Kacey Cleary’s whole
life imploded four years ago in a drunk-driving accident. Now she’s
working hard to bury the pieces left behind—all but one. Her little
sister, Livie. Kacey can swallow the constant disapproval from her
born-again aunt Darla over her self-destructive lifestyle; she can stop
herself from going kick-boxer crazy on Uncle Raymond when he loses the
girls’ college funds at a blackjack table. She just needs to keep it
together until Livie is no longer a minor, and then they can get the
hell out of Grand Rapids, Michigan.
But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.
Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.
But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgiveable past of his own; one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness.
But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.
Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.
But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgiveable past of his own; one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness.
I know, I know, I'm probably the last person on earth to read this book. I was into this story from the first
page. I was interested, I liked the characters, but I didn't really
feel anything for the relationship between Kacey and Trent until
close to the end. Unfortunately I read a spoiler when I was just
starting, and while it didn't ruin the book but it definitely had an
effect on the way I took in the story. I knew what the big surprise
was, and it took away from the mystery. I don't think it necessarily
changed what I would have rated the book, but I guess I'll never
know. [Insert side rant about posting spoilers]. Moving on.
Kacey
and her sister Livie are running from some pretty rough circumstances
and they end up in Miami, living in between a fake boobed Barbie with
a daughter and a sexy mysterious guy. Kacey is running from her past,
and I can't say I blame her. These girls went through some heavy
stuff. Livie is a little more well adjusted[or so she seems], but
Kacey is still struggling with her past.
Let's start with my
favorite parts of the book, the relationships between Kacey, Livie,
Storm[previously stated Barbie] and her adorable daughter Mia. Any
good book needs a great girl friendship dynamic, and this one had a
really great one. I judged Storm, about the same way Kacey did, but I
was wrong. Storm is not just some Barbie with fake boobs, she quickly
became a character that I cared about. There's also something to be
said about a great sibling relationship. I think a lot of books are
lacking in this department, but I could feel the love between Kacey
and Livie. It was one of the most authentic relationships in the
book.
Something about the relationship between Kacey and
Trent didn't click with me until really close to the end. Trent came
off as a little bit creepy. Why is stalking someone and violating
their personal space considered endearing to these characters in NA
books? I don't know. He wasn't a bad guy, he never came off as a bad
guy, but I just didn't fall in love with him. I liked him at the end,
I wanted him with Kacey, but I just felt a little underwhelmed by
their relationship. It wasn't insta-love, but it wasn't exactly slow
burning either. There were so many secrets between Kacey and Trent
that it really hindered their progress together, and I think
ultimately that made the relationship a little difficult for me.
This is a good read, that flows quickly and doesn't seem
overdone, but unfortunately it kind of blends into the background of
all the other good NA books out there that just follow too much of
the same formula. I will probably continue on with this series,
because I really enjoyed the secondary characters and the next books
are about them.
If you are a lover of the NA genre then you
will probably LOVE this book.
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