Jump to ratings and reviews
Rate this book
Rate this book
When Mari realizes that Trystan is the internet megastar, Day Jones, she can’t speak. Every time she listens to his song, it leaves her feeling so much. That song is bewitching. Everyone she knows heard it. As soon as it appeared on YouTube, it went viral, and then the guy who wrote it disappeared. Despite agents and record labels trying to lure Day5705 out, he remains anonymous. No one knows who Day Jones really is—except Mari.

To Trystan’s relief, Mari agrees to keep his secret. Part of him regrets uploading the song, but when he sings to Mari the song that once brought him solace, it fills him joy. In a life like his, joy is fleeting and Trystan plans on grabbing hold whenever a shot at happiness appears. To his surprise, Mari doesn’t realize the song is about her. When Trystan tries to push her to see, he jeopardizes losing her entirely.

One misplaced kiss topples the fragile relationship, leaving Trystan reeling, trying to assemble the pieces and convincing Mari that she’s not just another conquest, even though everything he did—everything he said—makes it seem like she is. It isn’t until Mari decides that being the good girl isn’t working that things steam up. Trystan knows she wants to hook up with someone, and he doesn’t know if he should stop her. Every attempt he makes to win her over goes bad and pushes her further away.

As the world gets one day closer to tracking down Day Jones, Trystan is one day closer to graduation and leaving this life forever. If Mari doesn’t realize he loves her by then, she never will.

206 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 30, 2012

91 people are currently reading
1730 people want to read

About the author

H.M. Ward

140 books6,543 followers
H.M. Ward continues to reign as a NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author who surpassed more than 23 million books sold, placing her among the literary titans. Ward has been featured in articles in the NEW YORK TIMES, FORBES, and USA TODAY to name a few.

You can interact with this bestselling author at: www.facebook.com/AuthorHMWard.

Ratings & Reviews

What do you think?
Rate this book

Friends & Following

Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!

Community Reviews

5 stars
1,747 (43%)
4 stars
1,440 (36%)
3 stars
663 (16%)
2 stars
117 (2%)
1 star
27 (<1%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews
Profile Image for B at Spare Time Book Blog.
331 reviews
October 2, 2012
There are books that you read that you really like or love. Then there are books that really touch your heart. I have only read a few that sincerely touch something deep inside. They are the ones that stay with you after reading them. This is one of those books. I relate a lot to Mari. Pressure to be perfect, whether it's in school or something else. I think we have all been there. I was. Mari and Trystan appear to be more alike then they think. Both with trouble at home and both head over heals for each other. Right when they were going to tell one another something would happen and neither of them would. Seriously, I was ready to burst!!! I just wanted them to tell each other already!!! The comment about hooking up with someone was the best catalyst you could ask for. I also loved the Kiss Assassin! Brilliant!

Trystan is pretty much the ideal guy. Slightly damaged but, I think Mari can rescue him. I felt bad for Trystan in book 1 and that continued through Backdraft. I wanted to wrap him in a warm blanket and give him hot chocolate or something. The poor guy needs a break from real life and go somewhere else. Hopefully with Mari!! Actually, they could both use a break from their lives.

I need book 3....like yesterday. If you haven't read this series yet YOU REALLY SHOULD! It is a series of novellas that are worth reading! Will true love win? I'm honestly not sure yet. There are so many different ways this story could go. I will be anxiously waiting for the next one!
Profile Image for Teiamarie.
176 reviews
October 3, 2012
IF YOU HAVEN'T READ THE TRYSTAN SCOTT SERIES (COLLIDE & BACKDRAFT) FROM H.M. WARD THAN YOU ARE MISSING OUT!!

**SPOILER ALERT**

JUST AS AMAZING AS COLLIDE!!

When I first started reading Backdraft I was afraid that Trystan and Mari would continue to dance around each other leaving their feelings unspoken. Well, there was definitely dancing (figurative) but Mari was really able to see that there's more to Trystan by the end, that he's not just putting on a big ole act for everyone. We also get to see another side of Mari. Trystan isn't the only one being tortured by a miserable home life. It turns out that Mari's father is a militant perfectionist and expects his daughter to be exceptional in everything she does. He has his expectations for how she will live her life, none of which make her happy, and her parents have never given her a true happy childhood surrounded by warmth, togetherness, and love. For Mari, it almost seems like she's living amongst strangers. There's no understanding, no leniency and no compassion. I'm not certain if it would qualify as abuse but this kind of situation can be just as mentally damaging. In this respect, Trystan and Mari are two similar souls drawn together.

It gave me warm fuzzies when Mari acted completely on impulse and just went for the kiss in the end! It was sweet and tender and led to the biggest revelation for Mari, that she is the mysterious girl whom Trystan is in love with. I absolutely love the cliffhanger but I need volume three immediately!! How does Mari react? Will Trystan really enlist? He can't! He and Mari just need to run away together! That may not be realistic but their future can't be anything but together! Backdraft was fantastic but I'm desperate to know what happens next! I'll be stalking H.M. Ward's website for any new bits of information as I wait for all future volumes! Love it!
Profile Image for Jalyn.
319 reviews44 followers
July 10, 2017
Aaahhh! I need the next book now!

Brief summary
Mari now knows that Trystan is Day Jones. He asks her to keep it a secret and she does, but now she really wants to know who's stolen Trystan's heart. Trystan thinks that Mari wants nothing to do with him, so he can't come up with the courage to tell her that he wrote the song for her and that he loves her.

What I liked
Again this was a fast read. I kept getting all giddy while reading it and thinking "just tell her for crying out loud!" The same goes for Mari. I just wanted them to tell each other their feelings.

What I didn't like
Not much. I hated that Trystan went out on a date with another girl and let her hang all over him while Mari was at the same restaurant, but that just added to the anticipation of when they'd finally get together.

Brief thoughts
Another quick and cute read from H.M. Ward. I didn't realize there's another book in this series that isn't out yet, so now I'm not-so-patiently awaiting it's release. 4.5 stars :)
Profile Image for Michelle.
2,082 reviews895 followers
July 19, 2014
Now that Mari learns one of Trystan's secrets he is trying to sort out how to reveal the one that truly matters. The one that will tell her how much he cares about her. We see a little more into the dark home life that he has had to endure and we see that although Mari might seem like she has the perfect life - perfect is not always pretty.

It can be hard to get a reader to connect to the characters in these serials due to the length, but HM always seems to be able to pull this off flawlessly.

I have a slight addiction to these serial reads... I can't seem to help myself and HM Ward has been my downfall.
693 reviews7 followers
October 3, 2012
Omg, someone give me the next book... This was awesome. Very short read... The cover is freaking awesome. The title- awesome.
Profile Image for Crystal.
335 reviews
November 5, 2015
Volume 2 of the Secret Life of Trystan Scott. Mari and Trystan continue to hide their true emotions from each other. Both too scared of the worst that could happen that they are willing to forgo the best that could happen. Mari finds out the secret that Trystan is actually the internet mystery sensation Day Jones. But will Trystan have the courage to reveal to her that she is the girl he wrote the song about?
This is another quick read by HM Ward. It is wonderfully frustrating. You can feel the pull between Trystan and Mari and will want them to just go for it, tell each other their feelings and run away together and begin living their lives for themselves.
Fortunately this series has been fully released, so you don't have to wait for the next volume. Go ahead and click Riptide right away for the continuation of their story!
Profile Image for Yovana.
140 reviews2 followers
October 18, 2012
Never let's me down. Yet again AN AMAZING BOOK! All I really need to say is that I need the next one NOW!
To me it was like, throughout the book, I was mentally telling her, 'it's you, dammit, open your eyes and realize it! Same goes for you sexy boy, just tell her instead of being all mysterious. Then when she was going to tell, I was like yes! Go for it! But she didn't. -sighs- Anyway........
Book #2 was intense.
Can we have book #3 early? o.O
Profile Image for Vicki.
2,709 reviews112 followers
October 13, 2012
When I began this book I didn't realize that it was a sequel, so even though the reading is quite easy, I still felt confused. I didn't understand the relationships until I read that Collide is the first book, so I read them in reverse order.

This book was well-written and it set the background info of the plot and the characters.

Trystan and Mari are cute and I rooted for their relationship. Seth is also a dream boat with his good looks.
Profile Image for Sara.
1,038 reviews18 followers
June 26, 2017
Backdraft was the continuation to Collide. It was really cute and flirty, and gave more insight into Trystan and Mari's lives. It made me love Trystan even more, even though he did make out with a girl he had no feelings for. Eww. I loved the end! Finally a new secret came out, and it was soooo good. I cannot wait for the 3rd book.
Profile Image for Gisbelle.
770 reviews255 followers
October 6, 2012
OMG... This book is killing me. I need to read the 3rd one right now! I need to know what is going to happen to Trystan and Mari. However, it'd be better if what mentioned during Trystan's POV was not mentioned again during Mari's POV. Sometimes, they were just the same.
Profile Image for Tia.
Author 11 books142 followers
December 1, 2012
Ah, now the story is progressing. I'm actually quite impressed how well it is going but once again I need to state that it is way too short!
Profile Image for Asia.
526 reviews61 followers
January 20, 2014
oooh the swoonfest oh the high school hotties trystan. if they only made boys like this in real life...
/sigh
Profile Image for Desiree.
56 reviews8 followers
November 18, 2012
These cliff hangers. It is engaging steamy read. Loved it!
Profile Image for Sue.
351 reviews18 followers
September 2, 2017
A better volume than #1 although Mrs Ward continues to scam us with bogus pages by using the two points of view for alternating chapters. ENOUGH!

They finally kiss and she finds out that he is the singing guitar sensation, but sworn to secrecy, which he keeps. Amazing for a high school student. We get further glimpses into their awful home lives.
Profile Image for Adric Rangel.
844 reviews29 followers
July 27, 2018
Es un libro de lectura rápida. La escritora tiene buena narrativa. Me ha gustado mucho lo que he leído porque finalmente ha sucedido lo que esperaba entre la historia de Tristan y Mari, por ello, en vez de colocarle 3.5/5 estrellas, he decidido darle 4/5 estrellas.
Profile Image for Thuy.
422 reviews50 followers
July 10, 2017
I can't believe I wasted money on this series. The writing is awful, stale, lacking any type of emotions.
Profile Image for Desi.
2,667 reviews86 followers
November 10, 2018
Seguimos con la historia de Trystan y Mari... y ya en este libro por lo menos confiesan sus sentimientos... quiero leer el próximo!!

pd: me cae mal "el mejor" amigo de Trystan ¬¬
Profile Image for Abby.
187 reviews6 followers
February 12, 2021
Se que son libros cortos pero con el primero y este siento que en lugar de terminar un libro termino un capítulo.

Al menos este me gustó más que el primero.
Profile Image for Candy.
408 reviews38 followers
March 22, 2021
Mari finds out the truth to many things.
Profile Image for SL.
844 reviews
July 9, 2021
Holy bombshell for Mari, right!
Profile Image for Caryn.
2,393 reviews3 followers
February 21, 2023
Continuing story

Such a good story in its entirety. Trystan is a sweetheart, Mari is too and Brie is just a bitch!
Profile Image for Janell Wheeler.
954 reviews11 followers
October 1, 2018
I am loving this series. I'm reading this series after learning where Mari & Trystan are in the future. So the biggest appeal to me right now is seeing how they get from here to there. To me these books are exciting. There is just so much angst and I want to see these two get their HEA that it is killing me. I'm really enjoying going back and forth between their POV's. I'm not sure what to make of the secondary characters just yet. But this book, I can't put it down. Come on you two pull it together already :) See you in the next episode.
Profile Image for Natalia Paez.
783 reviews36 followers
November 24, 2017
My rating for this book is 2.6 stars.

Estos son como volúmenes con un rango de tiempo muy corto, tal vez por cada volumen pase uno o dos dias, como maximo tres dias. No los considero un libro como tal porque si se junta podría ser el libro completo, pero separados son solo tomos o partes de toda la historia completa
Todavía no se descubre sus secretos porque ser Day Jones no es solo su único secretos, Tristan está lleno de ellos, su padre y su vida privada es su mayor secretos y el que más importa.
Estos dos son peores que Romeo y Julieta....
Profile Image for Lisa.
165 reviews159 followers
October 8, 2012
3.5 Stars
I really like Trystan Scott;) He is easily one of my favorite male YA characters of all time with his bad boy persona, emotional back story and extreme passion! I like this series because it is a deeper, emotional story and the character development has been excellent!

Mari and Trystan are so alike yet so different. Mari comes from a two parent household and has everything money can buy but she also has lots of pressure on her to be perfect and get into the best colleges. When she interacts with her parents, they don't seem to see her as a person but rather a showpiece, something they can brag about. Trystan doesn't have much. His mother is gone and his father is less than ideal and like Mari, he can't wait to be on his own, to be away from his adolescent existence and truly begin to live his life. They are both feeling an empty loneliness that draws them together, even if they don't realize it.

Trystan is a bad boy who has been with his share of girls. It isn't that he set out to be this way but when he does it, it helps him forget everything that is going on around him. Mari is the opposite of Trystan in this department. She has not had much relationship experience and doesn't understand why Trystan has had so much. In this second book, I felt like she was beginning to understand him and hopefully that works in their favor.

They like each other but each struggles to put that in words. There is always something holding them back whether it be friends, family or miscommunications. They seem to need each other more than they realize and at this point in the series, I am so invested in these well-built characters that I want nothing but for them to get their happily ever after.

The only thing that bothered me was the length of the book. It was very short and alternates between two points of view with some scenes repeating in both POV's. H.M. Ward has proven herself to be a very talented writer but I wanted a little bit more after waiting a few weeks for this sequel.
Profile Image for Lisa.
2,288 reviews73 followers
August 22, 2013
You can find this review at My Favorite Things

Backdraft by H.M. Ward is book 2 in The Secret Life of Trystan Scott series. This book addresses the parental issue a little more, gives us an idea of the level of notoriety that the viral video is getting, and finds Mari admitting her true feelings, at least to herself.

Trystan feels so deeply and hides so much but he's so madly in love with Mari that he can't hide everything from her. She manages to see behind his carefully crafted façade and while she doesn't see his love for her, she still continues falling deeper in love with him.

He didn’t plan to sing, but as he played, the words poured through him and he couldn’t stop. This was what he wanted, he wanted her to know. He wanted her to believe him. Trystan forced himself to look her in the eye as he sang and felt the bottom of his stomach lurch into a free-fall that didn’t seem to end. Mari’s big brown eyes locked with his as he sang. She breathed slowly, her slender fingers still pressed to her lips.

It was like part of him died. Trystan didn’t think a single girl could have such control over him, but if he couldn’t have Mari, he didn’t want anyone.

It’s okay, Dad. There’s no need to pretend anymore.”
His father look genuinely confused, “Pretend what?”
Trystan was so disgusted that he couldn’t even say it. Pretend you care about me—pretend you love me. Instead, he closed his eyes and shook his head. Trystan turned on his heel and left without another word.

His hands slipped around my waist and he pulled me to him.
Looking down at me, he said, “The girl who inspired that song, the girl who stole my heart—she’s standing right in front of me.


Profile Image for MOVED - CHECK BIO.
96 reviews175 followers
November 27, 2012
It makes sense that the guitar on the cover is burning with awesomeness, because this book is awesome!

Trystan and Mari have returned, along with their complicated lives. Mari now know's Trystan's secret, but isn't planning on telling anyone. The main conflict in this book is.....Dun, dun, dun! They don't know they like each other, and by like each other, I mean more than friends. The book takes place in New York, the big N.Y.

I seriously enjoyed Mari's best friend in this book. Katie just freaking rocked! Loooooove Katie!!!! She has a fun personality and an awesome attitude. I enjoyed reading what she said about knowing her parents already think she's nuts. Here's a quote from the book that made me love Katie even more!:

Her head titled to the side and her eyebrows crept up her face. It was her uh-durrr face, she was just too kind to actually say it to me.

Katie + that comment = AWESOMER.

The ending of this book was cute and sweet. :') I enjoy Trystan's sense of humor and how they had a tickle fight. The ending made me want the next book, Riptide, even more! Luckily, I had bought it before I'd even finished Backdraft. ;) I think Tucker, the acting/drama teacher, enjoys his job.....But I wouldn't want him as my teacher. Uh uh!

To sum it all up, the book was freaking awesome. I'm usually not a sucker for romance books, but I'm hooked on this series. :D 5 STARS!!!!!!!! WHOO HOO!

I recommend to 13-Adults, people who enjoy a little romance, and just about ALL teenagers.
Profile Image for Sharrice.
1,211 reviews64 followers
February 21, 2014
I received this book for a honest review.

When Mari finally realizes her feelings for Trystan she runs back to tell him how she feels, only to find out that Trystan is the famous Day Jones, the writer and singer of the new hit song everyone has fallen in love. The guy talent agents are searching for.

Now that Mari knows she'll do anything to help Trystan keep his secret. Of coarse now that she knows he wrote the song, she wants to know more and more who this mystery girl is.

Shocked by the discovery Trystan begs Mari not to tell anyone. Realizing that he just played for the girl who stole his heart has filled him with a feeling he never had before. Now it takes everything he has not to tell her how he feels.

When they both get in trouble with the drama director that lands Mari a lawsuit, they both end up having to clean up the teachers closet. When everything seems fine they realize they've been locked in, and both of them are claustrophobic. When Trystan asks Mari to kiss him and she doesn't things become more and more awkward in the closet.

Finally released Mari tells Trystan to leave her alone because she knows he'll break her heart. When seeing him with another girl later she asks him about a random hook-up that leaves him wondering who she wants to be with.

When everything seems to be going from bad to worse for Trystan he realizes he may never get what he wants; Mari and a way out.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 141 reviews

Can't find what you're looking for?

Get help and learn more about the design.