A review by mylastromancenovel
From Ashes by Molly McAdams

4.0

My Rating: 4 out of 5 stars.

Disclaimers: I received an electronic ARC of this novel from the publisher via Edelweiss in exchange for my honest review. I was not obligated to write a good review nor did I receive any compensation for my review.

An Overview of the Novel: Cassidy's life hasn't been easy. Her parents were abusive, and that's putting it lightly. She lived her whole life wondering if she would even make it until she was eighteen.

Her best friend Tyler was the only bright spot in her life. He was the one who helped her butterfly her wounds and the one who who kept ice in his room for when she came over injured. Now he's provided an escape for her. He's agreed to take her to Texas with him.

But when she meets his cousin Gage, she falls in love with him at first sight. The only problem is that according to Tyler he doesn't like her at all. Tyler claims he loves her. The only problem is she doesn't feel the same way. But if Gage doesn't love her, why shouldn't she go for Tyler.

From the moment Gage first saw Cassidy, he knew she was the one for him. The only problem is that his cousin has told him that Cassidy is off-limits. He tries to respect his cousin's wishes, but he really likes Cassidy. Then Tyler tells him that Cassidy just wants to be friends. But he just can't get over her.

My Overall Thoughts/Impressions: I had heard really mixed things about this book going into it. I knew that some people had really disliked the book and so I was hesitant to read it. However, I really liked it.

The characters were intriguing, really frustrating, but I enjoyed watching them grow and progress. Tyler drove me nuts. All of his lies made me want to beat him with a stick. Cassidy and Gage were clearly meant to be together and he kept getting in the way.

McAdams created characters that caught my interest from the beginning. I love books that talk about deeper issues and this book did just that. McAdams wrote about these issues in a poignant way. This book was an emotional read and for most of the book I wanted to throw it against the wall.

However, I liked it.

In Summary: McAdams's novel presents an emotional read centered around intriguingly frustrating characters and a masterfully developed plot.

Warnings/Side-notes: For adults, instances of language and sexual content.

The Wrap-up: I enjoyed this novel. I did feel frustrated for most of the time reading this book; however, any book that can make me feel this deeply easily grabs my attention.