Caitlyn was in love with her foster brother, Heath, and it took years for her to recover. When he reappears, all her feelings for him resurface.

FROM AMAZON: I fell passionately in love with my foster brother, Heath, before he left without a word and broke my naïve heart. I’ve reinvented myself, put the past totally behind me.

I’m no longer Cat, the wild child running free on an island off the coast of Maine. I’m Caitlyn, with the perfect boyfriend, and the perfect life, all based on pretty little lies.

But then brooding Heath appears out of nowhere, honorably discharged from the Marines, the night I get engaged. He is determined to win me back, and I have to resist him. I have to, or all my secrets will be exposed.

When one love allows me to breathe, and the other feels as essential to my life as air, how do I choose between them…

1.5 stars (writing was readable)

Holy freaking buckets of New Adult shit. The DRAMA, the MELODRAMA, the POSSESSIVENESS, the ANGST, the first person pov from only heroine, just the absolute (personal taste) please go away recent fad of horrible tropes that we don't want younger women/girls to read, y'all.

I read the whole thing (some fast time skimming) but I hope no younger girls do because this is absolutely NOT how relationships should go between couples. ( )

3.75 stars
I am having a difficult time with this review. I liked this book, for the most part. However, I did not like any of the characters. That doesn't seem possible, but it is. The book is well written, a little cheesy at times, but well written nonetheless.

Cat. I really, really did not like her. I couldn't connect with her. I felt no sympathy for her. She brought on her heartache.

Heath. Couldn't stand him. I can't understand how a character can be so in love with someone but have no heart. He was more of a stalker with an obsession than a man returning home from war to find the woman he loves.

Ethan. I liked him for a quick minute, but he took a turn quickly. I get why his character turned, but a complete 180?

All in all, the characters are all selfish and uncaring. It didn't make for a particularly easy read. There are usually characters you like and don't like. This is a first where I didn't like one single character.

To be honest, I was hoping for everyone to be single at the end of this book. I really didn't want to see a happy ending for this story. The best thing these characters could do is walk away from one another; go in separate directions; live separate lives.

So now you are wondering, if I didn't like the characters, how was this book written well? Well, in my eyes, it takes a lot of talent to create a cast of characters that someone would universally dislike. But, seriously, it is a well-written book. Like I said, it's a little cheesy here and there, but it works for the characters and their immaturity. ( )

Cat's family took in a lot of foster kids when she was growing up. Most rotated out after a short stay, but Heath was different. He spent a long time with them. Long enough to develop a strong bond with Cat. Long enough for them to fall in love. Long enough to break her heart when he unexpectedly disappeared.

Now in college, Cat is happily dating fraternity president and future lawyer Ethan. She's best friends with his sister. She adores his parents. He's the opposite of everything she had with Heath, and that's the way she likes it. But then Heath reappears, determined to be with her again. Memories she'd tried so hard to forget come crashing back, and the life she's so carefully constructed for herself comes crumbling down.

Ok, so here's the thing. This book didn't start off terrible. It was a solid three stars until Heath showed up. (Unfortunately, he shows up fairly early in the book.) Then it just spiraled into the darkness, getting worse and more inconceivable with every passing page.

I mean, just look at the basis of the plot: Cat's family takes in boatloads of foster kids for the government checks. Her father was a lobster fisherman, forced to stop working after losing a hand in an accident. Her mother is mentally ill, unable to care for herself or her own children. Yet somehow this couple was approved to host dozens of foster child over the years. I thought this was a process? I thought there were perfectly qualified families just waiting for approval? This should have been my first red flag.

I carried on, though, because evidently I like torturing myself.

"Ethan is so great," Cat constantly reminds us. "He's so perfect and kind and gentle and stable. I love him so much." Cat, let me tell you something. Ethan is not perfect. He is gross and manipulative. He is only kind to you when you fit his idea of a perfect girlfriend.

As soon as Heath shows up, Ethan throws temper tantrum after temper tantrum. Upon being introduced to Heath, Ethan immediately asks Cat if she's slept with him. Because yes, that is a very appropriate question to ask about one's foster brother. He goes away for a "boy's weekend," making questionable decisions, but he's not to blame. Cat is. For daring to have an ex. I don't think anything I could tell you about this book would be considered a spoiler, since everything is so predictable, but I'll save you the headache and just stop with my criticism of Ethan here.

And, I'm sorry, but can we just talk about the absolutely toxic relationship between Cat and Heath? Remember, he left her immediately after taking her virginity. They were just teenagers, and he left. Never to be heard from again, until he shows up out of nowhere four years later, demanding to be let back into her life. Angry beyond belief that she dared to move on and fall in love with someone else. Cat strings him along, asking him to fight for her even though she's dating someone else. She then has the audacity to be offended when she realizes that (a) Heath hasn't been a celibate monk in the four years since he left, and (b) Ethan will move on after their inevitable breakup as well. And what is with Cat's violence toward Heath? She's always hitting him, slapping him, throwing things at him, and he doesn't even care. That's not love. Nothing in this book is. Everything is just toxic.

This book, the characters, the drama, the relationships, all of it felt incredibly contrived and forced and over the top. I had previously heard good things about Eric McCarthy, but I'm not going to be seeking out more of her books any time soon. I'm glad that I got this one for free on Amazon. ( )

3.75 stars
I am having a difficult time with this review. I liked this book, for the most part. However, I did not like any of the characters. That doesn't seem possible, but it is. The book is well written, a little cheesy at times, but well written nonetheless.

Cat. I really, really did not like her. I couldn't connect with her. I felt no sympathy for her. She brought on her heartache.

Heath. Couldn't stand him. I can't understand how a character can be so in love with someone but have no heart. He was more of a stalker with an obsession than a man returning home from war to find the woman he loves.

Ethan. I liked him for a quick minute, but he took a turn quickly. I get why his character turned, but a complete 180?

All in all, the characters are all selfish and uncaring. It didn't make for a particularly easy read. There are usually characters you like and don't like. This is a first where I didn't like one single character.

To be honest, I was hoping for everyone to be single at the end of this book. I really didn't want to see a happy ending for this story. The best thing these characters could do is walk away from one another; go in separate directions; live separate lives.

So now you are wondering, if I didn't like the characters, how was this book written well? Well, in my eyes, it takes a lot of talent to create a cast of characters that someone would universally dislike. But, seriously, it is a well-written book. Like I said, it's a little cheesy here and there, but it works for the characters and their immaturity. ( )