Hard to Hold

By Julie Leto

New York lobbyist Michael Davoli feels like he's been sucker punched when he meets Anne Miller at a Jeff Tweedy concert. And it doesn't take long for him to realize that he's fallen hard when they... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0757315348
• ISBN13: 9780757315343
• Release Date: January 2010
• Publisher: Hci
• Length: 252 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 6.4" x 8.6"

Customer Reviews

"WOW" enough said

Hard to Hold is a beautiful tale about the discovery of and the lasting endurance of true love. This reality-based story exemplifies the real nature of love and romance. It demonstrates that fairy-tales do come true and that they are not limited to just the pages of children stories and romance novels as we know them. True love jumps off the pages into real-life with that ever present happy ever after ending that we all seek in life. Mike Davoli and Anne Miller's journey is a testament to love itself. From a chance meeting after a Jeff Tweedy concert and an impromptu hug after fifteen minutes of meeting in front of Bombers, a nearby bar, to the end of the story at a rained out wedding, readers take a wild ride from certainty to uncertainty. Anne finds her real-life man, one that rivals that of her dream men, and falls hard. At that chance meeting, Anne and Mike's soul connected, laying the foundation of unbreakable strength for the love that blossomed between them. Leto's ability to spin a tale of love and laughter shines through as you go from each stage of Anne and Mike's journey. Hard to Hold will make you laugh, cry, get angry, frustrated, and fall in love. Everyone should have a story like this. It gives you, the reader, hope that you too can find your happily ever after. As I read, I connected with all the characters. I felt their fears, their joys, their happiness and even their unhappiness. I loved reading about Shane. She is hilarious and snarky, a characteristic of any true girlfriend. Her snarkiness was a great addition to the story, juxtaposed to Anne's witticism and sometimes cynical take on things. Mike had his moments too, and I loved the way, Leto wove in his point of view throughout the story, exemplifying the bond that developed between Anne and Mike. She was able to give both perspectives without it being jarring, jumping from one characters' POV to another. Before reading Hard to Hold, I knew the ending as it is based on a real-life story of love, but it did not take away from the reading experience. From page one I was sucked in and I even forgot this book was not purely fiction. The focus wasn't on knowing the ending, but learning how they get to it. I reveled in the joy Anne and Mike found together. Learning about their journey of love; the pitfalls and times of uncertainty, ratcheted up my heartbeat, but it was well-balanced with moments of happiness. There are some tense moments, and at times I wondered, how many of the conflicts and hardships Anne and Mike faced in the book were from real life experiences. I would hate to have to go through some of those moments, but they overcame them. The uncertainty of how Mike will handle having Anne in his life while having a neurological disorder like Tourette's syndrome, was quite palpable. This book gave me perspective on that particular disorder as well. I learned some new things, which changed the way I viewed people with Tourette's. Hard to hold is an emotional journey that

All of these Dreams

This story had me swept away with joy from my first contact with the book. My friend, my friend let me tell you, it is a wonderful true story of a romance that give me hope that one day I will fulfill all of these dreams I have of finding the connection that Michael and Anne have for each other. Reading their story, it is clear that they are not birds of a feather, but you know if he could, he would hold Anne in the embrace she longs for. I didn't know I would be into a real life romance novel, but I could not keep the secret smile off my face as the passion struck me one terrible night as I turned each page. When they finally get together I was bouncing around the room with excitement. Each night, I would stash the book away till it was silent in the morning and I could once again be buried alive in this amazing love story. The strange design of their lives made it easy to waste my time with them each night. Like Halley's Comet, this kinda of love must only come once in a generation. This book has given me the hope I need to put the ghost of past relationships behind me, and get back on the train and find my sweet one again. Thank you Michael & Anne for sharing your light with me. It is truly growing brighter now.

Hard to Hold - a must read!

Julie Leto had me on the edge of my seat with her new book 'Hard to Hold'. The characters were both dear in their own ways. I enjoyed the interactions of the two and I did not want to put the book down because I wanted to know what was next and how was it going to end. Without giving the plot away, at times I wanted to tell Anne and Michael to get on with it because they both had their problems but that was truly the beauty of the story. It was not hard to visualize these people and see they were good down deep and were people you would want to be friends with. I really liked this book and would highly recommend it. Julie, I want more!

A compelling read

Hard to Hold is a compelling read, which evoked a flood of emotions from this reader. Ms. Leto not only brought tears to my eyes, but she had me laughing at New York lobbyist Michael Davoli and journalist Anne Miller's playful antics. From the beginning, I found myself rooting for Michael and Anne as they worked to overcome life's misfortunes, Michael's progressing neurological disorder Tourette's, Anne's workaholic, chaotic lifestyle vs his orderly "neat as a pin" existence, and then if that wasn't enough, I suffered with them when jobs in different cities forced them to live apart. Michael's love of the rock group Phish had me wondering if Anne would have to get married to a proxy groom. I held my breath as I was pulled onto this endearing couples' rollercoaster ride of life and love.