Holy crap. This book was so good!❤️ I haven't read any of Rachel Van Dyken's other books, so I didn't know what to expect when I started reading this. But I was hooked from the first chapter and blown away by the rest. I admit that I cried. Because Wes❤️ Gahh, him and Kiersten are so adorable! ( )

'His smile lit up my world. It shattered my previous existence, and again the same eerie feeling washed over me. Like I was running out of time, or maybe like the darkness was coming again.'

Plot

Kiersten Rowe is a freshman starting her first day at Washington University. Kiersten has had a troubled past and, and while she comes across as innocent, that innocence is covering up deep depression. Every day is a struggle for Kiersten, until she meets Weston Michels, a wealthy football star with a reputation.

Kiersten has no idea what Weston's deepest secret is until she's fallen for him, and this secret could shatter her already fragile heart. Can the couple survive this life changing secret, or will Kiersten be forced to suffer more loss?

My thoughts

I bought this book for my Kindle on a bit of a whim; I'd heard good things about it and when I spotted it on Amazon for 64p, I thought It was worth a go. I actually read this book in two sittings, and it's not often I'm that engrossed in a book that I read half of it in one day, and then stay up until 1 AM on another day to finish it.

I only planned on reading a few chapters that night, but once I got to 75% read there was no turning back; I was finishing it that night (or morning.)

The story is told from alternating points of view, between Kiersten and Weston. Although it's interesting to see the point of view of the male character, since we usually only see it from the female's point of view, it also meant that Weston's secret wasn't really surprising when Kiersten found out. The secret isn't spelled out from the start, it's more hinted and as the story progressed, my suspicions were proven. So instead of it being dropped like a bombshell, it's very gradual.

On the other hand, knowing what the secret was did make the story emotional, since the more I read, the more Kiersten was falling for Weston and I knew that eventually she was going to find out his secret and it was going to break her heart. By the time I knew the secret, I'd grown attached to Kiersten, so I really felt for her at this point, knowing that she was going to suffer more heartache.

Kiersten and Weston's relationship was beautiful, but it was definitely instant love. They'd only known each other for a few months but they were already in love. The story does move quickly however, so there wasn't really time for them to gradually fall in love after a few dates. Weston is very protective over Kiersten, which is often a theme in these types of books. Sometimes the protective male characters work in a book, and sometimes they make me angry, but it works in this book. He's not over-protective like the characters in similar books. In some other books, the female character hasn't even been allowed to have a male friend, but Weston trusts Kiersten around Gabe, her male best friend, so this was nice to see.

This book was very emotional and thought-provoking. It had me feeling joy, sadness, and everything in between. This book will keep you up until the early hours, too engrossed in the lives of the characters to put it down. A definite must-read.
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i liked this. it isn't one of my favourites, but i can understand why people love it so much. i wanted to love it, i really did, but i just felt that something was missing. i don't know why. that doesn't mean you shouldn't read it, maybe you'll end up loving it. ( )

I cried the entire time that I read this book. It was amazing. I read Ruin quite awhile back, and after the hundreds of books I’ve read since, it still stands out and sticks with me. It’s full of so much heart.
I became Queen of the Ugly Cry. ( )

Loved this book, I laughed with the characters, I sighed often and I cried hard a few times tbh. I really wasn't sure what to expect because I'd never read any of Rachel's books but oh my word I will be getting others. She has an easy reading writing style that makes the pages go fast.

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