Review: Heartwarming and Beautiful!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 11 12, 2013
One of my favorite things about this book was the unique topic covered. I'm always looking for an NA that breaks from the norm and picks focuses on something outside of the typical issues. Everything Between Us did just that. Neither character suffers from a tragic or broken past, but instead, they are dealing with fears and insecurities that they both must overcome.Stella is so strong and she doesn't even know it. She has had to give up everything because of this fear that lives inside her. The worst part is her parents are unsupportive and they don't understand what she is going through. It is obvious how difficult the anxiety had become for her and how much it tears her apart. My heart wrenched for Stella because she so badly wants to be free but the panic and fear inside her constrains her so much. I couldn't even imagine feeling so helpless and terrified to step outside.Daniel comes off as confident and self-assured but really it is a faade he puts on to hide his insecurities about never being good enough. He doesn't put himself behind his art because he fears rejection and if people don't like his art, he won't feel like they are rejecting him. He is a gorgeous man and women always want him for his looks, especially older, rich women. I think this feeds his insecurities because they don't really want his art, they want his body. He wants to be taken seriously because art is a part of who he is.I loved the way Daniel and Stella help each other come alive. Stella desperately wants to have a normal life with Daniel and this propels her to work towards healing her anxiety and finding a way to cope. I loved that Daniel didn't make her feel less for her issues but instead supported her. If it wasn't for him, she would never have found the strength to get back on her feet and overcome. As much as Daniel helped Stella, she freed him as well. She always saw right through him to the real person underneath the man he pretended to be. She made him a better man and showed him who he really was deep down inside.I really enjoyed the interactions between Stella and Daniel. It wasn't love at first sight and I loved that she didn't easily fall for his charm and act. It was really fun to see him thrown off guard by Stella and try to figure her out. I was glad that he didn't judge her when he realized her true anxiety and the fact that he worked so hard to help her was beautiful. There is definitely so much more to Daniel than he lets most people see but he could always be his real self with Stella because she saw right through him. I was amazed that Stella could get past the fact that Daniel had been with her mother because that would have honestly been hard for me. As Stella got help, she kind of pushed Daniel away and that made me sad because it was obvious he really wanted to be with her and help her. It frustrated me a few times but I had to put myself in her shoes and I could understand that she didn't want him to view her as weak. She wanted him to see her when she was strong and she worked really hard to get there. I couldn't imagine trying to overcome the obstacles that Stella faced. She definitely wouldn't have been able to do it without Daniel.Overall, I really enjoyed this book and the uniqueness behind the plot. The fear that Stella faced is very real and happens to many people in real life. I couldn't imagine having the type of anxiety she suffered and this was truly a story about strength and overcoming. Caleb and Romy are good friends to Daniel and Romy really helps Daniel with Stella and becomes a great friend to her. They have their own story and I am really looking forward to reading it.