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Restoring Us: Complete Series

(Restoring #1)

Fabiola Francisco (Goodreads Author)

3.41 · Rating details · 161 ratings · 65 reviews

Two years.

It’s been two long years since Ava packed everything and left the life she once knew far behind her seeking a new adventure. All, except for her broken heart.

Once upon a time Ava and Ethan were in love. Their relationship was perfect, and they both planned a future together, filled with promise and hope. It wasn’t until an unwelcomed event storms into their live ...more

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Published January 11th 2015

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Best Second Chance Romance

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Average rating 3.41 ·

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· 161 ratings · 65 reviews

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May 10, 2016 Fre06 Begum rated it did not like it

Shelves: awfyl, annoying-main-mc-s, didnt-feel-the-love-chemistry, cheating-in-my-opinion, he-was-not-redeemed, doesnt-deserve-to-be-called-hero, doormat-heroine, heroine-i-didnt-like, hero-slept-with-ow-after-meeting-he, manwhore

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

flag 62 likes · Like · see review

May 23, 2017 Vintage rated it did not like it

Shelves: abuse, big-fat-jerk, dnf, can-t-say-i-wasn-t-warned, horror, sometimes-a-1-star-must-be-given, ick, manwhore-on-prowl, second-chances, martyrdom

Cheating hero, doormat with cancer.

A hero that ditches his girlfriend when she has cancer is not a hero, and she's the idiot that beats cancer to take him back. And who said romance is dead. ...more

flag 29 likes · Like · see review

Jan 24, 2019 Dilek VT marked it as never-no-way

Shelves: most-disgusting-hero

Just when I think that the most horrible hero and his story has been written, some writer comes up with an even more disgusting idea that they call "romance"!!!

So how about reading a masterpiece in which the hero leaves "the love of his life!" when she had cancer because he couldn't cope with it and then f*cks his way around for 2 years and when she survives cancer, he comes back and the idiot takes him back?

Wanna read this "awesome" love story?
Anyone who wants to buddy-read it with me :))??

ht ...more

flag 28 likes · Like · see review

May 23, 2017 London marked it as hell-fucking-no

Shelves: doormat-heroine, needed-major-groveling, piece-of-shit-heroes

The hero breaks up with the heroine because she has cancer. He fucks other women all throughout the separation while she's fighting cancer. She ends up beating it only to take the sorry son of a bitch back.

Who writes this garbage? ...more

flag 26 likes · Like · see review

Apr 22, 2015 scribes23 rated it did not like it

Shelves: finished

WTDH DNF 40%

Once again, I fell victim to overrated reviews from goodreads.

The underdeveloped characters pissed me off to no ends. If you've read one or two of my other reviews, you know how much I hate DNFing, I consider it as an insult to the author.

But this book kept on insulting me, first of all, I can't comprehend how the heroine can stand the hero, immature and an ass, I hated how un-hostile (if that's a word) she was to him, when she returned.

I'm very disappointed because, I took a bre ...more

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Jan 12, 2015 Raj rated it really liked it

*******************spoiler within*******************

What I did not like about this book:

Ethan
Ethan
Ethan

This guy is a piece of work.He abandons his dying girlfriend aka the love of his life on her deathbed.He just could not bear being around her because she was no longer so hot looking.She was pale,shorn hair,sunken eyes,riddled with cancer.Who needs to be around such a diseased being.So he dumps her without even telling her he is doing so.

His excuse was that he was too young for such a burden b ...more

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May 24, 2017 Kiki marked it as avoid

Shelves: cheating-isnt-fucking-romantic, massive-manwhore-alert, too-many-references-to-exes, hero-beyond-redemption, wtf-is-going-on, shallowest-pig-of-a-hero-ever, this-is-past-limit-of-redemption, would-be-better-if-she-tossed-him, tstl-heroine, id-rather-die-than-read-this

Gauging my eyeballs out with a spoon sounds like a better option.
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... ...more

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Jan 26, 2016 Lynn rated it liked it

Shelves: angst, other-woman, cheater, hated-hero, unheroic-hero, h-had-sex-w-other-before, cancer

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. Oh how to review... the writing was very good, I liked the storyline and completely HATED the hero and in the end the heroine.

Ethan was a horrid person, completely callous, selfish, whoreish immature asshat... now on to what I hated about him...oh... if you thought that was his bad points..honey those were his good ones.

Ava who has been his friend most his life...the "love of his life" he betrays her while she is fighting cancer, he sleeps with a whore after just walking away from her as he cou ...more

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Feb 17, 2018 Jessica *The Lovely Books* rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Honestly, I don’t know what to feel but anger. I love books with angst, cheating, manwhores with a heart of gold... but this book rubbed me the wrong way. Ava has cancer and the love of her life leaves her. Then two years later, after beating cancer and going to Europe, she’s back. And being in Ethan’s head as he tries to justify leaving Ava made me hella uncomfortable.

This is a direct quote from Ethan’s friend
“Yeah, but you were also twenty-two and scared. You need to stop obsessing over the f ...more

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Mar 20, 2017 Rose rated it did not like it

Horrible hero. Weak h. One of worse heroes ever written, dafuq was that?

He left her when she had cancer... ok fine BUT she ALSO hardly made him fight!!!!! And another pet peeve? When the supporting characters try to make an h get back with a horrible H.

I also never felt his pain from losing her .. at all.

Also, it makes me wonder. If something happens again that's bad, would he stick around? The fact I didn't think he would by the end of the story, and that he'd run off and screw many OW, meant ...more

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Mar 19, 2017 Lu Bielefeld marked it as nope-not-today-satan

Shelves: douchebag, what-the-hell-is-this, cancer, piece-os-shit-hero, lack-of-self-respect, kicked-to-the-curb, sex-ow, asshole-alert, heroine-shit-for-brains, author-hates-heroine

Note: H abandoned h when she had cancer.

flag 8 likes · Like · see review

Jan 24, 2019 Renégade ♥ marked it as not-for-me

Shelves: dirtbags-douches-and-other-asshats, sexist-crap

Reason and reminder:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Image result for you've got to be kidding me

My response:

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

(view spoiler) ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Nov 03, 2015 Poisonic rated it did not like it

Shelves: 2nd-chance, bad-boy-ml, weak-meh-stupid-selfish-hero, hero-not-celibate-during-separation, ahole-ml, need-more-groveling-from-hero, angsty-drama, doormat-fl

Note: H abandoned h when she had cancer.

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Jul 16, 2014 Rachel rated it it was amazing

I had the lucky pleasure of reading an ARC of Restoring Us...and I adored it.

A sweet and painful, highly emotional read, Restoring Us is not the hand-gripping, angst-filled type story that I normally gravitate toward. Yet, I'm thrilled I read it. And I read IT fast. Francisco kept me riveted with her witty dialogue, picturesque parties and delicious descriptions.

Of course this story includes pain and suffering (the h has/had cancer), but in the end survival prevails. Not just survival from an aw ...more

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Jan 01, 2015 Chantel rated it it was amazing

Shelves: favorites

Who doesn’t love a good second chance at love. I know this is the second time in the past couple of weeks that you’ve read I cried reading a book but it doesn’t happen that often but it did in the two days I read this book and into another the next day. Fabiola grabbed me from page one. She gutted me with what the main character went through and how the break up happened. Her writing has changed so much from Perfectly Imperfect to this one. It was refreshing. The voices never changed and the des ...more

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Dec 30, 2014 Danielle ⚾️ (Danielle's Escape) rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arc-arr-beta

**5 Heart Melting Stars**

Wow let me just say I was stunned that I was grabbed so quickly in this book. I enjoyed it from start to finish. There was a few times I wanted to jump in the book and slap Ava and give run to Ethan and give him a big bear hug. But then at time I kept saying Why? Why did you do that?

The journey we get to share with these two is unlike anything. Being apart they have been through so much and as a couple they stand so much stronger. True love is a blessing and you need to ...more

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Nov 19, 2014 Jamie rated it really liked it

This review can also be found on: http://bbf-book-boyfriends.blogspot.de

I was truly excited to be able to read this story. And it didn't disappoint!

This is a wonderful story about forgiveness, the ability to love beyond the hurt and about two people finding their way to each other.

Ava has won the battle against cancer, but lost the love of her life on the way. Devastated, she goes and travels throughout Europe, hoping to loose the shadow that's still haunting her. Now, going back to Chicago, to This review can also be found on: http://bbf-book-boyfriends.blogspot.de

I was truly excited to be able to read this story. And it didn't disappoint!

This is a wonderful story about forgiveness, the ability to love beyond the hurt and about two people finding their way to each other.

Ava has won the battle against cancer, but lost the love of her life on the way. Devastated, she goes and travels throughout Europe, hoping to loose the shadow that's still haunting her. Now, going back to Chicago, to her own life she hopes that her time away has done enough to heal her broken heart. But life isn't always easy, and most certainly not always giving you what you want. Thrown into a world where Ethan is still a main part, Ava tries to navigate her way into this new life she wants to build in Chicago. But Ethan, no matter the person he used to be, doesn't even think of leaving Ava alone. He has messed up one too many times and will do everything in his power to proof to her just how wrong he was to walk out on her like this.

This story is beautiful to watch. Watching Ava is amazing, simply because of her fight, of her willingness to move on and wanting to live her life the way she wants to. After having survived, getting her life on track is her number one priority. And she doesn't let anyone get her off track. Not even Ethan, who is clearly trying everything to get her to believe him that he changed. She's a strong heroine that I truly admire for what she's been through and what she accomplished on her way to being the person she is in the end. Because while we may never forget, forgiveness is a gift we should always be willing to show to people who deserve it.

Of course I wasn't the biggest fan of Ethan when this story started. I mean, come on, he walked out on her when she was dying of cancer, who does that. But then, the more you think about it, the more you wonder what would you do in a situation like that. Would we be strong enough to stay and watch the person we love die? I don't believe it's as easy as we make it out to be. And yet, still doesn't make me like Ethan because I like to believe that I would stay with the person I deem my soulmate (just imagining that happening is giving me goosebumps). The redeeming thing about Ethan though is that he's fully aware of what he's done and knows that it will take a lot of convincing to make Ava see that he's sorry and that he's changed. His attitude while she was gone clearly isn't helping his case, but at least he's trying. While it might seem a little stalkerish of him to want to be close to her all the time as she's back, in the end he's just fighting for the one he loves.

Once Ava and Ethan reconnect, you see them working through their issues, slowly but steadily getting that trust back together. They have some beautiful moments together that will show you just what it means to have that one person in your life that you would do anything for. And that, no matter how much that person hurt you at some point, is always worth forgiving.

On a side note, I looooooooved the secondary characters. Dan, Katie, Aiden, Jess, all of them made this story a funny story as well, because they bring humor, laughs and the breath from the heartfelt topic in this story, which is much needed.

As this story is told in dual POV as well as in the present and with flashbacks, you really get the whole picture of this story. It's not a heartbreaking story only. In the end, the story itself was light, if you look at what Ava has to go through. Yes, we see the flashbacks with the times when Ava was sick and how everything slowly went downhill, but the main part of the story focuses on the two of them reconnecting, which is why the story isn't as depressing as you might think with a history like that. And I LIKED that. I told Fabiola it made this story so much more enjoyable, simply because the focus isn't on Ava having been sick. Yes, it's ONE topic, but the story does focus on how those two find their way back to each other, and that is a true pleasure to watch.

So if you have a chance, make sure to grab your copy once it goes on sale. It's been a true joy to have been part of Ava's and Ethan's story. And now I CANNOT wait for Aiden!!!!! Bring it on!!!!

Always,
Yvi ...more

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Feb 03, 2015 Cheryl rated it it was amazing

Review of Restoring Us by Fabiola Francisco

Review done for Hooked on Books

4 ½ out of 5 stars

I am not sure how much pain and suffering a person can take until they are totally broken but I truly believe that Ava was close to that point.

Being so young and having your life completely blown apart is heartbreaking. This poor young woman has been to hell and back. She is beautiful, caring, and unbelievably strong.

After Ava is diagnosed with cancer, her true love, Ethan, up and leaves her when she is g ...more

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Feb 06, 2015 The Book Lover rated it it was amazing

Okay so where do I start with this book.. oh yes the author! her name is Fabiola Francisco, I had the pleasure of meeting her through a friend at an awesome book party! she is really down to earth and awesome to talk to! follow her on twitter and add her on facebook!

The story of Restoring us will break your heart at the beginning of the book just in the prologue.. you will meet the beautiful Ava and Ethan (the douche) as I liked to call him back them, not to give much about the book, but its a s ...more

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Jan 11, 2015 Book Fancy rated it really liked it

An ARC received in exchange for an honest review.

This is the first book I've read by author Fabiola Francisco, and I really enjoyed it. Restoring Us is the story of Ethan and Ava. They used to a couple years before, but when life got tough they're relationship didn't make it. Fast forward two years and they meet again. Ava is learning to live her life again but Ethan is still swarming in guilt for leaving Ava when she needed him the most.

Do second chances really exist? Fabiola takes us on the j ...more

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Nov 15, 2019 Ana Laura added it

Shelves: author-should-change-careers, bunch-of-crap, disgusting, disgusting-cheater-hate-this-sh-t, disgusting-hero, these-women-are-crazy, disgusting-shït, love-you-but-fuck-others, puh-lease-someone-just-shot-me, are-you-kidding-me

When I read something like this, I inevitably think: My God, women for so many years have been repressed from expressing their desires and opinions. Still in many countries they are! And when women finally make space to publishing their ideas, what SOMEONE of them do ???? They write this kind of shit !!! This is repulsive and disrespectful to people who experience this kind of reality and still reflects distorted and absurd values. Please just stop. Stop embarrassing our gender with this garbage ...more

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Jan 24, 2019 Izzie d added it

Not for me.

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Jul 16, 2014 Christy Pastore rated it it was amazing

Shelves: 2015-reads

Five Wonderful Heart Warming Stars!

I was lucky enough to receive an ARC of this book, and it grabbed me from page one! I have to say that I went through a range of emotions with the prologue told from dual POV's!

With Ava I was like WHAT IS HAPPENING!!??

description

With Ethan I was like NO!!! NO Freaking Way this just happened!!

description

Me after reading the prologue...

description

Then... I started to devour this story...

Restoring Us is a poetic story about recapturing and restoring an amazing once in a lifetime love - the ...more

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Feb 15, 2015 Heavenly rated it it was amazing

I loved this story. First 2 chapters made me cry and cursing Ethan. I wasn’t his biggest fan. I even thought that Ava should fall in love with someone new, someone who won’t walk away whenever hardship is thrown their way. But when the story progressed I fell in love with him. I understood his reasoning and to be honest I started wondering if I would not react the same, if something like that happened to me when I was young, stupid and whole life was ahead of me. Of course leaving Ava was his bi I loved this story. First 2 chapters made me cry and cursing Ethan. I wasn’t his biggest fan. I even thought that Ava should fall in love with someone new, someone who won’t walk away whenever hardship is thrown their way. But when the story progressed I fell in love with him. I understood his reasoning and to be honest I started wondering if I would not react the same, if something like that happened to me when I was young, stupid and whole life was ahead of me. Of course leaving Ava was his biggest mistake and regret, but he feels it. And is trying his hardest to make up everything to her.

Ava is such a sweetheart. She is kind and is not your typical rich daddy’s daughter. She works hard to fulfil her dreams. One of her dreams was to be forever and ever with Ethan. Her best friend, her lover and her soul mate. Until she was diagnosed with cancer and all her world collapsed. Her dreams were shattered, when the one who made her fight to stay alive, left her. Even though she won the battle with cancer, she has lost him. We meet her in present time when she returns from her 2 years adventure in Europe, where she was sightseeing and gathering knowledge about European Culture. She thinks she was able to move on and forget Ethan, but only one word from him, simple “Hi” made her shiver and caused all feelings, memories and emotions to come back.

The story is beautiful way of showing about second chances and how hard it is on those, who are sick and also the ones that are around people who are slowly dying.

I loved how Fabiola showed Ethan persistence to prove Ava that he has changed and he is no longer that stupid, 21 year old boy, who was afraid. And she beautifully shows the power of forgiveness.

On the other hand, not only main characters are amazingly build. But side characters, Katie, Dan, Jess and Aiden are well developed and strong characters in the story and without them, it would be just another ugly cry book. But thanks to them you have also times when you can’t stop laughing.

Beautiful story and it well deserves 5 stars in my opinion. ...more

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May 17, 2015 Susi rated it it was amazing

I’ve been reading many second chance romance books lately and they are truly my favorite. I believe that everyone deserves a second chance. Restoring Us is a second chance romance that hooked me from the start.

I loved the entire cast of characters in this book. Ethan and Ava are a special couple. Their chemistry sizzles.

The supporting characters are funny and complete this story with their playful banter and loving personalities. Katie, Dan, Jessie and Aiden are lovable in their own ways.

Restori ...more

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Feb 09, 2015 Hooked On Books rated it really liked it

Review done for Hooked on Books

4 ½ out of 5 stars

I am not sure how much pain and suffering a person can take until they are totally broken but I truly believe that Ava was close to that point.

Being so young and having your life completely blown apart is heartbreaking. This poor young woman has been to hell and back. She is beautiful, caring, and unbelievably strong.

After Ava is diagnosed with cancer, her true love, Ethan, up and leaves her when she is going through her treatments. Ava is de ...more

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Feb 16, 2015 Melissa Miller-Mattern rated it it was amazing

Reviewed for A Wanton Book Lover Blog

Fabiola Francisco’s Restoring Us is a story about second chances and happy endings. The readers follows the story of Ethan and Ava whose parents are friends as are Ethan and Ava, who eventually become a couple in as young adults. Tragedy strikes when Ava is diagnosed with cervical cancer. Ethan loves Ava with all his heart but to protect himself from possibly losing her, he breaks up with her during her cancer treatment. Ava eventually receives a clean bill o ...more

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Jan 01, 2015 Joanne Mountford rated it it was amazing

Restoring Us

WOW!! Second chances. Who deserves one in your life? Ethan fights for a second chance with Ava. He broke her heart in the worst way, I was devastated reading the first few chapters of this story. I couldn't understand how someone could love someone so much but yet still walk away. He literally needed to un-break her heart. I felt her pain, everything she had to deal with and not have the one person in the world who she loves the most. Ethan and Ava have known each other since they we ...more

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Nov 28, 2016 Chris rated it did not like it

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

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Feb 05, 2018 Nerissa rated it did not like it

I've never met a more disgusting male lead. What a complete a$$hole. Words can not describe how little I like him. Almost didn't continue after first book but will try...

I normally will not mark a book on characters alone. If I don't like the characters, that is just a part of 5 different areas I rate. Unfortunately for the first time ever, I have to change this. I am giving this one star only and purely on my intense dislike and hate of the Male lead. I was so disgusted by this male character a ...more

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Romance Novel Boo...: SOLVED Heroine had cancer and hero left her, second chance romance	9	54	May 13, 2017 08:23AM

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About Fabiola Francisco

Fabiola Francisco

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I am an indie author who writes contemporary romance and women's fiction. You'll often find southern gentleman in my books and a love for country music. Coffee fiend and star gazer.

Website | Facebook | Instagram| Reader Group ...more