The Boy Across the Water

I cannot remember the last time I cried so much reading a book but I did with this one. My crying was full on sobs which I did not expect from this book. But please don't let that put you off, you will be missing the most captivating book ever.

This book captured my heart from the first to the last word. It pulled me into the story, I felt the emotions, love, friendship, the pain and the joy. This was my first read by JD Hughes and it is definitely not my last.

This book is about Noah and Beth who live across the water from each other. They become friends at high school and then one day Noah leaves without saying goodbye. Beth is devastated but life continued on until one day Noah comes back to town.

All of those feelings from when they were teenagers come flooding back when they meet each other again. Some events occur that are not in their control and they try do the best to work through them. I cannot give you any spoilers as this book deserves to be read by everyone.

The book is written so beautifully and from the heart. Joanna, you are an amazing author who wrote the most beautiful book about love, friendship and hope. Thank you for this fantastic book, it is in my top 3 books of all time and will be staying there for a very very long time.

A must read ❤️

This was an emotional rollercoaster right from the start and I couldn't put it down. Beth and Noah become neighbors at a young age, but they don't start to get really close until highschool. Then one day he just leaves. He comes back years later to her town as a big time actor for a movie, they rekindle their relationship but he is different and has an alcohol addiction. Then he leaves again for 6 years and she has a huge surprise for him after he comes back. I cried so much at the end of this story and this was just an amazing story from start to finish. It really did tear me apart at times and it has some heavy topics, so it would be best to read the trigger warnings.

The characters felt like home. They were so relatable. I loved that I hated some of the characters. I had so many emotions through this story. I laughed and cried and was heartbroken and happy. 10/10 must read Beth (main character) and the boy across the lake (Noah) were fun to get to know.

I absolutely loved this book. It is a heart churning story of broken hearts that's keeping finding each other. This book didn't pull any punchs though it walked you through the worsts and bests of their lives. It was definitely a tear jerker for me several times. If you up for a book that is raw and real, then this book is for you. I received an advanced reader’s copy and am voluntarily leaving this review.

Real , Raw , Beautiful, Heart Wrenching, Heartwarming and extremely emotionally charged . The Boy Across The Water , is one of those books that will capture your heart and just resonate with you on so many levels you won’t even see coming. From the moment I opened the very first page and met both Beth and Noah I was completely and utterly in love . One of my absolute favorite things about this story is we get to see it all , the history between them , from their childhood and the dislike between them , to how they grew older and those feelings developed into so much more . A Unbreakable friendship builds between them until something happens that forces Noah to make a heartbreaking choice that changed everything forever . At least that’s what they thought. Both had to go through so many things separately before they could get another chance many years later to forgive and to rebuild the friendship and the love they once had . That being said , sometimes people change over time and Noah may be back , but he’s not the boy Beth remembers . He’s emotionally broken , he has so much on his shoulders, so much pain and many demons he has to overcome . Can Beth be the person who helps him do just that ?

J.D. Hughes has written something truly special here. The atmosphere pulls you in from the very first pages and refuses to let go. The setting feels real. The kind that lingers in your mind after you've closed the book. The pacing never felt rushed or dragging, and the writing itself had a quiet confidence that makes even the small moments feel significant.

The characters are the kind you root for fiercely and worry about constantly. Hughes gives them depth, letting them breathe on the page rather than simply serving the plot. And the plot itself? Full of surprises. Just when I thought I had a handle on where things were going, the story shifted in ways I never saw coming.

But it was the ending that truly got me. It wrecked me emotionally in the most wholesome, beautiful way. The kind of ending that makes you sit quietly for a few minutes before you can even think about picking up another book.

The Boy Across The Water is the kind of story that reminds you why you love reading. Absolutely do not sleep on this one.

Well, I’m not going to lie the author told me this would be a tearjerker and I can now happily and tearfully confirm, she wasn’t lying.

I don’t really have many words apart from this was heartbreakingly beautiful. I laughed, I got angry, I cried (sobbed). I felt every single emotion whilst reading this book and I am so happy that I did feel them.

It’s not often you come across books that can make you feel everything all at the same time, yet this book did.

I will make a note that while this book is a reasonably longish book it reads so fast. And the time goes fast in these books like you’re always looking into the future with them.

So if you like characters that bring on the emotions and books that bring you to literal snot filled tears. This is for you.

What a ride!

This book had me sucked right in from the second chapter. I loved falling in love with this couple as their younger selves, and rediscovering them and their story as they got older and things got more complicated.

The writting was great, and really set this sort of backgroundtone of aching and foreboding that kept me reading far past bedtime just to see how it ends.

This book was filled with heart lifting, and stomach dropping moments though I will say at some point it was feeling a bit frustrating and personally for me the big heartbreaks seemed a bit less effective.

I also could have personally done without that last chapter - but I am sure some people will love its inclusion.

Overall, read this! Have tissues ready, but read it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Boy Across the Water absolutely broke me—in the best way possible. Make sure you have the tissues ready because this story will take you on an emotional roller coaster from beginning to end.

I couldn't put this book down. I completely fell in love with the characters, the storyline, and the beautiful way their journey unfolded. Every chapter pulled me in deeper and deeper.

This is a heartfelt story about soulmates, love, loss, hope, and the kind of connection that stays with you forever. If I could give it more than 5 stars, I absolutely would. One of those rare books that leaves a lasting mark on your heart.

The Drama. The Angst. The Raw!!

Noah and Beth are a dream. This story is so we'll written and the flownis beautiful. I ignored too many house hold responsibilities because i couldn't stop reading The Drama. The Angst. The Raw!!

Noah and Beth are a dream. This story is so we'll written and the flownis beautiful. I ignored too many house hold responsibilities because i couldn't stop reading

The Boy Across the Water by J.D. Hughes is one of those books that will gut you from the beginning to the end. When I received this book for review I was thinking, okay catchy title but does it have enough to hook me. In one word YES!! Here is the thing about the BOY ACROSS THE WATER it has so much in it from beginning to the little kids to the end seeing Noah who he becomes will just tear you apart. I was not prepared for the bond that Beth and Noah had from little kids, teenagers to well the adults hey have become is just WOW. This is the first I have ready by J.D. Hughes and have to say the way she created Noah with so much hate, dislike and yet we see the little boy inside who just wants to be loved is truly well written with so much emotion. The pain and heartache he goes through is just so heartbreaking and oh my god Beth is just so perfect for him. Seeing this little girl, become the strong woman and best friend Noah needs is just so touching. Beth has gone through so much from Noah leaving her and then later on what she goes through is truly a wonder. The strength she has in her is something that Noah has never seen and boy this is what he needs to see that no matter what happens he needs to remember his Beth. I truly fell in love with Beth and the magnitude of love she has in her, giving her strength she needs not only for Noah but for her own family. JD. Hughes totally rocked and definitely recommend this book for it shows romance, love, friendship but also the greatest thing and that is the power of healing. Loved it.

“I received an eBook copy from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own.”

Wow! What can I say? I purposefully didnt read up on what this book was about so I had no expectations. Within the first 2 chapters I was hooked and knew this book was going to be a 5⭐️ read for me. The character development and detailed life story had me routing for Beth and Noah from beginning to end and had me feeling every emotion from giggling at Beth's quick wit to sobbing at the desperation of their love story. Loved this book so much, I just wish I had a physical copy to keep on my bookshelf!

Thankyou for allowing me to be one of your ARC readers x

Received copy from author for honest review

First off, HAVE TISSUES READY!

This book tore me up in the best way, I was not expecting to cry softly for two characters that had been through so much.

We first met Beth, the FMC of the book, when she is 9 and finds her neighbor dead sitting on his porch, peacefully. Then came Noah, a little boy who moved into the house, across the water from her (in the same house her neighbor died). She went over to meet him and is met with a wall of a nasty man (his dad) and then Noah was rude to Beth where she refused to talk to him until 8 years later.

Noah then becomes her savior in school, and from there, they are thick as thieves. They go through many trials in their relationship, but finally come back to each other in the end. . . too late. Beth has a good surprise for Noah, but he doesn't find out until 6 years later. Then, Beth becomes sick and they get married months before she passes. That part broke me. I love how he dedicated his home to her and the community to give back. I think this helped Noah finally heal from his abusive childhood and losing Beth.

I loved the ending where they met in the field for the last time.

Well written story with so many feels. The characters draw you in and make you want them to get their HEA. Make sure to have tissues ready. This book will bring out the tears. I ugly cried multiple times. This was the 1st book from J.D. Hughes that I've read, but won't be the last. She has a true gift of story telling that evokes emotion.

🥹 Beth and Noah stole my heart from their very young and tender age. Feeling like I got to watch them grow up really had me in love with these two. Going from hating one another as young children, to developing a friendship, a bond, that no one understood. My heart broke when one day Noah was just gone. So when he came back all those years later, I felt the excitement, the love that Beth felt.Noah wasn’t the guy she remembered though. He was dealing with so much. Addiction and much more. But the strength Beth found to not give up on him was everything. They went through a lot. Old wounds, and more. Hoping that their love would prevail. Just to have a wrench thrown into things. This bright about the ultimate test is they could survive it.

This story was so emotional, so intense. But filled with love and determination. Even being put through those trials, they held on and persevered. I was so captivated and and intrigued with this. I couldn’t put it down. I loved Noah and Beth so much. This was an absolutely amazing read.

This story broke my heart. Seriously — why would you do that to us?

The book follows Bethany and Noah and their love story across time. Noah is the classic bad boy on the surface, but underneath that he’s a deeply damaged boy shaped by abuse and neglect. Bethany is the first person who truly sees him and chooses him freely, and that’s what made their relationship so emotional to read.

Their love story felt beautiful and fragile all at once… right up until Noah ruined everything by disappearing for years. When he finally returns, he’s a famous movie star carrying a whole new set of demons, and the emotional weight of that reunion hit hard.

I honestly didn’t expect this book to make me cry, but it got me in the end. After everything they go through — the fear, the pain, the years lost between them — it becomes genuinely heartbreaking.

But even through all the sadness, there’s still a thread of hope running through the story. And I think that’s what stayed with me most.

I wasn't prepared for this book. It made me cry and moved me deeply.

There are several time jumps, which I'm not a big fan of, and a few times I wished the scenes had been longer and more detailed. However, this doesn't affect the story itself and I understand that the time jumps were necessary to properly convey the important moments in their story.


This book is touching, and I enjoyed every step in Beth and Noah's lives, the good and the bad. I literally read the last chapters with tears in my eyes. It's well-written and truly a beautiful story.

Definitely a must-read if you're looking to be wrecked.

ARC review:

I went into this book mostly blind. I knew it was a small town romance, but I was NOT prepared for everything. And I say that in the best way.

Beth and Noah have a love we all dream of. This book proves it from the start. They were meant for one another and the universe agreed.

The writing was beautiful; descriptive but not too wordy. Slightly angsty but more so in a rushed “make it work” vibe. I was not prepared to feel all these big emotions, especially the last 50 pages, hence my ugly sobs at midnight.

Highly recommend. But buckle up, because this is not a fluff piece. This is poetic, angry, frustrating, and heartbreaking all in one .

Would have been 5 stars, but the epilogue felt way out of place. Did not like that.

I started this book not to sure where it was going, well I finished the book in a matter of hours and it was one of the best books I’ve ever read. The emotions were everywhere. Absolutely would read it again.

If you are a Nicholas Sparks fan, this book is for you. I was captured by the story at the beginning of the book, then thrown in the deep end at the middle. Second and third chances at love, small town charm. You definitely want to put this on your TBR list.