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bookswritingandmore's review
4.0
Angsty, gut wrenching and romantic. This novel was far more than I was expecting and a bit far fetched in places but for the most part this story kept me glued to my kindle until I could finish.
Gavin was mine since we were kids. We were us before I screwed it up. I didn't deserve anymore but that didn't mean I quit loving him. That would never happen no matter what I told him.
If you love second chance romance this book is for you. There is some trigger warnings such as emotional abuse and sexual assault.
Gavin was mine since we were kids. We were us before I screwed it up. I didn't deserve anymore but that didn't mean I quit loving him. That would never happen no matter what I told him.
If you love second chance romance this book is for you. There is some trigger warnings such as emotional abuse and sexual assault.
fsmeurinne's review
5.0
It's a friends to lovers second chance romance story that will break your heart and mend it multiple times. Poppy and Gavin's story is one you need to read, so emotional, this rollercoaster certainly had it all and more than I ever thought. I didn't read the blurb before I started reading, I think this adds that special thing to the story, having no idea what to expect and it was wonderful. It will take time for me to recover from the turmoil of emotions this story gave me, certainly worth every page. Outstanding book, a beautiful masterpiece from the cover to the last word. Absolutely recommended and a this one is going on top read of the year list.
scvallese1's review
5.0
4.5 Stars
We Are Us is the first book that I've read by Tara Leigh, but it won't be my last! I really enjoyed it! There was a good amount of drama- which I love!- and the characters were lovable. The writing was spectacular, too!
We Are Us is the first book that I've read by Tara Leigh, but it won't be my last! I really enjoyed it! There was a good amount of drama- which I love!- and the characters were lovable. The writing was spectacular, too!
read_on_reader's review
5.0
From the prologue this book sucks you in and you’re not sure what direction this will go so I was already invested from page one. The way the book is written is in parts. Part one we get to meet Poppy and Gavin, see how their friendship blooms to more and they become so much more to each other. You know reading that it will take you on an serious emotional rollercoaster especially when we get to parts two and three. Poppy and Gavin both have a rough upbringing so they come to lean on each other for support and love, but fate/outside forces cause things to happen and I saw some things coming but totally did not expect all of them. At times I would become frustrated at Poppy and her decisions because I felt she would make some hasty ones, not stick up for herself, or I felt maybe she would make decisions as way to punish herself but as the saying goes you never know until you walk a mile in someone’s shoes how you would handle the situations. Poppy does go through and endure so much and even if I couldn’t understand her decisions at times my heart still hurt for her. This book takes so many twists and turns and the only thing I wished we had was more time with Gavin. I felt we didn’t get to see or hear from him a lot in the book and we only had glimpses or memories of him, but we do get some pretty amazing epilogues that I loved and shows us more of him. I know this is a vague review but I don’t want to spoil anything because it’s a book that needs to be experienced first hand and it may not be some people's cup of tea, but I say stick with it and it's meant to feel real and emotional. A great book will make you feel so many things and this one truly did it from frustration, to anger, to love, and sympathy it truly has it all.
rochelleweinstein's review
5.0
Tara and I met at RWA years ago. Since then, I have devoured all her books. She has a knack for writing compelling stories with raw emotion and a sexy edge. This latest has a personal piece to it, and it's obvious she dug deep inside to capture all these heavy emotions. Readers will fall in love with Poppy as she embarks on a journey of self-discovery. Thank you to the author for sharing an early copy. A beautiful book.
bookish_kayy's review
3.0
I really wanted to like this one. The blurb captivated me, the cover is to die for, but the characters inside....
They say this is a second chance romance..... where? The ‘hero’ is hardly present, if at all, for 2/3 of the book.
The beginning was fantastic, the relationship being built between Poppy & Gavin was everything you want from young love, minus the secrecy.
Then we hit the middle. And I wondered where things had taken this left turn. The heroine was dead set on saving everyone around her, felt all kinds of indebted to her partner, and ultimately just found herself on shaky ground. The end launched us so far into weirdsville hat I actually had to go back some to see if I had missed something. I hadn’t.
The writing is beautiful, the storyline could have been amazing, but ultimately, this simply wasn’t the book for me.
They say this is a second chance romance..... where? The ‘hero’ is hardly present, if at all, for 2/3 of the book.
The beginning was fantastic, the relationship being built between Poppy & Gavin was everything you want from young love, minus the secrecy.
Then we hit the middle. And I wondered where things had taken this left turn. The heroine was dead set on saving everyone around her, felt all kinds of indebted to her partner, and ultimately just found herself on shaky ground. The end launched us so far into weirdsville hat I actually had to go back some to see if I had missed something. I hadn’t.
The writing is beautiful, the storyline could have been amazing, but ultimately, this simply wasn’t the book for me.
profromance's review
5.0
Overall Grade: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ 1/2
“I am hers and she is mine and we are us.”
I have a soft spot for epic love stories. Finding yourself attached to the hero and heroine from the days of their youth, dying a little bit when their young love is shattered, reading them take different paths away from each other, and finding each other again when their hearts are bigger and matured and can handle the depth of their love takes me on a journey that both steals a piece of my heart and my soul. For authors to craft a story of this nature in such a way that both titillates and engages their readers is impressive. To this end, Tara Leigh is impressive in the wake of her newest book, We Are Us.
Everything I’ve noted above is true of We are Us. The burgeoning love of Gavin and Poppy is a simple one, grounded in mutual affection. As these two fall deeply for each other, Leigh forbodes their connection in her beautiful words: “like a spider’s web, the connection Gavin and I forged is intricate and beautiful. And so very, very fragile.” Their beginning is haunted: Gavin and Poppy sit in a shadow of their families, both abusive and both ineffective in meeting their basic needs. As such, Leigh shows us clearly that their initial coupling is fraught, and we, the readers, will endure pain before Gavin and Poppy can find their happy ending.
It’s in this pain where growth exists. One of my favorite parts of Leigh’s book, believe it or not, isn’t the romance (I mean, it actually is a beautifully painful one that everyone should read for its messages about living small and contented with “just enough”). Instead, my favorite part of Leigh’s book lies in her acknowledgments. It is there where Leigh flays herself open, allowing us insight into a bit of the backstory for We are Us. The truth of Poppy’s story burrows deeper into your heart when you realize Poppy represents so many women who find themselves in situations beyond their understanding. There is a bravery in her that becomes hidden by an ambition to live a bigger life than her mother. While it could seem short-sighted, it’s simply a defense mechanism, learned through years of emotional and mental abuse. You can’t help but fall in love with her, wanting to protect Poppy from the arrows of pain coming her way. However, through Poppy’s characterization, that pain brings clarity to Poppy’s life. It helps her mature so that she and Gavin can find their happy ending. Herein lies Leigh’s genius. Her ability to see the totality of Poppy’s story for her readers and craft her in such a way that you find yourself angered by her, protective of her, and empathic over her situation. These feelings are the art of Leigh’s We Are Us.
Since most of this story is written from Poppy’s point of view, we don’t get much of Gavin’s inner monologue which leaves us at a disadvantage for understanding him as the hero of this romance. We can note his actions, and we understand his sense of justice and his integrity. But we don’t get a strong sense of him as a romantic hero. With that, Leigh suggests that this book is Poppy’s story, that Tucker and Gavin, to a certain degree act as the men who punctuate her life. That isn’t to say that the reader lives for Gavin and Poppy finding their way back to each other. However, if you intend to get a sense of the men in this story, that isn’t the point for We are Us. Instead, this story seems to be a romance between Poppy and herself. She finds her power, her voice, and her peace throughout the course of this romance. She falls in love with her truth, after over a decade of fighting it. This is Leigh’s second bit of genius: writing a story that encapsulates the journey of a woman and creating a need for this woman to learn to love herself just as she is. Gavin and Poppy’s ending is idyllic, even with a bit of drama folded in. That is the big pay-off for enduring Poppy’s emotional, fraught journey towards herself.
This is my first Tara Leigh book. I feel blessed to have read it because it bleeds the truth of so many of us: always wanting more instead of loving ourselves in the present. It’s, unfortunately, a hard lesson to learn for any of us. Tara Leigh’s We are Us is beautifully written and beautifully told. From its cover to its acknowledgments, it’s a book with a big heart and a big soul.
“I am hers and she is mine and we are us.”
I have a soft spot for epic love stories. Finding yourself attached to the hero and heroine from the days of their youth, dying a little bit when their young love is shattered, reading them take different paths away from each other, and finding each other again when their hearts are bigger and matured and can handle the depth of their love takes me on a journey that both steals a piece of my heart and my soul. For authors to craft a story of this nature in such a way that both titillates and engages their readers is impressive. To this end, Tara Leigh is impressive in the wake of her newest book, We Are Us.
Everything I’ve noted above is true of We are Us. The burgeoning love of Gavin and Poppy is a simple one, grounded in mutual affection. As these two fall deeply for each other, Leigh forbodes their connection in her beautiful words: “like a spider’s web, the connection Gavin and I forged is intricate and beautiful. And so very, very fragile.” Their beginning is haunted: Gavin and Poppy sit in a shadow of their families, both abusive and both ineffective in meeting their basic needs. As such, Leigh shows us clearly that their initial coupling is fraught, and we, the readers, will endure pain before Gavin and Poppy can find their happy ending.
It’s in this pain where growth exists. One of my favorite parts of Leigh’s book, believe it or not, isn’t the romance (I mean, it actually is a beautifully painful one that everyone should read for its messages about living small and contented with “just enough”). Instead, my favorite part of Leigh’s book lies in her acknowledgments. It is there where Leigh flays herself open, allowing us insight into a bit of the backstory for We are Us. The truth of Poppy’s story burrows deeper into your heart when you realize Poppy represents so many women who find themselves in situations beyond their understanding. There is a bravery in her that becomes hidden by an ambition to live a bigger life than her mother. While it could seem short-sighted, it’s simply a defense mechanism, learned through years of emotional and mental abuse. You can’t help but fall in love with her, wanting to protect Poppy from the arrows of pain coming her way. However, through Poppy’s characterization, that pain brings clarity to Poppy’s life. It helps her mature so that she and Gavin can find their happy ending. Herein lies Leigh’s genius. Her ability to see the totality of Poppy’s story for her readers and craft her in such a way that you find yourself angered by her, protective of her, and empathic over her situation. These feelings are the art of Leigh’s We Are Us.
Since most of this story is written from Poppy’s point of view, we don’t get much of Gavin’s inner monologue which leaves us at a disadvantage for understanding him as the hero of this romance. We can note his actions, and we understand his sense of justice and his integrity. But we don’t get a strong sense of him as a romantic hero. With that, Leigh suggests that this book is Poppy’s story, that Tucker and Gavin, to a certain degree act as the men who punctuate her life. That isn’t to say that the reader lives for Gavin and Poppy finding their way back to each other. However, if you intend to get a sense of the men in this story, that isn’t the point for We are Us. Instead, this story seems to be a romance between Poppy and herself. She finds her power, her voice, and her peace throughout the course of this romance. She falls in love with her truth, after over a decade of fighting it. This is Leigh’s second bit of genius: writing a story that encapsulates the journey of a woman and creating a need for this woman to learn to love herself just as she is. Gavin and Poppy’s ending is idyllic, even with a bit of drama folded in. That is the big pay-off for enduring Poppy’s emotional, fraught journey towards herself.
This is my first Tara Leigh book. I feel blessed to have read it because it bleeds the truth of so many of us: always wanting more instead of loving ourselves in the present. It’s, unfortunately, a hard lesson to learn for any of us. Tara Leigh’s We are Us is beautifully written and beautifully told. From its cover to its acknowledgments, it’s a book with a big heart and a big soul.
hannas_heas47's review against another edition
4.0
Thanks to the author for an ARC to read and give my honest opinion. Second chances hurt sometimes when your hooked onto a new tether ..to a new life. All those questions about what might have been... what could have been. Sometimes those questions need answers. Sometimes you just have to go where the cards lead you.
What did I like? This is an emotional and angsty book and the characters go through some tough things. Choices are made and lives are broken. Without spoilers this was a good read and a great HEA.
Recommend? If you love second chance romance then this one is a dark one. It comes with a HEA so that’s your light in the dark.
To the author? Congratulations on your new release! Thank you so much for an ARC through the giveaway!
What did I like? This is an emotional and angsty book and the characters go through some tough things. Choices are made and lives are broken. Without spoilers this was a good read and a great HEA.
Recommend? If you love second chance romance then this one is a dark one. It comes with a HEA so that’s your light in the dark.
To the author? Congratulations on your new release! Thank you so much for an ARC through the giveaway!
kodom251999's review
5.0
I am his and he is mine and we are us. I loved that Gavin and Poppy find each other as kids. They both need the other. Their love grew from that time in the preserve.
I liked Tucker, and while I didn’t like what happened with him to begin with, I found him sincere after. The more they are together though, I don’t like how controlling he is. She becomes a door mat, and he wipes his feet on her a lot. I want to scream at her, but she does see it. She knows, and I hate that she doesn’t take a stand for herself. She reaches a breaking point, and I found myself tearing up because her pain is so great. Her pain radiated off the pages. This book broke my heart. (Part of my pain is that I had a friend in high school that suffered through a situation nearly identical to this. That scene was very much what it felt like It’s been 30 yrs since it happened.)
The twist... oh oh oh twist. I don’t know what to say... I want to scream. I want to slap someone. I didn’t see that one coming. I was stunned.
I loved that Poppy and Gavin finally get what they always wanted. I loved that they went home. This book was heavy. Filled with life experiences that truly change people. It was a wonderful story so well written. I can’t wait to see what everyone else thinks.
I liked Tucker, and while I didn’t like what happened with him to begin with, I found him sincere after. The more they are together though, I don’t like how controlling he is. She becomes a door mat, and he wipes his feet on her a lot. I want to scream at her, but she does see it. She knows, and I hate that she doesn’t take a stand for herself. She reaches a breaking point, and I found myself tearing up because her pain is so great. Her pain radiated off the pages. This book broke my heart. (Part of my pain is that I had a friend in high school that suffered through a situation nearly identical to this. That scene was very much what it felt like It’s been 30 yrs since it happened.)
The twist... oh oh oh twist. I don’t know what to say... I want to scream. I want to slap someone. I didn’t see that one coming. I was stunned.
I loved that Poppy and Gavin finally get what they always wanted. I loved that they went home. This book was heavy. Filled with life experiences that truly change people. It was a wonderful story so well written. I can’t wait to see what everyone else thinks.