Sad this is my least favourite AHB book - and I'm obsessed with her writing - I just wished for more in this book, it was highly family focused/what happens to a family that's being torn apart - it felt very romeo and juliet which is ironic given some of the quotes/discussions in the book - but I adored Kat and the pig - like, really, I re-read that part multiple times and also read it aloud - overall not bad but not spectacular ( )

I... I genuinely don't know how I feel about this book. It was certainly my least favourite Ashley Herring Blake book, but I... can't decide whether or not I liked it? I mean I read it one sitting. So that's something. And it made me cry. But I also don't know that I thought it was exactly all that good?

Oh who even knows.

Review to come maybe?

What happens when two people are attracted to each other, but only one knows a secret that can strain that attraction? Suffer Love by Ashley Herring Blake delves into this subject and comes to a realistic, not a sugary sweet, conclusion.

Sam and Hadley come from broken homes. Each had a parent who had had an affair, the result of which dramatically altered their families and their lives. Each ultimately moved from their home town of Nashville to a suburb, Woodmont. Each blames the offending parent for ruining their lives. Hadley finds comfort in hooking up with random guys, showing no interest in developing any kind of relationship. Sam just blows up.

The two are paired for an English assignment. Hadley, having learned that a boy she hooked up with at a party had a girl friend (she does have some scruples) trusts no boys. Sam has heard a bit about Hadley’s reputation and is dubious. But there is an attraction, only Sam knows something that could doom any budding relationship.

Sam, his younger sister, Olivia, and his best friend Ajay, as well as Hadley and her best friend, Kat, make a good ensemble cast. Their reactions to the philandering adults is understandable, however, the adults’ reactions to their children is hard to understand. Everyone is emotional. Everyone is upset. But still…

I give the author credit for not necessarily taking the easy way out, but coming up with a realistic ending. My only criticism with the book: it was 50 pages too long. By the end, I was skimming. ( )

I enjoyed the engaging prose throughout this story about two families dealing with the aftermath of parental infidelity. Loved the Shakespearean references rolling through the dialogue and descriptions. YA Contemporary fans will want to get their hands on this one! ( )

Hadley had a very close and happy family until one day it all fell apart thanks to all the slips of paper that someone left on her front door, uncovering her father’s affair. It’s been a year and her family is still very much separated. This caused Hadley to not believe in love so she goes through various guys. When Sam arrives at school and is stuck with Hadley to do a project, he doesn’t know who she is until much later and the guilt sets in. He has a secret that could ruin his friendship with Hadley.

BEAUTIFUL!! This was such a beautiful and heart-wrenching novel! I think I inhaled this story because of how fast I read it. This story delved into betrayal, family, love, and forgiveness, which the author executed wonderfully. Each topic had depth and I felt everything to my very core. The most important one has to be family. When Hadley found out about the affair, her relationship with her father broke into pieces. Hadley was so hurt and betrayed that she didn’t want anything to do with her dad. My heart broke for both Hadley and her father because for Hadley, you could notice how she really wanted her dad but the wound was still fresh for her and it was very hard to forgive. I felt so bad for her dad because he was trying to fix his relationship with Hadley and it was tough seeing how Hadley would shut him down various times.

Hadley and Sam’s relationship was so cute and bitter-sweet. Sam was struggling with hiding the truth to Hadley that it was tearing him up inside. But when these two were together, I would be so giddy to read more from them. They were just so perfect for each other. In their relationship, trust was put to the test and once again, it was tough and my heart was broken for them.

This story is told in dual POV (Hadley and Sam), which made it easier to connect with the characters because you can read how each one is feeling. I also love how the characters are flawed and real. It was so much easier to connect with them. This story had a beautiful and eloquent prose. It had so many brilliant quotes!

Overall, this was a marvelous, heart-breaking and captivating novel on learning to forgive.
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Review can be found on Latte Nights Reviews:
https://lattenightsreviews.com/arc-review-giveaway-suffer-love/ ( )