ARC, 354 pagesRelease Date: June 13, 2017Published by: Henry Holt & Co.
Read from: June 11-17, 2017Stand-aloneSource: TxLA 2017For fans of: Romance, Realistic Fiction, Contemporary, Dark, New Adult, Sparkly Covers, DEAR
Grace wants out. Out of her house, where her stepfather wields fear like a weapon and her mother makes her scrub imaginary dirt off the floors. Out of her California town, too small to contain her big city dreams. Out of her life, and into the role of Parisian artist, New York director—anything but scared and alone.
Enter Gavin: charming, talented, adored. Controlling. Dangerous. When Grace and Gavin fall in love, Grace is sure it's too good to be true. She has no idea their relationship will become a prison she's unable to escape.
Deeply affecting and unflinchingly honest, this is a story about spiraling into darkness—and emerging into the light again.
*MY THOUGHTS*
I've been a fan of
Demetrios' work ever since her very first novel. I've loved what's she's done
ever since, and this one is no different. Although it's so much darker than her
normal, it's still amazing!
"A stenciled quote covers the wall above the bed. I wish I'd paid more attention to it. Love is patient. Love is kind. [...]"pg. 114
Grace has an
unbelievably hard life. At home, she deals with a giant of a stepfather and a
mother who refuses to accept her demons. Then comes Gavin, the boy who she's
always adored. When he finally notices her, she can't believe her luck. Until
she realizes the idea of him was much better than the reality of him.
"I gave you my heart on a silber fucking platter and you ate it, piece by bloody piece."pg. 124
I started this
book on my cruise and I was NOT expecting to finish it while on my cruise. It
was just that good. As soon as I started it, I couldn't put it down. I hate
this cliché (because no one should be that nosey and not get help) but it was
like watching a train crash and not wanting to look away. It was such a
terrible story, but Demetrios wrote it in a way that I couldn't put it down. I
wanted to jump into the story and try to help Grace because I couldn't stand
watching this happen to her.
"When you're a stupid girl in love, it's almost impossible to see the red flags. It's so easy to pretend they're not there, to pretend that everything is perfect."pg. 177
Speaking of
Grace, I hated that I loved the main characters. It's just the way that
Demetrios wrote them. Grace was too sweet and understanding and Gavin was such
a perfect POS. Then there was her mom and her stepfather who I really disliked.
They did nothing to help her situation. And then there was her best friends,
Nat and Lys. They were amazingly sweet and understanding and I'm super glad
Grace had them in her corner.
"For a little while, we are infinite."pg. 203
This has climbed
to the top of my favorite books by Demetrios. The story was so realistic, but
it was so hard to read. There were times when I had to close the book just to
write a super long passage in my notebook about the story. It's such an
important topic and I'm very glad that someone wrote about it. Few people like
to admit that abuse can happen in teen relationships.
"[...] I'm starting to realize that we all wear strange armor to get through the day. Mine is denial."pg. 239
And as always,
Demetrios' writing style pulled me into the story and wouldn't let me go until
I was finished. I loved how she used second person in some places, it made it
stand out more because she seemed to be looking back on what happened. It gave
me hope for the ending.
"Get your shit together because I swear to fucking God I will end us."pg. 266
Overall, I give this
Did you read this? What did you think of it?
What did you think of the topic?