making Faces but this was still a good story about friendship and love. This book was steamier than the other books I've read by this author, but also just as romantic. The chemistry between Mercedes and Noah was off the charts! I loved them both. Cora on the other hand, I never could like all that much. Her actions were selfish, and Mercedes was a true friend. Truer than I think a lot of people would have been. But that's the beauty of this story.

While this was an enjoyable read that I found almost impossible to put down, there was an element to it that I felt was odd. I think if I had read The Law of Moses first it wouldn't have felt quite so odd. Going in I wasn't aware that Noah was first introduced in that book. The element I'm referring to is the one where a couple of characters can see the ghosts of people that have died. It wasn't something I was expecting to happen in a contemporary romance, but it didn't ruin the story for me either. I kind of liked the added spiritual aspect, I'm just sure the book needed two separate people with this ability.

 
“In the end, only three things matter. How much you loved, how gently you lived, and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.”
- Unknown