The Proverbial Mr. Universe
Maria La SerraPublication date: June 27th 2016
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Dear girl with the red scarf,
Love was never meant to be conquered;
you have to surrender to it.
Trust me. After all, I am Mr. Universe.
When the universe conveys a message, you listen.
Olivia Montiano just caught her fiancé cheating. Now she is forced to question what she wants out of life and love. Striving to live up to her father’s unrealistic standards for the past twenty-three years, every decision she has ever made was with her father’s wishes in mind—until she finds mysterious, handwritten letters tucked away in places only meant for her. That’s when she realizes she’s been on the wrong path all along and gives her heart to a guy her father thinks is entirely wrong.
Washed-up abstract artist Nick Montgomery has had quite a few setbacks in life. He’s become accustomed to never needing anyone, thinking he’s just fine—until he meets the girl with the red scarf. She’s not his type. But the universe has other ideas. Nick has a secret he’s keeping from her, afraid it will bring their new relationship to a sudden halt.
Will they figure out what the universe holds for them?
REVIEW
First, let me start off by saying how I loved that The Proverbial Mr. Universe was set in Montreal! I have always wanted to travel to Canada and this gave me a bit of a glimpse. ;)This was a cute, fun read with a touch of deeper issues like mental abuse, cheating and illness. It didn't dive too far in to those things though and I'm actually kind of glad that it just skimmed the surface.
Olivia Montiano is living the high life. She has fabulous connections through her father, fiance and job; the best of everything. She's a bit of a snob, if you ask me. I couldn't really connect with her in the beginning. She looked down on people, even though she secretly hated herself and the life she was living. When she first meets Nick Montgomery the night after her breakup with Dario when she found out he had cheated on her, she was rather rude to him. And for some reason he's completely enthralled with her. He's been mesmerized by her since he first laid eyes on her and I just couldn't see why. As we dive deeper into the story, we see that the reason Olivia is like this is because of her 5 year tortured relationship with Dario, where he constantly belittled her at every turn and manipulated her into becoming someone she isn't. She's miserable with herself because of it and so she looks down on those who have less than her.
However, throughout the story as she opens up more and finds her own voice, she begins to grow into someone that I could actually see myself liking. And as I read about her through the eyes of Nick, she became a much more agreeable character. He made her likeable. And I guess that's what love does to you. You see the flaws in someone, but you love them anyway despite those flaws.
I found the notes from Mr. Universe to be entertaining and thought-provoking and yes, even proverbial. They gave life lessons and advice and they were really sweet. They came to Olivia just when she needed them, when she needed a pick-me-up or was feeling down on herself, Mr. Universe was there to pick her back up and show her that she deserves better than what she's been given and given herself. The notes pushed her in the direction she needed to go and helped her to fight for herself.
Overall I thought The Proverbial Mr. Universe was a really sweet read. It was quick and light and I would definitely recommend it if you're looking for something to read while sitting on the beach or next to the pool. The perfect summer read.
RATING
AUTHOR
About Maria La Serra
Maria La Serra, a fashion designer, turned writer, lives in Montreal with her husband and two children. She will try everything at least once, except for skiing, hiking or camping-okay anything relating to activities done in the great outdoors. The Proverbial Mr. Universe is her first novel.
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Thanks for hosting today, Kelly! This sounds like a sweet, fun read! Definitely perfect for the beach! :) Glad you liked it!
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