Review: Strawberries and horrible, horrible choices
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 7, 2013
First off let me disclose that I haven't read any of the previous books in the Whitman University Series so I went into this book without much backstory. I don't think that made that big of a difference that I wasn't familiar with a lot of the characters but I could change my mind after I complete the first two, because I will be going back to read them!!This story covered the topic of addiction, loss and guilt in the most honest way possible. It wasn't in your face dramatic but it was powerful at the same time. Mistakes were made and people were hurt but never in a way that made me hate either Toby or Kennedy.Toby captured my attention from the very beginning. He was perfect in all his imperfection. Honestly he got all of the best lines in this book."She tasted like strawberries and horrible, horrible choices..."I swear I want a t-shirt with that quote on it. I'm impressed with the amount of smiles this book brought to my face considering the seriousness of the storyline. The light-hearted banter between Kennedy & Toby was a welcome relief that didn't make the story too heavy to read.It was hard to watch as Toby tried to navigate his way through helping Kennedy while trying to protect himself from imploding if he failed. He made mistakes but he pushed through in order to show her that he was and would always be there for her. That she deserved to be happy. His past was always there threatening to break him but he never let it.Kennedy broke my heart from the get go. The glimpses into what she'd been through and was going through in the form of flashes about "the girl" were a little awkward to me at first but the story wouldn't have been as strong without them. Watching as she let Toby in little by little warmed my heart. Even when she had "slip-ups" I could still see that she was getting closer to being ready to change for herself, not just Toby.Which leads me to the best part of this story. When Toby realizes that none of what happens is about him, it's about her and how she needs to change for herself, to live for herself. That it was important that she know he was there for her but that she had to realize that she could be ok without him too.I can't wait to read Broken at Love and By Referral Only to get to know more about the other characters.*I received an ARC from the author/publisher in exchange for an honest review*