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kkelly04's review against another edition
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Absolutely adored this book! Wow just wow…………beautifully written about love after loss and I just fell so hard for Tristan, Lizzie, Emma & Faye was my favourite best friend ever! I adored Tristan and Emma’s relationship 😍😍😍😍 I read this in one sitting . Run to read check triggers beforehand
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Suicide attempt, Child death, Death of parent, and Suicidal thoughts
kat7794's review against another edition
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
5.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Cursing, Toxic friendship, Car accident, Child death, Death, Sexual content, Suicidal thoughts, and Death of parent
cozyreader9752's review against another edition
challenging
emotional
hopeful
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Car accident, Child death, Death, Death of parent, Grief, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Medical trauma, Mental illness, Panic attacks/disorders, Stalking, Suicidal thoughts, and Suicide attempt
petit_biblio's review against another edition
4.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Minor: Stalking
bribreez's review against another edition
dark
emotional
hopeful
reflective
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
A story of loss, grief, a single parent, a widow, small town, and a grumpy man who seemed like he hated everyone in the world, plot twist and big reveals that’ll leave you in shock. Elizabeth and Tristian’s story was emotional, covered some heavy topics, and in the midst of all that they found love, and happiness together.
Before reading this book, I went in not knowing much other than the main guy was going to be the epitome of a grumpy man, but also have some strong tendencies to be harsh and rude. I also had an inkling that this story wasn’t going to be lighthearted by any means, instead it was more of a emotional book that covered topics from grief, mourning, loss, and more. Based off the beginning of the book, both Elizabeth and Tristian experienced a heartbreaking loss of losing loved ones. For Elizabeth, her husband Steven died, and for Tristian it was his wife, Jamie and his son, Charlie. Both were still dealing with the aftermath of their deaths and trying to live day by day in their new lives without their significant loved ones. Whereas Elizabeth (a.k.a. Liz) tried to start off fresh by coming back to Meadows Creek to her home that she shared with her late husband, Steven, it seemed that Tristian was a completely different person compared to the little snippets of his life as seen through the prologue. Tristian was very much the kind of man who didn’t interact with others, kept to himself, and if he did happen to speak to someone, it was usually very rude. Elizabeth and Tristian shared some similarities with them both having lost their loved ones, but it seemed like Tristian was having a harder time.
The story was told through dual P.O.V.’s from Elizabeth and Tristian’s perspectives. Elizabeth’s point of views were mainly focused on in the very beginning, but slowly then with Tristian’s chapters it not only allowed for him to share his thoughts, but it got a lot more interesting. With Tristian’s chapters, I got to see more underneath the surface of who he was, his grief, and his darkness that overtook him. In a way, Tristian (as well as the book in general) had angst and was packed with some emotionally, dark moments alongside the grief and loss both Tristian and Elizabeth were experiencing throughout the story. Tristian’s way of coping with his grief was through keeping himself at a distance from others because, he didn’t want to hurt anyone, and if he got hurt, he was fine with that if anything he found the pain fine as it gave him a reminder of all the pain and loss he was still feeling. Tristian had a lot of emotional baggage he kept within himself, and with Elizabeth little by little she was unintentionally chipping away at his grumpy, dark soul, and allowing him to have someone to talk to, and someone who could understand what he was going through on some levels. Elizabeth was equally trying to make the best out of her new life, and always tried to remain strong for the sake of Emma. With Elizabeth’s drunken night, she revealed parts of herself to Tristian and in a funny way admitted to her attraction towards him.
The angst and the emotions were high between Elizabeth and Tristian, especially once they started to for lack of a better word, sleep together. But the thing with Tristian and Elizabeth sleeping together was about helping one another in pretending and imagining the physically intimacy they once shared with their (now dead) spouses. In a way it was messed up but Elizabeth and Tristian were very aware of what they were doing, and in all honesty probably not the best coping mechanism. Neither Tristian nor Elizabeth wanted to forget Jamie or Steven, which led to their late night meet ups at each other’s houses. Although the start of them sleeping together and the way they went about what it was a mix of messed up and unconventional, it actually led to Elizabeth and Tristian forming a connection, more than when they initially started opening up to each other about their loss and grief. Over time, Elizabeth and Tristian became each other’s person who understood one another, and slowly but surely became more than what they anticipated.
The friendship between Tristian and Elizabeth were sweet and fun due to Tristian teasing and playing around with Elizabeth. Both Tristian and Elizabeth started to not only open up more to each other, but started to feel a sense of joy being around each other. From both Tristian and Elizabeth feeling jealous while seeing them dance with other people, to the growing tension between them growing exponentially, it was only a matter of time for those two to cross the invisible line that they hadn’t yet done. Once Tristian and Elizabeth made the choice to become more, I was happy for them, but also loved seeing them peel back the layers of darkness they each had. In addition, the romance between them started to get better and better. From the steamy, passionate moments where they couldn’t stop touching one another to the sweet, tender moments when they were out and about made me swoon and I was living for it!
The big revelations that were mentioned later on in the story left me shocked and quite frankly sad for both Tristian and Elizabeth. It made me think like, “what would you think or feel in that kind of situation?” Poor Elizabeth and Tristian had felt conflicted and heartbroken over what they learned, but it also didn’t help that Tanner played a big role in ripping them apart (ugh hate him). Although the big reveal was out in the open, in a way it made Tristian reevaluate his life and work their his emotional issues and the grief that he never truly faced when he initially lost both Charlie and Jamie. It was cathartic for Tristian to go back home, face his inner demons, and overcome all that he had kept bottled up for so long. While it was sad that Elizabeth and Tristian were apart, in some way it was needed time for Tristian. Also, THE PLOT TWIST?! (GASP) WTF?! I WAS INTERNALLY SCREAMING?! Just when I thought I knew what happened, NOPE! It was messed up considering the real reasoning behind what actually happened made me upset for both Elizabeth and Tristian, but my god Tanner is sick in the head and obsessed with Elizabeth to the point that he crossed boundaries and put people’s lives at risk just because he felt ownership over Liz, ugh disgusting.
By the end with everything being resolved and Elizabeth and Tristian getting their happy ending, I was an sensitive and emotional cry baby. I was just filled with so much having read this book, and while it was sad at times, there was still some sweet, light moments. Tristian and Elizabeth were amazing, Emma was a cutie, and I absolutely cannot get over how phenomenal this story was. The epilogue had me tearing up, and once I read the last sentence my heart was both happy and sad to have finished this book I fell in love with.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Child death, Car accident, Death, Death of parent, Kidnapping, and Suicide attempt
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