Jennifer Hartmann

If you tend to cry easily, have a box of tissues nearby! This book will shatter your heart. There's a lot of emotional trauma, angst, pain, loss, and betrayal. But then there's also hope, moving on, healing, and love.

This angst-filled, contemporary YA survivor romance features main characters who are 17/18-year-olds. For such young individuals, their lives are filled with such an overwhelming amount of pain! I particularly found the second half of the book more compelling, with plenty of action and significant character growth.

Max Manning. The male protagonist is such an amazing character! He embodies the ultimate green flag—someone you should never let go of once you find them. He is what kept me hooked and the reason I was able to finish this book. Max is truly the heart and soul of this story.

Some of my issues with this book:

I agree with reviewers who say that this book shouldn't be classified as a YA novel. I understand YA novels are generally targeted at readers aged 12 to 18. Well, despite the main characters being 17 and 18 for most of the story, the heavy themes and multiple sexually explicit content are clearly not appropriate for younger readers.

Too much emphasis on the orange color. We get it, she loves everything orange but we don't need a reminder every few pages. And then there's "Brynn!" (yes, with an apostrophe) that I found quite irritating, to be honest.

Is this book for you?

There is a satisfying happily ever after, so if enjoy stories of troubled teens overcoming adversity and finding something good in their lives, this book's for you.… (more)

I want to express my gratitude to Netgalley and everyone involved for providing me with an advance copy of this novel. The following reflections represent my sincere opinions about this book.I was genuinely eager to embrace this book, drawn in by its genuinely unique and intriguing concept; however, it ultimately proved to be rather underwhelming. Oliver and Sydney are best friends as kids and he is kidnapped when he's a child. The story unfolds as Oliver makes his long-anticipated return to the "real world." Now in their early thirties, both Oliver and Sydney find themselves living in close proximity, with Sydney residing next door to Oliver's stepbrother, Gabe, leading to their reconnection. The romantic aspect of the story left me with mixed feelings. It was passable, but what grated on me was the portrayal of an extremely sheltered character who seemed clueless about everyday phrases like "calling shotgun," yet was oddly well-versed in matters of intimacy from the start. I had hoped for a touch of the innocent charm but those moments were sparse in this book. Sydney's character, in particular, tested my patience as she oscillated between intense jealousy towards Oliver and pushing him away at every available opportunity.
The book attempts to weave an underlying suspenseful plotline, but unfortunately, it doesn't quite hit the mark. Random events and situations are introduced seemingly out of place in the narrative, making it apparent that they are intended for later development. It felt like the book only skimmed the surface of numerous intriguing elements without ever delving deep enough into any of them.

The narration in this book was skillfully executed. While I personally wished for a slightly shorter read, I find myself comfortably awarding it three stars. I'm inclined to explore another work by this author in the future. It was a good read, though not quite reaching the level of greatness.… (more)

I enjoyed this book. It wasn’t nearly as dark as the other book that I read written by this author, Still Beating, but these characters still go through some pretty tough stuff. Oliver disappeared as a child and has been found alive 22 years later. Sydney and Oliver were best friends as children and she has remained close to his brother in the years since Oliver’s disappearance.

I loved getting the chance to see Oliver work through the things that he has been through and finally get some answers. Syndey and Oliver were great together and it was interesting to see how they had been affected by the things that happened in their past. It really seemed like they were destined to be together but it was obvious that it would take some work. The mystery involving Oliver’s disappearance kept me guessing and surprised me before the book drew to a close.

I listened to the audiobook and thought that the narrators did a great job with the story. Marie Hawkins and TJ Clark both did a great job of portraying this group of characters and I felt like they added just the right amount of emotion to their reading. Their narration added a lot to my enjoyment of this wonderful romance. I would recommend this book to others. I thought that this was a very well-done romance filled with characters that really deserved their own happily ever after. I hope to read more of this author’s work in the future.

I received a digital review copy of this book from Bloom Books and Tantor Audio.… (more)

I enjoyed this book quite a bit! This is a darker romance and I would strongly encourage readers to check out all trigger warnings before jumping into this book. The story jumps right into the action. When Cora finds herself alone at a bar with no way to get home, she turns to her sister’s fiance, Dean, for help. Cora and Dean do not get along, but he comes immediately to help her. When they wake up the next day, shackled in a madman’s basement, they know they are in a dire situation.

I liked Cora and Dean and thought that the connection that they made in that basement felt authentic. I wanted to see good things happy for both characters and hoped they would find joy together. There are some serious low points for both characters in this story and my heart just ached for them. It seemed that they were the only ones who really seemed to understand each other and what they needed.

I thought that the narrators did a great job with the story. I believe this was my first experience with Laurie West’s and Christian Black’s work. It did take me a short while to adjust to the male narrator’s performance but once I got used to his voice, I had no issues. The bulk of the story was handled by the female narrator since Cora’s perspective seemed to be the dominant voice. I thought that both brought the emotional aspects of the story out with their narration.

I would recommend this book to fans of dark romance. I found this to be a book that was almost impossible to put down once I started reading. I felt so much for Cora and Dean and couldn’t wait for them to find their happily ever after.

I received a review copy of this audiobook from Tantor Media, Inc.… (more)