Miranda Briley Follow

I love the progression in this part of the book. I absolutely adore that even though Tristan would say he's the one most broken by his past, it's Tristan that gets to own the first declaration of love. Faye's sudden intrusion into Tristan's evening with the dog poop request had me laughing - even though to find out Matty was the reason was sort of a let down. I can't say I saw that happening. I also feel like Liz's mom coming to town was a good confrontation. Liz is so attached to the letters between her mom and dad and she sees it as a betrayal the letters ended up in the trash can. I'm interested in seeing how this is resolved as it seems her mom and Mike are genuine, which Liz hasn't seen.

Oh, Tanner. That was a bad, bad move. Stirring up trouble was his goal and it definitely worked. Although to see Liz be strong and pull Tristan through that devastation was amazing. And for Tristan to accept her help, even better.

I have a feeling the rest of the book will move fast and I'm looking forward to the conclusion!

This part of the book is a lot more emotional than I expected! I like how you know from the flashback scenes that Tristan is a good guy, but is now haunted by the lost of his wife and child. He even notes it himself that it's not his true nature to lash out and be that hurtful person, he just wants people to back away before he hurts them. Liz is interesting to me - she is still grieving, but seems to be in a bit of a better place than Tristan and seems more open to what life has left to offer her. I would likely attribute this to her support system and Emma. Faye is a crazy girl, but I love how she gets Liz and is a great friend. I get the feeling Tanner will be a problem later. He has some strong opinions on Tristan and doesn't seem the type to be swayed out of them. I'm assuming he's possibly interested in Liz. I wondering about Steven's Jeep. I didn't think much of it until I remembered Liz saying something about the roads and the pile up on the highway. At this point I only remember Tristan's mom saying there was an accident - so I'm wondering if those incidents are the same. I'm looking forward to diving in to the rest of the book, I'm not sure what I expect to happen. Happy reading!

This was an interesting book; it's difficult for me to really enjoy a book when none of the characters are likeable, but this is likely done on purpose by the author. The story was good and while the plot didn't really offer any surprises, it was interesting and kept my attention through the end of the book.

The author switches back and forth between present and previous events, which does seem choppy in places and sometimes a perhaps a little extraneous.

There was a quote that really resounded with me though and I wanted to share it because I think it encompasses the whole of the book: "It actually physically hurts to learn the people you love the most aren't who you think they are." This applies to all the characters, but I think actually to Sarah, the main character, the most. She has lived a life blind to so many things and through the events of the book, finally finds she was a complicit in becoming someone she would have sworn up and down she hated.

I'd recommend this book as a solid read - everything was tied together at the end and the author leaves readings with a little bit of hope.

I love the story of Wes and Bethany so much!

Bethany presents herself to the world as a perfectly secure and confident woman. What the world doesn't see is the stress Bethany puts on herself to keep that façade up. In reality, Bethany is afraid of failure…in anything. The thought of anyone seeing her flaws or messing something up is terrifying to Bethany, which is why she doesn’t allow people close to her and generally tends to self-sabotage her relationships with men.

Wes is 7 years younger than Bethany, but is going through his own journey. Wes is suddenly thrust into a caretaker role for his young niece, a position he’s not exactly comfortable with after being a bachelor bull rider in Texas. Never having a stable home growing up, Wes didn’t see himself settling down, but between his growing affections for his adorable niece and Bethany, Wes is suddenly less excited at the possibility of getting back to his old life.
These two come together when Bethany takes a chance by stepping away from the family business to flip a home on her own and Wes happily comes with her. What follows is a story that is sometimes tense and emotional, but oh so fulfilling. The growth of each character as the story progresses is fun to watch. In the end, both Wes and Bethany prove they have what is takes to step outside their comfort zones and take a chance on one another.

This was my first book by Kendra Elliot and I read this book not really knowing what I was getting (did not read the blurb before reading). I did this because I like being surprised sometimes. After I finished the book, I read the blurb and found that I likely would have been surprised anyway; the blurb does a great job of hooking the reader but also leaving a lot of the plot to be found out by the reader.

I enjoyed the audiobook and the story. While I didn't find it edge of my seat suspenseful, I thought the mystery was different and the plot held my interest through the end. The characters felt a little flat to me, mostly in the the aunts of the book, although I believe they were supposed to be the interesting ones. In most instances I really felt they were just there to answer some questions to help move the plot along.

I appreciated the scenic descriptions and the bit of history of the area, too. I would likely read another book by this author.

I have never been suspicious of so many people, and yet feel for them, at the same time. The scene is painted perfectly - I can picture this remote island and its darkness so vividly. I didn't smile once reading this book...until I realized what was happening. That level of satisfaction with the solution in a book is rare for me. I will definitely be checking out other books from this author.

This was a great addition to my Read list! I really love it when I can read a book and never once wonder "how much longer is this book?!" This story was a treat; it was funny, sincere, and while I had nothing in common with the main characters, it was also relatable. There was no contrived drama to move the story along, just a great, well written book.