Review: Christina has provided us with another swoon-worthy, compelling romance that had me engaged from start to finish!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 18, 2014
Where do I even start this review?! Christina has provided us with another swoon-worthy, compelling romance that had me engaged from start to finish! I read All of You last year and absolutely fell in love with Avery and Bennett, as well as Christina's writing style! Being her debut novel, she definitely knocked it out of the park! While I loved Avery and Bennett, I absolutely fell so hard for Quinn and Ella. They are such beautifully written characters and watching them form a relationship with one another was my favorite part. Disclaimer: Christina is the Queen of Sexual Tension. Yes, really. I have dubbed her as this on Twitter so it's official. She literally had my stomach in knots when it came to these two, and it's amazing how incredibly sensual a simple touch and a gaze can be.There is a very serious undertone to this book and I felt Christina did a good job of incorporating that into the novel as a whole. Having lost her brother to suicide, Ella now works at the campus suicide hotline, offering advice and an ear to those who need someone to talk to. While Ella has come to terms with her brother's suicide, she still misses him every day and wishes there was something she could have done to prevent it. Upon receiving a call from a boy named Daniel, she is haunted by how broken he sounds and tries to offer him solace and encouragement to open up. Ella has no idea Daniel is really Quinn and he has no idea the Gabriella (Gabby) he is talking to is really her. I liked that Quinn finally opened up to someone about his guilt and shame of his past, but I also dreaded the moment the two found out they were talking to each other, as their relationship is so fragile and new.I really liked Ella's character. She is sweet, almost shy, and really a good girl. Her boyfriend Joel is a jerk and I hated the way she let him treat her, even when she was starting to have doubts about their relationship. I am really glad Lee didn't drag this out or make Ella one of those co-dependent girls. Joel presents familiarity and comfort and also a link to her brother. That is what makes Ella hesitate in her decision to break up with him, even though their relationship hasn't been the same for awhile. She knows it's wrong to date Joel and have such intense feelings for Quinn, so I'm glad Ella made the right call.Quinn. I don't even know where to start. He is such a beautifully broken boy that I just wanted to sweep into my arms and never stop hugging. He isn't like his frat 'brother' Joel who, while having a girlfriend, is constantly on the prowl and even dishonoring that relationship. He hates how Joel treats Ella, and after taking care of her one night almost mentions that if she were his, he'd never treat her the same way. Quinn hasn't really dated anyone, only the casual hookups, but with girls outside of school. The guys give him flack for this, but Quinn hasn't found someone he wants to step into that world with- until he meets and gets to know Ella. Yet, Quinn doesn't feel he can offer her what she needs. His guilt and shame weigh him down and he believes Ella deserves so much more. Even after she opens up to him about her past, he is terrified to open up to her as he knows she won't stick around, especially with someone as awful as him. His relationship with his parents is strained, as they don't give a shit about him- they only care about keeping up appearances as his father is a politician. After the accident, Quinn had not gotten the support and love that he needed, and therefore doesn't feel he is deserving of it now.Quinn and Ella have sizzling sexual tension, but there are so many sweet moments between the two of them and watching them essentially heal one another is one of my favorite parts of the novel. Ella is the one who shows him compassion and provides him with hope- something he hasn't had in a long time. In exchange, he is the one who shows her how a woman should be treated, respected, and revered. No one has called her beautiful or made her feel the way Quinn does before. As I said, Ella is almost shy when it comes to Quinn and her appearance. While her ex-boyfriend had no problem with their sexual relationship, she is still self-conscious, as she is curvier than her friends and other girls. Quinn erases that self-doubt and he had my heart skipping beats over how tender he was with her.The one qualm that bothered me was the way Ella would interact with Avery. Hearing her call her friend 'b****' and other names like that (in fun, mind you) just seemed a bit out of character for the sweet girl. Ella can hold her own with the frat guys, as she grew up with brothers and video games, but it just seemed strange hearing her refer to Avery that way. Avery, on the other hand, I can totally see referring to her friends like that and even Rachel, but from Ella it didn't work for me.Even then, that didn't really bother me because I loved this book so stinking much. After I finished, I instantly wanted to go back and reread it. Seeing how easily Quinn and Ella accept one another- faults, baggage, and all was really inspiring and seeing them both open up about a very painful, very real issue is pivotal to the development of this novel. I like that Quinn and Ella's relationship developed slowly as Quinn needed to get to a place where he no longer felt the crushing burden of his guilt and shame. Lee has written a beautiful story of redemption, love, and hope and I cannot wait to read Rachel's story next!