Review: Heartbreakingly intense
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 6, 2014
The first book was a walk in the park compared to this installment. I felt like I need to go sit in a corner immediately after I finished reading and cry for a long while. The book as a whole was so depressing, and some scenes were very difficult for me to read. We are thrown into the depths of addiction in this story, and it is ugly. I found myself desperately wanting to jump into my Kindle and help these characters. At this point I feel very emotionally invested in Nova and Quinton's lives. As dark as this book was, though, there were also parts of it that gave me a sense of hope and possibility.Nova was so incredible in this book. She was determined to save Quinton no matter what it took, and she put herself in some very intense situations. Normally I would find a character's pushiness to be a negative, but in this case I loved how she fought her way back into Quinton's life. She made it her mission for him to see that his life was worth living and that someone did care about and love him. Nova worked so hard to get healthy and move past Landon's suicide and her father's death. She still struggled at times, but she unselfishly devoted her time and energy to helping Quinton even at her own personal cost. Her compassion and persistence were very inspiring, and it was heartwarming to see how much she was willing to fight for him.Almost every scene with Quinton broke my heart into pieces. He definitely hits rock bottom in this book, and it was difficult to watch him drown in his feelings of guilt and hopelessness. Although it was frustrating watching him continually deny the help and love Nova was offering, a part of me understood his motives. His self-worth was non-existent, and he truly believed in his heart that he was helping her by keeping her away from him. Having Quinton's perspective in this book was very helpful in understanding the dark place he was in and how much he just really wanted to die. The world he was living in was so ugly, and his inner thoughts were emotionally devastating.I appreciated that we saw more of Tristan in this installment, and I hope his relationships with both Nova and Quinton continue to be explored in the final book. This was a very well-crafted book, and my hat is off to Sorensen for telling such a compelling story dealing with this subject matter. I finished this book with a very heavy heart, but I am holding out hope for both Nova and Quinton. They both deserve so much more in their lives, and I can't wait to finish the emotional roller coaster that is their journey.