HEART BONESby COLLEEN HOOVER
Life and a dismal last name are the only two things Beyah Grim's parents ever gave her. After carving her path all on her own, Beyah is well on her way to bigger and better things, thanks to no one but herself.
With only two short months separating her from the future she's built and the past she desperately wants to leave behind, an unexpected death leaves Beyah with no place to go during the interim. Forced to reach out to her last resort, Beyah has to spend the remainder of her summer on a peninsula in Texas with a father she barely knows. Beyah's plan is to keep her head down and let the summer slip by seamlessly, but her new neighbor Samson throws a wrench in that plan.
Samson and Beyah have nothing in common on the surface.
She comes from a life of poverty and neglect; he comes from a family of wealth and privilege. But one thing they do have in common is that they're both drawn to sad things. Which means they're drawn to each other. With an almost immediate connection too intense for them to continue denying, Beyah and Samson agree to stay in the shallow end of a summer fling. What Beyah doesn't realize is that a rip current is coming, and it's about to drag her heart out to sea.
"He tastes like saltwater and my blood feels like the sea, raging and crashing through my veins."
Not only is it hard to write a non-glowing review, it's doubly hard to write one for a big, well known and popular author.
I'm obviously in the minority when it comes to my opinion on this book, so I'll keep this short and sweet. I can see why it's so loved - but it wasn't the caliber of what I'm used to from her. It felt a little rough around the edges. It didn’t read like a normal CoHo book does, but the voice was off. It didn't sound right either. It wasn’t quite as....smooth, for lack of a better word. The voice almost sounded as if it was muted a bit, and for her, that was shocking.
Loved Beyah's name. Loved Samson beyond belief. That is what I can adamantly state about this book, but also walk away from with confidence. I didn’t connect very well with Beyah, however. It was weird to see her anger towards her dad when she had all the answers as they played out. I’m not here to justify her feelings, but I usually feel for the character as they are written because there is an understanding. Unfortunately, I didn't get that side that I wanted or needed. I wanted to see the emotions as they played out. I feel that the immature side of Beyah played out before my eyes as intended though - so that was written really well. I feel like it gave me a better perspective of her maturity level and her inability to reason properly. I think. I thiiiink. I think.
It felt overtly plotted. I know...I know what you're going to say. Well, duh, Bee! A book is generally plotted, right? Right. But with Colleen, her flow has always been superb and it never felt plotted and it just naturally fell into place. I am not sure why this one felt, sounded, read differently than her others, but it somewhat affected my enjoyment.
All in all, the story was just ok. It wasn't really a memorable one for me....and that ending was the final straw that sealed the deal. I honestly didn't enjoy that at all. We seriously spent 94% of the book leading up to the end (again, duh), to only have it end....like that. It just didn't work for me. I am not saying it was boring, because it wasn't. I am not saying it was an awful book, because it most definitely wasn't. It just wasn't the amazing I have come to love from CoHo and it left a kind of blah taste in my mouth.
I love her style
I love her voice
I love her stories
I just didn’t love this one
It didn’t work
"I want to live in this feeling. Sleep in it. Wake up in it."
~BEE
~MEET COLLEEN HOOVER~
Colleen Hoover is the New York Times bestselling author of nine novels, including the #1 bestseller, Hopeless. She lives in Texas with her husband and three children. She is the founder of The Bookworm Box, a book subscription service which donates 100% of its proceeds to charity. She also owns The Bookworm Box, a specialty bookstore located in Sulphur Springs, Tx.
~CONNECT WITH COLLEEN~
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Wow I love your review Bee! I love your honesty. I am definitely intrigued now with this book after reading your review. I can't wait to find out why you gave it a 3.
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