Review: 4.5 stars. Fave of the series
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 15, 2014
This book begins with a dark teaser that makes you wonder, then takes u back in time unravel it...Two months earlier Quinton is facing the world outside rehab again. Nova is living with his cousin, Tristan and her friend, Lea. She has made strides in getting her life together, but now worries abut Quinton and the fact that they have been out of touch.Their interactions begin again via text and phone as Quinton struggles to put the pieces of his life back together. She is his hope even though his feelings scare him too. Quinton has a lot of emotional baggage to still work through in order to try to heal enough to let Nova in. Nova is just a bit farther ahead in her healing process than he is.Nova has her hands full with her band and her needy friends. They add tension to her life but at the same time give her purpose since she is a "fixer". Both she and Quinton needed saving at times and needed someone to stand by them and  have faith when they had no faith in themselves. In this one, Quinton was struggling with the frayed parts of his world while being sober and trying to find his path to forgiveness and a future. But Nova also had some issues to deal with as well.But we got to see more of Nova, Quinton, and Tristan's personalities shine through now that they are not suppressed by drugs and consumed only with dark thoughts. I enjoyed seeing their vulnerability, humor, support for each other, and seeing the connections build on a more real level.This series was a rough one at times. It was raw, harsh, depressing, and it sunk down into the terrible lows of addiction and grief. We have seen Nova and Quinton down in their lowest points and gradually drag themselves up. It was not easy and there were plenty of setbacks. But in this installment,  we finally get to see them both at a point where they are trying to overcome their guilt, loss, pain, and addictions in healthier ways.  And beginning to see a glimmer of hope and finally believe that they deserve a future.  There are no shortcuts or easy solutions. It takes commitment, faith, and support. They each needed help and  support at times during this installment. And learning to be there for each other was one of the catalysts that really helped with their own healing process. They both had to find meaning and purpose in their lives. And to try to let go of the past that they could not change and realize that no amount of self medication and avoidance was going to help them move on.This series has not been a true romance at all, but more of an emotional journey. But this book  dealt more with feelings and the romantic aspect. It was my favorite installment in the series. It was definitely more positive and hopeful than the first two. It was told in both points of view and we have seen incredible growth from both of these troubled characters. So it ended up being an inspiring story of hope and healing that came out from devastating tragedy, terrible pain, loss, and crippling addictions. I loved his cousin/her room mate, Tristan who has had his own battle with addiction and loss. We have seen him go through so much throughout the series and he continues to struggle. There will be a free novella Tristan: Finding Hope and another book Wreck Me in this series about him. I hope that he can continue to move towards a more positive life and find some true happiness.Thanks to Jessica Sorensen and  Forever (Grand Central Publishing) for providing me with a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.