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booklovershangout's review against another edition
4.0
Absolutely emotionally beautiful story. I was pulled into this story from the first page and lost in this world until I finished. I loved every minute of reading this. The characters are so complex and fully intriguing. They are broken and beautiful and I wanted everything to work out for them. I am in love with this series and I cannot wait to read more of these books and to read more from Laura Lee.
krystina_99's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.75
itscurrie_'s review against another edition
4.0
this book was heartbreaking. Bentley hid a lot from his friends about all the guilt he had been feeling for 2 years regarding Carissa and it all came to a head in this book.
Sydney was great, she is another feisty FMC for this series and she didn’t take any of Bentley’s shit. she got a lot of blame for something she didn’t know anything about. plus she had her own battles going on from the same event that caused Bentley’s problems.
He did make me want to through my kindle though when he didn’t tell Syd everything, I know why he didn’t at first and I know it all came out in the end but still… I hate that he put all this guilt on himself and I feel like if he had just been honest up front that everything would have played out differently but also maybe not.
I enjoyed this story and I know it’s technically a standalone in this series but I feel like you really need to read the first 3 before ending with this book.
but all I want to know is, why is Cam & Hayden’s book?
Sydney was great, she is another feisty FMC for this series and she didn’t take any of Bentley’s shit. she got a lot of blame for something she didn’t know anything about. plus she had her own battles going on from the same event that caused Bentley’s problems.
He did make me want to through my kindle though when he didn’t tell Syd everything, I know why he didn’t at first and I know it all came out in the end but still… I hate that he put all this guilt on himself and I feel like if he had just been honest up front that everything would have played out differently but also maybe not.
I enjoyed this story and I know it’s technically a standalone in this series but I feel like you really need to read the first 3 before ending with this book.
but all I want to know is, why is Cam & Hayden’s book?
the_morrigan18's review against another edition
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
mysterious
reflective
sad
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
kaydanielsromance's review against another edition
5.0
An angsty and emotional new adult romance that will require lots of tissues.
Who would have ever thought Bentley would need a redemption story? He's the guy who brings the party, the guy with the jokes, the one you seek out if you want a good time, but it was a mask for his demons, hidden dark inside. Bentley's story is emotional and full of sensitive subjects, but Laura Lee captured that sensitivity and wrote them down in a way where my heart broke for the boy instead of being thrown off by the subject matter.
I will admit what Bentley goes through are typical triggers for me, but the story continually drew me back in and I wasn't so much pulled out of the fictional world by what Bentley was doing to himself as I was kept there and my heart ached for the path he was walking on.
Bentley and Sydney met two years prior to when this present story takes place. Laura weaves us back and forth through the past and present as both timelines are important to the people they are today. The night they met are both the best and worst nights of their lives and sets the trajectory of what transpires over the next two years.
Bentley isn't the nicest guy to Sydney when she begins attending Windsor Academy, but he's right back to that night two years prior and sitting among his demons, unfortunately Sydney has no real memory of what happened that night and doesn't understand his hostility. At an impasse they need to either talk about what happened, or move forward, can Bentley choose door number three and just ignore, ignore, ignore. Destiny may not let that happen.
I love the Windsor Academy world and truly looked forward to Bentley's story. It's a heartbreaking story for sure, but also one full of redemption. And don't get me wrong, Bentley uses humor to deflate situations so there is lots of humor scattered throughout, also mixed in with tons of their hot chemistry. This book has it all and exactly what this world needed to keep Windsor Academy on its toes.
Who would have ever thought Bentley would need a redemption story? He's the guy who brings the party, the guy with the jokes, the one you seek out if you want a good time, but it was a mask for his demons, hidden dark inside. Bentley's story is emotional and full of sensitive subjects, but Laura Lee captured that sensitivity and wrote them down in a way where my heart broke for the boy instead of being thrown off by the subject matter.
I will admit what Bentley goes through are typical triggers for me, but the story continually drew me back in and I wasn't so much pulled out of the fictional world by what Bentley was doing to himself as I was kept there and my heart ached for the path he was walking on.
Bentley and Sydney met two years prior to when this present story takes place. Laura weaves us back and forth through the past and present as both timelines are important to the people they are today. The night they met are both the best and worst nights of their lives and sets the trajectory of what transpires over the next two years.
Bentley isn't the nicest guy to Sydney when she begins attending Windsor Academy, but he's right back to that night two years prior and sitting among his demons, unfortunately Sydney has no real memory of what happened that night and doesn't understand his hostility. At an impasse they need to either talk about what happened, or move forward, can Bentley choose door number three and just ignore, ignore, ignore. Destiny may not let that happen.
I love the Windsor Academy world and truly looked forward to Bentley's story. It's a heartbreaking story for sure, but also one full of redemption. And don't get me wrong, Bentley uses humor to deflate situations so there is lots of humor scattered throughout, also mixed in with tons of their hot chemistry. This book has it all and exactly what this world needed to keep Windsor Academy on its toes.
tj_darkreads's review against another edition
5.0
Oh wow from the first page to the end I didn't stop reading this book it sucked me in. This is the 1st book I've read in this series and I know I'm going to have to go back and read the other book's in the series.
Sydney transferred to a new prep school in the middle of her senior year, so she's the new girl in the midst of the entitled she's also the headmaster's daughter. Then she see's him (Bentley) and he looks mad at seeing her when she doesn't understand what she's done. She thought they had a connection, but looks can be deceiving.
Bentley he's your tall, dark and broody type always down for something until that time 2 yrs ago when things changed and she's at his school. What happened between them 2 yrs ago? What changed him? You'll just have to read it and find out. It's so freaking good.
Sydney transferred to a new prep school in the middle of her senior year, so she's the new girl in the midst of the entitled she's also the headmaster's daughter. Then she see's him (Bentley) and he looks mad at seeing her when she doesn't understand what she's done. She thought they had a connection, but looks can be deceiving.
Bentley he's your tall, dark and broody type always down for something until that time 2 yrs ago when things changed and she's at his school. What happened between them 2 yrs ago? What changed him? You'll just have to read it and find out. It's so freaking good.
briewhale's review against another edition
4.0
What an emotional rollercoaster! Bentley was my favorite character, so I was thrilled to get his story. And it did not disappoint. The whole thing was pretty heartbreaking at times. It broke my heart to see him hurting and self-destructing like that. He did some pretty awful things, but like his friends, I knew he was still a good person. Sydney was lovely. She still cared about Bentley even when he had hurt her. And she was just such a real, complex character; who was also sweet, fun, and tough when necessary. Great read.
mistysreads's review against another edition
4.0
While I sit here trying to figure out what I want to write for my review, I realize this book hits so many topics that its hard to come at it from one way. This book, while follows the relationships of six high schoolers they seem more adult than 18, they face drug addiction, revenge porn, being drugged at a party via a drink, and trying to reach their dreams.
Sydney and Bentley met at a party two years prior, that night changed both of their lives. Bentley because his ex-girlfriend killed herself after she was drugged at the party and terrible things happened to her, and Sydney because she not only doesn’t remember but she feels like she is missing something – a piece of herself. What she doesn’t remember is that she found her soul mate that night, she also did things she would never have done because her cousin drugged her drinks. Bentley has been living with this for over two years and blames himself for his ex’s death, he became addicted to drugs and eventually has a car accident forcing him to go into rehab.
Sydney knows that she doesn’t want anyone else, but when the revenge porn video is posted and finds out about Bentley remembering that party two years ago, she needs a break. They both take the break they need, Bentley in rehab and Sydney getting over that night, and they reform their relationship stronger than it was before the accident.
The relationship between Sydney and Bentley is one that a lot of people strive for, finding their soul mate in high school. These characters go through a lot together, but with all of Bentley’s friends standing behind them they are stronger because of their support system. I will admit for about a quarter of the book I thought about putting it down and not finishing the story, but the more I read the more I got into it and managed to read it in an afternoon. I ended up really liking the story and these characters, I felt like Laura Lee was able to create a realistic story, with characters (Bentley and Sydney) that had undeniable chemistry that always drew them together, and you could actually feel the draw. In some ways this book reminded me of Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, I felt there were a lot of similarities between Bentley and Travis. This is a very well written book, hits a lot of feels and draws you in and you root for Bentley and Sydney to make it work and get their HEA after everything.
Received ARC in exchange for voluntary honest review
Sydney and Bentley met at a party two years prior, that night changed both of their lives. Bentley because his ex-girlfriend killed herself after she was drugged at the party and terrible things happened to her, and Sydney because she not only doesn’t remember but she feels like she is missing something – a piece of herself. What she doesn’t remember is that she found her soul mate that night, she also did things she would never have done because her cousin drugged her drinks. Bentley has been living with this for over two years and blames himself for his ex’s death, he became addicted to drugs and eventually has a car accident forcing him to go into rehab.
Sydney knows that she doesn’t want anyone else, but when the revenge porn video is posted and finds out about Bentley remembering that party two years ago, she needs a break. They both take the break they need, Bentley in rehab and Sydney getting over that night, and they reform their relationship stronger than it was before the accident.
The relationship between Sydney and Bentley is one that a lot of people strive for, finding their soul mate in high school. These characters go through a lot together, but with all of Bentley’s friends standing behind them they are stronger because of their support system. I will admit for about a quarter of the book I thought about putting it down and not finishing the story, but the more I read the more I got into it and managed to read it in an afternoon. I ended up really liking the story and these characters, I felt like Laura Lee was able to create a realistic story, with characters (Bentley and Sydney) that had undeniable chemistry that always drew them together, and you could actually feel the draw. In some ways this book reminded me of Beautiful Disaster by Jamie McGuire, I felt there were a lot of similarities between Bentley and Travis. This is a very well written book, hits a lot of feels and draws you in and you root for Bentley and Sydney to make it work and get their HEA after everything.
Received ARC in exchange for voluntary honest review
aboulle's review against another edition
4.0
This is book 4 in the series and listed as a standalone read, however, I really feel like I would have connected to the characters and the backstory a bit more if I had read the first three books so I would highly recommend doing that. I liked Sydney as a character but I did not understand why she put up with what she did by Bentley because at times he was truly awful to her. Bentley was so tortured by what happened to Carissa that I did feel for him. It is good to see the characters evolve and grow in the last few chapters. I really liked this book enough to go back and read the first three but I did have difficulty connecting with the characters until later in the book. My absolute favorite character without question was Cameron, she was a refreshing breath of air in the story and I loved her loyalty.