Reviews with content warning for Blood - The Brightest Light of Sunshine

I’m a whole woman. I’m not broken even if smaller parts of me might be. I’m a fighter, and I will rebuild myself no matter how long it takes or how uncomfortable it makes me feel. When a vase shatters and you try to put the broken pieces back together, they never fit again. Not perfectly. Not in the way they used to. There may be cracks in the new vase, but it’s thanks to those fissures that sunlight filters through. Life thrives under its glow, grows through the cracks, and blooms anew.

I enjoyed the first half of this book; unfortunately, it went downhill from there.

Cal was tolerable. He has the energy of a golden retriever puppy, which I appreciate. I also enjoyed his relationship with his sister, Maddie. However, one issue with Cal’s character is that he is 30 years old, while Grace is only 22. In my opinion, there was no need for them to have such a significant age gap. In fact, it made certain situations worse. For instance, I was willing to overlook Cal attending a college party despite being 30 years old, but I found it hard to believe that Cal would go to Grace's college dorm in the middle of the night without any consequences.

Despite this, my major problem lies with Grace. During the second half, she became insufferable. Her immaturity was frustrating, and at times, it seemed like she was purposefully trying to act innocent just so Cal could baby her.

For instance, she claimed to have already mstrbtd and knew that Cal going down on her wouldn't hurt as there was no pntrt**n. She was well aware of how it feels. However, a couple of pages before, she was asking Cal if rl sx would hurt before he went down on her. This behavior was infuriating, especially considering she is already 22 and touches herself, which means she does know it will not hurt.

The way the author built up the "drama" that will ensue was poorly executed. It was exaggerated as something big and dramatic, but it ended up feeling anticlimactic. I found myself thinking, "That's it?! All that buildup for that?".

Cal beating himself up and telling himself that he was too distracted with Grace to focus on Maddie doesn't make sense. We never read that Cal was abandoning or too distracted to take care of Maddie. He was always there for her, taking care of her, even as his relationship with Grace progressed. It seems that Cal's guilt about what happened with Maddie is driving these thoughts, although he shouldn't feel guilty for something that wasn't his responsibility in the first place. The third-act breakup would have been more compelling if it was due to Grace's trauma, if she was triggered by something and she needed time to reflect on whether she was ready for a serious relationship.

While the romance between the two characters is considered a "slow burn," their friendship was too quickly established. It doesn't make sense that Grace, who is explicitly stated to be untrusting of men because of her assault, would instantly trust Cal enough to consider him her best friend. The fact that they are so touchy-feely with each other also makes it hard to believe that they are just friends. In short, they need to stop kidding themselves.

Some of the dialogues, especially in the smut scenes, were cringe-worthy.

She nods, biting her lower lip. 'It hurts."
"What hurts, baby?"
"Between my legs." She arches her back as my other hand engulfs the side of her waist. "Cal... Make it stop.”

Uhm... ewwww.

I loved Grace's dads, though. If they had more storyline, I would have given the book a 3-star rating instead of 2 stars. They were so sweet and loving.

I also appreciated the acknowledgments at the end. The author's statement is true: we should always seek help when needed. Seeking assistance from professionals does not diminish our self-worth.

However, I do not recommend this book. There are better books available that tell the same story as The Brightest Light of Sunshine.

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