Layla Flaherty had the perfect life, or close to it. Until a stranger gunned her parents down right in front of her, leaving her with seizure inducing PTSD. After years of trying to pass as normal and failing miserably, she resigns herself to being invisible. But new to town Landen O’Brien sees her, and he likes what he sees. Much to Layla’s surprise, he doesn’t freak out when she has a seizure in front of him. He does the exact opposite, calming her until the tremors subside. But Landen has secrets of his own. Secrets that both bind them together and tear them apart.
Scarred by loss, Layla leaves her hometown of Hope Springs, Georgia, hoping to put her painful past behind her and start over in college in California. When she runs into Landen at freshmen orientation, she has a choice to make. Reinforce those steel walls she's built up around herself or give the only boy who can keep her still a second chance.
Landen’s more than ready to tear down those walls but this time when they come crashing down, they might bury her.
"If you look close, you might see our scars. We don't hide them. Like the broken seashells I once loved to collect, what marks is what makes us who we are."
This is a wonderfully written book about two beautifully broken people searching for solace in each other, but at the same time, they are the cause of each other's most heart-wrenching pain. It was an undeniable roller coaster of emotions as we watch two young lovers fall in love for the first time, separate due to their circumstances, and reunite with no thanks to fate but to their own sacrifices. This is the first novel I've ever read from Caisey Quinn and I am definitely looking forward to more of her work.
God, this book absolutely tore me apart. I loved every bit of it (with the exception of minor faults mentioned below). But God, I cried, I wanted to throw my iPad out the window because of this. I wanted to just die.
Pre-Landen Layla had merely been existing. She was like a zombie walking amongst the humans of earth. With the constant insults and whispers behind her back, she decides to ignore them and just continue and try to live an normal life.
Until Landen O'Brien steps in.
Landen sees Layla for who she is and not who everyone calls "Freaky Flaherty". Their love already starts off pretty intense, even though it was pretty slow too. They weren't physically extreme but their feelings were off the charts.
"Love changes. Yeah, sure. It twists and grows, and maybe for some people it evolves into something different."Okay, enough of the emotional crap or I might start crying again. LANDEN O'BRIEN!
Sweet Jesus, this man could make me melt just by looking at me. His words. Goddamn his words. Landen's always been faced with so much shit and trouble but then he meets Layla.
"Until a girl you didn't know existed two weeks ago looks at you like you're the only reason she's had to smile in her entire life."But Landen has some secrets of his own. He's terrified to disappoint her.
"I don't think I've ever been anyone's first anything before. God, please don't let me fuck it up."They're both broken in their own ways. Landen with his issues at home and Layla with having to deal with the fact that her parents are gone and she keeps reminding herself that people will always leave and that's why it's so hard for her to let anyone in.
But I'll be damned if Landen didn't have his hot moments, aside from his super-sweet-I-want-to-jump-him moments.
"If it's up to me, you'll always come. Come to every game. Then I promise to make you come after every game."HOT DAMN OR WHAT.
"Unless you have a baseball bat in your pants, I think we're fine."
He grins and pins me against the fridge. "Well, I have been told it's pretty impressive."
Oh and we can't forget Corin and Skylar. Gotta love those two.
Minor Faults:
- Layla gets too stubborn sometimes in the beginning that it frustrates me but it's part of her character so.
MY RATING:
4 AND A HALF APPLES!!!!!
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Caisey Quinn lives in Birmingham, Alabama with her husband, daughter, and other assorted animals. She is the bestselling author of the Kylie Ryans series as well as several New Adult Romance novels featuring country girls finding love in unexpected places. You can find her online at www.caiseyquinnwrites.com.
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Thank you so much for the kind words and for participating in the tour!! And for taking the time to read and review! *squeezes* (Also, blog is gorgeous!)
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