But when Uncle Raymond slides into bed next to Livie one night, Kacey decides it’s time to run. Armed with two bus tickets and dreams of living near the coast, Kacey and Livie start their new lives in a Miami apartment complex, complete with a grumpy landlord, a pervert upstairs, and a neighbor with a stage name perfectly matched to her chosen “profession.” But Kacey’s not worried. She can handle all of them. What she can’t handle is Trent Emerson in apartment 1D.
Kacey doesn’t want to feel. She doesn’t. It’s safer that way. For everyone. But sexy Trent finds a way into her numb heart, reigniting her ability to love again. She starts to believe that maybe she can leave the past where it belongs and start over. Maybe she’s not beyond repair.
But Kacey isn’t the only one who’s broken. Seemingly perfect Trent has an unforgiveable past of his own; one that, when discovered, will shatter Kacey’s newly constructed life and send her back into suffocating darkness.
I had no idea what to expect going in to this book, but it completely sucked me in and it affected me greatly. I became enamored with every single character in this book and felt so wrapped up in their lives that my emotions sat right on the surface through the whole story. It's a lovely, shocking and captivating story that's an exemplary example of NA lit.
Kacey is a tough heroine, she was hard to connect to - but the
amazing part is - I wanted to connect with her. She's
stand-offish and a little off-putting, but it was so easy to care about her and
hope that she'd start showing me what was behind her defenses. She's admirably
strong and scrappy and even though she deals with stress and a traumatic past,
there's something to envy about her. But she's just the one of the many
loveable characters in this book. She's taking care of her little sister,
Livie, who might be the sweetest and most likeable character ever. I just want
to hug her and buy her presents for being so perfect (and not in an obnoxious
way). And her next door neighbor and her daughter are so wonderful. I just
loved that the four of them are all a bit displaced, yet they come together to
form a pretty strong family.
I really don't know what to say about Trent. He came on too
strong sometimes and I was a little worried I wouldn't like him. But I
think I was projecting from Kacey's feelings. She doesn't trust easily and her
struggle comes through completely when it comes to him. But as she falls for
him, I started to get it. And I came to really care about him. I think Tucker
did a really great job of showing how two people can change each other's lives.
Their relationship is rocky, but ultimately you root for it because both seem
to be better off when their together. Kacey can heal herself, but he
helps.
There's a lot in this book that I didn't expect. And there's a
point where I totally had the rug - no not just the rug, it was bigger than
that - I had the whole freaking ground pulled out from under me. I was reading
the book on my computer and I had to physically step away because my stomach
fell and I couldn't breathe. I didn't want to be near the book. Then I read it
again to see if it was really happening. But of course, I took a deep breath
(or ten tiny ones...) and jumped back in. Because Kacey is definitely worth
sticking around for.
I really love this book (if you can't tell by now). If you're
new to NA, this is one of the first books I'd recommend you read. Because it
hits all the components that make a great NA book and it's a great story with
fabulous characters. It's emotional and unexpected. And I can't wait for One
Tiny Lie and Livie's story because it's going to be really
interesting to see who she will become after she grows up a bit more and is
living on her own. Her story is already fascinating and it can only get
better.
