This book has such a beautiful and powerful meaning behind the actual story itself. The underlining message about bullying people when you don’t know the circumstances is wrong no matter what was perfect. I adored that Roxy went through such horrible things but stood tall and even the strongest people can break at times. It made it seem so real that I hurt when she did, and I broke when she broke. The authors draw you in and take you on an emotional rollercoaster that you don’t want to end.
Roxy and Reid have been friends since they were 10 years old and Roxy walks up to a socially awkward loner, Reid and she declares they are best friends now. They then make a pact no falling in love with each other but as we know the heart wants what the heart wants. Roxy falls for him and tells him one night and of course Reid is angry and confused. Reid lashes out at her and I wanted to be mad at him because he tells her she’s ruined everything then leaves and they don’t speak for 10 years, but as I read the story I realized that Reid couldn’t help lashing out and yes he may have handled it wrong but he was only a teenager and teen years are already confusing so he can’t take full blame. These two had such a connection you could feel the heartache that Roxy endured and has been enduring since that one night, I felt my own heart break because the authors put you in the story that the emotions were tangible. After years apart they come back together but how do they navigate this new awkwardness. There is a lot that Roxy has to endure, and I admired her tenacity to dust her shoulders off and carry on as if she didn’t care. The authors made this book truly unique you will see when you read the book by the “posts” in between chapters because it truly shows instead of just telling you how awful people and social media can be. I loved everything about this book, Reid and Roxy trying to figure out their place in each other’s live now that all this time has passed, their love for each other, what they are willing to endure for each other, and Roxy standing up for herself, but above all this the authors shine a light on how bullying behind a keyboard can truly hurt and that it is not ok to put others down just because you see what the media shows it doesn’t mean it’s true and you shouldn’t judge others for any reason at all. This was beautifully done with a romance story woven in. I truly hope we get an Ari story he was an amazing person.

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4.6 stars

What a beautiful message in this story. I'm glad the authors tackled a sensitive topic. One, that needs more attention. The authors gave a much appreciated perspective. I adored how it was handled. Loved the characters and their connection. Just a truly special story. ( )