The Boy & His Ribbon (Ribbon, #1) in Fallen Into Tijan Books

Jul 23, 2018 Siobhan Davis rated it it was amazing

Initial thoughts immediately after reading: Original, captivating, thought-provoking, and completely unputdownable.

It's been a few weeks since I read this duet and I still can't get Della and Ren's story out of my mind. I am still reeling from reading their journey, and, honestly, I think I'll have to pick it up and reread it again. I am still blown away by this heartbreaking story that I know will stay with me for a long time. I don't think this review will do this book or this series justice, Initial thoughts immediately after reading: Original, captivating, thought-provoking, and completely unputdownable.

It's been a few weeks since I read this duet and I still can't get Della and Ren's story out of my mind. I am still reeling from reading their journey, and, honestly, I think I'll have to pick it up and reread it again. I am still blown away by this heartbreaking story that I know will stay with me for a long time. I don't think this review will do this book or this series justice, but I will try.

I'm open-minded, especially when it comes to love, but it's fair to say this story challenged my beliefs at times which I LOVED. I constantly found myself stopping and thinking deeply about the themes, especially the modern day notion of family. What exactly constitutes family? It goes beyond blood, in my opinion, and that is what made this story difficult to read at times. I felt the sibling bond between Della and Ren in their formative years and as their feelings transformed, I was uncomfortable, at first, until I had no choice but to root for them because I felt the deep, intense love they had for one another.

Ren was always her everything, and I could see how easily she could fall in love with him. It was more complex for Ren - he had been her carer since she was a baby and he fought the feelings brewing inside him. I admired him for that, even as it pained me. He was only existing, not living, so cut off from everyone and society and he didn't want to feel at all, except when it came to his ribbon. He needed control and order whether they were surviving in the woods or forced into shelter during the winter - once he felt in control, he was okay. When she started pushing him, forcing him to confront his feelings, to explore outside those boundaries, he started drowning and that's when he made choices that ended up hurting both of them.

Man, the feelings were so real. So raw. I felt every single emotion they were both feeling. It pulled my heartstrings, twisted my stomach into knots, and I was like an addict, devouring pages well into the early hours of the night.

Even though it was a morally wrong (I still believe that) I couldn't stop myself from wanting them to find a way to be together, because it was also so right. This internal dilemma playing through my mind the whole way through this first book only upped the angst factor for me and added to my enjoyment. At the end of the day, the heart wants who it wants and no amount of logical or forced morality can change that.

I loved both mains, but I loved how steadfast Della was, in particular. Even though she was young, she knew from an early age that what she felt for Ren was more than a crush, that it was the real deal, the kind of intense, soul-deep love very few people ever get to experience, and she never stopped fighting for it. I admired her strength and her resilience.

This book was beautifully written and executed. Character and plot development was flawless. I'm in awe of Pepper's profound understanding of the human psyche and she nailed the emotional journey of both mains. Completely nailed it. I deliberately held off reading my comp copy until the second book was released because I just knew that I would want to delve straight into the rest of the story immediately, and my gut instinct was right.

While this is a different story, it reminded me a little of Forbidden by Tabitha Suzuma. I remember similar conflicted feelings reading that brilliant story and how thought-provoking it was too.

In summary, this was a highly-emotive, angsty, unique romance that is superbly written and one I cannot recommend more highly.

Thank you so much to the author for providing a complimentary copy of this book. All opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own and I'm writing this review voluntarily.

What a fantastic introduction to Pepper Winter's books, and I definitely look forward to reading more. ...more

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Jul 23, 2018 Sara rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: 5-stars, playlists

WOW! Is there a word above wow? Double wow is the closest I can think off!

There's so many things I wanna say about this book I'm lacking words. Truth is I don't need words. This book needs to be read, it needs to be experienced, it needs to be lived.

And thank to the amazing writing of Pepper Winters you will live it. You're right there with Della, in awe of Ren. You're right there with her, falling in love with him.

So shut down Goodreads (no offense Goodreads) and pick up this book. You will n ...more

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Apr 03, 2018 Michelle rated it it was amazing

Shelves: arcs, favorites, netgalley

Wow, what an incredibly intense and fabulous story about love, tragedy, sacrifice and devotion. Ren, at age 10, manages to escape the Mclary farm to which he was sold to as child slave labor. Della, a baby around age 1 and the Mclary's only biological offspring, happens to stow away in Ren's backpack. While Ren finally gets away, he is none too thrilled to find a baby now ruining his plans. Up until now, Ren has never been loved or nurtured by anyone, he's not even sure what that looks like othe Wow, what an incredibly intense and fabulous story about love, tragedy, sacrifice and devotion. Ren, at age 10, manages to escape the Mclary farm to which he was sold to as child slave labor. Della, a baby around age 1 and the Mclary's only biological offspring, happens to stow away in Ren's backpack. While Ren finally gets away, he is none too thrilled to find a baby now ruining his plans. Up until now, Ren has never been loved or nurtured by anyone, he's not even sure what that looks like other than brief glimpses, and his ultimate goal was to simply survive on his own in the wild. He cannot take care of someone else, never mind a tiny girl who can't even offer a helping hand in return and would actually slow him down and consume his already meager resources more than anything.

I absolutely adored Ren. He has the instincts to take care of himself and very begrudgingly, he looks after Della, with a mix of bitter loathing and resignation. After all, she has never seen suffering from the hands of her parents like he has. And she's a dead weight. What does he even know about taking care of a baby? Watching a child care for a baby all by himself with no help whatsoever is absolutely heartbreaking and endearing all at once. Yet Ren steps up to the plate and seeing him transform into this parental/older sibling type of figure in the way that he provides for Della and teaches her the way of the world as he sees it is such a gift, too. And Ren discovers that someone as small as Della can only provide unconditional love and support and even smiles and hero worship. Pretty soon, Ren can't imagine his life without little Della at his side and she makes everything worth it with her company compared to complete isolation.

The development of their relationship is incredibly unique. They are very close because they are with each other all the time and only have one another. And they are going through life chapter experiences at the right times for their age, but because of their age gap, it's separate and individual to both of them so there are definitely things they can't really discuss openly with each other. Ren is constantly carrying the burden of how to give Della the very best life possible while feeling somewhat inadequate about himself, knowing that she is destined for so much more than he is. Ren knows what he wants in life and where he wants to be, but he is willing to put all of that aside to make sure Della gets what she deserves. He doesn't like to socialize or be in the thick of society. And Della being the younger of the two, while mature in so many ways, is a little naive in other ways, but totally appropriate for her age level. She loves to interact with people and learn new things, but Ren is her rock. Yet Della is able to teach Ren stuff, too, so they are on equal footing in many ways.

As far as the romance goes, it's so complicated because of the existing familial-like relationship between them, their ages and life stages and so many other factors. There's also the secrecy about where they came from and who they really are. It's like a powder keg in terms of all the things they have to keep to themselves and can never share with others, on top of the emotions for one another. So many things happen. My heart lurched frequently, but also sighed and swooned, too. I was consumed by Ren and Della, these are two characters that I absolutely loved and have to see them both find happiness after everything. I can't wait to get my hands on the sequel. June 5th can't come soon enough.

*I received an ARC* ...more

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Mar 07, 2019 Sarah Murphy rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Astonishing!

This story shook me so hard that I don’t even know what to say here. I’ll just say that it was amazingly well written, beautiful and heartbreaking all at once, and now I’m off to buy the next book in the story because I need to know what happens next!

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Oct 05, 2018 Di rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

So many emotions *******

My life was put on hold. Eating became a quick snack, sleeping got shorter and shorter. Work was an obsticle that kept me from reading this wonderful book.
I have never made it a secret, that Pepper Winters is one of my all time favourite authors. This book just adds more reason behind that choice.
I rode a roller-coaster of emotions with this book.
Happy and heartwarming.
Sad and heartbreaking.
Anxious.
Relieved.
So many different emotions, bled from the words.
I wanted to devou ...more

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Apr 12, 2018 Ash Luna marked it as to-read

I kinda don't even know where to begin with this review. I am a HUGE Pepper Winters fan I even read her first book the day it came out and have loved her work ever since. That being said A Boy & His Ribbon is nothing at all like her other books. This one is filled with so much pain and sorrow you cant help but cry and close you eyes to take a breather from the emotions coming off the pages.

The love the two main characters Della & Ren begins so innocent yet it grows into something so much more a ...more

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