Book Review — Ten Below Zero by Whitney Barbetti

 “A single text message changed my entire life.”

• Buy TEN BELOW ZERO (Kindle)
• Buy TEN BELOW ZERO (Paperback)

I had been meaning to read this since the day it was released and I’m so glad I finally got around to it!!

This is the story of a college girl, Parker, whose body bears the scars of an attack she doesn’t remember and who lives her life keeping to herself as much as possible, playing things safe, watching people live but rarely participating in life. Then one night she gets a text message. It’s a wrong number, but she answers it anyways and takes a chance by going to meet the guy who sent it…

“Why don’t you ask me about my scars?”
“Why don’t you ask me about mine?”

Everett is not like anyone else she’s ever met. He’s brutally honest (some people, like Parker, might call it rude) and nearly everything about him annoys her to no end. He’s pushy, he challenges her every word, wears all black and yet, for the first time since the attack that scarred her, he makes her feel. Something.

“You look like you belong at a funeral.”
Everett laughed humorlessly. “I probably do.”
“What does that mean?”

He’s also dying. And not only is he dying, but he’s okay with it… Or at least, he’s embraced the idea and his only wish is to live out the rest of his life on his own terms… truly living each moment to the max.

“Everyone is going to die, Parker. You’re going to die, I’m going to die, we’re all going to die. And I want to leave this world with a little dignity. I want to spend the rest of my life, no matter how much is left of it, doing what I want.”

And something about her draws him in. He can see that she’s hiding behind her scars and he becomes bound and determined to teach her to truly live while he still has time. With one condition…

“Just promise me something… Don’t fall in love with me.”

PS — I promise (cross my heart) that this is not a tragic book!!! M’kay? No tragedy. *pinky swear*

I really liked both Everett and Parker. I know some people might call Everett rude or even an asshole but I actually loved his attitude. He wasn’t mean, he was just really blunt about everything. He didn’t lie or sugar coat things and there was nothing he wouldn’t say. He was completely honest and didn’t have time for bullshit. I found it really refreshing to read about someone who didn’t hide or hold back their opinions.

“You are so…”

“Rude?” he prompted. “Yes. I am. I call it like I see it. And I see a girl who hides behind her hair, who doesn’t give two fucks about her looks. You think no one notices you… But guess what, Parker? You are hiding in plain sight. I see you. I see the parts you don’t want anyone else to see.”

In turn, Parker was an oddly perfect match for him even though she was the complete opposite in many ways. She was more closed off because she hadn’t yet accepted or figured out the the way she wanted to be. And I loved that Everett wasn’t trying to change her. He liked her just the way she was, he just wanted her to live. But this story wasn’t just about choosing to live though, it was about choosing how to live. About finding out what you valued most in life, and sometimes that wasn’t even literally life itself, but the precious moments and memories that make up who we are and make life worth living.

This was such a great story. For those of you who are scared by the blurb, just trust me that everything will be ok. This is a HEA book. I don’t usually come out and say it that bluntly but I’m making an exception in this case because I want to reassure you that while this book will make you care for the characters and their story, it won’t devastate you. I promise. You’re totally safe to read it! 🙂

Rating: 4 — 4.5 stars. Standalone New Adult Romance.

• Buy TEN BELOW ZERO (Kindle)
• Buy TEN BELOW ZERO (Paperback)