ela_35's review
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.0
I liked this book, but there wasn’t enough shown for me.
I liked Holly and Tyler, but it felt like the character and relationship development shown in this book was just the beginning of their story. They spend some time together, but it felt like that was in the background and wasn’t shown enough.
There were a lot of things that were underdeveloped. Holly’s relationship with her parents was horrible and I hated them, so I didn’t care that she wasn’t close to them, but there was never really a scene where anyone told them to stop being selfish and egoistic. It makes me wonder what Holly’s little sister is going to grow up into when no one is explaining anything to her about Holly’s resurrection and their parents constantly trying to sweep everything under the carpet.
As for character development, I guess Holly adjusts to the real world, but not much is shown about Tyler conquering his fears. Sure, he went out once or twice for Holly, but I didn’t think it was enough.
Another thing that wasn’t discussed was one of Tyler’s main concerns about having a relationship with Holly. He has fantasies surrounding fear, and yet after that scene with Tesla, it’s forgotten. It made that scene seem out of place and forced.
There were some side characters, but definitely not enough was shown. Holly’s brother and his girlfriend seemed nice, but they’re never really shown.
This book was fine, but it wasn’t for me because not enough of what was happening was shown.
aflowers93's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
sad
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child abuse, Fire/Fire injury, Kidnapping, Emotional abuse, Adult/minor relationship, and Confinement
bryannareads's review against another edition
4.0
Good read. I was surprised this was a slower burn romance. Once it hit about 60% through I really enjoyed it.
bookladysreviews's review against another edition
4.0
I remember starting this one a long time ago but for some reason, never finishing it. Probably during one of my reading slumps. But, I'm so glad that I decided to pick it up again since it's definitely a book wroth reading!
Tyler and Holly, two very broken individuals meet in the most unconventional and memorable way. He saves her from the man who abducted her when she was just eight years old and she returns to her family after so many years to discover that, nothing is the same and it probably never will be again. Her mother is being distant and doesn't trust Holly to take control of her future so, instead of having the reunion one would expect, she decides to send her to a facility that deals with her kind of trauma. Her father doesn't have much say in the matter and all her brother can do, is stay by her side and offer her a place to live somewhere far away, as soon as she gets better handle on things.
Tyler has been through unimaginable heartache, things that most people wouldn't survive or be able to get over. A tragic accident left him scarred a broken when he was relatively young and after a couple of years, a crash left him with both physical and emotional scars that made people fear him and call him a monster. He lives up on the hill in the forest, secluded from everyone and everything, until Holly comes along. They're kindred spirits and nothing can keep them away from each other. And as much as Tyler tries to resist his feelings and keep her away for her own good, he does not succeed because their chemistry is too much and cannot be denied.
First of all, I fell in love with both characters and their brokenness called out to me. Together, they made complete and utter sense. After everything they went through, they needed one another to completely heal. Their romance had this slow build that's actually very rare to come by these days and I immensely enjoyed connecting with them and discovering more about them through it. It's not all about the romance though. We get a glimpse of how what these two went through affected their families and what they did to cope with it. But, let's be real here. I hated Holly's parents and how they treated her like they would've preferred it if she were dead. Her mother made her feel unwanted all the time and was great at pretending that nothing happened. But, at the same time, she treated her like she was fragile and would never get better or be able to have control of her life. She was awful and I was really heartbroken over how she tried to keep Holly away from getting to know her sister and made her feel like she didn't belong with them anymore, like she was replaced and her coming back spoiled things for everyone.
Holly was such a strong and determined main heroine! After everything she went through, everyone expected her to just give up and stay in that facility forever but, she wants to create new memories and get her life back. She truly wants to get better and even though she can't get the years that were stolen from her because of some psycho, she still wants to experience the world and live life to the fullest. Tyler is simple perfection and I couldn't have shipped him and Holly more than I already do! He created this huge wall that nobody could crack around his heart and treated people like shit so that they wouldn't get too close but, Holly managed to get past his defenses and brought him back to life, in a way. They couldn't have been better for each other, which is obvious from the very swoon worthy moments between them throughout the book!
There's a slight twist towards the ending that I kind of saw coming but at the same time, couldn't be sure about or predict. There were some hints throughout the book that Holly was very familiar to Tyler but, I didn't really think about what might have happened for them to have met each other some time in the past. The truth was very surprising and unexpected though so, be prepared!
Moreover, the writing was beautiful and made the book even better! Because writing is always important folks! The pace was fast and this was such an immensely satisfying book that I could not put it down for even a second. I finished it in a day and was hungry for more. It didn't feel rushed at all, even though it was relatively short and I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. I didn't have high expectations because the majority of New Adult novels I have tried to read recently have disappointed me. Which doesn't mean I'm prejudiced in any way shape or form, just genuinely disheartened by the fact that I haven't come across a New Adult read that blew my mind until this one!
So, yeah, this book is definitely not for the fainthearted people out there. A lot of events that could trigger some people take place so, just be warned about that! Overall, Tied is definitely a book worth reading, even if it is heart wrenching. I got so emotional while reading what Holly and Tyler had to go through until they could finally find each other. Their story is raw, poignant and beautifully written. The author doesn't sugar coat anything - even though there are no graphic details of what each character went through - and manages to turn a heart breaking plot into a fascinating story that grabbed my attention from the moment I started reading it and wouldn't let go until I finished! Highly recommend!
Tyler and Holly, two very broken individuals meet in the most unconventional and memorable way. He saves her from the man who abducted her when she was just eight years old and she returns to her family after so many years to discover that, nothing is the same and it probably never will be again. Her mother is being distant and doesn't trust Holly to take control of her future so, instead of having the reunion one would expect, she decides to send her to a facility that deals with her kind of trauma. Her father doesn't have much say in the matter and all her brother can do, is stay by her side and offer her a place to live somewhere far away, as soon as she gets better handle on things.
Tyler has been through unimaginable heartache, things that most people wouldn't survive or be able to get over. A tragic accident left him scarred a broken when he was relatively young and after a couple of years, a crash left him with both physical and emotional scars that made people fear him and call him a monster. He lives up on the hill in the forest, secluded from everyone and everything, until Holly comes along. They're kindred spirits and nothing can keep them away from each other. And as much as Tyler tries to resist his feelings and keep her away for her own good, he does not succeed because their chemistry is too much and cannot be denied.
First of all, I fell in love with both characters and their brokenness called out to me. Together, they made complete and utter sense. After everything they went through, they needed one another to completely heal. Their romance had this slow build that's actually very rare to come by these days and I immensely enjoyed connecting with them and discovering more about them through it. It's not all about the romance though. We get a glimpse of how what these two went through affected their families and what they did to cope with it. But, let's be real here. I hated Holly's parents and how they treated her like they would've preferred it if she were dead. Her mother made her feel unwanted all the time and was great at pretending that nothing happened. But, at the same time, she treated her like she was fragile and would never get better or be able to have control of her life. She was awful and I was really heartbroken over how she tried to keep Holly away from getting to know her sister and made her feel like she didn't belong with them anymore, like she was replaced and her coming back spoiled things for everyone.
Holly was such a strong and determined main heroine! After everything she went through, everyone expected her to just give up and stay in that facility forever but, she wants to create new memories and get her life back. She truly wants to get better and even though she can't get the years that were stolen from her because of some psycho, she still wants to experience the world and live life to the fullest. Tyler is simple perfection and I couldn't have shipped him and Holly more than I already do! He created this huge wall that nobody could crack around his heart and treated people like shit so that they wouldn't get too close but, Holly managed to get past his defenses and brought him back to life, in a way. They couldn't have been better for each other, which is obvious from the very swoon worthy moments between them throughout the book!
There's a slight twist towards the ending that I kind of saw coming but at the same time, couldn't be sure about or predict. There were some hints throughout the book that Holly was very familiar to Tyler but, I didn't really think about what might have happened for them to have met each other some time in the past. The truth was very surprising and unexpected though so, be prepared!
Moreover, the writing was beautiful and made the book even better! Because writing is always important folks! The pace was fast and this was such an immensely satisfying book that I could not put it down for even a second. I finished it in a day and was hungry for more. It didn't feel rushed at all, even though it was relatively short and I enjoyed it so much more than I thought I would. I didn't have high expectations because the majority of New Adult novels I have tried to read recently have disappointed me. Which doesn't mean I'm prejudiced in any way shape or form, just genuinely disheartened by the fact that I haven't come across a New Adult read that blew my mind until this one!
So, yeah, this book is definitely not for the fainthearted people out there. A lot of events that could trigger some people take place so, just be warned about that! Overall, Tied is definitely a book worth reading, even if it is heart wrenching. I got so emotional while reading what Holly and Tyler had to go through until they could finally find each other. Their story is raw, poignant and beautifully written. The author doesn't sugar coat anything - even though there are no graphic details of what each character went through - and manages to turn a heart breaking plot into a fascinating story that grabbed my attention from the moment I started reading it and wouldn't let go until I finished! Highly recommend!
carolin785's review against another edition
5.0
I can 100% recommend reading this book! It gets all the star! What an amazing story of two damaged heros learning to trust each other and falling in love.
uuu7's review against another edition
5.0
I felt so much for this book. The overall story line , twist, CHARACTERS (love holly and tyler sofukingmuchh) is just incredibly breathtaking. My hand started to shake with the need to put the book down but i couldn’t. i was hooked from the first line. it has some similarity to Archer’s Voice another beautiful story that i adore sm and definitely recommend if you love this book !! Tied will be grave into my mind till my last breath. love you author, thank you <3
corcordium's review
3.5
better than the first one which i read years ago, but i don't think this story will stick with me for long
djacknurse's review against another edition
5.0
Wow! I read this one in 2 days.....so good! The book deals with sensitive issues but is tastefully written. You know what happened with bits and pieces of the past thrown in along the way. I couldn't put this one down. I'm going to go back and buy it to have in my personal library. Tyler and Holly deserved their HEA if ever any couple did.