Review: good read - emotional journey
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 8, 2014
Lacey is trapped. Living in a trailer with her mom, grandma, and 4 year old brother, she works two jobs and still can’t seem to find the money or opportunity to get out on her own.Everett appears at a time when Lacey is reaching her bottom. He seemed to be everything Lacey was not looking for but needed. Their relationship began slowly as friends, with Everett helping Lacey overcome one of her personal challenges. And went from there, until Lacey begins to suspect that Everett is hiding something big.Watching Lacey’s life change was hard. Every time things started to look up for her, something else popped up in front of her to add to the challenges. In a small town, trying to move beyond her reputation and past would be enough of a challenge for anyone. But Lacey also faced challenges added by her family, her job, and an ex who won’t let her go. It almost felt like she had too many things to work through to make this believable. Not that real situations might look like this, but that the speed at which all her problems are solved over the course of a couple months, despite taking years to reach where she was at the beginning. It was easy to feel sympathy for her plight and to root for her successes along the way.The characters that find their way into Lacey’s life beyond those who are out to hurt her captivated me early. I instantly liked Everett, but wondered what really brought him to town. It seemed from early on that he was hiding something, but I really had no idea what it was. His connection to Trent, who had gone to high school with Lacey also raised my suspicions. For as horrible as Lacey described her high school experiences, I expected Trent to have an immediate reaction to meeting her again. I also liked when Claire and Cherise inserted themselves into Lacey’s life. It seemed like no one had ever stood up for her in the past, so watching new friends finally have her back was one of the first glimpses of hope that her past wouldn’t always follow her.This is a story filled with emotional turmoil, developing relationships (not just the romantic one), and the journey of a girl learning to rely on the people around her for help. There were threads that started connecting quickly, and others took much of the plot to complete. The mix of quick fixes and longer resolution was well developed and made for a dynamic read.Thanks to Sara Hawkes and St. Martin's Press for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review