Summary: I heard it said once that every human is a story with skin.
If this is true, paragraphs would be etched in the scars on my wrists.
Whole chapters could be written about the way my heart pounds when I startle awake.
And every single one of my tears could fill a book.
But stories, with all their promise, only leave room for disappointment. I don’t have room for that anymore. I left it all—the hope, the love, the promise—back in my old life with the ghosts I’d rather forget: Jude. Emma. Pacey.
Kevin.
This is how I dare to move forward and to believe in a new beginning. I let go of the old. I just grab the new and run. I don’t wait around anymore. I can’t.
Waiting leaves room for the voices.
Somewhere between water and sky, I'll find a way to burn these voices to the ground.
Review:
**Review for Book 1 can be found HERE**
Initial Thoughts: This book was absolutely gorgeous. The first book was hertbreking and so was this book but with it came a lot of hope and surprises and I couldn't have asked for a better book.
The Characters: Now if you've read the first book, you know that Stephanie ran away at the end because she felt like everyone had only been lying and tricking her even though they were helping her. She was most devsted in thinking that Kevin had only been pretending to love her and that she was only a job for him. Despite all of this thinking, Stephanie goes through major character growth. She still has many, many problems (who wouldn't if they were in her place) but she wants and tries to become a stronger person, and she does become a stronger person. And the thing is, she learns she doesn't have to do it/be alone in the world.
Ren and Jessa are two friends that Stephanie makes from her job and they are both wonderful, supportive people who help her so much throughout the book. They helped her to learn to trust, let go of all the bad things in life, and to live as she should in the beauty of life with others and not in isolation. They were two truly great and genuine friends and I just loved every second Stephanie spent with them.
The Story: The book starts off a couple months after Stephanie ran away to LA. She's working a job at a coffee shop and that is where she meets Ren and Jessa. From there starts her journey of becoming stronger and living a better, more fulfilling life. But the evil, the internl and externl, that she left behind is still there, following her even in her new life. Stephanie thought she escaped her dad and her awful life. She was wrong. They still haven't gone way and left her alone. When she catches on that she isn't sfe, she has no idea what to do or how she'll ever be free. Now I can't give the rest away but the book just pulled me into Stephanie's world leaving me guessing how it would turn out. I was definitely surprised all the way because I just really never knew what was going to happen. I loved it from start to finish.
The Romance: Kevin isn't actually in a lot of the book but he never left Stephanie after she left. He went after her even though she didn't know and kept his distnce though he made sure she knew he was there. Now when he finlly does come in, it isn't all rainbows and sunshine. Stephanie thinks he used her to do his job, but that wasn't the case at all and I never doubted Kevin one bit. He's too good of a guy to do something bad or hurt other people especially Stephanie who he truly does love. But Stephanie decided to hear the truth from Kevin and believe it and so everything worked out for them in the end...with some minor bumps long the way but the love between Kevin and Stephanie is so tangible you can't deny they are made for each other.
End Thoughts: This book was such a powerful story and I loved how it turned out. I really loved the development of the story, the characters, and everything in between. There was mystery and heartbreak and hope and love. It was one touching story that will stay with me for a long while. 5 stars.
Elora Ramirez Bio: Elora Ramirez lives in Austin, Texas with her chef-husband. At the age of four, she taught herself how to read and write, cutting her teeth on books like Dr. Seuss and writing anywhere she could find the space--including her Fisher Price kitchen set, the pages of picture books and Highlights Magazine. Since then, she's grown to love the way words feel as they swell within her bones. Writing holy and broken is her calling, and pushing back the darkness and pursuing beauty through story is her purpose. She embraces the power of story and teaches women from all parts of the world how to embrace theirs. She has a knack of calling things out , the truth and the detail, the subversive threads that make a life a story. She loves hip-hop, wishes she lived by the beach and cannot write without copious amounts of coffee, chocolate, music, and her husband's lavender liqueur.
Giveaway:
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