From the Bookshelf of Run from Reality Read-a-Thon…

Ryan's Bed

Tijan

Start date: February 1, 2018

Finish date: February 28, 2018

Discussion: Group Reads

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* Group Read Introduction
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last updated Jan 01, 2016 07:36AM

February Group Read: Ryan's Bed by Tijan
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last updated Feb 07, 2018 07:13AM

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What Members Thought

Dec 21, 2018 ★¸. • * ° * ༺*Blanka*༺*°°*•.¸. ♥★ rated it it was amazing

Shelves: standalone, highschool-college, angsty, my-favs, 0wn-ya, athlete, cry-me-a-river, paperback, drama-llama, emotional

I crawled into Ryan Jensen’s bed that first night by accident.

I barely knew him. I thought it was his sister’s bed—her room. It took seconds to realize my error, and I should've left...
I didn’t. I didn’t jump out. I didn’t get embarrassed.
I relaxed.
And that night, in that moment, it was the only thing I craved.

I asked to stay. He let me, and I slept.

The truth? I never wanted to leave his bed. If I could've stayed forever, I would have.
He became my sanctuary.

Because—four hours earlier—my twin sis ...more

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May 31, 2018 Jamie rated it it was amazing

Shelves: nicas-romance, 2018-read, ya, 5-stars, tijan, alphas-in-the-making, loss-grief

Wow! Ryan’s Bed was a deeply emotional read. It was a friend’s recommendation, but I’m happy I took the chance because I have a feeling I won’t be forgetting about it anytime soon.

Summary:
The first time Mackenzie “Mac” Malcolm crawled into Ryan Jenson’s bed, it was an accident. He was a stranger. Someone she hadn’t even shared words with. But he was what she needed. That night Mac was able to relax and just sleep. The only thing she craved, he, for some reason, effortlessly helped her to do. If Wow! Ryan’s Bed was a deeply emotional read. It was a friend’s recommendation, but I’m happy I took the chance because I have a feeling I won’t be forgetting about it anytime soon.

Summary:
The first time Mackenzie “Mac” Malcolm crawled into Ryan Jenson’s bed, it was an accident. He was a stranger. Someone she hadn’t even shared words with. But he was what she needed. That night Mac was able to relax and just sleep. The only thing she craved, he, for some reason, effortlessly helped her to do. If she could have stayed, she would have. Instead of facing the pain, she would have gladly embraced Ryan and kept that little bubble of peace intact. Mac couldn’t do that, though, but she did keep a tight hold on Ryan. Over the next few months, crawling into bed with Ryan wasn’t an accident but a necessity to cope. Starting a new school, meeting new people, standing up for her remaining family. All while alternately battling and embracing the darkness inside of her. Feeling half of herself missing. Ryan kept her grounded and eased the turmoil her body constantly felt. But would it be enough? Avoidance only works so long. Eventually everything explodes from the pressure. Could Ryan be what she needed, give her the strength to face what was coming? Did any of it matter? Was healing, moving forward even possible after discovering your twin sister after she took her own life?

It’s been a long time since I read a book that broke me, built me back up again, then shattered me a second time. I’m in awe of this book and the emotions Tijan evoked. As Mackenzie said, she was left broken and bleeding right next to her sister. As readers, we felt that. I liked that this story didn’t shy away from the hard reality of suicide and its effect on those left behind. Nothing was sugar-coated or glossed over. We saw the pain, fear, turmoil, agony, love, hate, regret, sympathy, understanding, and anything else that came from losing a loved one. I’ve lost people, I know grief, but I can only imagine losing a twin, your other half, is so much more. I felt that there was an honesty to the way Mackenzie was portrayed, and I connected with that. Over and over. Sadness enveloped me throughout the book, tears fell without warning; I laughed, too. There were glimpses of a lighter Mac and I connected with that, too. It was an emotional rollercoaster, but not one I wanted to get off of. Mac was an open book, and yet closed off, as well. It was an interesting contradiction. Despite the heavy content, this was also a romance. I loved every single second of it. Mac finding Ryan just seemed to be right. Their connection may not have been traditional or normal, but it was beautiful. As a whole, this book was amazing. Going through all of it with Mackenzie was almost unbearable, but it was good, too. It wasn’t just the immediate response to suicide, but also the healing as well. And the surprise ending? Obviously, I wasn’t expecting it, but thinking about it now, I can see where it needed to happen. I believe it will frustrate many people, and it sort of does for me, too, but it also makes me think. Now, a boom that was great and may have gotten a reread in the future, is a definite reread in the future. I’m working back through the book in my head, looking at it in an entirely new light, and so much makes sense just from what was revealed. If you’re looking for a book that will affect you on a deeper level and make you think, Ryan’s Bed is it. I’m thinking about it in a way that I know I will for quite some time; even coming back to it between other books. I don’t feel this is one of my traditional reviews. I’m not sure I’ve even given information that I normally would, breaking down the characters and romance. It’s not that kind of book for me, I guess. I do feel that this book has to be experienced, so I am happy with what I did give. While I’ve read a couple of Tijan’s other works and liked them, Ryan’s Bed has made me a fan. ♡ ...more

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