faithhoperead's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Cursing, Death of parent, Emotional abuse, Toxic relationship, Physical abuse, Sexual content, Abandonment, Child abuse, and Adult/minor relationship
Very explicit sex scenes in great detail, I loved it but some may not.bribreez's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
*LOOK UP TRIGGER WARNINGS/ BEWARE SPOILERS AHEAD!
Evie grew up in a foster home, life wasn’t perfect nor easy for her, but when she met Leo, another child living in the same home as her, she found a friend in him. The beginning opened up with a sweet yet sad moment between Leo and Evie, sharing their last moments together before Leo left with his newly adopted parents. Evie and Leo loved one another and with the promise that they would be together again, Evie believed she’d see Leo again and they lived happily ever after… until years later Evie now living on her own and the past in the review mirror, Leo never contacted her, and so she had to move on from her first love, and live her life. Suddenly with the appearance of a man by the name of, Jake Madsen claiming he knew Leo, and revealing something about Leo to Evie, it seemed like quite the shock and surprise in her life.
Right away with the chapters including past memories between Leo and Evie was nice because, it gave more background information on how they met, as well as how they became close. The beginning didn’t waste anytime tugging on the emotions, and reading how Evie and Leo were forced to say goodbye was sad. Even through some of the first few chapters, it was clear that Evie had loved Leo dearly, but unfortunately after not hearing from him for so long, she believed that she had to move on, and put Leo in the past. With Jake coming into the story, he was mysterious and while he didn’t come off as dangerous or suspicious, I wondered what else there was to him.
Evie for the longest time was use to being on her own, being independent, and living her life as best as she could. Never in a million years did Evie think she’d meet a man such as, Jake coming into her life or being romantically interested in her. With Evie, it felt like she wasn’t use to the possibility of being in a relationship, or having found such a deep connection with Jake even after knowing him for a small amount of time. The chemistry between Evie and Jake was spontaneous and passionate. Despite Evie not expecting Jake, he felt like the best thing to happen to her, and she experienced happiness she hadn’t felt in such a long time. I found Jake to be kind her also very enamored with Evie. Jake wasn’t one to hold back on how he felt about Evie, he always told her exactly what he felt for her, and not only were his words significant, but his actions were even more pronounced. From the dates, Evie experiencing intimacy for the first time with Jake, and more, she was opened to new feelings, strong desires, and considered what future would hold for her and Jake. Also I definitely wasn’t expecting Jake to be lowkey assertive, but I liked it… a lot… dang I guess I have a thing for authority just like Evie liked it with Jake!
The whole time while I was reading, I couldn’t help but feel this sensation like…”hmmm something’s going to happen”, or like I was waiting for the other shoe to drop. The moment I came almost halfway towards the ending, and oh my goodness it was a big reveal I wasn’t expecting. I mean, I had my suspicions on Jake and what his deal was, but I didn’t anticipate all that was revealed about him and the truth behind his true connection to Evie. With the plot twist and big reveal, there was some heavy topic(s) mentioned so please make sure you look up trigger warnings for this book. I knew this story was going to include some sad moments, but my heart broke for Evie and Leo and the harsh things they endured. For Evie, finding out the truth was a massive shock to her, but also made her come to the conclusion that all those previous things she noticed but ignored, in the back of her mind unconsciously she had an inkling. I was genuinely shocked and again Mia knows how to catch me off guard and she did an amazing job writing this story.
This story was heartbreaking in the sense of all that had occurred to Evie and Leo, but also beautiful to see a love like their come together. I loved seeing Evie come into her own person, and despite the many years she spent alone, in the end she was reunited with the love of her life. In an unexpected way, Jake (actually Leo) coming into Evie’s life not only brought her out of her comfort zone, but allowed her to truly see that being with Leo was pure happiness, and together they were like magic, nothing could keep them apart. My heart broke for Leo, and just learning the devastating truth about what happened to me and the real reason why he didn’t reach out to Evie was saddening. Looking back now, I could see that some of the clues did lead up to the big reveal from the smallest things like the way Jake (Leo) would react to Evie calling him Jake, or certain things that were said were noticeable to Evie. While this story covered some heavy topics, it was still beautiful to see the depth and meaning behind Evie and Leo’s love. From childhood to adulthood, it was clear that Evie and Leo were meant to be and it was always going to be a happy ending for them because they deserved it. The ending was so sweet and lovely, kind of reminded me of that type of scene you would see at the end of a romantic movie where the main characters rush into each other’s arms to profess their love to one another, so romantic! Not to mention the epilogue was so darn wholesome and made me go “AWWW!” Evie and Leo got their happy ending and without wasting anymore time started their lives together, started a family, and found true peace and happiness together.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Death of parent, Suicidal thoughts, and Pedophilia
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