Review: 3.5 stars for new adult lovers who need each other
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 07 5, 2014
Meet Alex and Hayden, two opposites if ever there were.On the outside, anyway. On the inside? Emotionally? Spiritually? They are very much the same.When Hayden sets eyes on Alex, she's sitting on a bench, weeping. Hayden is not the kind of guy who gives himself to other people, so no one is more surprised than he is when he stops to see if Alex is okay. It's bad enough that he's stepped out of his comfort zone, but this is exacerbated by Alex being his new neighbor, having moved in across the hall from him.Although apparently everything he is not - studious, cautious, and a rule-follower - Hayden slowly learns that he and Alex share an emotional connection. They've both been abandoned (albeit in completely different ways), and they both know what it's like to lose trust, to not believe that the person beside them today will not be beside them tomorrow. Granted, Hayden's idea of pain differs from Alex's, but the core commonality of suffering exists between them.As Hayden develops feelings for Alex, he has to make peace with his background, as well as with his future. He's a guy with minimal hopes and dreams for the future. In fact, Hayden wastes little time considering what a future looks like to him. He's more intently focused on surviving the present, something he has chosen to do by being a loan shark's enforcer. In this way, as with others, Hayden's reality is more a pack of lies than anything else. He just doesn't realize that things aren't always as they appear. When you grow up abused and then forced into foster care, you come to believe that what you see is what you get. But as Alex shows him, sometimes there is more - or less - to something than you think there is.I know this sounds confusing, but I don't want to give away too much. Just understand this: Hayden has to learn for himself that the story he's chosen to tell and take part in may be far more fictional than he thought.While there is a "love conquers all" thread throughout this book, it's also about learning to survive and creating a new reality. Alex comes to Hayden a broken, hurting girl who can't face what her new reality is. She wants Hayden to be a part of it, even as he resists. In his case, he wants Alex but doesn't think he deserves her. Inculcated within him is the sense that he deserves the worst life has to offer, not the best. Alex can only lead him so far, though; Hayden has to come to terms with his new reality for himself.There are some scenes of violence and some sexy times (Hayden can rock that headboard, girls), but neither feels gratuitous. They are part of Hayden's life and the keys to his survival. This is not a book for a young teen. It is New Adult, replete with new adult situations and sensations.Sometimes the story feels repetitive, especially the fits and starts of Alex and Hayden's relationship. But J. Nathan is a fantastic addition to the New Adult voices, and I look forward to reading more of her books.Published on Carpe Libros@carpelibros