manuela's Reviews > Ten Thousand Words

I was kindly provided an ARC copy by the author in exchange for an honest review. This is my first Kelli Jean book and I was pleasantly surprised! Author falls in love with the model on the cover of her book. If that’s not a great premise I don’t know what is.

Ollie was a local socialite, and his face being on the cover of a book had Amsterdam buzzing. No one paid attention to me. No one even knew I lived in the same city as the man who represented my heart’s secret hero. And I was totally cool with that.

Xanthe is a famous author, although she writes under a pen name because she’s struggled with her insecurities over what she writes her whole life. Her books are full of horrors, which derived from some terrible experiences in her childhood, and people’s reaction to them isn’t always positive. She’s struggled with depression, and people picking at her mind. So when she meets on a flight the guy she’s chosen as model for her hero and he’s a bit mean about her story, she decides not to tell him that she’s the mind behind that story.

Oliver’s life revolves around photography, and when he’s asked to model for the cover of some books he agrees because it could help his career as a photographer. He never imagined that his life could change so much. There are a whole lot of fans who are really passionate about those books. You know how overwhelming us fangirls can get! Ollie’s always been around models, so his world was very different from Xanthe’s, but somehow he gets really involved with her, even when he finds out her true identity. The whole plot was really original.

Her very existence was a balm to a heart I hadn’t even known had been aching for her my whole life.

I really enjoyed the development of their relationship, it was so cute and funny because they come from two opposite world, and the collision was explosive. I loved how Xanthe’s personality changed Ollie’s way of living; he was judgy and kind of a prick at first. Their relationship moved a little too fast at some times for my liking, and the book could have maybe worked better with a little less drama. But overall it wasn’t over the top, and it was actually a page turner. Especially when the plot got more complicated with the return of someone from Xanthe’s past.

I also loved the side characters, they all added something to the story, and the setting, which is mostly Amsterdam.

Romance, humor, frienship, love, suspense, all in one book. If you like a lot of twists and turns you’ll love this one.
This review can also be found at calloway books