I found out about Winter Longing when searching through my book recommendations online, but because of the mix reviews I wasn’t sure about purchasing it. About a day after I asked my friend if she read it and whether or not she liked it and she said it was “good” so I thought I’d give it a go.

The story takes place in a small town called Tundra. Winter Craig is a high school senior who finally master the guts to ask out her friend and lifelong crush. But the day after, a devastating lost of her love was forced on to her and she falls into a dismal-soulless state. Day-by-day after the incident, Winter lives her life meaninglessly longing for the one she can’t physically hold anymore , until Jesse-her next door neighbor offers an unforeseen friendship. She is caught in a dilemma of what is right and what is wrong when mourning over a loved one, and at the very same time conscious of these denied feelings she keeps having for Jesse.

This book was a quick and easy read, with a predictable plot, but I enjoyed it nonetheless. The sweet little moments between Winter and Jesse is one of the reason I enjoyed the book! The pace of the book was surprisingly fast and to be honest I was not expecting it; books (well the ones I've read) with this plot line tends to drag. But then again what was I expecting from a 200 or so page book? I actually liked that it was going in the pace it was, considering I am the kind of reader who tends to space out often if a book does not offer enough captivating detail or happenings; it at least needs to move in a promising pace to keep me hooked.

One thing I enjoyed about this book was that Tricia Mills immediately started off the book with the devastating event-readers are not able to meet Spencer, however, at the end of each chapter; on its own page she gives us the memories of Spencer and Winter which allows the readers to get a glimpse, little by little of their friendship throughout their moments together.

I rated Winter Longing a 3.5 out of 5 stars because, yes, I liked that the book moved in a fast pace and the story itself was pretty good, however not enough was happening for me(it must be ALL those Sci-fi and fantasy books I’ve been reading!:p). Other than that for someone who enjoys a quick, easy, romantic read and want something they are able to quickly jump into and out of, then this book would be great for them. ( )

I had high expectations as I cracked open WINTER LONGING. Based on the description, I expected an intense, emotional novel in which a girl finds the strength to move on and, in the process, finds love... again.

I suppose that is what happens in WINTER LONGING, but... it just didn't wow me. I was most disappointed by Winter. For me, she was one-dimensional and vaguely annoying. I felt bad that she'd lost Spencer - he was not only her first love, but also her best friend. She must have felt like she was losing him twice... and it couldn't have been easy to deal with that grief alone.

I thought my opinion of the novel would change as Winter grew closer to her neighbor, Jesse, but this, unfortunately, didn't prove true. Instead, I found Jesse to be rather cliche and too perfect. It was sweet that he is so patient with Winter, but I just didn't buy the devotion. I couldn't figure out why he liked Winter so much.

I think WINTER LONGING will find fans, but it simply wasn't for me. I just couldn't connect with any of the characters. Those who can find a connection with Winter, or even Jesse, will be more apt to experience the emotional aspects of the novel, which, I think, will result in a more favorable opinion. ( )

5 Stars!Tricia Mills has written a beautiful story! I could not help but cry at some parts in the book. Tricia did such a great job at describing the way Winter felt, that I felt like I was in her shoes. Winter has always been in love with her best friend Spencer. She finally got the courage to ask him out and when she does, Winter finds out that Spencer has always cared about her too. After finally getting the chance to be with Spencer, Winter loses him in a plane crash. Her whole world fell apart overnight. She felt she had nothing to live for. Not only did she lose her best friend, but she lost the love of her life as well. Just when she thinks that she cannot be happy again or ever care for anyone else, her neighbor Jesse comes into the picture. Winter and Jesse live next door to each other and their parents are very good friends. Only thing is, Jesse is part of the popular crowd and a jock. They never really looked at each other in that way before. This story made me cry, laugh and smile all at the same time. Just when Winter thought that without Spencer she couldn't live and move on, life took a twist and she found herself feeling again and learning to let go. The characters in Winter Longing seem so real and are easy to like. I truly felt like I was in the book watching from the out crowd. Beautiful beginning and beautiful ending. This will not be my last book by Tricia Mills. A MUST READ! ( )

Let me just start off by saying that I loved this book so freaking much! What first drew me in was the cover, and then once I started the story I was addicted! From what I had remembered of the summary, I thought that Winter was going to lose her long term boyfriend who she was madly in love with. But no. She lost the boy she had been madly in love with since 2nd grade but had only just admitted her feelings (which he reciprocated) the very day before he died. Now that is sad. It was details like these that made the book so emotional and so good to read. But that's not the reason I love this book. No, the reason I love this book is one word. Jesse. I completely fell in love with Jesse once he started to show up randomly in Winter's life. He was so sweet and so caring that even when he got frustrated that Winter couldn't get over Spencer, he still stuck around. And when the moment on the cover happened in the book, I literally had an "awwwwwww" moment because it was so sweet. I seriously want to take Jesse home with me and never let him go! He was just the thing Winter needed in her life and I couldn't help but be jealous of her. Yes, I'm jealous of someone who's not even real. But you would be to if you read this book! Which you should do! Right now! Trust me, you will not ever regret picking up this amazing book. ( )

This review can be found at ReadingAfterMidnight.comThis was such an emotional story. The beginning was light and somehow funny, introducing the characters which I found really enjoyable , then it was just heart breaking to see how death can change everything and everyone.Indeed it's a story about the power of moving on even though your heart is breaking, even though you might feel that the world has nothing else to offer.From time to time the story seemed a little bit rushed, like those months were not enough, but who am I to say how long should anyone cry their eyes out when I didn't really experience something like that to know. How long could a heart keep beating with such a pain inside without breaking or without trying to find another reason to beat, to live again?I had a friend who died few years ago(but not a best friend, not a lover) and I know how it feels to wake up and for a second everything seems to be OK, and then the realization hits you with all the force in the world and the ache is there again stronger, and you don't know when it's going to go away.. I can only imagine how it must fell if you lose someone really close, how that pain won't go away, how the memories will still hunt you long after the "moving on".The writing was great too (better than other similar books about loss), made you feel like the pain was real, like the journey was one of your own. It was nice to see Winter trying to be a good friend to Lindsay when she realized that she was not the only one suffering and that even if death is horrible there are other (maybe bigger) problems some people might have to deal with.. it was great to see that even if Spencer was the one holding their friendship, now that he was gone the 2 of them found a way to keep their friendship and make it even stronger. I was happy about Lindsay & Caleb too, it seemed to good to be true, but in a good way. It's only one thing that I would've want to know more about.. Jesse. We didn't find out why / when he changed his mind, when Winter started to be more than just the 'girl next door'. I had the feeling that he liked her before, and that would make sense because otherwise I wouldn't understand his sudden concern and affection. As in most romantic YA books, boys really are too good to be true, Jesse is not an exception to that.. being there when Winter needed him (even when she didn't know she needed someone), waiting for her heart to heal, trying to make her see that there are other reasons to be happy for, making her heart beat faster again.. he was exactly what she needed, and her struggle was indeed realistic (should she move on with someone else and leave Spencer behind, or should she wait more time and lose Jesse too? is it right to fell in love again or is it wrong because Spencer was the love of her life and he died just a few months ago?) Well, the answer is "time", in time you can find the force to move on. For some people it takes years, for other months, but I guess that in their hearts those special people that died will never go away, are still with them forever, wanting them to be happy again. Is not that you are betraying someone's memory when you start to live again, because nothing can be done when you deal with death, and living in pain forever won't do any good.So...Would I read this story again? I don't know, is a lot of sorrow to take in, but I definitely liked this book, and I am glad I could finally read it.Would I recommend it to someone else? Of course. It's not a book that can be read by everyone, but the ones that like this kind of 'romance & drama' books will love it. ( )