Review: HLB Reviews Best Kind of Broken
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 03 4, 2014
I have been on a serious New Adult kick lately, just something about these books just make me happy and relaxed. Best Kind of Broken is a good addition to that new adult genre, and it was a pretty easy read. I thought that having one of the main characters named Pixie would annoy me, but I quickly discovered there was a lot more meaning behind that name and I grew to really like the nickname.Levi and Pixie without a doubt have chemistry. And it’s clear they have an extensive past. They basically grew up together as childhood friends, so there is a lot of history between them. At some point along the way that shifted from being the childhood friend to something more, and then of course, life got in the way and tragedy struck. So when the book starts there has been a year long rift between the two and to say tension is high between the two of them would be an understatement. Neither one of them is good at communication with each other about anything meaningful, so they spend their time bickering about hot water and blown fuse boxes.Really you can’t help but feel for Levi and Pixie, neither one of them is in the wrong, and you really wish they could just put all their baggage in the past and come together. But ultimately, it’s completely understand why they feel the way they do and why they just can’t communicate the way they should. Personally, I think it doesn’t help that everyone around them kind of tiptoes around the subject or won’t even look them in the eyes.Part of the reason why this book works is because the author does a good job with flashbacks and giving Levi and Pixie much more backstory in a way that is pretty endearing. She also does a pretty good job with the supporting cast of characters. Jenna is definitely an interesting character, but as Pixie’s best friend she is fantastic (I vote for a book about Jenna). I think Levi’s friend Zach is also pretty good and trying to keep Levi on the right path, and he also infuses so much needed humor, I mean the guy has a pet goat for crying out loud. Pixie’s mom is… well… let’s just call her evil, and unfortunately I know people who actually have mother’s exactly like that, so it was believable to me.As for the things that didn’t work, I think Levi’s e-mails between his parents didn’t come off very authentic, I can’t see a family working out their issues in one or two e-mails the way that it was written in the book, it’s a minor thing but still worth noting. I also thought that the sex scenes weren’t exactly five stars, they weren’t bad don’t get me wrong, but they could have used a bit of work. There was so much build up (which was fantastic build up) that the scenes just didn’t quite meet my full expectations.Even with my (very minor) things that didn’t work, the book was still a good book. It was sweet and heartbreaking all at the same time. I would easily recommend this book to anyone who likes romance or new adult. It’s a very solid and enjoyable read.