A Sweet Romance with a Stunning Backdrop | Review: Where Trains Collide by Amber Stokes

Where Trains Collide

by Amber Stokes

About The Book

 wo hearts racing in different directions will meet where trains collide.

Burned out and disillusioned with her chosen career path, Trisha Knolane gives in to impulse and hops on a train bound for Oregon, eager to escape the stress of college for a few days. But what begins as a fun little adventure takes an unexpected turn when she discovers that her ex-boyfriend is also on board.

All her hopes and dreams had once centered on Paul Benson. Now, when Trisha doesn't know where her current track will lead, Paul’s reappearance in her life only complicates matters and sparks difficult questions.

Questions that could change the course of her life.

A heartfelt and thought-provoking contemporary romance novella, Where Trains Collide faces the uncertain season of new adulthood head on and shows that sometimes a path of broken dreams can lead to life’s best destination.

My Thoughts

Once more, Stokes amazes me with her ability to make a novella feel like such a rich and full story. In the pages of Where Trains Collide, I came to feel like I really knew Trisha Knoeland. Her struggles and triumphs made her feel like a real person; one I wouldn’t mind hanging out with on a train ride to Oregon! Her struggle with making decisions about her future is one most all of us can relate to. And when life gets that overwhelming, who doesn’t want to throw caution to the wind and get away for a while?

I adored the setting of the book; the backdrop of an autumn in the Pacific Northwest made for the perfect getaway for Trisha and I loved reading about the route through the autumn foliage dotted with the silver streaks of waterfalls. Stokes paints a wonderful picture of the Pacific Northwest that will make readers want to plan a trip there this fall.

Though the cast of main characters is small, they provide the base for a truly heartfelt novella. While Paul might not have been my favorite hero, I did come to like him more toward the end of the book than when he was first introduced. I appreciated that he encouraged Trisha to make her own decisions instead of allowing her to let him make choices for her. And having read How A Star Falls, I enjoyed revisiting Derrick and Samantha and was happy to see that they got on so well with Trisha and Paul.

All in all, Where Trains Collide was a lovely novella boasting characters I wouldn’t at all mind reading more about. Fans of light, sweet romance will find this to be the perfect thing to read on a crisp autumn afternoon… or any other time of year.

I give this book 5 out of 5 stars.

I received a complimentary ARC of this book from the author. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.