Afterwords

Err.. Well, where do I start. I wanted to love this book as much as everyone else did. And I admit, it flew by and was a much better read than some of the books I've read lately--a few of which I still can't find the strength to finish. But despite all that, this book ended up just being an okay, fast read for me. Mostly, I found myself frustrated with it.

after I got that out of the way, we can get started.

Instead of talking characters and plots, like I usually do, I'm going to jump right into the source of my frustration, which lay in the manner every character in this book dealt and approached Kacey's condition. Kacey, the main character, has been through a traumatic experience. A car accident that she was the sole survivor in. She's not been dealing with it in a healthy way; turning at first to drugs, alcohol and sex, then to violence. Anything to bury the pain. Everyone could see she wasn't okay.

What do they do? easy; they push and force her to talk about it, to seek help and 'heal'. I get wanting to help a loved person, I get that feeling of helplessness and hope that they'll snap out of it, especially if they're self destructive. But I really hated when Trent, the hot guy Kacey develops feeling toward and starts dating, turned pushy. I hated when Livie, her young sister, kept bringing up "Old Kacey", wishing her back and wanting Kacey to deal (and for the record, I do not believe for one minute that Kacey can return to the old Kacey. More on that later) and the Dr's forceful and demanding approach didn't sit well with me.

I believe that everyone has got their time, when they can finally face and be ready to heal. It's not something that can be forced upon you, or something you can do for the sake of others... because ultimately, if you're not doing it for yourself, it's not really going to work in the long run. At least, that's how I feel.

And yes, I'm not a psychologist. Clearly, smarter and more experienced people than me has deemed this method efficient. I'm also not dissing the power of talking - I'm a talker, myself. That's howI deal. But I also have friends--most of my friends--whom I love dearly, that do the opposite. 

My best friend shuts everything in, never talking about it, never letting anything inside. I've neveronce been able to force myself into those parts, and in fact every time I try, I feel like she's throwing me that much farther away from her. But I believe that when she'll feel ready to talk - whether it'll be with me, or anyone else - she'll do it. Only then it will mean anything.

I also used to have a friend who kept everything inside, and turned self destructive after the death of a loved one. Everyone tried to force him to get better; pushing him to counseling, pushing him to deal, pushing him to heal. Let's just say it didn't end well. A lot of people were hurt in the process; me included. We're not in contact anymore, but I've seen him a couple of times and he's doing better; under his own terms, in his own time. 

Which also connects me to my next point - Kacey... healed too easily. Too perfectly. As I mentioned before; I don't believe she could ever truly return to how she was before the accident. There should always be something 'extra' and something 'less' of that version in the person she has shaped herself into because of the accident. And yet... she seemed completely and utterly healed. Just like that. I don't buy it.

I've been gloomy long enough! The rest is a little more general, things that might bother you too.

This book has a strong case of Insta Love that I didn't much care for. From the first time Kacey and Tresnt meet, Kacey's defenses crumble in front of him and he gets under her shield... for no apparent reason, if you don't count his dimples. She has not spoken to him once, but already he's plaguing her thoughts, and she wonders on how he has manged to disarm her so easily. Seriously?... that didn't sit right with me. And yes, Trent was charming most of the time. The rest of the time... well, I pretty much guessed his entire situation, so no shocker there. I can see why she fell for him. 

But... well, I can't quite determine why he falls for her, even though I liked Kacey, and enjoyed being inside of her head. But that's exactly the thing; I liked her because I spent the entire book inside her head; if I had met her in RL, I'm not sure I would've felt the same way. But, hey, who am I to argue with love, right?....

The ending didn't quite sit well with me, either - again, too perfect, everything is far too okay and peachy. It made a sour taste rise in my mouth. (But I did enjoy the epilogue.)

Yes, Martha. This is in my opinion.

My favorite parts of the book were actually Storm and Mia, Kacey and Livie's neighbors, and Cain, Ben and Nate, the crew in the adult club Kacey and Storm work in. I loved all these characters dearly, and I'm actually really looking forward to Cain and Ben's stories (books 3&4 of the series, respectably)

Now, again, with all that being said, I think this is a book most of you will adore and love. I can see where the huge amount of love comes from, and I did enjoy reading it. It was a quick read, the pages flew by and reading it didn't feel like a chore (which, compared to some of the books I read before it this month, means a lot)

I do recommend you give it a try! :)