Book: Selfless love by Giuliana Victoria
Reviewed by Anonymous
Rating: 4/5
Adhira Shah was diagnosed with cancer, and decided to tell no one. In order to protect her family and friends from wanting to care for her, she moves into a new apartment with a man she's never met and hopes will let her suffer her illness in peace. Elijah Elliot is a friend of a friend who is just looking for an apartment where he won't be robbed anytime he leaves his flat. The first time he meets his new flatmate face to face he is struck dumb by his attraction to her. Over time he is more and more suspicious about this woman who is avoiding her friends, and constantly looking more and more ill.
Through a little light stalking he finds out what she is going through and convinces her to let him take care of her at least a little. Most of the book is devoted to the budding relationship between Adhira and Elijah, from strangers to two people who care for each other and are kind of friends, kind of fake dating.
My favorite part of this book is how Elijah is portrayed as a caregiver. I have experience as a caregiver for a chronically ill partner, and I can say with confidence Elijah's struggles are spot on. There are so many quotes that sum up the feelings of loving someone while they break down and their body is something to fight against. When you love someone who is going through an illness, you just want to be what they need and you don't think about it being something that is out of the norm to help them bathe, to help them dress. It's just how you love. And then in turn, when your anxiety gets to be too much, they take care of you how you need it as well. From the outside this may seem lopsided, or uneven. When you are in it, it's just the only choice you can make.
As far as the love story goes, it seems like the slowest of slow burns. And it is. But when you look at Adhira's personality, it fits. Add in that she is going through the fight of her life and it makes sense that it takes her longer to get to where Elijah is. She does a very good job of giving affection how she can at the time and honoring Elijah's obvious feelings until she has the spoons to reciprocate more fully.
This was not a typical romance novel, but it was real and raw and honest and absolutely beautiful. It will make you think about what you will do for the ones you love, and maybe appreciate the ways your loved ones show up for you in unconventional ways.
Thank you to the author for the advanced copy. All opinions are my own.