Review: My review from MustReadBooksOrDie
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 02 4, 2014
4 1/2 stars rounded to 5!I reviewed this at MustReadBooksOrDie with my friend Shelley!Shel: You know what I love about J.A. Redmerski? She's always changing things up. I bet some of you are going to buy this book because of The Edge of Always overlap...thinking it'll be similar in nature. In my opinion, it's not. And I'm totally okay with that. I suppose some readers will be turned off by the events and characters in this story because it's darker and emotionally more draining but I think that's all the more reason why I love J.A. I like different; it makes life interesting. Court: It is completely different than that! I saw a post the other day on Aesta's Book Blog that had J.A. talking about the two scenes, and how different each person who witnesses it will recount what happened. That is insanely true for the beach scene that is the one overlap between Camryn, Andrew, Elias, and Bray.Court: I also think that maybe people might be a little "What?" about this one is that the writing style seems quite a bit different to me. It is almost like Bray and Elias are narrating their story like they're sitting in front of me telling it to me. It feels a bit different to me, so I really ended up enjoying how we found out what was unfolding in this manner!Shel: There is so very little that I can say about what's happening with these characters without spoiling it. Look at the bolded words above the synopsis "the truth will set them free"--if that isn't the perfect summation of what I continually felt during my read, I don't know what is. Brayelle (especially) and Elias have an interesting story..interestingly told mainly by Elias. They've been childhood friends and the loves of each other's lives. They are honest to a fault and yet sometimes hold back the deepest hardest truths. They have a symbiotic/co-dependent relationship in the most loving and yet potentially destructive way.Court: You know, we really can't say much about the plot at all! Without spoiling it! I have a lot that I want, but can't say...but a few things I can. Such as: I was seriously blown away with what goes down in SotF. The blurb is good but you have to read it to really be able to feel the absolute desperation between these two people. They are desperate for each other, by and for their circumstances, and desperate times call for desperate measures right? It is a wild ride.Shel: This novel is a journey through an emotional darkness. There are impulsive actions, destructive actions, things that are hurtful and yet born out of love, things that are just so freakin' d-u-m-b that you want to smack Bray and Elias and ask them to just take a step back and look at everything. Their actions are sometimes dangerous and they are so lucky that things didn't go any more wrong than they did. It's dark, y'all. But I found some real truth in their story. I had a very close friend who lived like Bray and I thought about her the entire time I was reading...it hit close to home.Court: I had a few moments where I almost ugly cried. I cannot tell you the last book I read that that happened...but the scenes in this book are hard. And emotional. And Jessica just did not hold back a single punch. My gut still hurts.Court: I also love that Elias and Bray and their love is one that is born out of childhood innocence and almost goes as far from that as you possibly can...with a lot of interesting secondary characters they meet along their journey. I am hoping for a story about Tate, who you'll meet *again* in this one. My opinions of everyone changed a million times while I was reading.Shel: If you are looking for this to be The Edge of Always part 3, you're looking at the wrong book. It's not that book at all but I think it's a very worthwhile read and I enjoyed reading it. I love when authors try something a little different and I'm glad J.A. took the risk. Court: I still am, just, whoa. This book is insane!Shelley: 4 stars Courtney: 4 1/2 Stars