4 stars
This is a very beautifully written YA book about how tragedies can occur and mark you, and how to find a way to accept them and find the strength move on.
Adam lives a quiet life – engrossed in his school work, surrounded a by a few close friends, but always on the sidelines. Never one of the popular kids, not noticed by girls, he’s always the responsible one, a musician, gamer, straight A student with a good heart and a lot of insecurities who constantly feels overshadowed by his nearly identical twin brother Aaron who is basically, what he feels to be, a better version of him. He’s slightly taller, more muscular, more popular, more social, is adored by the girls… he’s everything Adam isn’t.
When Olivia moves to town, she’s all Adam can think about. She’s free spirited, sweet and out going and Adam is absolutely smitten with her. But when there is a better version of him out there, why would she ever notice him?
“What’s wrong?”
I wanted to tell her exactly what was wrong. I wanted to tell her that Aaron liked her, and that I liked her. I wanted to tell her that Aaron liked a lot of people, but I didn’t, making my feelings more meaningful. I wanted to grab her hand and take her back to my room… I wanted to tell her that I was scared that she would fall victim to my brother’s charms and forget about me.
But I didn’t say or do any of those things. Instead, I said, “Nothing.”
And despite Olivia’s happy exterior, there is more to her than meets the eye – something she is trying to forget about. A secret that could change her life forever.
This book was very seamlessly written – the writing style flows smoothly and it immediately drew me into the story.
I loved that this whole book was from Adam’s perspective. It really got you deep into him mind and gave you a full understanding of his character – his desires, his insecurities, his thoughts and feelings.
There is a bit of a love triangle going for a while – one that really hurt my heart. Both brothers were interested in her. Adam, because she was ‘it’ to him. He just fell so strongly for her from the moment he first saw her but was too shy to tell her. And Aaron was interested in her because she was ‘new’ – another conquest to add to his slew of broken hearts.
Adam and Olivia connected very deeply but remained friends for a long time. They had both suffered similar loss in their pass and, although it had marked them in different ways, they found a connection through it.
I wasn’t sure about the twist going in to this, it was bittersweet. Not your classic romantic HEA. I actually thought it would be different than what it was but this book would be perfect for fans of Chasing Nikki or A Walk To Remember.
My heart hurt so much for Adam in this. I guess it was because of how connected the POV made me feel to him but watching Aaron trying to step in with Olivia made me ache. A part of me wished Adam would just man up and talk things out with to tell her how he felt, but another part of me understood why he didn’t and sympathized with what was holding him back.
I’ll say that I didn’t cry ever, even at the end, but there were times when I came close.
