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hanna0103's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
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perksofbeingshahed's review
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
gretareadsromance's review against another edition
5.0
Small town romance perfection!!
Perfect Wreckage is SO good! I loved every bit of this book. From the crushing moments to the hot steamy ones I couldnât put it down!
Crosby is a care free thrill seeking lawyer who does not want to be tied down. Kenna strives for perfection in all aspects of her life due to past circumstances. Between having an embarrassing drunk for a Mom and being taunted all her life itâs no wonder she hides from the world. When an unlikely deal is struck between these two things start to change. While he makes her live a little she opens his heart. These two go thru so much in this book and itâll crack your heart right open.
I love this little island town and itâs inhabitants and am definitely looking forward to more!
sunflowers101's review
3.75
I had a full range of emotions with this book. I love the plot, with itâs aspects of messy real life.
arae_ofsunshine's review against another edition
5.0
Catherine has a way of writing villains that you wouldn't hesitate to replace their shampoo with Nair.
But then she also has a way of writing love interests that are just the best people ever and make you side eye real men because why don't they act how Catherine Cowel's MMCs act?
But then she also has a way of writing love interests that are just the best people ever and make you side eye real men because why don't they act how Catherine Cowel's MMCs act?
profromance's review against another edition
5.0
âLife is messy and terrifying, but it is also crazy beautiful. You taught me that. You showed me that my wreckage could be perfect in its own way, that all those little cracks in my soul just made me stronger, more beautiful. Truly and authentically me. You taught me what it means to truly live.â
Overall Grade: âď¸ âď¸ âď¸ âď¸ âď¸
In a world where everything is run through a filter, where standards of beauty seem impossible, perfection, or the need for perfection, feels onerous, in that same world, success is honored, while there is no deference paid to failure. No one posts their failures or mistakes on Instagram or Facebook. Instead, our most perfect selves are delivered. These ideas belie Catherine Cowlesâs poignant Perfect Wreckage. While itâs not presented through the realm of our world, instead itâs individuated through her hero, Crosby, and her heroine, Kenna, its message is still important, even more so as readers see it played out through their lives. For me, that is the power of Cowlesâs newest book, showing us that the true beauty of life is found in the wreckage of our mistakes because they make us more humane.
As Iâve explained in past Catherine Cowles reviews, I am constantly bowled over by the quietude of Cowlesâs storytelling. Its truths whisper over the page as you fall into the heaviness of the storyâs plotting. And there is heaviness in Cowlesâs stories. In Perfect Wreckage, Kennaâs characterization is the most difficult. Itâs also the best representation of the bookâs message. Kennaâs past is rife with the mistakes of her mother and her own personal choices. In the small town where she grew up, these mistakes have been used to characterize her in a way that she seeks to mitigate by better choices and the mask of perfection. No one works harder than Kenna. No one holds themselves to a higher standard than Kenna. No one is more resolute in wanting to lead a safe life than Kenna. And all of this is a part of Kennaâs mask. By crafting Kenna in this manner, Cowles pokes at our own sense of control. She reminds us, through the course of Kennaâs journey, that our failures and the things out of our control make us human and interesting. As Kenna embraces this, Cowles rewards the story with a treasured ending. Even in the midst of Kennaâs troubles, there is this quiet resolve to find her happy ending. Itâs not overwrought; instead, thereâs a peace that comes to Kenna and to Cowlesâs story when Kenna realizes that the âwreckageâ of our life is perfect in itself. For me, that truth hit me right in my heart.
Cowles also lays this truth out in Kennaâs seeming opposite, Crosby. At the surface, Crosby is an adventure seeker, not afraid to embrace physical challenges. He will willingly throw himself off the face of a mountain or out of an airplane. It seems as though heâs living except that he isnât really. He hides behind the mask of his adventure. This is where Kenna and Crosby are more alike than dissimilar. For Crosby, he hides from emotional challenges because his past choices changed him. While Kenna pursues outward perfection, Crosby avoids the appearance of it, and he does this to avoid his emotions. As Kenna inflitrates his heart, Cowles creates this delicious tension within Crosby that makes you ache. As he works through his emotions, Cowles leaves her readers suspended, wondering if Crosby and Kenna can find their happy ending. These are the moments of Cowlesâs storytelling that I adore because this is life. Itâs messy and painful in the midst of the possibility for joy and love. She compels me to adore her stories because they speak gently to my own insecurities and heartbreaks, and this is the mark of a skilled storyteller.
Lastly, one of the main parts of Cowlesâs romances is the suspense of her stories. There is always some part of the story that requires ferreting out whether itâs a true mystery or a character-specific challenge. In Perfect Wreckage, there is more of this. Let me tell you. You will detest the villains of this story, which is delightful. On the one hand, you hate that her main characters must journey into this pain, but on the other hand, it keeps you suspended and intrigued in Cowlesâs story. Once I began reading Perfect Wreckage, the only reason I put it down was work. Even then, I found myself sneaking peeks of it between teaching classes and bemoaning the fact that I couldnât just sit and finish it. That happens for me with each Catherine Cowles story.
Over and over again, Cowles illustrates her capacity to craft stories that slay your heart. Perfect Wreckage is more of that. I had been waiting impatiently for Kenna and Crosby because I wanted Crosby to mess up Kennaâs life. Instead, what Cowles has done with this story is to show us that we are all messy, that we all need people to break our masks. She reminds us that perfection is made more perfect in the wreckage of our choices. That love and passion are stil available to us all when we authentically live our lives.
Overall Grade: âď¸ âď¸ âď¸ âď¸ âď¸
In a world where everything is run through a filter, where standards of beauty seem impossible, perfection, or the need for perfection, feels onerous, in that same world, success is honored, while there is no deference paid to failure. No one posts their failures or mistakes on Instagram or Facebook. Instead, our most perfect selves are delivered. These ideas belie Catherine Cowlesâs poignant Perfect Wreckage. While itâs not presented through the realm of our world, instead itâs individuated through her hero, Crosby, and her heroine, Kenna, its message is still important, even more so as readers see it played out through their lives. For me, that is the power of Cowlesâs newest book, showing us that the true beauty of life is found in the wreckage of our mistakes because they make us more humane.
As Iâve explained in past Catherine Cowles reviews, I am constantly bowled over by the quietude of Cowlesâs storytelling. Its truths whisper over the page as you fall into the heaviness of the storyâs plotting. And there is heaviness in Cowlesâs stories. In Perfect Wreckage, Kennaâs characterization is the most difficult. Itâs also the best representation of the bookâs message. Kennaâs past is rife with the mistakes of her mother and her own personal choices. In the small town where she grew up, these mistakes have been used to characterize her in a way that she seeks to mitigate by better choices and the mask of perfection. No one works harder than Kenna. No one holds themselves to a higher standard than Kenna. No one is more resolute in wanting to lead a safe life than Kenna. And all of this is a part of Kennaâs mask. By crafting Kenna in this manner, Cowles pokes at our own sense of control. She reminds us, through the course of Kennaâs journey, that our failures and the things out of our control make us human and interesting. As Kenna embraces this, Cowles rewards the story with a treasured ending. Even in the midst of Kennaâs troubles, there is this quiet resolve to find her happy ending. Itâs not overwrought; instead, thereâs a peace that comes to Kenna and to Cowlesâs story when Kenna realizes that the âwreckageâ of our life is perfect in itself. For me, that truth hit me right in my heart.
Cowles also lays this truth out in Kennaâs seeming opposite, Crosby. At the surface, Crosby is an adventure seeker, not afraid to embrace physical challenges. He will willingly throw himself off the face of a mountain or out of an airplane. It seems as though heâs living except that he isnât really. He hides behind the mask of his adventure. This is where Kenna and Crosby are more alike than dissimilar. For Crosby, he hides from emotional challenges because his past choices changed him. While Kenna pursues outward perfection, Crosby avoids the appearance of it, and he does this to avoid his emotions. As Kenna inflitrates his heart, Cowles creates this delicious tension within Crosby that makes you ache. As he works through his emotions, Cowles leaves her readers suspended, wondering if Crosby and Kenna can find their happy ending. These are the moments of Cowlesâs storytelling that I adore because this is life. Itâs messy and painful in the midst of the possibility for joy and love. She compels me to adore her stories because they speak gently to my own insecurities and heartbreaks, and this is the mark of a skilled storyteller.
Lastly, one of the main parts of Cowlesâs romances is the suspense of her stories. There is always some part of the story that requires ferreting out whether itâs a true mystery or a character-specific challenge. In Perfect Wreckage, there is more of this. Let me tell you. You will detest the villains of this story, which is delightful. On the one hand, you hate that her main characters must journey into this pain, but on the other hand, it keeps you suspended and intrigued in Cowlesâs story. Once I began reading Perfect Wreckage, the only reason I put it down was work. Even then, I found myself sneaking peeks of it between teaching classes and bemoaning the fact that I couldnât just sit and finish it. That happens for me with each Catherine Cowles story.
Over and over again, Cowles illustrates her capacity to craft stories that slay your heart. Perfect Wreckage is more of that. I had been waiting impatiently for Kenna and Crosby because I wanted Crosby to mess up Kennaâs life. Instead, what Cowles has done with this story is to show us that we are all messy, that we all need people to break our masks. She reminds us that perfection is made more perfect in the wreckage of our choices. That love and passion are stil available to us all when we authentically live our lives.
katieslifebythepage's review
5.0
Enemies to lovers at its finest! Loved seeing Crosby and Kenna learn to let go of their assumptions and learn each other. I also loved seeing her ex and his family get his comeuppance!
ava_rose07's review against another edition
4.0
4:75âď¸âď¸âď¸âď¸
I loved this book!! There was just so much going on it was constantly keeping me intrigued and waiting for the next thing.
Crosby clearly liked Kenna in the previous book but he doesnât want to settle down, where as Kenna wants to settle down and doesnât like Crosby at the start.
Watching Kenna overcome her grief and trauma and be confident in herself was so amazing and Iâm glad you could tell it was separate from her relationship with Crosby
I loved this book!! There was just so much going on it was constantly keeping me intrigued and waiting for the next thing.
Crosby clearly liked Kenna in the previous book but he doesnât want to settle down, where as Kenna wants to settle down and doesnât like Crosby at the start.
Watching Kenna overcome her grief and trauma and be confident in herself was so amazing and Iâm glad you could tell it was separate from her relationship with Crosby