Review: Wow - I actually like Brad now!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 02 17, 2014
After reading Present Perfect a few weeks ago I was actually super excited to know that Brad's story was coming. You meet Brad in Present Perfect and you think he is this great guy but then BAM, he turns out to be a total douche and all I wanted to do was rent a Mack truck and run him over with it. After all the time we spent with him and Amanda in PP you begin to realize that there is so much more to him and I just couldn't help not hating him so much.So here I am, literally 5 minutes after I'm finished reading Past Imperfect and I have to tell you..I loved PI more than PP. I felt the complete need that Brad and Mabry had for each other. It's not that they can't exist without each other but they were existing as shells of themselves before. Each have pasts that have shaped them into the person they are today, they are both pushing and shoving and trying to crawl their way out of what their pasts have made them into and have utterly failed at this up until they meet each other. It's as if they have found their life saver at the same time they have felt the anchor they have needed their entire lives."Not being wanted by someone you love is the worst feeling in the world. It makes you feel as if your very existence is pointless."If you've read Present Perfect then you know some of Brad's past and we get to learn a lot more about it in Past Imperfect. I never thought I would say this..but I absolutely love Brad. He does EVERYTHING in his power to get Mabry to realize that he loves her and that they are mean't to be. I couldn't help being heartbroken for Mabry because of everything she has gone through in their lives.Why did I love PI more than PP?! I LOVED that we got to spend more time with the couple actually being together. There wasn't as much of the 'I don't deserve you' which just made the book so much better for me! I loved how much each of these characters have suffered in their past and how they work so hard to overcome their suffering so they can be together. It was more of a team effort with Brad and Mabry. Their imperfect pasts have come to haunt them and the only sunshine they have seen is when they are together.“I know you’re scared, so am I. But we can do this together. We’re not alone anymore. Now we have each other. I don’t know what the future holds. All I know is that I need you in mine.”Usually I get really bored of books that flash back and forward every couple of chapters. Usually I'm annoyed with either the present or the past but I found that I really loved both throughout the book. I loved seeing Brad grow, learn, and become a character I could actually like and I loved learning of all the hurt that Mabry had to endure throughout her life.Past Imperfect can be read as a standalone but I recommend reading Present Perfect first so you can get a glimpse of the Brad of the past!