"I love you Henley Wright. From the moment you accused me of stealing this very rock, you were my endgame. Whether I knew it at the time or not."
Holy. Crap. I have been experiencing some serious HJ withdrawls, and now that I've finished their new book, I'm in more misery! (which I know they not-so-secretly love. Rude.😂) But I'll forgive them because this book is SO GOOD Y'ALL. It was the perfect blend of angst, sexy and swoony all wrapped in the glorious feels only these ladies can give you.
I think the most heartbreaking word in the English language is "almost." I was almost happy. We almost had it all. I almost had you. And Hadley and Brooks? They are almost lovers. These two form an unlikely friendship at such a tender age, and even though Hadley is hellbent on not letting another persons love destroy her already fragile heart, Brooks engrains himself so deeply in her soul that she'll never be the same. They spend more than a decade trying to get their love for one another right, and each time they think this will be their chance, it's ripped away from them -- by their own doing. They almost had it all so many times, but pride, fear, and desperation are fickle bitches on the best of days, and when you are raised with a contorted, abused knowledge of the concept of love, can you ever freely love another? Or do some scars just run too deep?
I about damn near through my kindle soooo many times. These two needed a good hard shake during multiple points in the book. It wasn't just Hadleys fault, nor was it all on Brooks. Their love consumed not only each other, but everything else around them, to the point of obsession. I'm a firm believer that you need a healthy dose of that in your relationship to really make it work, but between the miscommunications and the *almost* opportunities, these two wasted so many years they could have had together. But i do think the old adage is true: you can't love someone truly until you can love yourself. In the end they definitely were in the spot they were always meant to be, which we so bittersweet in the best of ways. Yes, their journey was painful. Yes, they hurt one another multiple times, but there was still pure undeniable love underneath all that pain. They truly became the best versions of themselves and finally stopped the vicious cycle they seemed trapped in, and it was just so fucking beautiful. I'm obviously the biggest masochist ever to walk on earth, because even though you KNOW these two belong together, my heart looovvveeeeddd all the torture.
Brooks is a definite dirty talker, and I am all here for it. I forgot just how skilled all of HJ's men are in that aspect, and now there are certain scenes I just go back and read again. For scientific purposes of course.😉🔥🔥
Plus there's a cameo of a certain beloved character of HJ's, and I legit SQUEALED like a school girl! I'm now off to read that amazing book for the uptenth time!
I just cannot recommend this book enough! These two amazing women continue to amaze me with their talent, and I can't wait to see what else this year will bring for them!!
**I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions!**