Reviewed on NetGalley ( )

'It was daylight when we arrived back at my apartment. Everything was different. The way the early morning sun hung over the tress and how it always made the wind chimes hanging outside my neighbor's front door glisten and sparkle. The sunrise seemed darker, the reflected light on the shiny metal trinkets, lifeless.'

Plot

Ever since they were children, Elias Kline and Brayelle Bates have been inseparable. When Brayelle moves to South Carolina, and the pair are separated for the first time, they come to realise that their relationship has developed beyond an innocent friendship.

When Brayelle returns four years later, things couldn't be more perfect between her and Elias. But one fateful night, and one terrible accident changes everything, and they decide to run in order to avoid going to prison.

Making the most of their freedom, Elias and Bray find themselves relying on a rebellious and mysterious group of people, who tempt them into a wild new life. Knowing that they can't run from their troubles forever, the consequences of their actions soon catch up with them, and they run out of options.

But now that Elias knows the true extent of Bray's troubled past, he knows that even if they make it through this ordeal, he might not be able to save her from herself.

My thoughts

I recieved a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, via NetGalley. I was mostly interested in this book because it was linked to The Edge of Always, as Elias and Bray meet Camryn and Andrew on their travels. However, I also thought that the story sounded interesting, and I wanted to see how Elias and Bray find their way through their troubles.

It's clear from the start of the book that Elias and Bray are smitten with each other and meant to be together. They're both apprehensive about a relationship together, for fear that it could ruin their strong friendship. But they soon find out that they can't deny their feelings forever.

Elias always knew that Bray had problems when they were kids, but it's not until they're on the run together that he finds out the true extent of her struggle, and what she was going through in their four year separation. Although initially angry that she kept it from him, he soon comes to realise that it's his support that she needs, not his anger. This is where Elias really shows how much he loves Bray, and how far he's willing to go to be by her side.

The story was told through alternating point of views, between Elias and Bray, but it was mostly told through Elias. This actually made the story more intriguing for me, as Bray's past was just as much a mystery to me as it was to Elias. This was definitely something that kept me coming back for more, as I couldn't wait to see what Bray was keeping hidden.

I really enjoyed this book and would definitely recommend it. Although it's loosely linked to The Edge of Always, there's no need to read them together, as this is a completely separate story.
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This is a hard one for me to rate. There were things I enjoyed and things I could have gone without. I seen so many negative reviews, so I almost unhauled it, but I am happy that I read first.

This deals with so many different triggers. If you do not like hard hitting contemporaries, you will not like this. It involves love, mental health, drugs, and suicide. Bray and Elias deal with so many things as you read about their story. They never catch a break from the very beginning. I will say, this took some turns that I was not expecting.

Overall, this was ok. ( )

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Whilst I do love J.A Redmerski's book, I did find this one very hard together into. It didn't seem to pull me in like her other books did. I felt that that it did confuse you a bit in the beginning when it started off 17 years ago and then jump to 5 years ago.

I just really couldn't settle into this book ( )

ARC provided by publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Whilst I do love J.A Redmerski's book, I did find this one very hard together into. It didn't seem to pull me in like her other books did. I felt that that it did confuse you a bit in the beginning when it started off 17 years ago and then jump to 5 years ago.

I just really couldn't settle into this book ( )