Review: A journey to find herself again...With swoony Grayson as her guide...
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 24, 2013
This is a book about a broken young woman. She was shattered by the loss of loved ones and even lost part of herself. She was in a long term relationship with Colby, but she could not seem to give him what he needed. They seemed dysfunctional and wanted different things out of life. And it just ends up being another loss for her. She did not even realize how broken she really was until Grayson came into her life. I loved everything about Grayson. He was the tattooed coffee shop owner that appeared on a very bad night and just kept showing up. And he ended up worming his way in.Grayson was thoughtful, patient, demanding, but caring. He pushed and challenged her, but in healthy ways.Dallis had a long road back to finding herself and opening up. But it was a journey that she really needed to face and take on. And Grayson was the perfect guide. In the beginning, it was kind of hard to like Dallis. She was very strong willed, stubborn, and resistant. She was closed off, lacked inititative in personal relationships, and was scared of getting hurt. I felt like her best friend Miranda wanting to kick Dallis in the rear and tell her to give it a try with Grayson. But she needed lots of encouragement.(Quote)Holding onto the anger of losing what I thought was everything in my life had held me captive in a way that I was unaware of. I was holding an internal grudge and reducing myself to living with imaginary lines and bricks walls, in hopes that I could shield myself from ever feeling that degree of hurt again. I didn't want to live with self-restraint any longer. I wanted to be Dallis again, and learning to feel again--good, bad, or indifferent--was the only way I was going to get back to being me.Together they found support, understanding. passion, and acceptance. They really were a perfect fit. Physically they were totally compatible, but emotionally Grayson was definitely far ahead. But Dallis took baby steps along the way and showed personal growth and started to become more of the person she used to be.(Quote)Grayson unlocked a piece of a dark cloud that had embedded itself inside of me for far too long."I want you to open up, Dallis...You think by hiding from this that you'll be olay, but I know you won't. I need you--all of you."I loved her feisty friend Miranda and her boyfriend Sean, and his friends/co-workers as they added more fun and support to this couple's lives.This was a story of breaking down walls, letting go, finding yourself, and moving on. It was not only about loving another person, but also about loving yourself. It had a lot of sadness, but there was humor, hope, and happiness mixed in as well.Thanks to CC Brown for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.