She used to be perky, fun, and full of life—everything I hated about girls and their bullshit exterior. People called her bubbly; I called her “fake-as-hell.”
The edgy, dark, lonely girl in front of me was not the Olivia Brennan I knew from high school—far from it, actually. I knew the story—the whole town knew the story, we witnessed it all. It happened in the blink of an eye and the girl we knew was gone.
But I refuse to watch it anymore—I can’t stand it. I’m going to fix it—fix her. It’s time I showed Olivia her way back…
Back to the girl she used to be.
Review - 5 Stars
I am so glad that I got
the chance to read this book! I loved it and I think that it depicts the true
meaning of love and someone being there for you no matter what. I also think
that there is the true definition of forgiveness in this story as well. Great
job Anne Mercier! I think this story was very well planned and thought out!
Olivia is a young lady that has been dealt a rough hand. Things were going
great for her and her 5 friends when all the sudden, her whole world is turned
upside down and she is left with questions that she may never have the answers
to. Olivia has to deal with healing, physically first and then she can move on
and get to the rest of her life. Olivia doesn't want to deal with life at
first, she just wants to be left alone and then she is reminded that her
friends would not want that for her, and that she would never expect them to
put their life on hold for her if the roles were reversed. Once Olivia accepts
that she needs to move on, she goes back to college.
When Olivia moves into her new place, she is rooming with Alexa. Alexa is an
old friend of Olivia's that was not on of the Fab 5, but an acquaintance at
their old school. Alexa is the sister of Cameron, the person that made Olivia
feel bad everyday in school by the mean things that he would say to her and
about her. Olivia likes Alexa and thinks that she can avoid Cameron while she
is there to avoid any more confrontations. Olivia meets Sebastian on the first
day she moves in and they become good friends along the way. When Cameron
starts trying to make his way with Olivia when he sees her, Sebastian thinks it
is his place to protect Olivia and warn Cameron. Cameron knows that Sebastian
has a thing for Olivia, but he also knows that Olivia is in no place to date
someone after having lost Danny.
When Cameron comes up with an idea that he thinks is brilliant and will at
least get him some time with Olivia, Sebastian is not happy with it at all.
Cameron has asked Olivia to go on pretend dates with him to get her away from
being scared to go on dates and to get her used to being with others after the
accident. What Olivia and Cameron never expected to happen was that the two of
them would grow so close to each other that nothing could come between them.
When Cameron realizes that he hurt Olivia with all those mean things he said to
her and about her while they were in school, he apologizes to her for it.
Olivia knew that there was something else going on there that caused Cameron to
pick on her and she let him get his aggression out by taking it out on her.
I love how these two demonstrated the ultimate forgiveness and the ability to
get past what had held them up in their past. I fell in love with Cameron and
Olivia as a couple and was rooting for them from about the middle of the story.
I love that Olivia was such a strong character as well. She had been through so
much but learned how to find herself again and get past her issues. Great
read!!
*Review by Melanie H
"She really needs to get up. She's been in that bed for two weeks, Trish," my dad says to my mom. They're right outside my door again. I sigh softly.
"Leave her be, Greg. She's not ready yet."
"She's never going to be ready. No one's ever ready for what she has to face."
Mom sniffles and I know she's crying again. I'm so tired of hearing her cry. There's no reason for her to cry—not because of me. I lived.
I wish I could cry but I can't. I haven’t cried since I woke up in the hospital. I didn't cry from the pain of my fractured and broken bones. I didn't cry at the funeral when I stared down at the lifeless body of my soulmate—the body lying there was unfamiliar—not at all my Danny. I didn't cry while I struggled on crutches with a fractured rib over the uneven lawn, past all the weathered gravestones signifying just how final death really is.
I didn't cry when I lost it at the people—strangers—who didn't know my friends and my love by more than a passing hello stood there crying and carrying on. They didn't know their favorite color, their favorite food. They didn't know Danny chewed spearmint gum. They didn’t know Simon kept us laughing. They didn't know Cassidy was our support system. They didn't know Phil wasn't really as shallow as he led everyone to believe.
They. Just. Didn't. Know.
They didn't have a right to cry for people they didn't know—people who weren't good enough for them while they were alive.
And me? I just couldn't cry. I didn't even cry when my parents took me home and I stared at the corkboard filled with photos of me with my friends, me and the love of my life holding one another and laughing—a life that no longer exists. I stared at it for the hour I waited for the cemetery workers to cover the graves of those I love most. Then I went to them with my tequila.
My eyes are locked on that corkboard now and I can only stare mutely.
I'm numb.
I don't want to feel. I don't want to face a future alone, so I stay in bed and sleep. Sleep is the only friend I have left.
Sleep embraces me and holds me tight, blocking out the pain and grief that would otherwise fill my shattered heart. Sleep enfolds me in a cocoon of nothingness, and nothingness is what I crave.
I was born and raised in Wisconsin and still live here today with my two sons and puppy. (Though one day soon I hope to move to southern California!)
I’m an avid reader who gets inspired by reading the stories from my favorite authors as well as listening to various types of music. I am a huge fan of music, chocolate, fruit, desserts, autumn, M. Shadows, Avenged Sevenfold, and Milo Ventimiglia. Through my books, I am proudly creating new Avenged Sevenfold and Milo Ventimiglia fans one reader at a time.
“The best part of being an author, to me, is being able to take the reader to that one place they long to go when they need to escape reality. Knowing I can do that, for even one reader, makes what I do worthwhile.” ~ Anne Mercier
Hugs and love,
Anne xoxo
Anne xoxo
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