Review: The Deeper We Get is moving, raw, and heartbreaking yet full of dazzling hope that will leave you breathless and hungry for more
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 07 8, 2014
I received this book as a giftThe Deeper We Get is an emotional rollercoaster of dark memories and reopened wounds; it’s a journey of healing and self-discovery coupled with fierce love and compassion. The Deeper We Get is moving, raw, and heartbreaking yet full of dazzling hope that will leave you breathless and hungry for more of Chad and Scarlet. If you’re looking for something more than a simple contemporary NA, something to open your eyes and bring on the feels, get your tissues ready, this is it.Chad is honest, he puts his thoughts out there no filter and let’s people know what he feels, at least, at first. He recognizes that he has a lot of issues, that his past is something that heavily influences his life and that the road to recovery is a rocky one. What makes Chad so sexy is the way he talks, his mannerisms, the hot and heavy way he looks at Scarlet and the forward, blush-worthy need in his voice. Chad is achingly manly, he rides a motorcycle like nobody’s business and in the ring, he’s a fierce, violent fighter. These two sides of his personality, the one that is so gentle and protective with Scarlet and viciously violent in the boxing ring make for an air of danger and a deadly bad boy vibe though he’s far from it. Chad’s past is incredibly sad, his feelings are gaping, bloody wounds and his depression is almost overwhelming but if Chad is anything, it’s a fighter. He battles within himself an addictive need to escape, to be free, and to let out his rage in punches, all of the pent up fear and hurt from his childhood.The sex scenes (though a little short) are steamy, they’re full on erotic and passionate, composed of that blunt dirty talk and powerful emotional confessions. Chad’s words to Scarlet will make your heart melt. The way they feel for each other is so much more than the surface attraction, though that is magnetic and oozing in sex appeal, it’s a deeper, soul level connection.Chad’s relationship with his father is so real; it’s written extremely well. There’s so much going on, this desire to be wanted, to believe, to give the benefit of the doubt but being leery of past transgressions. Chad is almost child-like and small in the way he tries to help his father despite his better judgement, he desperately wants a relationship with his father, if not that at least to understand. For years Chad has lived with what his father did to him and his siblings, so much hatred and loathing that he hasn’t been able to function as a whole person, it’s as if part of his heart is missing. He needs to interact with his father to get closure, to know for sure what happened way back in his childhood. Chad’s weakness is his heart and the scenes between these two and what it does to Chad is more than heartbreaking, it shatters everything and I’ve never felt so strongly, such hope for change and thatChad would be able to finally overcome and move on with his life.The violent scenes were so unexpected and unstable. The sheer fear and sinister mood around the incident is on the edge-of-your-seat, nail-biting anticipation and worry. There is something so redemptive, so open about this scene that in spite of everything, there’s this push to cheer the fight on, to hope beyond everything that finally Chad will understand and that this nightmare will be over. Afterwards is even more upsetting, Chad’s thoughts are enough to bring anyone to tears. He finally has clarity and your heart will break for him.Scarlet’s testimony was some of the most powerful and eye-opening, raw, emotional honesty I’ve ever read. It’s somber and poignant, you can imagine everything she’s gone through and respect for her escalates with each sorrowful word. Her past is full of agony and betrayal, one that has shaped her but not broken her. Scarlet, in light of everything, is a burst of sunshine, she still hopes and believes in love and that she still has that is so admirable. Scarlet is an amazing woman and inspiration, she sometimes get lost in her past and does push people away but where it counts she’s a pure, happy, and energetic character who lightens the mood and lifts Chad’s spirits. She completes and compliments him in the best way.CONS:Sometimes Chad and Scarlet are both too stubborn for their own good, you’ll want to scream at the pages, toss the book at the wall, and just grumble in fury over how easily they’re willing to back away from what they have.Some of the secondary characters were really fleeting and undeveloped. I would have liked to see more interaction between Taryn and Scarlet just to get more insight into Scarlet’s personality.