Cassia Leo

This black box is yours to keep, to stash your troubles away. Just lock it up and call my name and I'll be there always.

This book was so unexpected. I laughed, I cried, I devoured it! But mostly, this book broke me and then put me back together. You know those books where something horrible happens to the main character and all you can do is cry and wish you could change it for them? Well this is one of those stories, but if I could change any part of their story it wouldn't end the way it show more does. And that would be a shame.

Mikki deals with bipolar disorder. Now before some of you shake your head at this, you need to take a moment to think about it. Sometimes you really can't control how you feel. It's a blackness that pulls you all the way under, it consumes you. Then sometimes a bright light brings you back. Bipolar is like a constant yo-yo with your emotions. Mikki struggles with all this. Time and time again she contemplates suicide. If she could just end her life she could end the pain she deals with daily. Her attempts always fail because someone always saves her. But what she doesn't say aloud is they never really save her, they just fuel the emptiness she already feels. After a tragic accident that happened years before, Mikki is tired of fighting it. She plans to go to L.A. where no one can stop her. Fate, luck, or even destiny steps in the way when she meets Crush.

Crush has his own demons that he is fighting. But unlike Mikki he is trying to live. You see this girl that he helped years ago inadvertently saved him, and he hasn't been able to stop thinking about her.

Don't tell me i don't know you when I've spent the last three years trying to forget you. - Crush

Their story is so painful and yet so healing all at the same time. When we hear they way their lives have intertwined over the years it is hard not to believe in fate. The connection between these two is heartbreaking and consuming. Crush is such a beautiful character. The way he is with Mikki.. is just perfect. He never pushes her, he just loves her for everything she is. This is so much more than a love story. This book takes such a serious subject and doesn't gloss over it. It pulls you in so much that you can feel everything they both go through. So many beautiful things were said that reached my soul. This was my first Cassia Leo book, but it will not be my last!

"I hate that you saved me. But, most of all, I hate that you love me because now I love you and I don't know how to make it stop." show less

No friendship, no love.

Houston, we have closure. Get it?

They're back, they're better than ever, and they're just friends. Rory and Houston have so much to deal with, to put behind them, and to move forward in their own personal lives. Liam is out of the picture he died, Tessa isn't messing with Houston anymore, Rory's dad is making amends, and yet Rory and Houston don't know how to have a relationship and still have all this baggage. Rory's book is gone and she's lost without it, floating show more along in life, but Rory's dad has a plan. His amends involve the creation of Hallie's Hope, a nonprofit to help others dealing with the same situation. Rory agrees to head up the foundation, especially after learning even more about Hallie's struggles in life. All the family and friends of Houston and Rory team up to bring them together, to help them along the way of dealing with their past, planning futures, and hopefully a happily ever after.

I cannot tell you how hard it was to put this book down when I finished it. Houston is my new book boyfriend, how can you say no to this man? The friendship between Houston and Rory is tantalizing, you're waiting for them to lose control, to fall back into the same pattern. Instead, they talk, they learn from each other, they grow, and in due time, they come together. Their relationship has been my favorite from the start of The Way We Fall. They're meant to be. There are a lot more laughs in this book than the previous two, the air seems lighter and the words less heavy. While all the characters deal with their individual parts in the massive puzzle there are moments of sadness, despair, anger, and hurt, but it all works out in the end. The ending, of course, is my favorite. How everyone comes together to work together for one cause, to look at the past in a positive light, it's just heartwarming. Then Cassia Leo delivers this beautiful epilogue that closes out the story in the best way possible. I can't even.

Unfortunately, the switching characters POV adds up to more than two. It's past, present, Rory, Houston, Patricia, etc. That got so confusing for me. It really made the story make more sense, but it was easy to forget who I was reading, especially when the present/past switched in the middle of a character's POV. At some points, the secrets get overwhelming, it's hard to keep finding out more bad news. It works out in the end, I promise you, hang tight for the good.

You won't want to put this series down when you start it and you'll be totally happy you read it once you get to The Way We Rise. Everything comes full circle and it's all meant to be. show less

I received an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I don't avoid cliffhangers like my life depends on it, but I don't actively seek them out either. However, being a fan of Cassia Leo means I recognize that I will be reading cliffhangers often. Anti-Romance is no different, except that this time I was actually an angry blonde full of hatred. Not the kind of hatred that's real, but the kind where I kept trying to turn the page expecting more to come up and growing increasingly more show more frustrated, even though I knew about said cliffhanger before I even opened the book. Don't let my anger fool you into thinking I didn't like the book though, it's kind of the perfect cliffhanger, because I would throw all my money at Cassia to get the next book right now.

Filled with self-depreciating humor, hot smut, characters who are real, and a great playlist, Cassia Leo has done it again with Anti-Romance. Main character, Laney, is as relatable as they come, in fact I'm positive I have a romance hating friend just like her. She's witty, doesn't really have it all figured out, and she gets herself into quite the situations! I really loved being inside her head, because she wasn't some drop dead beauty with every ounce of confidence in the world, she constantly questioned things and felt the full scale of emotions by the time I finished the last chapter. Plus, she dates for work and is having lots of monkey sex, even if it does lead to gonorrhea. On top of Lainey, the secondary characters were awesome as well. George, the best friend, reminds me of someone I know, which is just a testament to how realistic this entire book is. Their friendship is not a unique one, but definitely didn't feel like anything I'd read before. Then there's neighbor, Kade, who I want to be my real life boyfriend, but I'll settle for adding him to my book boyfriend pile. Cassia does such a great job of giving every character, even those we just see a couple times, unique voices and personalities, making this book really come to life.

The twists in this book will leave you questioning everything, just like Laney you won't know what could possibly come next, but you'll also really enjoy the ride. I definitely stopped taking things at face value, but that made it all the more fun. It isn't a romance, that's for sure, but it's a humorous love story about a girl, her friends, and getting through some shockingly hilarious awkward moments. I have no idea what I want to see in the next book, but I can tell you I am desperate to find out what does. My reaction faces, gasps of surprise, and obvious feelings are exactly what I love about this book, I felt like I was right there. You'll probably say "oh my gosh" a few times, maybe even blush (I did), but you won't be able to put this book down. show less

Okay. If you can't stand emotionally intense books, then please put down this book and walk away. Because it will get to you. It will nag you. And it will stay with you until you work your way through this book.

This is story of two individuals with their own struggles. One with mental illness, a victim of rape and bullying, and the other who has to live with the consequences of his choices: rape and murder.

Cassia Leo is a unique author because rather than allowing one to kill show more himself/herself; she allows them to connect, to find each other, and ultimately to give each other life--a reason to go on living. They become each other's light in the darkness. A key to their own black box.

Special note: If mental illness and/or suicide runs in your family, this may not be a good reading choice for you. show less