bookwrmmary 's review for:

Promise Me Not by Meagan Brandy

4.5

challenging emotional hopeful reflective sad medium-paced

Plot or Character Driven: A mix

Strong character development: Yes

Loveable characters: Yes

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Complicated

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Going into this book, I knew it was going to be emotional.  I mean, Say You Swear made me cry like a baby, so I was prepared 😂

This one though?  Ugh, a punch to the gut.  Mason and Peyton had me just wanting to hug them and tell them everything will be okay.  Peyton has never felt like she’s had people in her corner, until she turns up on her brother’s doorstep, pregnant.  The only person she could count on was her boyfriend, Deaton.  When he shows up at her brothers to find her, he’s supportive and kind.  Unfortunately, on his way home, he’s in a car accident and doesn’t make it.  This totally destroys Peyton.  But Mason is there for her, through all of it.  And with that, a beautiful love story begins.  Mason is a caring, patient, and considerate man.  But also battles with the feeling of not being good enough, feeling as if he isn’t needed then he’ll be pushed to the side.  

Guilt and grief are a huge part of this book.  I could relate a lot to Peyton.  I know what it’s like to lose someone you love unexpectedly, I know that feeling of guilt that drowns you when you start to move on, that fear that anyone you love will be taken from you.  I know how hard it can be to navigate the emotions that come with all of that, it’s overwhelming and can feel never ending.  But moving on can be beautiful, it doesn’t mean you don’t love that person or don’t miss them.

This is a slow burn with past and present POVs, and that slow burn is so worth it.  When everything comes together, it’s emotional, beautiful, and just feels so right.  Also worth mentioning, while Mason is a fucking saint, he has a very, very dirty mouth 🥵.