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A review by gymnerdreader
Lies that Bind by Ami Allen
4.0
*I was provided an ARC by the author in exchange for an honest review*
Favorite Quote:
"Sure, we're a bit tattered with tears that can't be hemmed back up, but it's through these breaks that light spills through us. We're just like the sky, and the stars are like our cracks so that Heaven's light can shine through"
Synopsis:
Antoni is a young Latino teen who is about to turn 18 and age out of foster care where he can finally leave his traumatic past behind him and move on with his life. He is totally set on just surviving the days, counting them down until he finally turns 18 until he meets Kyrah and forms a "fake" relationship with her that turns more real than he had anticipated, Creating more problems than he originally saw coming. (I am awful with book summaries. So I hope this is decent.)
What I Liked:
-Versatility: This book deals with a lot of different topics: mental health, teens in foster care, trauma, but it handles these difficult topics beautifully. Kyrah and Ant are both very flawed and damaged characters, however I liked the focus of portraying them as damaged individuals still very worthy of love. This falls more along the lines of Ant's character who has quite a lot of baggage growing up in foster care, however I love how the author portrayed him in a way in which people were able to see him as "redeemable" rather than as a "bad boy who is just damaged goods". People who know me and my reading tastes know I hate the whole bad boy trope portrayed in books. This one doesn't follow this, which is what I love. Ant and Kyrah and what they struggle with will resonate with young people.
-Portrayal of foster care and the foster care system: This goes along the lines with versatility as mentioned above, but I am shouting this out here because it is a topic not often handled or talked about in YA. Maybe I haven't read enough YA, but I have not read a book other than this who dealt with a hero/protagonist in foster care. It was initially what intrigued me to this book so I found this aspect rather refreshing. I wish I saw it more in YA.
-Emphasis on Friendships and family: This was by far my favorite aspect of the book! I loved getting to see Ant meet different people over the course of the novel that help him see his life in a much different way and help see himself in a different way. I LOVE the aspect of choosing our family and how friends and people we meet along the way in life can easily become like family to us. The friendships between the Heart Brothers was very wholesome and not as toxic as some male relationships I have read in YA. I liked this aspect more than I liked the romance if I am being completely honest. It felt more real to me, not that I did not find the romance cute. I did, but this aspect was just another level for me. It was real and wholesome, an aspect that will resonate with people.
What I Didn't Like:
-Romance was a little insta-love: I felt their romance was a little too quick for my liking, however in this case with Ant's background I understood and accepted it a bit more. I usually DNF instalove YA romances, but this one did not bother me as much because I understood the reason it was portrayed in this manner. This of course is a personal preference. I prefer slow burn romances. Tbh, I don't really find myself enjoying YA romance because I usually just find them too cute for my tastes. I would have loved to see more development and build-up with the romance in this, however it was still cute though and I felt the characters complimented eachother quite well.
-Some plot points were handled or wrapped up too simplistically: I do not want to give anything away, but I would have liked some of the plot points to have had more development to make them feel realer and more raw.
-Fake dating trope not as developed: Again, just a preference, but I felt that the fake dating in this one was not followed through with to its extent because of the instalove nature of the romance between Ant and Kyrah. I would have liked more build up with the romance.
Bottom Line?
A versatile YA contemporary that handles very complex issues and topics in a beautiful way that will resonate with readers. I know so many of the topics handled in this book, such as depression is something I relate and resonated with as a reader. Another goodreads reviewer said this was a "YA novel with a lot of heart" and I absolutely agree with this statement. This is indeed a very versatile YA novel with a great deal of heart with a cute romance that does more than scratch the surface with difficult issues, but explores them in a way that will resonate with readers, rather than trigger them.
When I think of what to describe this book the thing that immediately comes to mind is versatile because that is what this book is. It is a contemporary with a lot of heart, but it is also very versatile with a lot of beautiful elements. It is more than just a cutesy, shallow YA romance. The romance is definitely cutesy, but the issues that Kyrah and Ant navigate both separately and together is real. It is versatile not just because of the issues discussed, but because of the emphasis on friendship and family. It is a YA contemporary with a lot of different elements, much more than what I was initially expecting
Final Rating: 4/5 Stars
CAWPILE Rating 7.83/10
*Check out my instagram (@gymnerd.reader) for a video review of this gem coming in the next few days*
Favorite Quote:
"Sure, we're a bit tattered with tears that can't be hemmed back up, but it's through these breaks that light spills through us. We're just like the sky, and the stars are like our cracks so that Heaven's light can shine through"
Synopsis:
Antoni is a young Latino teen who is about to turn 18 and age out of foster care where he can finally leave his traumatic past behind him and move on with his life. He is totally set on just surviving the days, counting them down until he finally turns 18 until he meets Kyrah and forms a "fake" relationship with her that turns more real than he had anticipated, Creating more problems than he originally saw coming. (I am awful with book summaries. So I hope this is decent.)
What I Liked:
-Versatility: This book deals with a lot of different topics: mental health, teens in foster care, trauma, but it handles these difficult topics beautifully. Kyrah and Ant are both very flawed and damaged characters, however I liked the focus of portraying them as damaged individuals still very worthy of love. This falls more along the lines of Ant's character who has quite a lot of baggage growing up in foster care, however I love how the author portrayed him in a way in which people were able to see him as "redeemable" rather than as a "bad boy who is just damaged goods". People who know me and my reading tastes know I hate the whole bad boy trope portrayed in books. This one doesn't follow this, which is what I love. Ant and Kyrah and what they struggle with will resonate with young people.
-Portrayal of foster care and the foster care system: This goes along the lines with versatility as mentioned above, but I am shouting this out here because it is a topic not often handled or talked about in YA. Maybe I haven't read enough YA, but I have not read a book other than this who dealt with a hero/protagonist in foster care. It was initially what intrigued me to this book so I found this aspect rather refreshing. I wish I saw it more in YA.
-Emphasis on Friendships and family: This was by far my favorite aspect of the book! I loved getting to see Ant meet different people over the course of the novel that help him see his life in a much different way and help see himself in a different way. I LOVE the aspect of choosing our family and how friends and people we meet along the way in life can easily become like family to us. The friendships between the Heart Brothers was very wholesome and not as toxic as some male relationships I have read in YA. I liked this aspect more than I liked the romance if I am being completely honest. It felt more real to me, not that I did not find the romance cute. I did, but this aspect was just another level for me. It was real and wholesome, an aspect that will resonate with people.
What I Didn't Like:
-Romance was a little insta-love: I felt their romance was a little too quick for my liking, however in this case with Ant's background I understood and accepted it a bit more. I usually DNF instalove YA romances, but this one did not bother me as much because I understood the reason it was portrayed in this manner. This of course is a personal preference. I prefer slow burn romances. Tbh, I don't really find myself enjoying YA romance because I usually just find them too cute for my tastes. I would have loved to see more development and build-up with the romance in this, however it was still cute though and I felt the characters complimented eachother quite well.
-Some plot points were handled or wrapped up too simplistically: I do not want to give anything away, but I would have liked some of the plot points to have had more development to make them feel realer and more raw.
-Fake dating trope not as developed: Again, just a preference, but I felt that the fake dating in this one was not followed through with to its extent because of the instalove nature of the romance between Ant and Kyrah. I would have liked more build up with the romance.
Bottom Line?
A versatile YA contemporary that handles very complex issues and topics in a beautiful way that will resonate with readers. I know so many of the topics handled in this book, such as depression is something I relate and resonated with as a reader. Another goodreads reviewer said this was a "YA novel with a lot of heart" and I absolutely agree with this statement. This is indeed a very versatile YA novel with a great deal of heart with a cute romance that does more than scratch the surface with difficult issues, but explores them in a way that will resonate with readers, rather than trigger them.
When I think of what to describe this book the thing that immediately comes to mind is versatile because that is what this book is. It is a contemporary with a lot of heart, but it is also very versatile with a lot of beautiful elements. It is more than just a cutesy, shallow YA romance. The romance is definitely cutesy, but the issues that Kyrah and Ant navigate both separately and together is real. It is versatile not just because of the issues discussed, but because of the emphasis on friendship and family. It is a YA contemporary with a lot of different elements, much more than what I was initially expecting
Final Rating: 4/5 Stars
CAWPILE Rating 7.83/10
*Check out my instagram (@gymnerd.reader) for a video review of this gem coming in the next few days*