Review: Broken and Put Back Together
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 26, 2014
Quinn and Ella. Oh how very rare it is to be utterly captivated with two characters from the very first page. I absolutely love when authors allow us to experience dual POV’s, and Christina Lee’s Before You Break did not disappoint. These characters were real. They portrayed emotion that just flitted across the pages. Their sorrow and heartache was raw and ripped through me as only good books can. I was with them in every step of their journey as they grew into themselves and recognized love and forgiveness.~ But for this singular, mesmerizing moment, as the moonlight filtered through the gleaming pine needles, I wanted-I needed-this final, toe-curling kiss.~Quinn is a new character to this series, but Ella was Avery’s best friend from the author’s debut novel, All For You. Keep in mind now; All For You was one of my top reads last year so I had high expectations coming into this book. I put it on the proverbial pedestal and by the end, that’s exactly where it deserved to be. Ella’s character just had so much love to give. Though she was confident, her love was wasted on the wrong person and it was a joy to watch her realize that she was okay just being her. Too often we watch characters struggle with self doubt and low self worth, but not Ella. Here was a girl who was curvy, unashamed of her feelings, and fought for what she wanted, consequences be damned.Getting to know Quinn was just as equally exhilarating. Even more than dual POV’s, I love being able to get into the mind of men. I love when they aren’t afraid to show or talk about what they are feeling. I love that Quinn went through the struggles that he did because I truly believe it only made him a stronger person. People can tell you until they are blue in the face what they think you should already know, but until you figure it out for yourself, you will never believe it. This was never truer than with Quinn. He had to come to some hard realizations before he could truly grow up and give all his love to another. And though at times the wait was painful, the payoff more than made up for it.~ Kissing Ella was like coming home.~In my opinion, this was a stellar book, and another notch to add to Lee’s ever growing belt of accomplishments. She truly hit this one out of the park, and Quinn and Ella are characters that won’t be vacating my heart any time soon!