Review: A great sequel...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 12, 2013
"That's my Livie Girl. Make me proud.""You 're too perfect, Livie. Everything you do, everything you say. You can do no wrong...You could be the love child of Mother Teresa and Gandhi. You're...Too f***ing perfect!"This is the sequel to Ten Tiny Breaths but this book has a completely different feel and subject matter. In the first book, the story involved more of getting Kacey to deal with their parents' deaths, calm her reckless behavior, let someone in, and heal. In her sister Livie's story, it is more about getting her to break out of her protective shell and learn to live her own life.On her first night at Princeton she does just that. With the help of Kacey and her new room mate Reagan, loads of jello shots, and one hot rowing Caption, Ashton, she does things completely out of the comfort zone under the haze of alcohol. One wild night sends her life spinning.Ashton is the naughty bad-boy flirt that has girls falling at his feet. He pushes his way into Livie's personal space and challenges her. He is everything that she does not think she wants or needs...a rich, arrogant, loud mouthed playboy. But he is also charming, funny, sexy, and at times surprisingly thoughtful. He has lots of secrets and no one really knows the true Ashton. But for some reason, he gets under her skin.Then she meets a really nice guy, Connor...unfortunately he is also Ashton's room mate and best friend. Connor is thoughtful, intelligent, driven, handsome and has a hot Irish accent. He is the boy that will take care of her, treat her with respect, and the kind of man her parents would have approved of. He is the perfect guy. So it all just got even more complicated.Can they lie to keep their drunken night a secret so there are no hurt feelings?And as she gets to know them more, it is obvious that Ashton is deeper than he first appears. His behavior masks secrets and traumas in his past. Their chemistry smolders and cannot be denied, but they both see that Connor is the safer choice for her. Unfortunately, they can't seem to stop crashing into each other's lives. It is confusing, painful, and completely out of control."Because you're not a one-night girl, Irish...You're my forever girl."(Quote)This is all such a mess when it doesn't need to be. I have a wonderful guy bringing his parents over to meet me while I fight back tears over a guy who makes me lose all control, all sensibility. Who makes me hurt.I kept flipping back and forth myself over Connor and Ashton. I hated Ashton, I loved Connor, then Ashton wormed his way in my heart a little, then I liked Connor again , then I liked Ashton...no wonder poor Livie has issues!It's angsty, it's complicated and it's life changing. Livie is faced with choices about herself, her life, and her future. And along the way some of her choices have repercussions that have the ability to tear down everything she ever thought she was or wanted to be.Funny how one tiny lie can change everything ..."Life has a funny way of creating its own tests. It throws curve balls that make you do and think and feel things that are in direct conflict with what you had planned and don't allow you to operate in terms of black and white."I enjoyed seeing old friends from Ten Tiny Breaths: Kacey, Trent, Storm, Dan, Mia, Ben, and most importantly Dr. Staynor. Kacey and Trent's psychiatrist Dr. Staynor has a big part in this book. He is enlisted by Kacey to aid her in guiding Livie to think outside the box and to question her life choices. He always seem to show up in the form of a phone call, text, or visit to add clarity and comic relief. I really enjoyed seeing him more in this book. He is so quirky, bold, challenging, and pushy that I could not help but laugh at some of the things he threw at Livie. This book might not be as gritty as Ten Tiny Breaths, but it does have deep emotional content buried in it. And both Livie and Ashton have to face down their own demons in the process. So it is also a story of personal growth, letting go, healing, and moving on.Thanks to K.A. Tucker and Netgalley for providing me with an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.