10 Heart Wrenching Stars




My dear Penelope Ward gifted me this ARC.

What I did not now when she gifted it to me is the day after I finished reading it I am still an emotional Wreck This book was absolutely amazing. This book hit every emotional button in my mind and I can say that this is my absolute favorite read of 2014.

Before I tell you how I feel about the book I want to speak on the author of this book. Penelope Ward cares about her readers and has not let the fact that she is a brilliant author go to her head. She cares and that speaks volumes. I do not know her personally but after reading Gemini I feel that she can tell a story like no other in ways that will send you on an emotional roller coaster on one page, screaming and yelling on the next, and laughing out loud on the next page.

This book hit some emotional points in my life and I have to say as I was reading it it took a lot of time to get myself together enough to continue. Skylar and Mitch's story is amazing and I love seeing my ole' Nina and Jake in this book.

During the book I wanted to slap Mitch and when he hurt Skylar I wanted to smack him a few times but his hurt was intense just as every moment of this book was. I don't want to put any more details because I believe that there are so many ways to give this plot away and there is the fact that after reading this:

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This book has my emotions all over the place! I was completely hooked from the first line on the very first page. I read this entire book in one day (well, if finishing it at 2 am still counts as one day). I literally couldn’t put it down. It was just so addicting. It has been a while since I read a book that was this unbelievably good. That made me feel this much. The writing was perfect. The characters were extraordinary. They made mistakes, but they were so real. Their story was so heartbreakingly beautiful. I am definitely going to have to go back and read Penelope Ward’s previous books.

Our main characters are Skylar & Mitch. Skylar was an amazing character to read about. I can’t imagine going through what she did. She was so very strong. She was also very open and real. I loved that about her. Mitch was… Mitch. Like Skylar, he was also very strong & he was always so open with Skylar. She was the only one he felt he could be completely honest with about everything he was going through (well… almost everything).

I cannot convey how fantastic this book is! The first part was so beautiful. It was the “before.” Honestly? That was my favorite part. Them falling in love & finally accepting their feelings for one another. It gave me the feeling of falling in love for the first time. Complete with all of the insecurities, butterflies, and moments of absolute giddiness. I loved the bond that they formed as children. Then, at about 20% in, I felt as if my heart was being painfully ripped from my chest. I was an emotional wreck. I hurt for them. I cried for them. I was scared for them. What they went through? It was absolutely heartbreaking. But, it seemed to only make them stronger & more in love than ever.

Part two of the story was the “after.” It was more about them accepting the mistakes that that had been made. It was about them admitting (to themselves and each other) that no matter what happened, the love that they shared… it was never going to die. It was just growing stronger with time. This may seem silly but… something that we found out in part two just amazed me. It really showed how loyal Mitch was to Skylar & just how much he loved her. I don’t want to give anything away so all that I am going to say is… 5 years!?! Wow. That is a long time. Like a really long time. A. Really. Long. Time. Wow.

The ending was just completely wonderful. The epilogue was even more wonderful. The writing was so great that I felt as if I were these characters. Like it was me in the story. It was an incredible feeling. There were some “steamy” moments. Okay, those moments were a little more than steamy. We had to wait a bit for them, but it was definitely worth it. This book as a whole was just completely mind-blowing. I loved it! Seriously, I cannot recommend this book enough. Read it! ( )

This story was anything but simple, but it is worth tracking. Skylar and Mitch became friends when they bonded over basketball and their parents' divorces. Everything that happens in their lives becomes a test of their love and how far they will go to stay together. There are ups and downs. There is a great deal of love and support, but the tests almost become too much. Read and find out just what true love can endure and what just might be the final break. ( )