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Review

5 EMOTIONALLY STUNNING STARS!

OMG I love this book! I freaking LOVE this book! I saw all of my friends raving over it on GR, and sceptical me went into it quietly hopeful, but from the first few pages I knew this book was going to be something special. The feels are intense, the light moments are perfect, and the romance is absolutely incredible. It’s the kind of book that you truly experience while you read, and for me that is a rare and precious find. I devoured it from start to finish.

“How did two people so broken find each other’s shattered pieces?”

Elizabeth is a young widow with a five year old daughter. After attempting to escape reality after the death of her husband, she is returning to their home after a year away, determined to move on and create a happy, stable life for her and her daughter. But everything is different, she still feels lost, and as much as she tries to push forward, she still is still struggling.

And then she meets Tristan Cole. The reclusive town asshole, he is instantly antagonistic towards her, and she is warned away from him by pretty much everybody in town. Rumours abound about what made him the way he is, but there is something about him that intrigues Elizabeth, and she can’t seem to stay away.

“Everyone in this town is afraid of me. Do I scare you, Elizabeth?” he whispered, his breaths brushing against my lips.
“No.”
“Why not?”
“Because I see you.”
The coldness in his stare softened for a split second, almost as if he was confused by those four words. But I did see him. I saw past the hate in his stare and noticed the hurt in his frown. I saw the broken parts that somehow matched my own.

Tristan wants nothing to do with Elizabeth, actually he wants nothing to do with anybody. He has also lived through a devastating, life-changing loss but he has no intention or desire to crawl out of the pit of grief that he lives in. But Elizabeth is determined to get to know him, constantly pushing him and trying to get him to live again, and he slowly starts to soften towards her.

Her soul was scarred, and mine was burned.
But when we were together, the hurting hurt a little less. When we were together, the past wasn’t as painful to take in. When we were together, I never for a second felt alone.

There is an obvious attraction between them and they are both so damaged by all that they have been through, but together they find a way to make it hurt less, managing to find a measure of peace together, and every moment between them is dripping with intensity.

“I should go,” he said.
“You should go,” I replied.
I thought about kissing him some more.
“Unless you stayed,” I said.
“Unless I stayed,” he replied.

“It’s easier with you.”
“What’s easier with me?”
His hand found my lower back. My hips arched toward him, our bodies slowly becoming one. He ran his fingers against my neck as I closed my eyes, and he spoke softly into my soul. “Being alive.”

This is a beautifully developing relationship. Unconventional to begin with, perhaps, but it all feels so natural! They find something together that they both need, and it binds them together in a way that neither of them saw coming.

“Do you ever think of me in a way that is more than a friendship?” When she looked into my eyes, she had to see the answer. I felt her soul staring deep into mine. Her eyes were full of wondering interest and her beauty was softened by an air of mystery.
I blinked once. “Every second. Every minute. Every hour. Every day.”
She nodded, closing her eyes. “Me too. Every second. Every minute. Every hour. Every day.”

I love these characters! Both so broken, but both with so much more to give. They are open and honest with each other, they don’t hide the torment of their pasts or the way they are feeling, and together, they start to heal and finally move on from their pasts. And the way they fall together was amazing to watch.

“Kiss me,” I whispered, placing my fingers against his chest, taking in the feeling of his heart resting in my hands.
He hesitated. “If I kiss you, we can’t go back. If I kiss you… I’ll never want to stop.”
My tongue slowly danced across his bottom lip and then I used it to part his mouth as I spoke in a whisper, “Kiss me.”

It’s so, so beautiful! The love story is realistically paced with the perfect mix of drama, humour, romance and passion, all with an emotional intensity that had me glued to the pages.

You know that place in between nightmares and dreams? The place where tomorrows never come and yesterdays don’t hurt anymore? The place where your heart beats in sync with mine? The place where time doesn’t exist, and it’s easy to breathe?
I want to live there with you.

Brittainy Cherry has done an amazing job with this book. She has given us a heart-breaking yet heart-warming story of love, loss, friendship and healing, and she made me feel it all! And the writing is stunning! I highlighted like crazy while reading this book – which explains the quote-whoreyness of my review – but honestly, it all just made me feel so much.

“Show me the part of you that you try to keep buried. Show me where it hurts the most. I want to see your soul.”

And I love that even amidst all of the emotional intensity, it’s so funny! There are so many light and fun moments. Tristan and Elizabeth banter brilliantly, and the moments featuring them together with Emma are funny and sweet and melted my heart! And then there’s Elizabeth’s BFF, Faye – she is an absolute scene stealer! The self-declared “womanwhore has no filter and is in pretty much everybody’s face. She bought some much-needed levity to the story and I absolutely love her!

I almost gave this book 6 stars – the only thing that stopped me was a bit of excessive drama towards the end. I honestly didn’t think it was needed, but it didn’t diminish my overall feelings for the book. I cried, I laughed, and I cried some more (the flashbacks to Tristan’s past had me sobbing). But it all plays out perfectly with a beautifully happy ending, and I finished the book hugging my kindle with glassy eyes and a huge smile on my face.

5 sensational stars – easily one of my top reads of the year.

 

The Elements series