About the Book:
Maya Anderson has faced more than her share of
tragedy and heartbreak. For the past six years she’s constantly been on the
move with her mom. When another disaster strikes, she finds herself back in her
childhood hometown of Beaumont, living with her older sister for her senior
year.
A chance meeting reacquaints her with Ben
McCaffey, a long-forgotten classmate from her past. After the death of his
girlfriend, Ben has become a social outcast. He’s despised by some and feared
by most.
Determined to become Ben’s friend, Maya begins
to break through his layers of emotional protection. It isn’t long before they
realize that they both have secrets in their pasts. As the line between dealing
with grief and struggling with a desire for revenge begins to fade, the secrets
that draw them together may be what will ultimately tear them apart. Because
the closer Maya gets to Ben, the more dangerous her situation becomes.
Review:
I went
about reading this book in a different way than I do most. I didn’t read any reviews on it and I didn’t
bother to even look at the blurb. I
wanted to go in with a completely open mind.
I’m glad that I did because this book had my mind reeling the entire way
through. There were some very sweet
moments, as well as some touching moments, but the parts that really struck a
nerve with me and made it memorable were the darker ones.
I won’t
rehash the plot in my review, but I will point out some high points that I
liked. First, the character of Maya was
extremely likeable. She didn’t let others’
opinions of Ben influence what she felt towards him. She was strong and resilient, something that
needs to be seen more in YA novels. I
wouldn’t mind having someone like her in my corner, that’s for sure.
Then you
have Ben. He’s one of those guys that
you want to hold and tell him that everything will be alright. You want to make things better for him. That’s exactly what Maya does, but it ends up
back firing on her on more than one occasion.
Ben is one of those male leads that you wish you knew in real life.
Sweet, caring, and unfortunately, damaged.
But all the great male leads are damaged in one way or another, right?
Now,
there were a few characters in this book that left me with a bitter taste in my
mouth. Hailey is one of them. She’s seen flitting through scenes carelessly
throughout the entire book, but I didn’t feel as if she had a true impact on
the story or the other characters. She just wasn’t one of my favorites.
Overall,
this book was quite enjoyable. I would
definitely recommend this book to everyone that I know. It has its dark moments, its romantic
moments, and a whole lot of danger and intrigue. You should definitely add this book to your
to be read list.
Author Bio:
I live in Minnesota with my two sons, two cats
and our Rottweiler named Daisy.
I have
been a book-addict my entire life. I have always enjoyed reading and writing
stories just for fun. In 2012 I decided to try self-publishing. To my delight
and dismay, my debut novel took off. Since then, I have been fortunate enough
to write full-time.
If I'm
not writing or spending time with my kids, I'm most likely reading.
Really loved your review - look forward to reading this. Great post. Thanks for the great giveaway.
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