there are so many things wrong with this book. it would have gotten 1 star if not for the very real, underlying issue of the story.

there was several places in the book that had grammatical errors. the writing was flat. the dialogue was embarrassingly corny. ( )

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. ( )