Review: heart-breaking novel full of love, loss, and hope
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 18, 2014
Christina Lee’s Before You Break is a heart-breaking novel full of love, loss, and hope. The characters worm their way into your heart and stay there, making you wish the story never ends.Quinn should be celebrating his life. He’s young, one of the best players on his university’s baseball team, and girls around campus want him. Instead he’s depressed, living with grief and guilt over his best friend’s death.Ella’s no stranger to loss and grief herself. Her eldest brother committed suicide when he was in high school. Filled with grief, she and her family sought the help they needed and were able to heal. Taking inspiration from her experience, she is on her way to becoming a psychologist.While working one night at a suicide prevention hotline, Ella receives a call from a person named Daniel. He’s grief-stricken over the loss of his best friend, and blames himself. Over the course of weeks, and multiple phone calls, Daniel starts to rely on Ella, to trust her, to actually feel like he’s a person and worthy of life.During all of this, Quinn and Ella get to know each other. Joel, Ella’s ex-boyfriend is in the same fraternity as Quinn, so it was only natural for the two to meet. Quinn and Ella’s relationship burns bright but there’s still something there keeping them from taking their relationship to a higher level.Before You Break is an amazing book. It touches on sensitive topics, but does so in a way that doesn’t detract from it’s seriousness. It’s emotional and fun, and simply beautiful.