5 stars I might have given this 4 stars for the fact that it’s so short and I think it should have been part of book 2, but ultimately, it deserves 5. I read it in just a few hours. I couldn’t put it down, anxious to get to the end, and now that I have, I wish there was more. I’m going to quote a lot from this book because it’s just that good, and if reading these few excerpts doesn’t move you to read the series, then you aren’t the right reader for it (and I pity you). Book 3 deals with the repercussions of Tyler’s injury in book 2, which are mostly psychological. Tyler feels broken, like someone took away his very self. In keeping with the title of the book (and the theme), Tyler lashes out at Annie, saying, “I didn’t used to believe in dreams, but you made me. And I wish to hell you hadn’t.” I couldn’t blame him for feeling that way. Her response was to think: “That was not the man I love. If he doesn’t love music, I don’t know who he is.” I understand that he and Annie were young and she didn’t know how to reach him, but I hated her for what she did (even if she did have good intentions). She allowed Talbot to get into her head, and I had trouble forgiving her. Turns out, Beck’s words were prophetic. People will give up who they are to get what they think they want. Beck has some of the best lines, like this one: “Freedom? How’s that feel? Without the people you love, freedom’s pretty fucking quiet, Ty.” But Jax also has some powerful words for Annie: “People think building things takes effort. But maintaining them is harder.” When Annie tells him she has always yearned for him to see her as an equal, he responds: “You’re not equal to anything. You’re my child. You will always mean more to me than anything in this world has a right to mean.” And their relationship is repaired because they finally understand each other. It’s nice to have wiser folks in our lives when you’re young and trying to figure things out. Haley has some great advice for Annie when it comes to her dad: “...if you look for evidence to be angry with someone, you’ll always find it. What kind of place would the world be if we stopped weighing and measuring mistakes, and using (sic) those measurements to define our relationships? Maybe we’d be able to choose how we want to feel about other people from love instead of judgment.” Ideally, people change and grow over time. That’s what happened with Annie and Tyler, but I wish they could have done that together. Instead, it’s like they’re constantly bumping into one another, loving each other beyond reason, but moving away again because they’re not ready. Maybe they’re scared, maybe they need to mature, or maybe it’s just not time yet. In this book, it’s finally time, and knowing this shouldn’t spoil the story for anyone. It’s the journey to get there that matters. As this love between them that never died rekindles, Annie asks Tyler if he wants kids. He answers, “Depends who with. I figured you and I’d have three. The first one to practice. The second would be the refined model. The third, just because we were so fucking good at making the first two.” He revisits the comments he made to her when he was angry, about wishing she’d never taught him to dream, saying, “...I need you to know that I still dream. And when I dream, I dream of us.” Later he says, “I know we both have dreams, but mine aren’t worth living unless I can live them with you.” Considering that Annie is the one with the gift of words, Tyler is achingly poetic. By the end of the book, I appreciated Annie’s selflessness that led her to do the hardest thing she’d ever had to do. I also fell in love with the new and improved Tyler, the one unwilling to deny his feelings and unwilling to compromise. Midway through the book, Tyler is brutally honest with Annie about how he feels: “I tried to cut you out, Annie. I wanted to forget you but I couldn’t. You’re so deep inside me I can’t get you out. I never touched another woman on tour. When you’re close, there’s no air. But when you’re gone… I don’t care if I breathe again.” In his thoughts, he continues, “She’s inside me, everywhere, and half of me wants to push her out while the other half wants to open up, to let her in… I want her around me, so tight I can't breathe. Inside me, in the space between the atoms that make up my muscles and skin and bones.” These two define the term ‘soulmates’ and I loved the experience of them finding their way back to one another. August 3, 2020
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5 stars Another amazing book from Piper Lawson. The love between Annie and Tyler is so strong and so true, it’s a palpable thing. As usual, there are some great lines in this book because Piper is an incredible wordsmith. At one point, Tyler describes Annie thusly: “She looks ripe. Like fruit you’ve been impatiently waiting to soften, telling yourself it's not time yet.” Luckily, in this book it’s finally time for them. Later, while looking at Tyler, Annie muses: “I wonder if I’m tall enough to ride this ride.” There are words of wisdom, like this one from Tyler: “A man who’s seen heaven is more dangerous than one who only believes. And I’ll never forget how it feels to have you need me.” And Beck tells Annie: “Sometimes you want something so bad, you’ll give up who you are to get it.” That seems prophetic when he states it, but I’m still waiting to find out if it is. As a grammar geek, I love this exchange between Beck and Tyler, when Beck says, “That wasn’t a ‘past tense’ kind of look. That was a ‘present perfect’ kind of look.” Tyler tells him, “You don’t know what that means.” Beck responds, “Sure, I do. You’d like to have been getting some for the last two weeks.” Tyler and Annie finally consummate the love that they’ve had for one another for years. It’s emotional for both of them, with Tyler thinking “...it’s everything I ever dreamed, and some things I wouldn’t dare.” But this statement, when Annie wants Tyler to make love to her without a condom was profound: “Because I love you and I want to be so close to you, it’s impossible to tell where you end and I start. Because I want you to come inside me, for you to know that some part of you is in me...even though I know you always have been.” Everything is going perfectly, and I tried to prepare myself for the inevitable cliffhanger, but I really didn’t anticipate what would happen. I’ll be honest. It’s better than the kind of torture I experienced reading about Haley and Jax, but I’m still dying to jump into book 3 for the resolution. August 2, 2020 5 stars When this book first came out, I wasn't prepared to read it. I knew it would be an emotional rollercoaster, and it was. I waited for all of the books in the series to be released because I know how much Piper Lawson loves a cliffhanger, and I couldn't deal with one. So when the cliffhanger came, I was prepared. I knew it would break my heart. Like Annie, "The burning behind my eyes doesn't turn to tears, it lingers like coals that refuse to cool." I'm ready to dive into the next book right away. And that will also end with a heart-wrenching cliffhanger. And I'll have book 3 ready to go. If Piper Lawson wasn't such an incredible writer, I wouldn't put myself through this. She is, so I do. I knew I would love reading Annie and Tyler's story, but I've yet to read a book from Piper that I haven't loved, so it's not a leap. The angst of high school was tough to relive through Annie's eyes, but her wisdom and unique perspective made me wish I'd had a friend like her. I hope college will be better but I'm prepared for the drama. In fact, I can't wait. I'll just remind myself, "For everything in life that sucks, there's something beautiful if you know where to look." This is the review I wrote before reading the book: Piper Lawson is an incredibly talented writer who can make me cry in the best of times. In light of current circumstances and the added psychological strains of being stuck at home during COVID-19, the mere thought of reading a sad story makes me want to cry. The setting for this book, high school, which for most teenagers is fraught with perceived life-and-death conflicts and emotional highs and lows, is an additional reason for my reluctance to read this. The fact that Ms. Lawson specializes in heart-rending cliffhangers worsens my fear of despair. Yes, I know it's fictional, but her writing is so good that it's easy to forget that while in the throes of her storytelling. Under normal circumstances, I would never rate a book without reading it, nor would I rate a book higher than what I believe it deserves. In this instance, I have no qualms about giving this book 5 stars as a place-holder, if you will, until I can read the entire series. I have every intention of reading all of the books in this series because I have no doubt it will be incredible, but my psyche demands that I wait until the series is complete before torturing myself. Knowing that the happy ending is within reach will make it easier for me to cope with the misery I am anticipating. Once I have completed the series, I will update my reviews to reflect my actual impressions of this particular series. July 31, 2020 |
Elizabeth J ConnorWriter. Editor. Proofreader. Archives
September 2022
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