A review by kfriend
Heartbreak You by T.L. Smith
4.0
“I wonder if that is all we’ll be. Passion and goodbyes.”
Oh my- what a perfect encapsulation of the angst of this conclusion to the Heartbreak Duet. This is the story of two characters whose passion and need for one another knows no limits, but who somehow always seem to find themselves saying goodbye-as the result of the guardedness of each of their own hearts and as the result of the chaotic obstacles that keep breaking them apart. Heartbreak You is a fantastic conclusion to the story of Thea and Atlas- two heartbroken characters who can’t seem to find a way to mend.
At the end of Heartbreak You, Thea was left shattered. Not only was she traumatized by the gruesome events that unfolded in the book's finale resulting in the death of Atlas’s cousin Benji, but she’s also heartbroken. Just when she admitted her feelings to Atlas, just when it seemed like this relationship that started out with nefarious intentions and an elaborate kidnapping could actually turn into something real, Atlas leaves her- he (rather irrationally) blames her for all the events that unfolded, for the death of his beloved cousin. And it is utterly devastating, after all the angst, after all the dark dangers of book one, and Atlas is back to hating poor Thea. So, Thea does only what she can- she attempts to reclaim her life, purge the toxicity of her love for Altas and try to pick up the pieces of her world that have crumbled since they met. She leans on her best friend Tina, she sets new ambitions for her life and career, and she keeps her distance. Their friends, and their businesses, find a way to intersect, however- and just when Thea has started to repair her heart, she’s thrust back into the orbit of the force that is Atlas. She’s squashed her love and isn’t interested in anything more than civility, but Atlas is just now realizing the error of his ways - he’s lost the only thing good in his life, the only person that makes him feel. These two never made sense, but they soon discovered that love doesn’t have to make sense...and that light can somehow grow out of darkness. Can they find their way back to each other? And, as if that wasn’t challenging enough- psycho sister Lucy is still wreaking havoc on their fragile bond. Drama, heartache, danger, and more kidnappings make for an exciting conclusion to this fabulous finale!
This second half is OH SO ANGSTY. Their relationship really feels like one step forward and two steps back- they just can’t seem to be on the same page at the same time. And their heartbreaks and heartbeats can’t seem to get in sync- Thea got the bulk of heartbreak in the last book and early on, and here we get to see Atlas suffer as Thea does not make reconciliation easy on him in any way. Both of them make decisions that frustrated me at times, and their relationships can be volatile and toxic when they are both hurting, but their chemistry is just so powerful- and really visceral and sexy. You can feel the gravitational force between them.
They experience obstacle after obstacle, but really the biggest obstacle is themselves. These two have to not only figure out how to forgive and trust but they also have to find a way to shift a relationship that started out dark and messed up and toxic into a relationship that is healthy and SAFE (emotionally speaking) for them both. That is a Sisyphean task, and we get to see both of them evolve as the result. Atlas in particular does the work here- we still have our possessive, controlling alpha, but he works hard to prove the depths of his emotions. The man who refuses to bend finds a way to bend for her. And TL BRILLIANTLY juxtaposes that with Thea’s journey- the woman who has always bent too much learns to stand strong- on her own. She learns to demand for the treatment she deserves, she learns to refuse to bend when it damages her.
These two spend a lot of this book apart or at odds- so be prepared for a hard fought journey to their happiness. We get some delightful side stories with Tina and the fabulous Sydney, Atlas’s employee, and unfortunately we get bucket loads of Lucy. Ugh- Lucy is really so painful to read- she’s so unhinged and so destructive, and she really does a lot of damage in this book. She serves a very important role, so her presence is needed, but she grated on me. But all of this is part of the journey of trying to repair these two broken hearts.
This duet has been quite the wild ride. TL Smith has given us an angsty, emotional, and riveting dark love story that I could not get enough of. Atlas and Thea captivated me from start to finish, and I’ll definitely be picking up some other TL Smith books in the future!
Oh my- what a perfect encapsulation of the angst of this conclusion to the Heartbreak Duet. This is the story of two characters whose passion and need for one another knows no limits, but who somehow always seem to find themselves saying goodbye-as the result of the guardedness of each of their own hearts and as the result of the chaotic obstacles that keep breaking them apart. Heartbreak You is a fantastic conclusion to the story of Thea and Atlas- two heartbroken characters who can’t seem to find a way to mend.
At the end of Heartbreak You, Thea was left shattered. Not only was she traumatized by the gruesome events that unfolded in the book's finale resulting in the death of Atlas’s cousin Benji, but she’s also heartbroken. Just when she admitted her feelings to Atlas, just when it seemed like this relationship that started out with nefarious intentions and an elaborate kidnapping could actually turn into something real, Atlas leaves her- he (rather irrationally) blames her for all the events that unfolded, for the death of his beloved cousin. And it is utterly devastating, after all the angst, after all the dark dangers of book one, and Atlas is back to hating poor Thea. So, Thea does only what she can- she attempts to reclaim her life, purge the toxicity of her love for Altas and try to pick up the pieces of her world that have crumbled since they met. She leans on her best friend Tina, she sets new ambitions for her life and career, and she keeps her distance. Their friends, and their businesses, find a way to intersect, however- and just when Thea has started to repair her heart, she’s thrust back into the orbit of the force that is Atlas. She’s squashed her love and isn’t interested in anything more than civility, but Atlas is just now realizing the error of his ways - he’s lost the only thing good in his life, the only person that makes him feel. These two never made sense, but they soon discovered that love doesn’t have to make sense...and that light can somehow grow out of darkness. Can they find their way back to each other? And, as if that wasn’t challenging enough- psycho sister Lucy is still wreaking havoc on their fragile bond. Drama, heartache, danger, and more kidnappings make for an exciting conclusion to this fabulous finale!
This second half is OH SO ANGSTY. Their relationship really feels like one step forward and two steps back- they just can’t seem to be on the same page at the same time. And their heartbreaks and heartbeats can’t seem to get in sync- Thea got the bulk of heartbreak in the last book and early on, and here we get to see Atlas suffer as Thea does not make reconciliation easy on him in any way. Both of them make decisions that frustrated me at times, and their relationships can be volatile and toxic when they are both hurting, but their chemistry is just so powerful- and really visceral and sexy. You can feel the gravitational force between them.
They experience obstacle after obstacle, but really the biggest obstacle is themselves. These two have to not only figure out how to forgive and trust but they also have to find a way to shift a relationship that started out dark and messed up and toxic into a relationship that is healthy and SAFE (emotionally speaking) for them both. That is a Sisyphean task, and we get to see both of them evolve as the result. Atlas in particular does the work here- we still have our possessive, controlling alpha, but he works hard to prove the depths of his emotions. The man who refuses to bend finds a way to bend for her. And TL BRILLIANTLY juxtaposes that with Thea’s journey- the woman who has always bent too much learns to stand strong- on her own. She learns to demand for the treatment she deserves, she learns to refuse to bend when it damages her.
These two spend a lot of this book apart or at odds- so be prepared for a hard fought journey to their happiness. We get some delightful side stories with Tina and the fabulous Sydney, Atlas’s employee, and unfortunately we get bucket loads of Lucy. Ugh- Lucy is really so painful to read- she’s so unhinged and so destructive, and she really does a lot of damage in this book. She serves a very important role, so her presence is needed, but she grated on me. But all of this is part of the journey of trying to repair these two broken hearts.
This duet has been quite the wild ride. TL Smith has given us an angsty, emotional, and riveting dark love story that I could not get enough of. Atlas and Thea captivated me from start to finish, and I’ll definitely be picking up some other TL Smith books in the future!