Definitely in the top reads of 2019
I am at the point where there are not enough words to describe how much I love this author. I have been here since the very beginning and have read everything that she has ever written. Normally, I would say how she has grown from book one until now. Except, I would be lying because this author from the very first book has been in a league all her own. This book just showcased that. The stylistic choices she uses to make a sentence more than just words strung together and instead turns them into something that if I can close my eyes and have them become tangible images or feelings is mind-boggling. Truly sublime bliss.
In typical fashion, there is angst galore. Yet, there is also a sense of growth and introspection in the characters. The first book in this series seemed to have so much focus about high school which made it YA/NA and even though this book started in High School it definitely felt "older" I enjoyed watching these characters as they struggled to find their own identities as well as make heads or tails of this forever type of love. Lars and Daphne did not have an easy ride by any stretch of the imagination but that was part of the beauty of their journey. I felt every emotion that they felt, both good and bad, which speaks volumes of how amazing this author is. There is no sugar coating of things. Whether it is with words spoken or actions> And goodness knows there were a lot of actions that were pretty shocking.
There are so many things that I could go on to say about this book but even then it would not do it justice. This author has given me a story that reminded me that there is a fine love between love and hate, that love is fragile and while beautiful like a rose it also has thorns and will make you bleed. That is what happened here. My heart hurt and lordy did it bleed. It also reminded me that love takes work and sometimes the risk is worth the fall because even if it isn't guaranteed there is something about it that will imprint into one's DNA. It will change you forever.