Vacant by Evelyn R. Baldwin

Vacant (Adult Version) is a short novella with a lot going on...


Ethan Parker gets up every day, surviving the only way he knows how—alone. Orphaned as a child and forced into the child welfare system, he knows better than to depend on anyone but himself. He’s learned trust is a word used all too often, but rarely earned. 

Ethan believes that his best chance for maintaining a simple and solitary existence is to live by a simple mantra: Don’t get involved. Keep things simple. Take care of yourself!

When a young woman moves in next door, Ethan is forced to reevaluate his beliefs. He tries to keep his distance, but his new neighbor’s infectious smile and outlook on life leave him struggling with the decision of living the life he knows, or taking a chance on the unexpected.

As Ethan develops a relationship with his new neighbor, Emily, he realizes nothing is simple and learns that life is about more than just surviving… it’s about living.


Baldwin does an incredible job at setting the tone and making you realize that this isn't going to be some happy fluffy bunny story. This novella touches on realistic events, and situations, where you find yourself rooting for the characters throughout the entire process. I liked that it wasn't a story that obsessed with sex, and had a true storyline behind it. It was very well written and quick.

But, with that being said, that was my biggest issue - it was a little too quick. Now I do understand that it is a novella - they're supposed to be quick - but there was a lot of questions that I wish were answered. The novella was also quick paced due to the constant leaps in time. Instead of expanding more into a situation, the author leaped 2 to 10+ years into the future, and then gave brief cliff notes on what happened in that time. I felt the ending was very abrupt, and I was honestly shocked it was left that way. If the author decided to write a full novel on this I probably would have given it 4 1/2 stars (flowers), but with how it is right now I can't help but only give it 3. 

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