VR Baucke is a new to me author and I will continue to read more from her in the future. Living for Today is a beautiful story of a young woman who is looking to escape the demons of her past, but what she doesn’t expect to find is someone who can completely change her world.

Seven thousand miles is a gut-wrenching distance, and I can assure you it is absolutely possible to live with your body and your heart in different continents.

Emily and Austin are two broken people, but sometimes two broken people can fix each other. Emily is on vacation in California, visiting friends she had met in New Zealand. She needed to get away from her past, even if just for a few weeks. Austin is spending the Thanksgiving holiday with his family and the girl who is friends with his older brother and sister in law. Though, these two didn’t start on the right foot and that led to many do overs.

“I’m Emily Dixon and I judge people for the way they treat me, not the burdens they carry.”
“I’m Austin McKenna and I hope to God you’re real.”

It is so hard not to fall in love with these two and their relationship. Emily is strong, she is independent and she isn’t afraid to be herself. Austin may seem like he has his life together, and he does for the most part, but there is also a part of his life that many don’t know about, a part that seems to be the source of a lot of drama. Reading about these two and their need to be there for one another when they both need it most was beautiful.

This story had me laughing, it had me smiling, it had me crying (so make sure you have your tissues ready) and most of all it had me believing. Austin comes across as an arrogant jerk, but the more you get to know him and the more you see the real him, he will make you swoon, especially over his love for two most important people in his life.

This is a duet, so the story does end of a little bit of cliff hanger and I can’t wait to read book two! On a side note, can I also just say how gorgeous is this cover?! I am in love with it and it will definitely be one that I will be adding to my bookshelf in the future.

**ARC was provided in exchange for an honest review**