Review: What happens when you fall in love with the guy who killed your brother?
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 10 28, 2013
"She had college to start, a first class to find, a dead boy's life to fulfill."When Paige went off to college, it was with the intention of fulfilling her dead brother's life dreams. She was attending Granton University, the school he planned to attend before his untimely death. She was taking classes towards the business administration degree he wanted. The one thing she didn't expect was to learn she was now attending the same college as her brother's killer, Logan Xander. She didn't expect to keep running into him, work with him, and begin feeling sympathetic towards him. She certainly didn't think those feelings would grow into something deeper, or that he would feel the same way."The worst part was, though, even if he was welcomed with open arms, he didn't think he could enter, because he knew he didn't deserve normalcy or happiness. Or forgiveness."Logan and Paige's brother, Trace, were rivals. One night, they got into a fight and when Logan hit him, he was knocked unconscious and hit his head on a glass bottle when he fell. He died instantly. Logan has never recovered from this. He's spent the years since trying to cope with his guilt and be a better person. He volunteers, goes to meetings with a group dealing with grief. What happened with him and Trace could have happened to anyone, but he's trying to atone for it. He's attracted to Paige, but is quite torn because of his history."I don't know how to undo this," he confessed on a harsh whisper. "I try. I try so hard to be good, to work hard at my job, to study all my assignments. But none of it matters, not how many cancer clinics I volunteer at or bloody fingers I patch up. He'll still be gone. And he should be here, right now, instead of me. He could go to you and put his arms around you and just... hug you. I know that's what you need. You need someone to hold you."The longer Paige is at Granton, the more she realizes she's not content living Trace's life. She wants to live her own, on her own terms. She feels an extreme amount of guilt at the feelings she has for Logan. He still feels an extreme amount of guilt for the fight that caused Trace's death. They're stronger together than they are apart. They're tired of fighting their feelings for each other. Paige helps Logan find the absolution he so desperately needs. Logan helps Paige find herself and learn to move on. It's not an easy or painless journey, but one they took together."It doesn't seem to matter how wrong it is or how much I fight it, I'm drawn to you. I can't get you out from under my skin."I thoroughly enjoyed the biggest part of this book. I found both Paige and Logan to be likable characters. The book was told through both of their perspectives and I enjoyed the glimpse inside each of their heads. This isn't the first New Adult book I've read with this type of plot, but this one was different enough to be fresh. It seemed realistic. The conflicting emotions of the characters was easily felt and understood. This book also contained a twist and a bit more melodrama than the other books I've read with similar storylines. The twist threw me and had me on the edge of my seat. Honestly, I'm not sure it was needed. But, it was interesting and unexpected. I definitely look forward to reading the next book in the Granton University series.***I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review. All quotes come from the review copy and may differ from the final version.***