5 STARS!!!
Summary
Sometimes discovering the truth can leave you more hopeless than believing the lies…
That’s what seventeen-year-old Sky realizes after she meets Dean Holder. A guy with a reputation that rivals her own and an uncanny ability to invoke feelings in her she’s never had before. He terrifies her and captivates her all in the span of just one encounter, and something about the way he makes her feel sparks buried memories from a past that she wishes could just stay buried.
Sky struggles to keep him at a distance knowing he’s nothing but trouble, but Holder insists on learning everything about her. After finally caving to his unwavering pursuit, Sky soon finds that Holder isn’t at all who he’s been claiming to be. When the secrets he’s been keeping are finally revealed, every single facet of Sky’s life will change forever.
Christine’s Review
I finished this WONDERFUL book yesterday and still am at a loss for words on how to describe it – that’s how AMAZING this book is! This book was all around intense – I was sitting at the edge of my seat, biting my nails – I didn’t know what to expect next. It was SO good that when I finished I had to describe in lengthy detail to my husband (who doesn’t read!) how GREAT it was! I can’t even think of how many more adjectives to use to describe this novel by Colleen Hoover (who is PERFECTION in herself!)
This story is about a “hopeless” boy, Dean Holder with his dark hair, blue eyes and lickable dimples. He has a history among his peers of moodiness and aggression. Linden “Sky” Davis is our heroine, who at 17 years old is not your typical high school girl. For one, she was home schooled until her senior year of high school, doesn’t own one piece of technology and has no emotional connection to anyone she has ever made out with. What I loved about Sky is that despite being “the new girl” in high school, she was able to maintain her strength of mind and character and never allowed any of the “mean girls” who tortured her with sticky notes because of her “reputation” to affect her. I was impressed by her strong backbone and that the name calling and ridicule that she suffered didn’t bother her when all we see in society nowadays are the bullies winning – I wish that there were more kids like this who are so fiercely independent that words would not break their spirits.
Both characters have a bad rap among their peers, but when they meet there is an instant bond and chemistry between them. And they agree from the start that there will always be honesty too. There are so many sweet and funny moments between them that had me smiling and laughing out loud while I was reading the book. Both characters are so unlike what people think of them. Holder is the type of guy that you fall hard for. And despite Sky’s unemotional reactions to others, Holder is the first guy who sparks something inside of her. They start off as friends though you can feel the attraction between them. Ms. Hoover did an amazing job of creating so many layers inside of these characters and you just want to know more and more about them. To me, every scene was so real and described so well that I was in this story with them and everything they said affected me as much as it affected them.
“Let me inform you of something,” he whispers. “The moment my lips touch yours, it will be your first kiss. Because if you’ve never felt anything when someone’s kissed you, then no one’s ever really kissed you. Not the way I plan on kissing you.”
This was the best first kiss without even kissing – hands down!
“I live you…” sigh!!!
Without giving anything away, this couple’s journey was not easy. There are some dark and horrible things that they suffered in their past. These were hard scenes for me because it devastated me, tore my heart out in two and I even shed tears for their pain. What got me through it was Sky and Holder’s strength and love for each other, how they supported each other and leaned on each other to move forward and “find their ray of hope.”
This was a beautiful story about being a victim and of surviving and overcoming. Though there were some dark, tough issues described in this book, Ms. Hoover did it in a way that warmed my heart to the very core. I will be thinking about this book for a long time to come and will highly recommend it to all of my friends. Thank you Ms. Hoover for sending me an ARC copy of this book – I am honored to have read such a remarkable book from a brilliant author!
“The only thing that matters to me with you are the forevers.”
I can’t say enough about this book – you have to go and buy it today! Holder has joined my list of top male characters!
About the Author
I love music. LOVE music. Namely The Avett Brothers, Lumineers, Pink, Eminem. I have eclectic taste? If you have any recommendations, send them my way!
I’m addicted to diet pepsi and could tell you in a taste-test which restaurant it came from. It’s a serious addiction, I tell you.
I get stoked whenever I get a message from goodreads saying I have a new friend request…so request me, dangit!
If you want to know when I have new books out or just want to be inundated by random, pointless blog posts, follow me at www.colleenhoover.com
Twitter colleenhoover
Website https://colleenhoover.com