David
So casual. So nonchalant. You’d think we were only acquaintances, that we’d once sipped a couple of beers together instead of tattooing love on our skin and reciting marriage vows. I read the e-mail again and analyze the shit out of it. How can I not? I count out the words: thirteen. The punctuation: four. His name, my name. A flippant, casual turn of phrase: catch up. In the end, there’s only so much psychoanalyzing you can do to a thirteen-word e-mail. I move on with my life, feeling rather pathetic. But not before I e-mail him back. And okay, sure, I don’t move on with my life. What does that even entail? Forgetting? Forgiving? Being happy? Besides, I know what he wants to talk about. I know why he’s coming.
Hi David,
Yeah, sounds good. Let me know when and where.
Yara
My e-mail is a word shorter.
I’m that petty.

Tarryn was born and raised in Johannesburg, South Africa. She immigrated to America with her parents when she was thirteen, and spent the next eighteen years in South Florida where she earned her degree in Psychology, wrote her first novel, and had two children. In 2012, on a whim, she moved her family to Seattle, Washington where she currently makes her home safely away from the sun. Tarryn is the founder of Guise of the Villain, a fashion blog, and has written eleven published novels.

MY REVIEW

Conflicted about this one

Every time I don't love a Tarryn Fisher book I feel guilty, I must say. At first I thought of not leaving a review, but this is what I do for a hobby, I blog, and therefore I can't not be honest about it. I'm a PLN and that's why I feel guilty. I love Tarryn and her books, she's one of my favorite authors ever and will always continue to read her books with the same enthusiasm. I'll always get excited when we're announced a new TF is coming out, I'm sure of that.

Now to the point: I liked this book as the personal journey of inner growth that Tarryn did herself, I actually love it in that sense. But I didn't love it as literature itself. I believe I like Tarryn's writing more when she's writing darker stories. Mud Vein and Marrow are still on the top for me. I love the writing style of those ones. Mud Vein is, for me, the better written, most poetical book of hers. And Marrow has a pace so accurately written I could cry. Just perfect. I can't say the same about AWNAP. It came out as a bit informal and not during the times that it needed to be informal given the characters points of view, but during the rest of the narration and I usually enjoy a poetical language a bit more. There were, either how, some passages and phrases that I completely love! I secondly couldn't connect with so many inner monologues going on. I believe more in show rather than tell and I know that she does as well, so this confused me as well.

Regarding the characters, I have to say that I had a hard time connecting with them, I believe I did it almost at the end, but it was too late for me to fall head over heels for them. It's not that I didn't like their flaws (they were really flawed characters and I was totally okay with that, we're humans, right? Keep it real), but I just couldn't personally connect enough to fall in love with them. I did felt sad about them many times, but as they wrote their paths, not so much. However, I did love and fangirled about the ending and the previous parts that lead to that. I think that part three was my favourite from the book. I believe Yara getting a grip of her life was a breath of fresh air. Let's say I was kind of mad at her during the other parts of the book because, just as her friend said to her, I always believed she was putting excuses not to take responsibility for her existence and grew the ovaries to go after what she wanted. So I did enjoy her development. I liked David sometimes, didn't agree with him some others. I disliked Petra at first, until I started disliking David instead. I maybe liked Ferdinand more than the others even when we didn't get to know a lot about him.

Regarding the plot I do remember we were told it was going to be TO styled, and I liked it even though I couldn't quite connect with the characters for a long part of the book. Either how the third part of it made the book worthy for me.

Finally, though I'm on the minority with this book, I have to say that I do know why everyone loves this, many people needed a story like this as a wake up call and I'm glad they're feeling healed by it. The amazing thing about Tarryn is what she causes with her writing and though she didn't do it for me this time she did it for lots. So I did like the background of the story and the message it left.

I'll leave you here with my favourite quotes now:

° I'm in love with cities, all of them. Each one had their own thing going on, a unique spice they add to the world, but they all had one thing in common: energy.

° Beauty was deceiving in the same way credit cards were.

° Relentless. There's something about a relentless man. You couldn't ignore them. If they asked long enough, eventually they wore you down. Women looked for that, persistent interest. An investor. We were, in ourselves, an entire universe.

° That was the thing about artists, they didn't often think of you. Their energy had a narrow focus, a spotlight on their art... their insecurities... the unfairness of the world.

° How often do we lie to ourselves and say we don't care about something when we do?

° There's no moving on when you're truly in love. You try and you keep trying, but that love is a stain in your life. It's just not that easy.

° It's the simple things that tell the most about our complexities.

° Someone should take you as you are, not have and agenda for how they want to change you.

° David was hesitant to talk about himself, he preferred to listen. To me, that was the mark of a true artist -someone who gathered instead of took.

° Men had a thing for female vulnerability. They wanted to be their hero.

° You can't just threaten kids with their futures when they don't understand the gravity of time.

° The spectrums of pain were meant to be felt and they were beautiful in their own way because they caused change.

° When you set out to find someone, you don't stop until you do. And then you have to deal with what you find.

° Love was a leap of faith, and love was just a word until someone gave it definition.

° It's not true what they say, that you can only give your heart away once. That's the philosophy of the young. The old know better, they know it's not your heart that you give away, but the mind. The mind is a powerful thing. It controls the heart but most people don't know that.

° It's okay to be you Yara, she says. The people who love you will work with your shortcomings, not against them.

° - Tell me, David Lisey, what's the meaning of love?- It's when you can't get someone out. They crawl inside you and they just live there for the rest of your life.

° When you're unhealthy, healthy things are frightening.

° You don't forgive because they deserve it. Most of the time they don't. You forgive to keep your heart soft. To move forward without bitterness. Forgiveness is for you.

° Even to your old age and grey hairs I am he, I am he who will sustain you. I have loved you and I will carry you; I will sustain you and I will rescue you.

I would definitely recommend this book to someone who's in need of a soul lifting story about love. If you're in a place were you're afraid of love, or holding old resentments, then this is for you.

As I've said before, I can't wait for Tarryn's next work no matter what, her words are my spirit animal.

Lately I've been reading more and more that writers, actors, singers, and any celebrity shouldn't have an opinion over anything that's not what they do for a living and if they do they're being harassed over social media and told that they should shut their mouths and mind their own business (write/act/sing/etc). This, beyond being rude, seems terribly ridiculous to me. Why's that? Well, as a start, we're all citizens with rights and that some of those citizens are famous for their jobs doesn't end their right to freely express their opinions and act towards their ideals or beliefs. We all have that right, it's called freedom of expression and it's been a while since it was entitled to everyone and not just a few. We don't get to decide who can speak and what they can speak about. If what they're saying, for whatever reason, makes you uncomfortable, just skip it, maybe read something else in that moment and come back to them whenever they say something that may interest you. You don't have to agree a hundred percent with someone to like them, you wouldn't have a family or friends if not, but you also can't shut them. It's disrespectful. Imagine that someone comes and says 'Hey, you're housewife/chef/teacher/seller, just do your job and don't talk about anything else because I say so'. Well, people would start to have very little conversation with their neighbours, coworkers and even friends. Groups would be formed depending on what you work and you would ONLY talk about that. Imagine, if you already don't like to go to work EVERYDAY, how it'd be to have to JUST have to speak about it 24/7 for the rest of your life. It doesn't sound very enticing, huh?

So be it, we're all people with the same rights and bla bla bla, I think you got me, but let's go beyond that. Let's ask ourselves, if those who have a voice that can be heard over the noise don't speak up, if those who can help the ones whose voices aren't being heard don't do it, if those who are in the place to shake things up don't shake them, then who? Then why? Why have a voice if you won't use it? Why have the power to give it to someone else? Why can you help but you don't? Everyone is entitled to choose their battles and if you don't like the battles they choose, just let them anyhow. If you're so sure that what they're saying is wrong then you should also be sure that they will go unheard. But if you, only for a second, tremble upon it and think they must be silenced, then maybe there's something in you that may be fearing they're right about whatever they're deciding to speak about...

Anything you can do

It’s been a decade since I’ve seen him, but our years on opposite coasts were less of a lasting peace and more of a temporary cease-fire. Now that we’re both back in our small town, I know Lucas expects the same old war, but I’ve changed since high school—and from the looks of it, so has he.

The arrogant boy who was my teenage rival is now a chiseled doctor armed with intimidating good looks. He is Lucas Thatcher 2.0, the new and improved version I’ll be competing with in the workplace instead of the schoolyard.

I’m not worried; I’m a doctor now too, board-certified and sexy in a white coat. It almost feels like winning will be too easy—until Lucas unveils a tactic neither of us has ever used before: sexual warfare.

The day he pushes me up against the wall and presses his lips to mine, I can’t help but wonder if he’s filling me with passion or poison. Every fleeting touch is perfect torture. With every stolen kiss, my walls crumble a little more. After all this time, Lucas knows exactly how to strip me of my defenses, but I’m in no hurry to surrender.

Knowing thy enemy has never felt so good.

I am a lover of books, chocolate, reality TV, black labs, and cold weather. Seriously, if I had it my way I would be curled up on the couch with all of those things… everyday.

I live in Texas where I spend my free time writing and reading. My favorite authors are Mindy Kaling & Jonathan Safran Foer. I’m a comedy geek and love all things “funny”. Women like Tina Fey, Amy Poehler, and Mindy Kaling are definitely the biggest inspirations for my writing, though I think my work tends to skew a bit smuttier than theirs.

REVIEW

R.S Grey's words were, once again, addictive

I'm a sucker for Grey's stories, they instantly draw me in and this was no different. It was fun, well written and the pace of the story is fast. I read this in a day and didn't want to put it down.

"Friction implies contact. What we have is magnetic repulsion."

Daisy, though she may seem childish, is a sassy, a bit crazy, and hilarious woman. She reminds me of R.S. Grey's previous heroine, Georgie, who is my favourite from hers. I did enjoy her thinking and she got me laughing plenty times.

This book speaks about subjects that matter, it's a story about self acceptance and self love. It is about overcoming your past and taking the leap for your future.Jessica is a young woman who is diagnosed as obese and with diabetic conditions. With ghosts from her past hunting her, she always seeked comfort in food. When she finally decides to start making choices to improve her life, and she moves to Santa Barbara, she meets Mikey, a hot veterinarian who sees her, really sees her, and won't stop until he gets the answer he wants from her. But Mikey also has a past to hide. Will they be able to heal?The premise of the story was hooking, the characters were interesting, but unfortunately, and I feel really bad about it, I couldn't quite connect with it as pretty much everyone else did. I particulary am more fond of action than inner monologue and I think that's what maybe didn't do it for me. I like being showed what happens more than I like being told, I connect more that way.Anyhow I still love Leslie's stories and I was really happy to see her other couples make an appearance in this book! It was fun to read.I will continue to read her stories and follow her advice to take the leap!*I voluntarily reviewed an Advance's Readers Copy of this book*

This book is the third and final (?) installment of the Hidden Scars series and CAN'T BE READ AS AN STANDALONE unless you want to spoil yourself the plot of the previous books as happened to me.

I'm having trouble to write this review because I thought I'd love this story but I didn't. The premise was good but the development didn't live up to it, at least not for me.

BLURB

Fate.

I’ve been running from it most of my life – doing everything I can to avoid the future it had dictated for me. If I had learned one thing from the hell I went through as a child, it was that I never wanted to go back. Until I ran into someone who was running from her destiny just as hard as I was.

And it just so happens that she’s one of my best friends.

One night, emboldened by alcohol, she does something that has me questioning everything and it doesn’t take me long to realize that maybe instead of running away from something, I’ve been racing to her all along. But there is fear in her eyes and I know that her fate won’t be so easily shaken.

Will I ever be able to work past her fear to show her everything we could be? Or am I destined for the same kind of desolate life I’ve been fleeing from since I was a kid?

I enjoyed the first 40% or so of the story, I like the building of the romance between Addy and Trey though I really couldn't stand the heroine. There was way too much inner dialogue from her telling that she was sad because she wanted something really hard that she could never have. The first three times was okay, but when it kept being mentioned through the whole story it got to be annoying. You can mention it once or twice at most, the reader will understand. I really found myself reading some paragraphs as fast as I could to *kind of* skip those repetitive statements.

Regarding the characters, Addy is really hard to empathise with, she's always complaining about her 'fate' without actually learning if her fears are sustained or not, and she pushes everyone she loves away for an illogical reason. Trey himself was much more enjoyable the first half of the book, but then started acting as an ass*ole, and even when it was understandable that he didn't know what to do with Addy because she wouldn't open to him, I didn't like at all that he kept justifying his behaviour by saying "You make me crazy, Addy". I mean, it sounds pretty messed up that you can't control yourself and blame the woman for 'making you crazy'. I'm sure he meant it in a 'romantic' way, but it ended up being disturbing.The secondary characters were more lovable than the heroes, for sure. Addy's friends were funny and loyal. And Trey's family is the sweetest and they're really supportive. I also fell in love with Addy's parents' story, I'd enjoy reading something from them.

In conclusion, this story was sweet for some moments, but the protagonists wasted so much time that we barely got to see their bright side together. I did enjoyed the beginning and the ending, but I rushed through the middle, not fancing it so much.