This was a devastatingly beautiful, bittersweet, and heartbreaking story. It was everything I needed to finish this series! It was angsty and sweet and traumatic, and by the end, it felt like some bittersweet closure and redemption for Shay.
Hayden has been bullied most of his life because of who his biological father was. He's never gotten out from under the shadow of Shay, and it's shaped the person he's become. It's a wonderful examination of the nature vs. nurture argument. His biological father was infamous for the crimes he committed and how his life ended. But the dad he grew up with, Keenan, always loved him as his own and was such a tremendous role model for him. And then Grandpa James was always there for him too, providing support, love, humor, and advice. Hayden never realized how lucky he was with his family until he met Maddy. Maddy, who was alone in this world, came from a history of abuse and neglect... who never knew what a real family looked like until she met Hayden's. Seeing Hayden and Maddy meet, become each other's person, watching how careful he was with her, and how he noticed everything.. it was heartbreakingly beautiful.
Dylan Page has a way of writing that will rip the heart from your chest and leave you begging for more. My eyes are swollen, my head hurts, I drank too much wine, and I'm out of kleenex... but damn, was it a good book!! 😂
Some of my favorite quotes in the book...
Hayden... "I just want to know that he wasn't a complete monster. I want to know that there is hope for me, that I'm not doomed to be like him." Grandpa J..."And when he loved, he loved with every part of his being. That's how it was with him. Either he loved you completely or not at all. And he loved your mother more than any other thing in this world." 💔
"Sometimes, it's not about knowing someone, but feeling it... feeling that connection, that something, whatever we feel between us, it's right. I feel it, and I think you do too. You're my person, Madeline King."
This was one of the best books I've read this year... definitely 5 stars!!