Despite only giving it 3 stars (in my heart it’s 3.5), I did in fact like this book. It was solidly written with an intriguing backstory that kept me glued to the first 40%. My heart was racing, I was in my feelings, everything was perfect. Until it wasn’t.
I had one problem with this book and really one problem only: Jacob Karolsson. Jacob started out by being a biker I could get behind. He was respectful, he valued consent, he was madly and utterly in love with Sparrow. But he was also childish, angry, and down right nasty when things didn’t go his way. He was disillusioned with this idea that when he met Sparrow again everything would fall into place, that she would leave her world behind to be with him. And the second Sparrow wasn’t what he wanted her to be, all the respect and morals Jacob had flew out the window and no longer applied to her. He was a child in love with a dream.
Thankfully, Jacob’s behaviour isn’t exactly painted in a great light. The author KNOWS he’s being a childish dickhead at that point and it’s reflected in Tex and Dash’s behaviour and advice. Tex calls Jacob out on being too rash and immature, and Dash tells Jacob on several occasions that Sparrow has a life (and a boyfriend!) that might no longer leave room for Jacob. Jacob just doesn’t want to listen, and because of that everything just blows up spectacularly.
Sparrow, on the other hand, was a character that I liked. She felt organic and her goals felt real and personal. I wanted to root for her, I wanted to see her succeed in every goal she set for herself. I wanted her to be happy. Sparrow was dealt a craphand, and she acknowledged that what she felt for Jacob was a crush that turned into a fantasy that allowed her to escape her life. He was a bright spot to her when Sparrow was sifting through a lot of gray.
What I liked the most about Sparrow and her character was that her conflicts felt real. The grief she felt over losing her dad, the anger she felt towards Pipes and her mom for not believing in her, the dilemma she felt about wanting to be with Pipes despite the fact that the meth had him fucked up six ways to Sunday. Her conflicts let her feel like a real person, one I could strangely connect to. Her reasons for not leaving her life behind and going to Montana with Jacob were a culmination of all her conflicts and felt so intrinsically HER. If Sparrow had gone right then and there, it would have been a disservice to her character.
I would like to touch on the fact that Jacob’s character — despite being one I didn’t like — never strayed far from his arc or from himself. He felt just as organic as Sparrow and never strayed out of what I thought he would do or say or be. He was well written, I just didn’t LIKE him. That’s no fault of the author.
As for the writing, it was good. Gone were a lot of the similes and comparisons I’ve grown used to in MC romance. Being in 3rd person, this book felt like a breath of fresh air and a new perspective I haven’t been able to explore for quite awhile. There was only one grammar mistake from what I recall, but there were a few sentences I had to reread to understand. It was a pretty solid read.
I’m looking forward to reading the sequel, though I’ll likely take a bit of time to digest this one. I truly liked it, but it’s the kind of book I think you need to sit on before jumping feet first into the next one. I also think I need a bit of a break before getting back into Jacob’s mindset. Heartbreak doesn’t look good on him.
For now, 3.5 stars!