Scan barcode
thefox22's review
3.0
After not really liking the first book in the series, Let Love In, I went into this with low expectations. That way, if I ended up hating this as much as the first, I wouldn't be too disappointed. The characters weren't as annoying, and I really loved the inspiring messages that were brought out through the development of the story.
I adore the idea of healing love. I adore characters who are scarred and distant, yet find the courage to face their fears and let love into their hearts. I actually enjoyed the relationship that built between Maddy and Reid. They may have already been in it for six weeks, but in Let Love Stay, we see the perfect façade crumble. Because we all know that love and relationships aren't perfect, and it was great to see the two main characters wanting to do everything they can to make it right. We see Maddy and Reid find the strength to push past their differences and make their relationship work.
However, I still don't like Maddy. I don't know what it is about her that just makes me want to slap her, except that she doesn't change much from the first book. I didn't end up sympathizing with her that she lost Reid, because it was all her damn fault. She pushed him away because he reacted literally the same way she did when the doctor gave them the news. They split up; she whines about her life not being the same without him. And what does Reid do? He tries to move on from his past because it's the only way Maddy will take him back. Hunny, love is supposed to be healing. YOU should be there with him, helping him, supporting him. Instead, he's left to deal with the heartache of going home all on his own, because she pushed him to do it. Oh, and don't even get me started on her almost asking him to give up his internship because she didn't wanna be separated for a few months. Go cry me a river, Maddy!
And I felt that Reid shouldn't have been portrayed as a bad boy in book one, because he's such a good boyfriend. He's so sweet and loving. He can never stay mad at Maddy for too long (even when she totally deserves it), and he wants to make something of himself. He wants his life to mean something. In the first book, I just didn't understand why his character was like that in the beginning. It made no sense, because it seems like he's always been this way, that he's always been this good guy with a heart of gold. I loved him! <3
But the biggest dislike was the story itself. You're probably wondering why I'm giving it three stars if I didn't even like the story, so I'll tell you. It was just the situations; every single cliché you can think of in books is in this series. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just talk about the few clichés from Let Love In. Excluding the bad boy and good girl cliché, there's also the fact that they both have painful pasts. However, the cliché situations that I'm talking about come out near the end of the book. I never saw that accident as helpful to the story-line; it was just there to bring out the biggest cliché that'll end up separating the characters in this book. If you don't know what I'm talking about, that's okay. You'll understand if you read it. Let's just say, it has a lot of the same old plot devices that are used in many contemporary romances.
Other than those minor dislikes, I really did enjoy this story! Like I said, I adore the thought that love heals. It should never be selfish, and it should never hurt more than it heals. Maddy and Reid were both scared of letting people too close, of losing more loved ones. There is so much character growth going on that the happily-ever-after ending made me smile. :) It was a nice ending to Maddy's and Reid's story, though it almost seemed too perfect.
I adore the idea of healing love. I adore characters who are scarred and distant, yet find the courage to face their fears and let love into their hearts. I actually enjoyed the relationship that built between Maddy and Reid. They may have already been in it for six weeks, but in Let Love Stay, we see the perfect façade crumble. Because we all know that love and relationships aren't perfect, and it was great to see the two main characters wanting to do everything they can to make it right. We see Maddy and Reid find the strength to push past their differences and make their relationship work.
However, I still don't like Maddy. I don't know what it is about her that just makes me want to slap her, except that she doesn't change much from the first book. I didn't end up sympathizing with her that she lost Reid, because it was all her damn fault. She pushed him away because he reacted literally the same way she did when the doctor gave them the news. They split up; she whines about her life not being the same without him. And what does Reid do? He tries to move on from his past because it's the only way Maddy will take him back. Hunny, love is supposed to be healing. YOU should be there with him, helping him, supporting him. Instead, he's left to deal with the heartache of going home all on his own, because she pushed him to do it. Oh, and don't even get me started on her almost asking him to give up his internship because she didn't wanna be separated for a few months. Go cry me a river, Maddy!
And I felt that Reid shouldn't have been portrayed as a bad boy in book one, because he's such a good boyfriend. He's so sweet and loving. He can never stay mad at Maddy for too long (even when she totally deserves it), and he wants to make something of himself. He wants his life to mean something. In the first book, I just didn't understand why his character was like that in the beginning. It made no sense, because it seems like he's always been this way, that he's always been this good guy with a heart of gold. I loved him! <3
But the biggest dislike was the story itself. You're probably wondering why I'm giving it three stars if I didn't even like the story, so I'll tell you. It was just the situations; every single cliché you can think of in books is in this series. I don't want to spoil anything, so I'll just talk about the few clichés from Let Love In. Excluding the bad boy and good girl cliché, there's also the fact that they both have painful pasts. However, the cliché situations that I'm talking about come out near the end of the book. I never saw that accident as helpful to the story-line; it was just there to bring out the biggest cliché that'll end up separating the characters in this book. If you don't know what I'm talking about, that's okay. You'll understand if you read it. Let's just say, it has a lot of the same old plot devices that are used in many contemporary romances.
Other than those minor dislikes, I really did enjoy this story! Like I said, I adore the thought that love heals. It should never be selfish, and it should never hurt more than it heals. Maddy and Reid were both scared of letting people too close, of losing more loved ones. There is so much character growth going on that the happily-ever-after ending made me smile. :) It was a nice ending to Maddy's and Reid's story, though it almost seemed too perfect.
More...