4.75⭐️/ 1🌶️
At this point, I’m determined to read every book by Rebecca Yarros so, when I stumbled upon this book not only did I fall in love with the cover, but was very intrigued by what this story would be about. This story followed Camden Daniels as he went back to the one place he made a vow to never return to… Alba, Colorado a.k.a. his hometown. With Daniel’s father in need of help due to his Alzheimer’s, Camden was back in town, but for some unknown reason to me in the beginning of the book, many of the people in town weren’t as happy to see Camden back. The only one who seemed glad to see Camden back was none other than the girl he grew up with, Willow Bradley. A story revolved around a man after his time served in the military, a small town, heartbreak, grief, a broken family, and love, this was a story by Rebecca Yarros that I knew I had to dive into.
This story didn’t waste anytime with jumping into a pretty dramatic introduction. With Camden being back in Alba, Colorado, he already knew he wasn’t expecting a warm welcome from many of the people in town, including his own father. Upon the first few chapters, it seemed like something happened specifically with one of Camden’s brothers (Sullivan) in the past, and caused a major rift between him and his father. I got the impression that Camden was not only a strong man, but he was resilient, stoic, and sharp especially from his years in the military. Camden had many years being away from his hometown, his family, and from Willow. Willow and Camden had a connection that spanned a long time, including the heads Camden was gone. For Camden being back home, it wasn’t just the chance to help his father, but also reconnect with the one woman he had always cherished yet couldn’t have.
Willow was kind, artistic, lovely, and warm. For the longest time, Willow grew up as the girl who was always hanging around the Daniels boys. In addition, from a young age Willow was always closest to Camden, but when Willow ended up with Camden’s younger brother, Sullivan, their friendship drifted away. With the way Willow and Camden met again for the first time in years not only was it dramatic, but like having the breathe knocked out of her from the sheer surprise of seeing Camden after so long. Unlike the other people in Alba, Willow didn’t treat Camden with hurtful words or a hateful disdain like others, she was happy to see him again, and with that a flood of feelings about him came rushing to the surface. Willow was a like-able character, she wasn’t like everyone else in town treating Camden with distaste, and I admired the way she stood by Cam when he needed help. Plus, there was no denying the way Willow drifted off thinking about Camden more often with him back home for good.
I read the tagline at the top of this cover so, I knew there was going to be some emotional things going on in this story, but I wasn’t expecting it to hit so much in my heart. The reason why Cam came back home was because of his father. Even with all the time apart and the hatred and anger Cam’s dad held onto against him, at the end of the day, Cam would do anything to be there for his family. Cam’s dad, Arthur had early on-set Alzheimer’s and his days varied from good to bad. I can’t imagine the level of pain Cam and Xander (his older brother) went through seeing the man they knew and loved going through such a difficult time. I think once it got to the story of showing Arthur in the hospital after an accident happened was when my heart broke and I was holding back tears. Something in that scene hit me as in that moment I became emotional. Cam was faced with the possibility of losing his dad, and with the reality faced before him of what Arthur really wanted just added another level of sadness, but also caused some conflict between him and Xander. This book wasn’t kidding when it said it was emotional and heartbreaking because, I’m out here crying like a baby.
The romance in this book was also emotional, beautiful, loving, and spanned the course of many years between Camden and Willow. So much time had passed over the years for Willow and Cam, but it didn’t deter their love for one another. I loved how protective Cam was when it came to Willow, it didn’t matter if he got in trouble over a fist fight with some guy, if it meant standing up for Willow. Willow was the one person in Cam’s life who always supported him, never saw him as the monster he perceived himself to be, and Willow was the light to Cam’s darkness.
“We were a mile past electric. Past combustible. Past chemistry or anything that could be explained by science. We simply fit,like two halves of completely different shapes that somehow clicked and became whole and new.”
Willow and Cam completed each other, and it was equally emotional and heartwarming to finally see them get together romantically.
Overall, this story did live up to it’s emotional aspects of the story, but also highlighted the love between Willow and Cam going from friends to lovers. There was some heavy emotional stuff involving the loss of loved one(s), Arthur’s struggles with his early on-set Alzheimer’s, and the grief from Sullivan (Cam’s younger brother) dying. In between my bouts of feeling sympathetic and emotional about Cam and his family, I adored the strong connection between Cam and Willow. I love a fictional man whose’s willing to do anything for the woman he loves, and that’s exactly the type of energy Cam had when it came to Willow. Cam also had to overcome many obstacles when it came to the townspeople of Alba, but he managed to win them over with his hard work in restoring in Rose Rowan mines, and helping contribute to the town. There was a little truth bomb towards the end that I wasn’t expecting, but added for a little flair of drama with a certain individual. The balance between highlighting the struggles within Cam’s family and his romance with Willow was done perfectly and showcased the themes of grief, loss, friendship, romance, and more. Another Rebecca Yarros book down, and more to read for me.