Nicole Reed

Sweet baby Jesus, what the hell did I just read? I have all of these feelings and none of them are good. This book hit the holy trifecta of terrible story-telling: telling, not showing; inconsistent characterization; super-lazy narrative building. I understand that rape is a thing and it's a thing that happens more often than people would prefer to admit. I don't think authors should stop writing about it but I do think that they should stop using it as an easy means of building narrative tension. Don't know what to write about? Have one of your characters be raped! Now you don't need to think about giving them a personality and motivations and aspirations, they can just be a victim! Boom! This book is a perfect example of How Not To Use Sexual Assault as Plot Advancement. [b:Easy|16056408|Easy|Tammara Webber|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1349370267s/16056408.jpg|19113823] is an example of How To Use Sexual Assault In a Way That is Both Meaningful and Respectful. Also, see grammar carnage. I am doubly pissed because I spent .99c on this and I could have bought a hamburger instead. It would have been a better (and more delicious) use of my money.… (més)

I am not sure where to start with this story. I think I will start with the basics of the story, then just tell what I liked and disliked about the book.

Jay has spent two years running from tragedy. Her running has included leaving behind her long-term boyfriend, her best friends, and sheltering herself from being close to anyone. She drowns herself in alcohol and sex thinking it will help her shield everyone from the pain she carries with her. Enter Zach. She is mesmerized by him the moment he walks into the bar. She charms him with her wit and sass. He is intrigued like he has never been. The two become close in a short amount of time. As they draw closer to one another, things start to change. Her walls are coming down, and her secrets she has been hiding for two years are threatening to come out. The few people who haven’t allowed her to push them away continue to pursue what makes her so sad. Zach can see that she is hiding within herself. The question is, can she hold on to herself or will she allow herself to bring everyone down with her secrets in ways no one could imagine?

This story is full of almost emotions. What I mean by this is that there are many parts of the book where I should feel something strong, but I just can’t because the writing hasn’t given me what I need to feel. I should be able to cry with this story in more than one place, but just can’t. The writing style is too technical for such a deep and painful story. I read this expecting to feel… I was not successful. The story line itself was wonderful, however, the delivery of the story not-so-much. The characters are likable, and I knew who I wanted Jay to end up with and why. This story would have been a 5 heart story had it been written with real emotion.… (més)

OH MY GOD! Thank you Nicole Reed! I liked Ruining Me….. Words cannot describe how I felt about Ruining You! The writing seemed to evolve from the first book to this book! I asked for emotions in the first book, and by golly, I got them in this book!

After Jay’s attempt at ending everything after the downward spiral of events, she is left to pick up the pieces to understand the difference between being alive and living! Enter Eli. Her new sparring partner. He is there when she is unable to allow anyone in while trying to fight her inner most demons. Rhye and Kane return in this book to help her realize that there is a difference between the two, and Cal teaches her that there is life after death and living that life is the only thing that matters. Jay has to come to terms with facing the person who has ruined her life and tormented her for years meanwhile trying to find herself in the shell that she has become.

This book was so much more than I imagined! I found myself crying through almost the whole first half of the book! The love, the loss, the longing, the heartache, the heartbreak, the guilt. So many emotions are brought out. So much healing to be done by all of the characters. The only reason this book didn’t receive 5 hearts is because the second half was a little too sappy for me. After all of the emotion in the first half, the lovey-dovey, sappy interactions took away from the emotions. These books are all about emotions. Strong emotions. Real emotions. The mushy stuff should be to a minimum in my eyes!… (més)