Review: "You're not fragile. You're not broken. You don't need to be fixed. You're perfect the way you are."
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 11 8, 2013
"You're not fragile. You're not broken. You don't need to be fixed. You're perfect the way you are."At its core, Beyond Control is about love, fate and second chances. Gabby and Jason both have a complicated history - a history they are each trying to move on from. They meet each other thanks to a tiny fender bender one night and neither of them will be the same after that. Both Gabby and Jason are broken. Gabby is still dealing with the death of her mother and the way her brother, who was more of a father-figure than a brother, disappeared years ago. She went through a lot, including some very serious health issues, while he was absent from her life and she's still very much hurt because of his absence. Now that he's returned, she's conflicted, but willing to give him a second chance once she learns why he really left. Jason's fiancé died in a car crash shortly before they were to be married and that loss affects him every day. Together, hopefully, they can heal and move forward.Though I found Gabby to be somewhat immature at times, I liked her. She'd been through a lot in her life. She was vulnerable and her walls were up. Jason was able to bring out a better Gabby, help her grow and mature. While I didn't feel like the chemistry between them jumping off the page, I liked them together. They worked. The two secondary characters, Gabby's brother Aaron and her best friend, Brandy were both wonderful, supportive characters. I was unsure about Aaron at first, given the way he disappeared from Gabby's life, but he turned out to be a great guy.I won't lie, I had a hard time getting into this book at first. It took me some time to connect with the characters. Once I did, however, I couldn't put the book down. Their path seemed so smooth, so natural. I just had to know what "devastating connection" they shared. It was a doozy. I can understand why they would both be conflicted. This book ends on one hell of a cliffhanger, but not for the main characters. Their story, though angsty and sad at times, is wrapped up nicely at the end of this book.I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. All quotes come from the review copy and may differ from the final version.