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Author: K.A. Tucker
My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | TBD
Just breathe, Kacey. Ten tiny breaths. Seize them. Feel them. Love them.
Four years ago Kacey Cleary’s life imploded when her car was hit by a drunk driver, killing her parents, boyfriend, and best friend. Still haunted by memories of being trapped inside, holding her boyfriend’s lifeless hand and listening to her mother take her last breath, Kacey wants to leave her past behind. Armed with two bus tickets, twenty-year-old Kacey and her fifteen-year-old sister, Livie, escape Grand Rapids, Michigan, to start over in Miami. Struggling to make ends meet, Kacey needs to figure out how to get by. But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle anything—anything but her mysterious neighbor in apartment 1D.
Trent Emerson has smoldering blue eyes, deep dimples, and he perfectly skates that irresistible line between nice guy and bad boy. Hardened by her tragic past, Kacey is determined to keep everyone at a distance, but their mutual attraction is undeniable and Trent is determined to find a way into Kacey’s guarded heart—even if it means that an explosive secret could shatter both their worlds.
Review:
“Our past isn't who we are. I'm me and you're you, and that's who we need to be.”
Days after reading this book, I still haven’t decided what I really feel about this book. K.A. Tucker did a good job in writing the book, making the readers feel what the characters feel. Things were mostly seen and felt, not just read. But there were times that I still raised my eyebrow and required me to exercise Kacey’s breathing technique.
Kacey’s character was flawed at best. She turned off her emotions and stopped letting people in her life after a tragic accident that killed not just one but four important persons in her life. She was actually like a ticking time bomb. She easily gets angry and the only person who can calm her down and manage to see through her façade was her sister, Livie. I don’t think she had the time to grieve for her loss, which might be one of the reasons why she still carries too much anger in her system. She displays a very strong, no-bullshit face on the outside but is very vulnerable, broken and scarred.
The gradual change in her since they moved to Miami was really well-paced. Her doubt in accepting help and trusting her neighbour was good, as well as the distrust she first felt to the people she worked with at the bar. What I don’t understand was the insta-love/attraction she had with Trent. Although she had a hard time trusting him, the attraction and the inevitable pull towards him was so present that it made me ask what’s up with him compared to other guys. Not to mention that they didn’t actually have an engaging conversation before the attraction started. It started instantly when she saw him, and it happened once then she can’t stop thinking about him.
Since Trent’s character was introduced, I was really hoping for him to be normal and not the typical damaged guy with his own baggage. Buuuuuuuuuuut no! It wasn’t just a simple baggage. There was a twist which I had predicted a few pages since they finally became a couple, which I really didn’t appreciate. I get the importance it had towards the end of the book and for the characters healing but the way it was hinted on every freakin conversation Trent and Kacey had ruined it. [spoiler] Even on how he disappeared right after Kacey told him how much he hated those college guys who caused the accident. [spoiler] After reading the book, I may not like Trent that much but I know I don’t hate him either. He was just…there. He might have played a big role in this story but he was not highlighted much except for [spoiler] involvement with the accident and some hints about it. [spoiler]
The clingy and can’t-get-enough-of-each-other relationship was another thing I saw coming but wasn’t much of a big deal. It was okay and understandable except the parts where Trent acts shady and weird. I think Kacey’s reaction to this new relationship was normal after years of not letting someone enter her life.
Livie, Storm, Mia were awesome too. I love how Kacey and Storm’s friendship was a big help towards Kacey’s character development. The shrink was pretty awesome too. Actually all characters were amazingly written, though others wasn’t able to shine much due to the way they were positioned in the plot or how they were brought into the wild mess, aka Kacey’s life.
The ending was a bit easy, cheesy and rushed; and I expected a lot of work from both sides before the HEA. I wish Kacey spent more time with Storm, Mia and her sister before letting Trent come back into her life. Like really healed because of them and became happy before finally welcoming the ‘missing piece’ into her life. But all in all, I like this book and I am blaming my gut-feeling why I had some teeth-gritting moments. This was wonderfully written with real emotions from characters and I’m looking forward to read Livie’s story.
