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Review
5 ‘oh, my heart!’ stars
OMG, Colleen Hoover writes the most emotional and unexpected stories, and she’s delivered an amazing read with this incredible book. A heartbreaking story of forgiveness and redemption with a beautiful love story, I loved this book so much!
Kenna has just been released from five years in prison after serving time for a car accident that killed her then-boyfriend, Scotty. She gave birth in prison and has never seen her daughter, who went to live with Scotty’s parents, and she has returned to the town where her whole world fell apart to try reunite with the only family that she has left.
Ledger is a local bar owner who shares an immediate connection with Kenna. Their attraction is quick and intense, and full of all of the flirtatious banter that Hoover writes so well. And then the plot twist – Ledger was Scotty’s best friend. Ledger and Kenna never met when she and Scotty were together, but of course he knows all about her, and he knows that she is to blame for Scotty’s death. Not only that, but Ledger is a huge part of Scotty’s daughter, Diem’s, life, and he doesn’t want her anywhere near the little girl.
It’s a tragic situation, and I admit I started off having very little sympathy for Kenna. But as the story progresses and we get to know and understand her, OMG, I ached for her. I became angry from those who were keeping her away from little Diem, and I was desperate for her to get some sort of break.
Time, distance, and devastation allow people enough opportunity to craft villains out of people they don’t even know.
Her chance comes from Ledger who, though furious and hurting, still feels drawn to Kenna. They secretly begin to spend time together, and the more Ledger learns about Kenna, the more his feelings change. He begins to understand her and what happened that awful night, and over time their connection deepens and becomes something so much more than either of them were ever expecting.
“I would have fallen for you even if you didn’t love Diem.”
“I fell for you because of how much you do.”
It’s beautiful seeing these two together. Though there is still so much pain between them, they laugh and joke, they are playful, and they bring so much joy to each other. But there is still a huge divide between them. Nobody knows they are together. Are they risking Ledger’s relationship with Diem, and the chance for Kenna to even have a relationship with her? But how can Kenna even begin to beg for forgiveness that when nobody is willing to even give her a chance?
“There are people who find peace in forgiveness, and then there are others who look at forgiveness as a betrayal. To them, forgiving me would feel like betraying their own son. I can only hope they change their minds someday, but until then, this is my life. This is where it’s led me.”
Oh, this book made my heart hurt. I ached for Kenna, and for Scotty. What a horribly tragic situation. We see flashbacks to their relationship which made me fall in love with him, just as Kenna did, which made his loss even harder to read. Hoover takes us deep into Kenna’s heart as she shares her guilt, pain and grief, and I was in tears more than once seeing all that she has gone through.
“There was before you and there was during you. For some reason, I never thought there would be an after you.”
And on the other side, Ledger and Scotty’s parents are still grieving his loss. It’s a tragic situation all round, and I felt for everybody.
I love these characters. Kenna is understandably vulnerable and afraid, but she shows incredible strength – owning her past mistakes and the terrible consequences, understanding the obstacles in her way, yet fighting so hard for the chance to be forgiven and to be a part of her daughter’s life. And Ledger is wonderful as the man by her side. I could completely understand his anger and pain, and watching his feelings shift and change throughout the book is a fantastically written journey. It’s realistic, it’s heartfelt, and their relationship is so beautifully romantic. I just loved them together.
“In a matter of a few weeks, I went from hating you to liking you to wanting the world for you, so forgive me if those feelings sometimes overlap.”
And at the heart of it all is little Diem, and she is an absolute riot. She’s so freaking funny, and completely oblivious to the turmoil in the lives of the adults around her. Her relationship with Ledger is just gorgeous, and despite all of the drama, it was beautiful to see just how much love this little girl was surrounded by.
This book put my heart through the wringer. I felt everything along with the characters, and my emotions were a rollercoaster from start to finish. It’s heartbreaking but so, so beautiful, and an amazing story of family, love and forgiveness. Another incredible read from Hoover, and a fave for 2022.
5 stars!
I listened to this as an audiobook, narrated by Brittany Pressley and Ryan West, and wow, they do an amazing job! They tell the story brilliantly and bring so much life and emotion to the characters. I definitely recommend listening to this one.
Check out our Colleen Hoover Author Spotlight for more amazing reads!