Aly MartinezKirja-arvosteluja

The first book in this duology was excellent, and the conclusion is just as good. It's a roller coaster of a ride as Caven and Hadley/Willow find love and resolve the issues of their youth, which are major. The twists continued coming, and I didn't see any of them right to the end. Caven and Willow are wonderful characters. The author did a good job in actualizing their traumas and working them through it. Rosalee is a doll, and the author does a great job of making her sound like a real child. I loved this book, and I'm looking for more from this author.

Caven and Hadley are caught in a mall shooting when he's a teenager and she's eight. Both are wounded but survive. Years later, Hadley has a one-night stand with him and becomes pregnant. Unable to care for the baby, she leaves the little girl with Caven. She reappears four years later, wanting to become reacquainted with her daughter, but Caven is dead set against it.
This is the premise for the story, but there are so many twists that nothing is what it appears. Ms. Martinez masterfully uses flashbacks to gradually reveal what's really going on with a big cliffhanger at the end of the first book.
This was recommended to me, and what a wonderful story it is. There are so many layers to uncover in this excellent story. I can't wait for the second book.

The writing isn't terrible but the story just didn't capture my full attention. I just don't care for a heroine that is scared of her own shadow. I felt Apollo could have just told her the truth YEARS ago which would have prevented much of her issues. I did really like Jude's character a lot! I'm actually really fascinated with Johnson.

Pretty well done New Adult book. This author is getting better. There is a fairly good amount of angst and some of the plotting is overwrought but that is what the NA genre is really about. I liked the stuff I learned about the behind the scenes world of boxing.

This book was okay. It suffered from some amateurish writing problems. Characters don't always have scream or bellow or whimper their words. The heroine over emoted all the time. She literally never said anything in a normal tone of voice. If someone spoke in real life as she was written, everyone would think she was a crazy person. And if you have to tell me something was said sarcastically instead of letting me infer it from the actual writing, then the writing isn't all that great and it probably wasn't all that sarcastic.

The dialog was pretty stilted. I kept thinking 'people don't really talk like that.'

There was quite a bit of angst to the story but some of it seemed forced and unnecessary. Brett was a bit of a wuss. He found out that his wife had a mental problem caused by her accident. I looked it up Post Concussion Syndrome does really exist and can cause a changes in personality. Although Sarah's change did seem overly dramatic but it's fiction. Still I think that after 4 years he should have got her some professional help and let her divorce him. He was really in denial.

And so I had a bit of a problem with a., him committing adultery which it was no matter what he said, and b., I had a bit of trouble buying that he really loved the heroine since he had stayed with his wife for years hoping she would change back into the woman he married.

And a further example of not so great writing. He tells the Jesse, when she asks if he is married after Caleb let the cat out of the bag. He says I lost my wife in a car accident 4 years ago. There is absolutely no way that a rational human being would assume from that that his wife had dramatically changed her personality and was a harridan that he only stayed with so she could use his insurance. NOPE anyone would assume as Jesse did that she had died. And yet the author tries to make us believe that Brett thought he had not told Jesse a lie. Poor, execrable writing. Find some other way to get your characters to continue their relationship. And these are just a few examples.

There were however moments that I enjoyed and I did finish the entire book.

Pretty good and am still enjoying this series. This heroine was pretty messed up and I think she was a bit too flip floppy for me. Still in all I enjoyed the story. Probably better than the first two in the series.

Wasn't really interested in this one after reading the first in the series but I decided after reading some later books of AM's to go back and give this series another try. I also wasn't really drawn in by the synopsis but I did enjoy it. I did think it was a bit of a cop out to have the ex-wife not actually have been driving the car the night the whole tragedy went down. I think it made the character less interesting. The story here was full of angst of course and a fairly good read.

Pretty decent. I thought there were a few wonky plotting choices. But on the whole I really enjoyed Flint. I'm loving how interconnected all the books are while still being totally stand alone.

End of this series. Decent reads all of them. I did think that some of the timing was off. I kept adding up ages and time passed. Eventually I just let it go. Occasionally in this book as well as some of the others there was a bit of angst for angst's sake this girl for instance was pretty stubborn about something that realistically wasn't that big of a deal.

Wasn't real fond of some of the plotting choices the author made here. On the whole it was enjoyable. The heroine was convincingly portrayed as someone who had had problems and overcome them.

Okay but sort of overwrought.

Had to read it t finish up but my, what a coincidence....

3.5⭐

Let me start off by saying that when I first read the blurb I was pretty sure I wouldn't like this book and had no intention of reading it as I am generally not a fan of either second chance romances nor love-triangles. Also, it looked like it would have the gut-wrenching angst that I prefer to stay away from. However, reading the raving reviews convinced me to give it a chance. Still, didn't expect much.
However, I soon realized, that while the angst WAS there, there was also light-hearted humor and swoony romance to balance out the angst and make it just enough. Moreover, there was just something about this book making it near-impossible for me to put it down. Seems like Aly Martinez is a really captivating writer.
As for the characters, I love the fact that the author made it possible to somewhat empathize with Sarah as well. Jesse came off as somewhat of a doormat to me, but not so much that it'd become intolerable. Brett was slightly frustrating, especially in the second half, and sometimes, I feel, got off too easy. Yet the circumstances made me understand him as well, so I'm not too hung-up about that. The secondary characters were great!
Overall, a great read that made me feel so much. The writing style of this author was a perfect hit for me.

Holy hell

Every time I think that this author cannot get any better, she proved me wrong. EVERY. TIME. Each book she writes is different. No characters are the same (unless it is a duet) and all are powerful. She evokes a maelstrom of emo in her stylistic choices, the story, and the outcome. There is always a twist, one that I never see coming, and more often than nought even forget that she is going to put it in the story. That is how good she is.

Thea and Ramsey. My heart hurts for these two. Every interaction made me either smile or I felt my heart physically ache for them. They reminded me why I dreamed of love. They were truly an example of why love is precious, and fragile, and ugly, and moreover, priceless.

4.5 stars

I didn't even know that this book had been released or was in the works after the bombshell that had come out in Release. So, to say it had been a surprise would be an understatement. It added another layer and dimension to the story that I hadn't even known I needed.

Some of the story was the same but told from Nora's perspective. However, there was more there too. It was how this amazing friendship between Camden and Nora came about. It was refreshing and gave me hope that this sweet girl could get the love that she so desperately deserved from someone other than Thea and Ramsey. I loved the whole connection that they shared, especially the significance of the ten-dollar bill.

This book will tug at your heartstrings. It will also make you mad that bad people get away with bad things, especially if they have money or power over someone that doesn't. Yet, the story is redemptive in that it is love personified. It shows that the universe has a plan and that in the right circumstances that love can grow even in the darkest of times.

4.2 stars

Anything this author writes is immediately added to my TBR. She is just that special. I'm always guaranteed to get sucked into something that is going to pull at my heartstrings. This book was that but so much more.

I loved watching these two grow from grief to something more. The twists in this story were intense and surprising. That being said, I had questions in this book. I didn't understand why on certain things. I, also, was expecting this to have more about Eason and his career/dreams taking off being the focus. In one way, that was good that it showed the growth of this couple through grief, friendship, and eventually love, but in the same breath, I wanted more. Especially, with how he was treated by Jess in the beginning.

Still, a great story and an even better conclusion.

This author...

Good Lord, Almighty... This author is continually surpassing any and all expectations that I may have before going into one of her books and smashing them to smithereens. She has never left me down and this book shows the skill and talent of why that is. If there was ever a time that I needed two be a two-fisted drinker it would be after reading this book. I thought I knew what was going on. No, seriously, I thought after the thousands of books that I have read that I knew. I was wrong. There is so much more to this story. I was so immersed in the story that I didn't even know that it was the end until I couldn't swipe anymore. I might have let out a huff and hurried to check out the date of book 2 because I NEED answers. Man oh man, I NEED them.

This author has always been able to throw some twists in her stories that leave my mouth agape until I remember I look like a gaping fish and then I just mumble to myself as I make an almost whiteboard crime scene diagram as I try to put the pieces together to see if I have missed something and if so what is it because I know it is going to be something obvious. That is half the fun with her books.

I won't give too much away with this story. Go in blind and experience the magic that is this author. Bowen and Remi are dream characters. There are moments of humor but there is a lot of underlying anguish, guilt, anger, and sadness. I can already tell that this trilogy is going to sting a little because this only books 1 of 3 with each book coming out about 4 weeks after the previous book. It is going to be living rent-free in my mind until the next one comes. It is that good.

One of my favorites of 2022 and might become my all-time favorite of this author.

This author...

One of the main reasons that I pursued a degree in Literature was because I loved the power of books. There is just nothing better than finding that special book that touches me that leaves a visceral reaction to it. I know when I come away from reading a book by this author that it is going to leave an indelible mark on my very template of who I am. This trilogy, and so far only the first two books are out, is most assuredly doing that.

Again, I found myself lost in the beauty of the way that this author has continued this story between Bowen and Remi. I like these characters. I like them a whole lot. This story is both redemptive as it is heartbreaking. I don't even know if I can truly put it into words, without giving anything away, of how profound this story is. It builds off of everything that has happened in the first book and continues to build. My heart hurt, to the point that I would find myself putting my hand over my heart as my mind processed this amazing story. The connection that these two characters have, and not just in the obvious of being plane survivors, is mindboggling. I was gobsmacked several times reading this. Again, I am going to recommend going in blind. Trust me on this.

I cannot wait to see how everything is going to tie together for the conclusion. March cannot get here soon enough. This book is not just a testament to the magnificence of this author and her skill as a writer, but it is also a testament to the power of books. There is a reason that books are considered magic. If I wasn't a believer of magic before, I most definitely am now.

Sweet romance

I really wanted to like this book. The characters were likeable. The secondary characters of Flint and Quarry really made this book special. I almost didn’t finish this book. I started this, then shelved it. I read multiple books before I came back to this. I am not a quitter but I struggled to continue reading this. It was good but the plot didn’t capture me.

In my opinion the story lacked focus. Was it supposed to be a family drama with a sexy love story? Or was it intended to be a hot and sweaty romance with the family drama supplying context?

Kudos to the author and editor for the minimal number of grammar and spelling errors.

[1.5] i know so many people loved this and the cover is so beautifully designed but.....i feel like i was completely and utterly duped. not even the narrators or the author's prose could salvage the hot mess that is this book.

the title accurately foretold my reading experience: “the spiral down”…..to crash land into an erupting volcano, culminating in a fiery explosion leaving no trace behind, only devastation and disappointment.


*escapes in my trusty box of shame* please don't come after me

Love series thank you

29-7-17

Loved this book very well written good for you

Let me start off by saying that when I first read the blurb I was pretty sure I wouldn't like this book and had no intention of reading it as I am generally not a fan of either second chance romances nor love-triangles. Also, it looked like it would have the gut-wrenching angst that I prefer to stay away from. However, reading the raving reviews convinced me to give it a chance. Still, didn't expect much.
However, I soon realized, that while the angst WAS there, there was also light-hearted humor and swoony romance to balance out the angst and make it just enough. Moreover, there was just something about this book making it near-impossible for me to put it down. Seems like Aly Martinez is a really captivating writer.
As for the characters, I love the fact that the author made it possible to somewhat empathize with Sarah as well. Jesse came off as somewhat of a doormat to me, but not so much that it'd become intolerable. Brett was slightly frustrating, especially in the second half, and sometimes, I feel, got off too easy. Yet the circumstances made me understand him as well, so I'm not too hung-up about that. The secondary characters were great!
Overall, a great read that made me feel so much. The writing style of this author was a perfect hit for me.