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Sometimes Moving on Means Moving In. Pixie Marshall wishes every day she could turn back time and fix the past. But she can't. And the damage is done. She's hoping that a summer of free room and board working with her aunt at the Willow Inn will help her forget. Except there's a problem: the resident handyman is none other than Levi Andrews. The handsome quarterback was once her friend-and maybe more-until everything changed in a life-shattering instant. She was hoping to avoid him, possibly show more forever. Now he's right down the hall and stirring up feelings Pixie thought she'd long buried . . . Levi can't believe he's living with the one person who holds all his painful memories. More than anything he wants to make things right, but a simple "sorry" won't suffice-not when the tragedy that scarred them was his fault. Levi knows Pixie's better off without him, but every part of him screams to touch her, protect her, wrap her in his arms, and kiss away the pain. Yet even though she's so close, Pixie's heart seems more unreachable than ever. Seeing those stunning green eyes again has made one thing perfectly clear-he can't live without her. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
This novel is exceptionally well written. Ms. Fine has managed to capture the awkward tension and discomfort between Levi and Sarah from almost the very first word. The main characters dance around each other until the reader is overwhelmed with the need to know what exactly drove these two apart. When the mystery is revealed, it is heart-rending. Rarely do I empathize with characters like I did with these two.
The writing style is to be praised. Ms. Fine uses first-person present narration so skillfully you hardly notice it. She manages to let her characters speak without falling into the easy trap of telling instead of showing. The end result is an artfully woven tale of love and loss and the healing that allows one to love again.
This show more book is the first in a series. I find myself eager to read the next installment. I expect it to be well worth the wait. show less
The writing style is to be praised. Ms. Fine uses first-person present narration so skillfully you hardly notice it. She manages to let her characters speak without falling into the easy trap of telling instead of showing. The end result is an artfully woven tale of love and loss and the healing that allows one to love again.
This show more book is the first in a series. I find myself eager to read the next installment. I expect it to be well worth the wait. show less
[Source: ARC provided courtesy of NetGalley.]
“Best Kind of Broken” is something like an emotional roller-coaster. The kind that starts off by hurtling you into the air at 75mph before throwing you through 360 degree loops. In this case, that means the first intro you get to the characters is when Sarah/”Pixie” is threatening to suffocate her next door neighbor, Levi, who is working on her aunt’s ranch for the summer. The two have a history together — one that is incredibly tormenting and which neither have properly come to terms with.
I found this to be an easy read, but also one that had me emotionally invested in its main characters. Pixie and Levi are incredibly broken, likely a result of their ineffective (read: show more nonexistent) ways of coping. The two were practically raised together – Levi’s wholesome family was a safe haven from Pixie’s emotionally traumatizing mother. While being together could ease their pain, simply being around each other is a constant, painful reminder of how good their lives used to be. Fine does a solid job of conveying the heaviness of their situation while also balancing it with some well-placed humor by way of the ranch’s guests and other employees. The cast of visitors at the ranch bring drama that rivals these two, but really serve to lighten the mood.
The book is actually told from 1st person perspective, alternating between Pixie and Levi. I thought this was an interesting take on what could have been a fairly standard romance. However, getting the honest insight from each character makes it more realistic. Rather than just having their actions narrated, Fine allows the reader to get into their heads a bit more — we see the questions, the fears, and the doubts that Pixie and Levi constantly grapple with.
This is definitely worth a read. It’s a well-written book with great pacing. Even when it has semi predictable moments, it still shows originality enough to keep the reader wanting to know what’s next. I definitely recommend it. show less
“Best Kind of Broken” is something like an emotional roller-coaster. The kind that starts off by hurtling you into the air at 75mph before throwing you through 360 degree loops. In this case, that means the first intro you get to the characters is when Sarah/”Pixie” is threatening to suffocate her next door neighbor, Levi, who is working on her aunt’s ranch for the summer. The two have a history together — one that is incredibly tormenting and which neither have properly come to terms with.
I found this to be an easy read, but also one that had me emotionally invested in its main characters. Pixie and Levi are incredibly broken, likely a result of their ineffective (read: show more nonexistent) ways of coping. The two were practically raised together – Levi’s wholesome family was a safe haven from Pixie’s emotionally traumatizing mother. While being together could ease their pain, simply being around each other is a constant, painful reminder of how good their lives used to be. Fine does a solid job of conveying the heaviness of their situation while also balancing it with some well-placed humor by way of the ranch’s guests and other employees. The cast of visitors at the ranch bring drama that rivals these two, but really serve to lighten the mood.
The book is actually told from 1st person perspective, alternating between Pixie and Levi. I thought this was an interesting take on what could have been a fairly standard romance. However, getting the honest insight from each character makes it more realistic. Rather than just having their actions narrated, Fine allows the reader to get into their heads a bit more — we see the questions, the fears, and the doubts that Pixie and Levi constantly grapple with.
This is definitely worth a read. It’s a well-written book with great pacing. Even when it has semi predictable moments, it still shows originality enough to keep the reader wanting to know what’s next. I definitely recommend it. show less
Welcome to Hotel Horny Women, home of scruffy cheese and sensual produce.
Sarah Marshall, otherwise known as Pixie, is at a difficult time in her life. Her best friend Charity was ripped away from her in a tragic car accident, and Charity's brother, Levi, won't give her the time of day anymore. They used to be such good friends. The Three Musketeers, they called themselves. Now Pixie and Levi haven't even spoken in almost a year. She's happy enough to be avoiding him. After all, she feels a lot of guilt for her involvement in the accident, and a lot of resentment at being abandoned. But as she starts her summer job at her aunt's bed and breakfast, she finds she'll be sleeping next door to handyman Levi - and they'll share a bathroom, so show more there's no avoiding him, either. He'd dropped off the face of the earth, and now she can't get away from him.
Best Kind of Broken is a very well-written novel. Chelsea Fine has a distinct voice, with a unique humor that was right up my alley. The first part of the book in particular has some great inner monologues from Pixie:
Surprise! You'll be sharing a sink, a shower, and a daily dose of weird sexual tension with him.
I liked all of the characters, and I liked that all the characters had their own distinct personalities. I liked Jenna, Pixie's friend, as the constant voice of reason throughout the novel. She was one of my favorite characters, and I found her advice to Pixie (below) very refreshing, especially for a NA novel, which are so often focused on sex:
Sex is not a requirement for a relationship. It's a perk. And if you don't want to get perky with Matt, then don't.
Overall, I really liked this novel, but I had to knock two stars off my rating - one for the sheer amount of angst (my number one pet peeve in a book is too much angst, and this book is bursting at the seams with it), and another for making us wait so long for the characters to finally be happy. I feel bad subtracting two stars since I did like it so much, so I'm going to call this a solid 3.5.
Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read a free copy of this novel. show less
'Denial is thick and sweet, and for the past year it filled up my lungs until they threatened to burst. But truth...truth is clean and pure. And yes, it hurts when I inhale it, it hurts to cleanse out the sweet smoke, but breathing it out is like new life.'
Plot
After Pixie Marshall's freshman year of college ended, so did her residency in the college dorms. In need of a job and a place to live, Pixie moves into her Aunt Ellen's Inn, where one of the job perks is free room and board.
However, she didn't realise that Ellen also offered the same job perks to Levi Andrew's, meaning that he lives just across the hall from Pixie, and they share a bathroom.
Levi is the resident handyman, but he's also a walking reminder of Pixie's happiest, and show more most painful, memories. There was a time when Pixie and Levi were inseparable, and their strong friendship was on the brink of becoming something more. Until one night when everything turned to hell.
Pixie just wanted to avoid Levi and forget about him, but as they still carry feelings for each other, avoiding Levi soon becomes more difficult than Pixie originally thought.
My Thoughts
I recieved a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, via NetGalley. This book has been on my Kindle for a few months, along with tons of other books that I haven't got around to reading yet. One day while scrolling through my many unread books, I decided to read this and I'm glad that I did.
My first thoughts were that Levi and Pixie had gone through a bad breakup and that this caused the bad feeling between them. However, as I got further into the book, it was clear that there was so much more going on. I won't go into further details about the cause of Levi and Pixie's heartbreak, as it will ruin the story if you haven't read it yet.
I really enjoyed the tension between Levi and Pixie, as it was clear from the start that they still had feelings for each other, and it was really only a matter of time before they acted on them. When they finally did give in temptation, it was like a dam had burst and all of their guilt over past events came flooding out.
I would definitely recommend this book if you're looking to read a Romance laced with true heartbreak and sadness, and with two main characters that find a way to overcome tragedy and forgive each other, as well as themselves. show less
After Pixie Marshall's freshman year of college ended, so did her residency in the college dorms. In need of a job and a place to live, Pixie moves into her Aunt Ellen's Inn, where one of the job perks is free room and board.
However, she didn't realise that Ellen also offered the same job perks to Levi Andrew's, meaning that he lives just across the hall from Pixie, and they share a bathroom.
Levi is the resident handyman, but he's also a walking reminder of Pixie's happiest, and
Pixie just wanted to avoid Levi and forget about him, but as they still carry feelings for each other, avoiding Levi soon becomes more difficult than Pixie originally thought.
My Thoughts
I recieved a free copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review, via NetGalley. This book has been on my Kindle for a few months, along with tons of other books that I haven't got around to reading yet. One day while scrolling through my many unread books, I decided to read this and I'm glad that I did.
My first thoughts were that Levi and Pixie had gone through a bad breakup and that this caused the bad feeling between them. However, as I got further into the book, it was clear that there was so much more going on. I won't go into further details about the cause of Levi and Pixie's heartbreak, as it will ruin the story if you haven't read it yet.
I really enjoyed the tension between Levi and Pixie, as it was clear from the start that they still had feelings for each other, and it was really only a matter of time before they acted on them. When they finally did give in temptation, it was like a dam had burst and all of their guilt over past events came flooding out.
I would definitely recommend this book if you're looking to read a Romance laced with true heartbreak and sadness, and with two main characters that find a way to overcome tragedy and forgive each other, as well as themselves. show less
***Copy provided from the author and publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***
There's no such thing as too broken. Anything can heal.
Pixie and Levi's story came out of no where for me. I knew something big had happened, but what it was hurts more than I expected.
Pixie is out for summer break and moves into her aunts in as a prep cook.As a perk she gets to stay at the inn for free. This is pretty perfect except for the fact that her aunt forgot to mention that Levi also works at then inn, and is staying in the same wing as her. Alone. Sharing a bathroom. They haven't spoken or seen each other in almost a year.
I knew from the beginning that tragedy forced these two apart, I mean the synopsis says that much. I didn't show more however expect it to be what it was. And when it came out, it made my heart ache for them both. Instantly I was able to feel and relate to every feeling they both were having. I could understand the anger and hurt towards each other. The guilt and heartbreak. Watching these two work through their shared tragic past and find each other was beautiful and heart-wrenching.
Denial is thick and sweet, and for the past year it filled my lungs until they threatened to burst. But truth...truth is clean and pure. And yes, it hurts when I inhale it, it hurts to cleanse out the sweet smoke, but breathing out is like new life.
Even though this book has obvious sadness, it also had me laughing. The way these two do communicate to avoid actual communication never failed to make me smile. Not to mention their friends also brought some laughs.
Beautiful story about finding yourself again after tragedy strikes, and about the importance of friendship and love.
When you bring something back from the brink of death, it fights harder to thrive. show less
There's no such thing as too broken. Anything can heal.
Pixie and Levi's story came out of no where for me. I knew something big had happened, but what it was hurts more than I expected.
Pixie is out for summer break and moves into her aunts in as a prep cook.As a perk she gets to stay at the inn for free. This is pretty perfect except for the fact that her aunt forgot to mention that Levi also works at then inn, and is staying in the same wing as her. Alone. Sharing a bathroom. They haven't spoken or seen each other in almost a year.
I knew from the beginning that tragedy forced these two apart, I mean the synopsis says that much. I didn't show more however expect it to be what it was. And when it came out, it made my heart ache for them both. Instantly I was able to feel and relate to every feeling they both were having. I could understand the anger and hurt towards each other. The guilt and heartbreak. Watching these two work through their shared tragic past and find each other was beautiful and heart-wrenching.
Denial is thick and sweet, and for the past year it filled my lungs until they threatened to burst. But truth...truth is clean and pure. And yes, it hurts when I inhale it, it hurts to cleanse out the sweet smoke, but breathing out is like new life.
Even though this book has obvious sadness, it also had me laughing. The way these two do communicate to avoid actual communication never failed to make me smile. Not to mention their friends also brought some laughs.
Beautiful story about finding yourself again after tragedy strikes, and about the importance of friendship and love.
When you bring something back from the brink of death, it fights harder to thrive. show less
***Copy provided from the author and publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review***
There's no such thing as too broken. Anything can heal.
Pixie and Levi's story came out of no where for me. I knew something big had happened, but what it was hurts more than I expected.
Pixie is out for summer break and moves into her aunts in as a prep cook.As a perk she gets to stay at the inn for free. This is pretty perfect except for the fact that her aunt forgot to mention that Levi also works at then inn, and is staying in the same wing as her. Alone. Sharing a bathroom. They haven't spoken or seen each other in almost a year.
I knew from the beginning that tragedy forced these two apart, I mean the synopsis says that much. I didn't show more however expect it to be what it was. And when it came out, it made my heart ache for them both. Instantly I was able to feel and relate to every feeling they both were having. I could understand the anger and hurt towards each other. The guilt and heartbreak. Watching these two work through their shared tragic past and find each other was beautiful and heart-wrenching.
Denial is thick and sweet, and for the past year it filled my lungs until they threatened to burst. But truth...truth is clean and pure. And yes, it hurts when I inhale it, it hurts to cleanse out the sweet smoke, but breathing out is like new life.
Even though this book has obvious sadness, it also had me laughing. The way these two do communicate to avoid actual communication never failed to make me smile. Not to mention their friends also brought some laughs.
Beautiful story about finding yourself again after tragedy strikes, and about the importance of friendship and love.
When you bring something back from the brink of death, it fights harder to thrive. show less
There's no such thing as too broken. Anything can heal.
Pixie and Levi's story came out of no where for me. I knew something big had happened, but what it was hurts more than I expected.
Pixie is out for summer break and moves into her aunts in as a prep cook.As a perk she gets to stay at the inn for free. This is pretty perfect except for the fact that her aunt forgot to mention that Levi also works at then inn, and is staying in the same wing as her. Alone. Sharing a bathroom. They haven't spoken or seen each other in almost a year.
I knew from the beginning that tragedy forced these two apart, I mean the synopsis says that much. I didn't show more however expect it to be what it was. And when it came out, it made my heart ache for them both. Instantly I was able to feel and relate to every feeling they both were having. I could understand the anger and hurt towards each other. The guilt and heartbreak. Watching these two work through their shared tragic past and find each other was beautiful and heart-wrenching.
Denial is thick and sweet, and for the past year it filled my lungs until they threatened to burst. But truth...truth is clean and pure. And yes, it hurts when I inhale it, it hurts to cleanse out the sweet smoke, but breathing out is like new life.
Even though this book has obvious sadness, it also had me laughing. The way these two do communicate to avoid actual communication never failed to make me smile. Not to mention their friends also brought some laughs.
Beautiful story about finding yourself again after tragedy strikes, and about the importance of friendship and love.
When you bring something back from the brink of death, it fights harder to thrive. show less
Review courtesy of Dark Faerie Tales
Quick & Dirty: Adorable book full of humor, sexy times, and healing. Even though the plotline isn’t way original, I still loved every minute of this book and would highly recommend it to all new adult fans.
Opening Sentence: If my bastard neighbor uses all the hot water again, I will suffocate him in his sleep.
The Review:
Sarah Marshall or better known as Pixie, has had a rough year. She just finished her first year of college and there is no way she is going to go home to live with her awful mother. Her only other option is to go work and live at the inn that her aunt runs. Pixie loves her aunt so she is excited to spend the summer with her, but once she moves in she finds out that her neighbor is show more Levi. They were childhood friends and possibly more but they haven’t spoken since the accident. It was almost a year ago and neither of them have ever been the same since. Pixie was hoping to avoid Levi possibly forever, but now he is back in her life and old feelings start to surface that she thought she had let go long ago.
Levi just wants to hide from the pain and what better way to do that then to work as a handy man at an inn in the middle of nowhere. Then the one girl that can remind him of every painful memory moves down the hall. He doesn’t know how to make things right after what he did. Levi knows that Pixie is much better off without him, but his heart and his head want very different things. Seeing her again has made one thing very clear, he doesn’t want a life without her in it.
I thought that Pixie was just as cute as her name suggests. She has a feisty attitude, at least when it comes to Levi. They spend most of the summer tormenting each other to try and avoid awkward moments. But Pixie also has a very vulnerable side that she tries to hide from others. After the accident she was afraid to let anyone in because she didn’t think she could deal with losing anyone else she loves. I really enjoyed getting to be inside Pixie’s head and watching her heal made her very easy to connect with.
Levi was just drop dead sexy. He basically had me from hello and my adoration for him just grew throughout the book. His life has completely fallen apart in the last year and the only person to blame for it is himself. After what happened, he didn’t know how to move on. He pulled away from everything and everyone he loved because of the guilt he felt. Being inside Levi’s head was entertaining and I honestly thought he was so dreamy. He is a very sweet guy and even though he can be a tease, he is a very good person.
This was just an adorable book full of grief, love, and forgiveness. It wasn’t very unique and honestly this type of story has been told hundreds of times, but that didn’t stop me from completely loving every minute of it. The dynamic relationship between Levi and Pixie was so entertaining. I found myself laughing so much at how they liked to torture each other. They also had lots of delicious sexual tension between them and I just loved their story. I have always been a sucker for the type of romance where long time best friends become something more, so this was just perfect for me. I really enjoyed Fine’s writing style, it flowed wonderfully and kept me very amused for a few hours. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. It is going to be a secondary character story and there was a great set up that left me very intrigued! I would highly recommend this story to anyone that likes romantic new adult books with a lot of humor.
Notable Scene:
I turn the burner down another notch and take a slow, deep breath. I have a boyfriend. A great boyfriend. So this sexual frustration I feel around Levi is nothing to get my bee-loving panties in a bunch about. I just need to calm down.
Levi lowers his arm for a moment, his eyes still on the alarm, and stretches his neck.
Ah, the neck stretch, the universal sign of stress. Well, at least I’m not alone in my frustration. My hot, distracting pants-are-so-inconvenient frustration.
Wait, what?
Who said anything about pants? I am NOT thinking about pants—or lack thereof. Damn you, bell peppers!
I toss the wooden spoon to the side and move back to the counter, where the threat of being turned on by a handyman or, you know, a sautéed vegetable is much less severe.
I stare at the scruffy quiche and bite back a groan. What was I thinking, living under the dame roof as Levi? There’s no way I’ll survive the summer. Hell I can barely survive breakfast.
FTC Advisory: Forever/Hachette Book Group provided me with a copy of Best Kind of Broken. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less
Quick & Dirty: Adorable book full of humor, sexy times, and healing. Even though the plotline isn’t way original, I still loved every minute of this book and would highly recommend it to all new adult fans.
Opening Sentence: If my bastard neighbor uses all the hot water again, I will suffocate him in his sleep.
The Review:
Sarah Marshall or better known as Pixie, has had a rough year. She just finished her first year of college and there is no way she is going to go home to live with her awful mother. Her only other option is to go work and live at the inn that her aunt runs. Pixie loves her aunt so she is excited to spend the summer with her, but once she moves in she finds out that her neighbor is show more Levi. They were childhood friends and possibly more but they haven’t spoken since the accident. It was almost a year ago and neither of them have ever been the same since. Pixie was hoping to avoid Levi possibly forever, but now he is back in her life and old feelings start to surface that she thought she had let go long ago.
Levi just wants to hide from the pain and what better way to do that then to work as a handy man at an inn in the middle of nowhere. Then the one girl that can remind him of every painful memory moves down the hall. He doesn’t know how to make things right after what he did. Levi knows that Pixie is much better off without him, but his heart and his head want very different things. Seeing her again has made one thing very clear, he doesn’t want a life without her in it.
I thought that Pixie was just as cute as her name suggests. She has a feisty attitude, at least when it comes to Levi. They spend most of the summer tormenting each other to try and avoid awkward moments. But Pixie also has a very vulnerable side that she tries to hide from others. After the accident she was afraid to let anyone in because she didn’t think she could deal with losing anyone else she loves. I really enjoyed getting to be inside Pixie’s head and watching her heal made her very easy to connect with.
Levi was just drop dead sexy. He basically had me from hello and my adoration for him just grew throughout the book. His life has completely fallen apart in the last year and the only person to blame for it is himself. After what happened, he didn’t know how to move on. He pulled away from everything and everyone he loved because of the guilt he felt. Being inside Levi’s head was entertaining and I honestly thought he was so dreamy. He is a very sweet guy and even though he can be a tease, he is a very good person.
This was just an adorable book full of grief, love, and forgiveness. It wasn’t very unique and honestly this type of story has been told hundreds of times, but that didn’t stop me from completely loving every minute of it. The dynamic relationship between Levi and Pixie was so entertaining. I found myself laughing so much at how they liked to torture each other. They also had lots of delicious sexual tension between them and I just loved their story. I have always been a sucker for the type of romance where long time best friends become something more, so this was just perfect for me. I really enjoyed Fine’s writing style, it flowed wonderfully and kept me very amused for a few hours. I can’t wait for the next book in the series. It is going to be a secondary character story and there was a great set up that left me very intrigued! I would highly recommend this story to anyone that likes romantic new adult books with a lot of humor.
Notable Scene:
I turn the burner down another notch and take a slow, deep breath. I have a boyfriend. A great boyfriend. So this sexual frustration I feel around Levi is nothing to get my bee-loving panties in a bunch about. I just need to calm down.
Levi lowers his arm for a moment, his eyes still on the alarm, and stretches his neck.
Ah, the neck stretch, the universal sign of stress. Well, at least I’m not alone in my frustration. My hot, distracting pants-are-so-inconvenient frustration.
Wait, what?
Who said anything about pants? I am NOT thinking about pants—or lack thereof. Damn you, bell peppers!
I toss the wooden spoon to the side and move back to the counter, where the threat of being turned on by a handyman or, you know, a sautéed vegetable is much less severe.
I stare at the scruffy quiche and bite back a groan. What was I thinking, living under the dame roof as Levi? There’s no way I’ll survive the summer. Hell I can barely survive breakfast.
FTC Advisory: Forever/Hachette Book Group provided me with a copy of Best Kind of Broken. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review. show less
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Chelsea Fine is a LibraryThing Author, an author who lists their personal library on LibraryThing.
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- Reviews
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