What do you think?
Rate this book
What We Broke
If someone asked me to describe our love story, I would only need to use two words.
Before and After.
• • • •
When I met Leonardo Ricci, he was determined I would only be a fling, while I was certain he was my forever.
Seven years later, we're the perfect couple. Happy, married, and in love-in sickness and health, till death do us part.
At least until the unthinkable happens.
Now we can't look at each other. We don't sleep in the same bed. We can't even be in the same room. The loss is too great and the pain runs too deep.
But this man is the love of my life. I convinced him once, and I would be damned if I couldn't do it again. I would be damned if I couldn't fix what we broke.
*please check out marleyvbooks dot com for content warnings related to this book*
Before and After.
• • • •
When I met Leonardo Ricci, he was determined I would only be a fling, while I was certain he was my forever.
Seven years later, we're the perfect couple. Happy, married, and in love-in sickness and health, till death do us part.
At least until the unthinkable happens.
Now we can't look at each other. We don't sleep in the same bed. We can't even be in the same room. The loss is too great and the pain runs too deep.
But this man is the love of my life. I convinced him once, and I would be damned if I couldn't do it again. I would be damned if I couldn't fix what we broke.
*please check out marleyvbooks dot com for content warnings related to this book*
Audiobook
First published June 1, 2023
677 people are currently reading
5249 people want to read
About the author
Marley Valentine
36 books2,701 followersLiving in Sydney, Australia with her family, Marley Valentine is a USA Today bestselling author and a former social worker who uses her past experiences to write real life, emotional and heartfelt contemporary romance.
She enjoys mixing it up with both M/F and M/M Romance incorporating all forms of life, lust and love as her characters embark on their journey to their happily ever after.
When she’s not busy writing her own stories, she spends most of her time immersed in the words of her favourite authors.
Marley enjoys interacting with her readers so please feel free to reach out to her via Facebook, Instagram, email and/or subscribe to her newsletter.
STALK MARLEY
Newsletter: https://bit.ly/MarleyVNL
Audio Newsletter: https://bit.ly/MarleyVAudio
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2VuYfg8
Instagram: http://bit.ly/MVBooksIG
Twitter: http://bit.ly/MarleyTwitter
BookBub: http://bit.ly/MVBookBub
Amazon: http://bit.ly/MarleyV
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/MVGoodreads
She enjoys mixing it up with both M/F and M/M Romance incorporating all forms of life, lust and love as her characters embark on their journey to their happily ever after.
When she’s not busy writing her own stories, she spends most of her time immersed in the words of her favourite authors.
Marley enjoys interacting with her readers so please feel free to reach out to her via Facebook, Instagram, email and/or subscribe to her newsletter.
STALK MARLEY
Newsletter: https://bit.ly/MarleyVNL
Audio Newsletter: https://bit.ly/MarleyVAudio
Facebook: http://bit.ly/2VuYfg8
Instagram: http://bit.ly/MVBooksIG
Twitter: http://bit.ly/MarleyTwitter
BookBub: http://bit.ly/MVBookBub
Amazon: http://bit.ly/MarleyV
Goodreads: http://bit.ly/MVGoodreads
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 947 reviews
October 30, 2023
4.5/5
When I saw a new book with a marriage in crisis trope, I knew I have to, and will read it. I’m such a sucker for this type of books. Reading about two soul mates who somehow find themselves in a situation where their relationship is close to falling apart, so they try to fight for it and rebuild it, because losing it is like losing half of themselves, it's so terribly satisfying. True colors in most relationships usually reveal themselves after some time, and this is the moment when you can see if the couple really loves each other and will overcome difficulties together. Or not. In this case, the book has a HEA, so don't worry about that. Our main characters get a well-deserved happy ending.
I want to say at the beginning that I’m obsessed with the cover, I know there is a discreet cover too, but the man on this one is gorgeous. I usually hate covers with people, but this guy’s back? *swoon*
I won’t include any spoilers here, because it will spoil all the fun, but there is no cheating or any drama close to it. I feel like there should be something written about this in the blurb, because if there was cheating, I wouldn't have touched the book. I’m just saying that because of the title and the word "broke", as this may confuse someone. I tried to include trigger warnings in this review because I think they should be read before going into the book, but I couldn’t. So go to the author’s website. Be aware that’s a spoiler!
Probably quite important information about the book, because I know that not everyone is a fan of this type of format, but there are "then" and "now" chapters. I’m personally not the biggest fan of it, but here I kinda loved it. It was much needed as we got to see how they met, their engagement, first times etc.
The book follows two men/ husbands/ souls mates/ each other’s everything during the time in their life when their marriage it’s close to falling apart, after something happened. It’s revealed in the prologue, so you don’t have to wait ages for the reveal. The story focuses on how they try to fix it, because how can you let go of someone you love with your whole being?
I adore both characters and the relationship they created. I loved how determined Jesse was to do anything not to lose his husband, but at the same time I totally understood why Leo felt that way and distanced himself.
Despite the situation, their marriage was healthy and they were trying their best. It took some time, a lot of ups and downs, but at the end they found each other again.
I praise this book, but I didn't rate it five stars. Why? There were some stuff, not really their relationship focused, but there were. Like, why they had this 'dream' house with heated pool in Seattle, but Jesse was a mechanic and Leo was working odd, different jobs? How could they afford it? Is it that easy in America? Or who was the bartender? I also felt that Jesse's feelings after being a rock to this family and basically gluing them back together weren't touched enough. I wanted a little more.
In overall, the book was pretty much everything I wanted from this type of story. It’s shows that grief is coped differently for everyone, a relationship doesn't have to fall apart if you both have at least a little bit of hope to rebuild it and simply that, love is love and will always win. I can highly recommended!
*I received a free copy of this book via Grey's Promotions and am voluntarily leaving a review.*
When I saw a new book with a marriage in crisis trope, I knew I have to, and will read it. I’m such a sucker for this type of books. Reading about two soul mates who somehow find themselves in a situation where their relationship is close to falling apart, so they try to fight for it and rebuild it, because losing it is like losing half of themselves, it's so terribly satisfying. True colors in most relationships usually reveal themselves after some time, and this is the moment when you can see if the couple really loves each other and will overcome difficulties together. Or not. In this case, the book has a HEA, so don't worry about that. Our main characters get a well-deserved happy ending.
I want to say at the beginning that I’m obsessed with the cover, I know there is a discreet cover too, but the man on this one is gorgeous. I usually hate covers with people, but this guy’s back? *swoon*
I won’t include any spoilers here, because it will spoil all the fun, but there is no cheating or any drama close to it. I feel like there should be something written about this in the blurb, because if there was cheating, I wouldn't have touched the book. I’m just saying that because of the title and the word "broke", as this may confuse someone. I tried to include trigger warnings in this review because I think they should be read before going into the book, but I couldn’t. So go to the author’s website. Be aware that’s a spoiler!
Probably quite important information about the book, because I know that not everyone is a fan of this type of format, but there are "then" and "now" chapters. I’m personally not the biggest fan of it, but here I kinda loved it. It was much needed as we got to see how they met, their engagement, first times etc.
The book follows two men/ husbands/ souls mates/ each other’s everything during the time in their life when their marriage it’s close to falling apart, after something happened. It’s revealed in the prologue, so you don’t have to wait ages for the reveal. The story focuses on how they try to fix it, because how can you let go of someone you love with your whole being?
“I love you, Leo,” I say. “No matter what you try to tell yourself or how unloveable you try to insist you are. I. Love. You.”
I adore both characters and the relationship they created. I loved how determined Jesse was to do anything not to lose his husband, but at the same time I totally understood why Leo felt that way and distanced himself.
"For him I would. For him I would move heaven and hell or die trying."
“Sometimes I feel like there aren’t enough letters in the alphabet to string the right words together to tell you how much I love you.”
Despite the situation, their marriage was healthy and they were trying their best. It took some time, a lot of ups and downs, but at the end they found each other again.
I praise this book, but I didn't rate it five stars. Why? There were some stuff, not really their relationship focused, but there were. Like, why they had this 'dream' house with heated pool in Seattle, but Jesse was a mechanic and Leo was working odd, different jobs? How could they afford it? Is it that easy in America? Or who was the bartender? I also felt that Jesse's feelings after being a rock to this family and basically gluing them back together weren't touched enough. I wanted a little more.
In overall, the book was pretty much everything I wanted from this type of story. It’s shows that grief is coped differently for everyone, a relationship doesn't have to fall apart if you both have at least a little bit of hope to rebuild it and simply that, love is love and will always win. I can highly recommended!
*I received a free copy of this book via Grey's Promotions and am voluntarily leaving a review.*
July 21, 2023
✦ me looking at all the 5 star reviews...🫣 absolutely no one is surprised that everyone but ME loved this.
✦ this wasn't a terrible book, but it didn't give me the feels i wanted or expected either. it was just there. like i read this whole damn book with a straight face and didn't feel a thing. sad.
✦ i think the problem was that i didn't love either of the mcs. the way their whole mindset shifted so quickly really bothered me too. anywayssss... glad y'all loved this, but i can't relate.😗
✦ this wasn't a terrible book, but it didn't give me the feels i wanted or expected either. it was just there. like i read this whole damn book with a straight face and didn't feel a thing. sad.
✦ i think the problem was that i didn't love either of the mcs. the way their whole mindset shifted so quickly really bothered me too. anywayssss... glad y'all loved this, but i can't relate.😗
August 3, 2023
***4.5 rating***
"If the great loss that he and I have survived has taught us anything, it’s that we’re not invincible. Neither is our marriage and neither is our love. Bad things absolutely happen to good people, but so do good things."
TW: Contains references to heavy topics such as stillbirth, passive suicidal ideations, self-medication, and alcoholism
What We Broke, is MV's recent release. The book is about Jesse Hunt and Leonardo "Leo" Ricci, a couple that meets one fateful night and well the rest is history. Jesse and Leo, fall in love and get married. Their love is intense and passionate. It's the kind of love that makes you think they are soul mates or in other words meant to be. How they fall in love is told in the Then parts of the book. MV shows us how Jesse and Leo met and gives us a glimpse of the happier times of the couple. MV reminds us in those parts of the book, why Leo and Jesse fell in love in the first place, no matter how fast and deep they fell for one another. The Then chapters are the happier aspects of the book.
Jesse works for Deacon (from Without You) and Leo has odd jobs that he has from time to time. Jesse is the more financially stable partner (in the beginning). Jesse is also a father of a little girl, Raine when he met Leo and was successfully co-parenting with his high school ex, Zara. MV gives the reader a clear picture of Jesse's family dynamic and how Leo comes to fit into it all. The Then chapters are also my favorite chapters because you get to witness how these two fall in love and how precious their love is. The chapters include how Leo meets Zara and Raine, and how he becomes Raine's papa, which was not only sweet but wholesome as well. We also learn in these chapters of the special relationship that Leo and Zara form, one of friendship.
However, the reader gets a glimpse of these chapters later on in the book. What We Broke starts with a very intense and overwhelming prologue. It is the beginning of the turmoil of Leo and Jesse's marriage. Leo and Jesse lose the daughter they always wanted and sadly that impacts their marriage, so much so that divorce is brought up. While both struggle with their grief, Leo takes it the hardest and falls into a deep depression. As a result, he copes with self-medicating and heavy drinking. This leaves Jesse to pick up the pieces. It is also Jesse's nature to take care of everyone he loves and to fix what is harming those he loves. I suppose his love language is acts of service. Unfortunately, with Leo drowning in grief, he neglects not only his marriage but also his daughter Raine and his friendship with Zara. This ultimately leads to a very chaotic environment for a married couple. Leo is truly insufferable in the Now chapters, which is the present timeline of the book. He treats Jesse cruelly and drinks his sorrows away. As a reader you feel for Jesse, it seems he is the only one who wants to save his marriage or what's left of his family. It is, after all, Jesse who persuades Leo to go to therapy to save their marriage. It is Jesse who cares for Raine and Zara who also lost Lola (Jesse and Leo's daughter). It is Jesse who makes sure Leo is living and breathing. Jesse who takes care of everyone but himself.
Unfortunately, Leo's determination to ruin himself and their marriage takes a toll on those around him but mostly Jesse. Sadly, Jesse reaches his breaking point in the marriage and it leads you to wonder, can their marriage truly be fixed or is it truly broken? Jesse falling apart is Leo's redemption arc. The story is a testament to whether a couple can weather the storms of marriage and take their vows seriously. The loss of their daughter is what tests their marriage. As a reader, it was heartbreaking to read the Now chapters, because we saw how deep in love Jesse and Leo were with one another. To see the demise of their marriage was depressing but also realistic, the loss of a child/baby breaks some marriages and grief is never easy to deal with. As a reader, we may demonize Leo but his upbringing and insecurities make it hard to judge him or his actions. Leo is someone who has never really had anything good in his life, until Jesse. He truly believes that good things don't happen to someone like him and when a chance at happiness gets taken away from him once more, well we cannot be surprised that he falls apart.
Both men deal with grief differently but MV also lets the readers know how grief and the demise of a parents' marriage impact the child in this family, Raine. My heart broke for Raine because it seemed that both Jesse and Leo were so consumed with grief and fixing their marriage that they forgot about Raine.
My favorite aspect of the book no matter how sad it was at times was how Leo and Jesse found their way back to each other and eventually fought for each other. Raine and Zara made this story special as well. I also loved how each character dealt with loss and healing, it shows that everyone is human and grieves differently. I have experienced the loss of special people in my life and it never truly goes away. We all heal and cope differently, no matter how unhealthy those methods are but we also heal and never stop healing because we can never get over such loss but we can accept it and move on. The bonus epilogue was very sweet and I loved their vows to one another. I also loved seeing Deacon and Julian in this book, I think MV realizes how special those characters are to her readers.
This was a tough read and at times very emotional. There were tears involved 😭🤧but I did end up loving it💙 I couldn't have gotten through this book without my reading buddy, Hope.
Thank you Hope for being my emotional support for this read💙
Check out her review on here💙
If you have loved MV's previous reads then you will love this as well, no matter how emotional it is. Do check the reading triggers for it though so you know what are getting into.
"If the great loss that he and I have survived has taught us anything, it’s that we’re not invincible. Neither is our marriage and neither is our love. Bad things absolutely happen to good people, but so do good things."
TW: Contains references to heavy topics such as stillbirth, passive suicidal ideations, self-medication, and alcoholism
What We Broke, is MV's recent release. The book is about Jesse Hunt and Leonardo "Leo" Ricci, a couple that meets one fateful night and well the rest is history. Jesse and Leo, fall in love and get married. Their love is intense and passionate. It's the kind of love that makes you think they are soul mates or in other words meant to be. How they fall in love is told in the Then parts of the book. MV shows us how Jesse and Leo met and gives us a glimpse of the happier times of the couple. MV reminds us in those parts of the book, why Leo and Jesse fell in love in the first place, no matter how fast and deep they fell for one another. The Then chapters are the happier aspects of the book.
Jesse works for Deacon (from Without You) and Leo has odd jobs that he has from time to time. Jesse is the more financially stable partner (in the beginning). Jesse is also a father of a little girl, Raine when he met Leo and was successfully co-parenting with his high school ex, Zara. MV gives the reader a clear picture of Jesse's family dynamic and how Leo comes to fit into it all. The Then chapters are also my favorite chapters because you get to witness how these two fall in love and how precious their love is. The chapters include how Leo meets Zara and Raine, and how he becomes Raine's papa, which was not only sweet but wholesome as well. We also learn in these chapters of the special relationship that Leo and Zara form, one of friendship.
However, the reader gets a glimpse of these chapters later on in the book. What We Broke starts with a very intense and overwhelming prologue. It is the beginning of the turmoil of Leo and Jesse's marriage. Leo and Jesse lose the daughter they always wanted and sadly that impacts their marriage, so much so that divorce is brought up. While both struggle with their grief, Leo takes it the hardest and falls into a deep depression. As a result, he copes with self-medicating and heavy drinking. This leaves Jesse to pick up the pieces. It is also Jesse's nature to take care of everyone he loves and to fix what is harming those he loves. I suppose his love language is acts of service. Unfortunately, with Leo drowning in grief, he neglects not only his marriage but also his daughter Raine and his friendship with Zara. This ultimately leads to a very chaotic environment for a married couple. Leo is truly insufferable in the Now chapters, which is the present timeline of the book. He treats Jesse cruelly and drinks his sorrows away. As a reader you feel for Jesse, it seems he is the only one who wants to save his marriage or what's left of his family. It is, after all, Jesse who persuades Leo to go to therapy to save their marriage. It is Jesse who cares for Raine and Zara who also lost Lola (Jesse and Leo's daughter). It is Jesse who makes sure Leo is living and breathing. Jesse who takes care of everyone but himself.
Unfortunately, Leo's determination to ruin himself and their marriage takes a toll on those around him but mostly Jesse. Sadly, Jesse reaches his breaking point in the marriage and it leads you to wonder, can their marriage truly be fixed or is it truly broken? Jesse falling apart is Leo's redemption arc. The story is a testament to whether a couple can weather the storms of marriage and take their vows seriously. The loss of their daughter is what tests their marriage. As a reader, it was heartbreaking to read the Now chapters, because we saw how deep in love Jesse and Leo were with one another. To see the demise of their marriage was depressing but also realistic, the loss of a child/baby breaks some marriages and grief is never easy to deal with. As a reader, we may demonize Leo but his upbringing and insecurities make it hard to judge him or his actions. Leo is someone who has never really had anything good in his life, until Jesse. He truly believes that good things don't happen to someone like him and when a chance at happiness gets taken away from him once more, well we cannot be surprised that he falls apart.
Both men deal with grief differently but MV also lets the readers know how grief and the demise of a parents' marriage impact the child in this family, Raine. My heart broke for Raine because it seemed that both Jesse and Leo were so consumed with grief and fixing their marriage that they forgot about Raine.
My favorite aspect of the book no matter how sad it was at times was how Leo and Jesse found their way back to each other and eventually fought for each other. Raine and Zara made this story special as well. I also loved how each character dealt with loss and healing, it shows that everyone is human and grieves differently. I have experienced the loss of special people in my life and it never truly goes away. We all heal and cope differently, no matter how unhealthy those methods are but we also heal and never stop healing because we can never get over such loss but we can accept it and move on. The bonus epilogue was very sweet and I loved their vows to one another. I also loved seeing Deacon and Julian in this book, I think MV realizes how special those characters are to her readers.
This was a tough read and at times very emotional. There were tears involved 😭🤧but I did end up loving it💙 I couldn't have gotten through this book without my reading buddy, Hope.
Thank you Hope for being my emotional support for this read💙
Check out her review on here💙
If you have loved MV's previous reads then you will love this as well, no matter how emotional it is. Do check the reading triggers for it though so you know what are getting into.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 13, 2023
re-read on audio November 2023
Just as beautiful and heartbreaking on audio with Joe Arden and Teddy Hamilton bringing Jesse’s and Leo’s story of loss and fight for their love to life. ♡
4.5***** stars
Until now I didn’t have the bestest of track records with Marley Valentine’s books but this one was everything. One hundred percent right up my alley, this troubled-relationship, or better this marriage on the rocks (no cheating).
⇢ Leo: married to Jesse, struggles since childhood with insecurities and self worth.
⇢ Jesse: husband and father, best friends with his baby mama, the family’s glue
⇢ Zara: Jesse’s life-long best friend, their first and only time together at 16 got her pregnant
⇢ Raine: (17) their daughter, biologically Jesse’s and Zara’s but also Leo’s since she was 10
The book begins with these four people, bound together as a family, suffering an unimaginable loss.
A year later Jesse’s and Leo’s marriage is in shambles. While they’re all still grieving, Leo hasn’t found a way to cope at all. He doesn’t want to move past his pain, he’s drinking and spiraling and at his lowest point he asks Jesse for a divorce. Convinced this family is better off without him dragging them all down.
Jesse is fighting hard to keep himself up. Caring for his daughter and looking after his best friend. All the while trying his damndest not to loose his husband for good who already shut him out. But he too has limits and it’s not long before he’s reaching them.
As a romance reader it was painful to read about a marriage that was once so happy falling apart. Bearing witness to when love isn’t enough anymore to hold two people who mean everything to one another together.
Their pain (not only from their loss but also from the situation between them) as well as their desperation was pouring off the pages. It was intense and palpable.
But not everything was full of heartbreak. Well, it was in the now for a long while but there was also the then, the story how they met, found the greatest of love and how they became a family.
… and eventually how they were able to hold on to each other, love each other the way they used to, but also different, and heal together and be happy again. I loved these four characters with all my heart. They are a wonderful family. ♡
What I missed tho, was a deeper understanding of Leo and where his struggles came from. It had to do with his childhood and parents but we don’t get much background on it.
With mental health being a central topic in this story I was glad the main characters sought out professional help —because, sadly but true, love wasn’t enough to help them come back from what they’ve been through.
*Please heed TWs at the beginning of the book!
side note: Who has read and loved “Without You” will be pleased to hear that there is quite the cameo for Deacon and Julian. And for everyone who did read it and remembers: As Jesse is working for Deacon, do Jesse and Leo also have a part in their book?
Just as beautiful and heartbreaking on audio with Joe Arden and Teddy Hamilton bringing Jesse’s and Leo’s story of loss and fight for their love to life. ♡
4.5***** stars
Until now I didn’t have the bestest of track records with Marley Valentine’s books but this one was everything. One hundred percent right up my alley, this troubled-relationship, or better this marriage on the rocks (no cheating).
With great love comes great loss, and with true love comes true pain. And no love is invincible.
⇢ Leo: married to Jesse, struggles since childhood with insecurities and self worth.
⇢ Jesse: husband and father, best friends with his baby mama, the family’s glue
⇢ Zara: Jesse’s life-long best friend, their first and only time together at 16 got her pregnant
⇢ Raine: (17) their daughter, biologically Jesse’s and Zara’s but also Leo’s since she was 10
The book begins with these four people, bound together as a family, suffering an unimaginable loss.
A year later Jesse’s and Leo’s marriage is in shambles. While they’re all still grieving, Leo hasn’t found a way to cope at all. He doesn’t want to move past his pain, he’s drinking and spiraling and at his lowest point he asks Jesse for a divorce. Convinced this family is better off without him dragging them all down.
Jesse is fighting hard to keep himself up. Caring for his daughter and looking after his best friend. All the while trying his damndest not to loose his husband for good who already shut him out. But he too has limits and it’s not long before he’s reaching them.
As a romance reader it was painful to read about a marriage that was once so happy falling apart. Bearing witness to when love isn’t enough anymore to hold two people who mean everything to one another together.
“That night I felt how much it hurt you to love me,” he admits. “But I also felt just how much you did.”
Their pain (not only from their loss but also from the situation between them) as well as their desperation was pouring off the pages. It was intense and palpable.
But not everything was full of heartbreak. Well, it was in the now for a long while but there was also the then, the story how they met, found the greatest of love and how they became a family.
… and eventually how they were able to hold on to each other, love each other the way they used to, but also different, and heal together and be happy again. I loved these four characters with all my heart. They are a wonderful family. ♡
What I missed tho, was a deeper understanding of Leo and where his struggles came from. It had to do with his childhood and parents but we don’t get much background on it.
With mental health being a central topic in this story I was glad the main characters sought out professional help —because, sadly but true, love wasn’t enough to help them come back from what they’ve been through.
*Please heed TWs at the beginning of the book!
side note: Who has read and loved “Without You” will be pleased to hear that there is quite the cameo for Deacon and Julian. And for everyone who did read it and remembers: As Jesse is working for Deacon, do Jesse and Leo also have a part in their book?
![Profile Image for ♡Gabi♡ [life & work is chaotic hiatus].](/_next/image?url=https%3A%2F%2Fi.gr-assets.com%2Fimages%2FS%2Fcompressed.photo.goodreads.com%2Fusers%2F1764457886i%2F137459201._UX200_CR0%2C0%2C200%2C200_.jpg&w=128&q=75)
June 3, 2023
5 ✰
“𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆,” 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚. “𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒚, 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆, 𝒎𝒚 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒏. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆, 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒔, 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆, 𝑳𝒆𝒐.”
I binged this book last night and finished it this morning and what an emotional, heart-wrenching, poignant, moving, gripping, and cathartic experience it was.
There is not a single thing I would change about this book or any criticism I have for Jesse and Leo’s story. Marley Valentine wrote one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful love stories I have ever read and it was such a privilege to be taken into the minds and depths of these characters through their journey of grief, turmoil, pain, loss, hopelessness, and then getting to see them slowly but surely reconcile, heal and start finding light, clarity, and hope again from the never-ending darkness they had been living in.
Jesse and Leo have an otherworldly kind of love. The type of love you wish, hope, and pray to have one day because it is just so powerful, life-changing, beautiful, awe-inspiring, feels bigger than life, and just so raw and real; though not without its faults and extremely difficult and challenging times.
⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡˙⟡♡
“𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑰 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇. 𝑯𝒆’𝒔 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒉𝒊𝒎.“
⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡
The mental health rep in the book was done with so much care and appreciation and as difficult as it was to read Leo’s downward spiral and his living with serious depression for over a year, stemming from experiencing the most devastating loss to him, his husband Jesse, and their family, I felt Marley put the extra time and effort into doing his journey justice and his character arc was written with so much grace, compassion, while still holding him accountable for his actions and the consequences that came from them; especially when he starts to realize his part in the destruction of his marriage and wanting to start changing his unhealthy coping mechanisms, finally participating in therapy and getting the proper help he needed from the beginning, and just overall, seeing him determined to mend himself and the fractures that were created between Jesse and their daughter Raine—who he has neglected severely over the past year.
Finally, seeing Leo be a rock for Jesse—who has been the family caretaker, provider, and bearer of all the pain they have endured—and letting Jesse at last, break and grieve the way he was never able to because he needed to keep Leo afloat all the while he kept drowning in silence was such a powerful moment between the two of them and had me unwell!🥲
The last 30% of the book had me ugly crying (what else is new) and seeing Leo and Jesse live in their HEA when it seemed impossible the majority of the book was what my battered heart needed.❤️🩹
The past chapters were a soothing balm for the pain the present chapters brought and I’m so happy we got that insight into Leo and Jesse’s beginning and so many heartwarming moments between them as well.
This is a book I will remember for a long time and Jesse and Leo are a new top fictional couple for me. Jesse’s unwavering, selfless love and determination to not let Leo go and continue to fight for their marriage till the end when Leo had given up and let his self-sabotaging take over and win was a level of stubbornness and unrelenting will I didn’t know I needed to read about but was EVERYTHING and more, ughh I just love him and Leo so much!!!!
❥ One last quote to perfectly sum up their all-consuming and unreal love:
⁀➷ “𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒇 𝑰’𝒎 𝒔𝒊𝒙 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓.” 𝑰 𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒑 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒂𝒑𝒆, 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆. “𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒅𝒐 𝒖𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕, 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆’𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆.”
excuse me while I cry myself to sleep tonight thinking about Jesse saying this to Leo. 😭🫠🦋😫❤️😫
p.s. I will need 3-5 business days to recover from this book.
p.p.s. the bonus epilogue was the cutest and sweetest thing ever and getting a glimpse at Leo and Jesse’s wedding day was the cherry on top of their perfectly imperfect cake.🥹🤭
“𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆,” 𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒚𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒖𝒄𝒉 𝒇𝒊𝒏𝒂𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒚. “𝒀𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒎𝒚 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒓𝒚, 𝒎𝒚 𝒉𝒆𝒂𝒓𝒕𝒂𝒄𝒉𝒆, 𝒎𝒚 𝒃𝒖𝒓𝒅𝒆𝒏. 𝑾𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒂𝒓𝒆, 𝒘𝒉𝒂𝒕𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒔𝒆𝒂𝒔𝒐𝒏 𝒊𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒖𝒔, 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆, 𝑳𝒆𝒐.”
I binged this book last night and finished it this morning and what an emotional, heart-wrenching, poignant, moving, gripping, and cathartic experience it was.
There is not a single thing I would change about this book or any criticism I have for Jesse and Leo’s story. Marley Valentine wrote one of the most heartbreakingly beautiful love stories I have ever read and it was such a privilege to be taken into the minds and depths of these characters through their journey of grief, turmoil, pain, loss, hopelessness, and then getting to see them slowly but surely reconcile, heal and start finding light, clarity, and hope again from the never-ending darkness they had been living in.
Jesse and Leo have an otherworldly kind of love. The type of love you wish, hope, and pray to have one day because it is just so powerful, life-changing, beautiful, awe-inspiring, feels bigger than life, and just so raw and real; though not without its faults and extremely difficult and challenging times.
⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡˙⟡♡
“𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑱𝒆𝒔𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒗𝒆 𝒂𝒏𝒚 𝒆𝒙𝒑𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑰 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒎𝒚𝒔𝒆𝒍𝒇. 𝑯𝒆’𝒔 𝒂𝒄𝒕𝒖𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒚 𝒕𝒐𝒐 𝒈𝒐𝒐𝒅 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂𝒏𝒚𝒐𝒏𝒆, 𝒃𝒖𝒕 𝒏𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝑰’𝒗𝒆 𝒇𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎, 𝒕𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆 𝒊𝒔𝒏’𝒕 𝒂 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝑰 𝒘𝒐𝒏’𝒕 𝒅𝒐 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒆𝒆𝒑 𝒉𝒊𝒎.“
⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡ ⋆˙⟡♡
The mental health rep in the book was done with so much care and appreciation and as difficult as it was to read Leo’s downward spiral and his living with serious depression for over a year, stemming from experiencing the most devastating loss to him, his husband Jesse, and their family, I felt Marley put the extra time and effort into doing his journey justice and his character arc was written with so much grace, compassion, while still holding him accountable for his actions and the consequences that came from them; especially when he starts to realize his part in the destruction of his marriage and wanting to start changing his unhealthy coping mechanisms, finally participating in therapy and getting the proper help he needed from the beginning, and just overall, seeing him determined to mend himself and the fractures that were created between Jesse and their daughter Raine—who he has neglected severely over the past year.
Finally, seeing Leo be a rock for Jesse—who has been the family caretaker, provider, and bearer of all the pain they have endured—and letting Jesse at last, break and grieve the way he was never able to because he needed to keep Leo afloat all the while he kept drowning in silence was such a powerful moment between the two of them and had me unwell!🥲
The last 30% of the book had me ugly crying (what else is new) and seeing Leo and Jesse live in their HEA when it seemed impossible the majority of the book was what my battered heart needed.❤️🩹
The past chapters were a soothing balm for the pain the present chapters brought and I’m so happy we got that insight into Leo and Jesse’s beginning and so many heartwarming moments between them as well.
This is a book I will remember for a long time and Jesse and Leo are a new top fictional couple for me. Jesse’s unwavering, selfless love and determination to not let Leo go and continue to fight for their marriage till the end when Leo had given up and let his self-sabotaging take over and win was a level of stubbornness and unrelenting will I didn’t know I needed to read about but was EVERYTHING and more, ughh I just love him and Leo so much!!!!
❥ One last quote to perfectly sum up their all-consuming and unreal love:
⁀➷ “𝑻𝒉𝒆 𝒐𝒏𝒍𝒚 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝑰’𝒍𝒍 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒍𝒆𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒈𝒐 𝒊𝒔 𝒊𝒇 𝑰’𝒎 𝒔𝒊𝒙 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒕 𝒖𝒏𝒅𝒆𝒓.” 𝑰 𝒈𝒍𝒊𝒅𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒕𝒊𝒑 𝒐𝒇 𝒎𝒚 𝒏𝒐𝒔𝒆 𝒅𝒐𝒘𝒏 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒆𝒏𝒈𝒕𝒉 𝒐𝒇 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒏𝒂𝒑𝒆, 𝒆𝒏𝒋𝒐𝒚𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒊𝒕𝒄𝒉 𝒊𝒏 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒓𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒃𝒐𝒅𝒚 𝒔𝒉𝒊𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒔 𝒂𝒈𝒂𝒊𝒏𝒔𝒕 𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒆. “𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒅𝒆𝒂𝒕𝒉 𝒅𝒐 𝒖𝒔 𝒑𝒂𝒓𝒕, 𝒃𝒂𝒃𝒚. 𝑨𝒏𝒅 𝒘𝒆’𝒓𝒆 𝒃𝒐𝒕𝒉 𝒔𝒕𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒉𝒆𝒓𝒆.”
excuse me while I cry myself to sleep tonight thinking about Jesse saying this to Leo. 😭🫠🦋😫❤️😫
p.s. I will need 3-5 business days to recover from this book.
p.p.s. the bonus epilogue was the cutest and sweetest thing ever and getting a glimpse at Leo and Jesse’s wedding day was the cherry on top of their perfectly imperfect cake.🥹🤭
June 3, 2023
4.5 ⭐️
Maybe I do believe in marriage.
Because with great love comes great loss, and with true love comes true pain. And no love is invincible.
This book is so different that what I’ve read amongst all my established couples. First, because of the dynamics. I love the coparenting trope and probably because I wasn’t used to this kind of dynamic, I was a little hesitant in the beginning. What I felt was just like how Leo did about the family. It made me doubt, but also curious to know how everything end up in the end. I was so jealous, but also sad. I love and hate it all at the same time. Which is a good thing honestly. This book made me feel such strong feelings and I don’t think I’ve ever had this much questions reading a book.
Ofc I enjoy the angst, MV’s my go-to author :) I’ll read all of her mlm and this was no different, that I’m used to. I love it. It was angsty, not to the point that I suffered. I lied, maybe I suffered a little bit. I cried so hard near the end. I adore Jesse and I felt so down reading Leo’s story. Both MCs story gave such big impact I was rooting for them like crazy 🥹
The past and present complemented each other although both affected me differently. The present was really gloomy and the past really giddy. It’s really great to see how far they’ve grown, and how depressed I felt watching their family struggle.
This book portrays so much realism it’s scary, but only books like this can break my heart and put it all back together like nothing. I really loved it.
and OMG??? Deacon and Julian with surrogacy journey???? YASSS MY FAVOURITE BOYSSS 😩♥️😩♥️😩♥️
With his lips on mine, we just exist.
favourite details:
- pool scene so romantic!!
- Leo apologises
- “Marry Me”
- Leo/Raine scene
Maybe I do believe in marriage.
Because with great love comes great loss, and with true love comes true pain. And no love is invincible.
This book is so different that what I’ve read amongst all my established couples. First, because of the dynamics. I love the coparenting trope and probably because I wasn’t used to this kind of dynamic, I was a little hesitant in the beginning. What I felt was just like how Leo did about the family. It made me doubt, but also curious to know how everything end up in the end. I was so jealous, but also sad. I love and hate it all at the same time. Which is a good thing honestly. This book made me feel such strong feelings and I don’t think I’ve ever had this much questions reading a book.
Ofc I enjoy the angst, MV’s my go-to author :) I’ll read all of her mlm and this was no different, that I’m used to. I love it. It was angsty, not to the point that I suffered. I lied, maybe I suffered a little bit. I cried so hard near the end. I adore Jesse and I felt so down reading Leo’s story. Both MCs story gave such big impact I was rooting for them like crazy 🥹
The past and present complemented each other although both affected me differently. The present was really gloomy and the past really giddy. It’s really great to see how far they’ve grown, and how depressed I felt watching their family struggle.
This book portrays so much realism it’s scary, but only books like this can break my heart and put it all back together like nothing. I really loved it.
and OMG??? Deacon and Julian with surrogacy journey???? YASSS MY FAVOURITE BOYSSS 😩♥️😩♥️😩♥️
With his lips on mine, we just exist.
favourite details:
- pool scene so romantic!!
- Leo apologises
- “Marry Me”
- Leo/Raine scene
June 11, 2023
Rating: 5 Stars!
What We Broke…… Literally broke me. I’m talking big fat ugly tears falling down my face, to the point I laughed at myself and was waving my hands around, trying to stop. I’m still got tears running down my face, writing this review. Don’t read chapter 22, unless your a gluten for punishment like me, just skip to the epilogue. The epilogue was precious and gave me warm feelings, they just didn’t stop my tears.
This beautiful devastatingly heartbreaking journey through grief and loss will have needing all the tissues you can find. Jesse and Leo have the perfect marriage that balances nicely with coparenting Jesse’s daughter, Raine with Zara. The four of them have such a good relationship. When an unexpected loss occurs, it puts every single one of these relationships on the line. With their marriage hanging by a thread, Leo and Jesse start seeing a therapist. Their journey back to each other and healing after being affected by bad choices was not easy. Leo really steps up his game and tries to right all his wrongs.
“You’re mine,” he says with such finality. “You’re my worry, my heartache, my burden. Whatever you think you are, whatever season it is for us, you’re fucking mine, Leo.”
This was hard to read, it’s down right heartbreaking. There are however, the good parts as well. You feel an overwhelming amount of love and devotion between these characters. Their chemistry and connection flew off the pages. It was like a perfect in your face, let me love your pain away connection.
I’m a new reader to Marley Valentine, this though hard to digest, was beautifully done. Marley is an excellent author, and excels with writing style and ability to make the story come to life. I was an emotional wreck and I loved it. I love books that make me emotional and that I can easily connect with the characters. The characters from What We Broke, have my heart.
CW:
Loss of family member, depression, alcohol abuse, drunk driving/DUI/arrested
What We Broke…… Literally broke me. I’m talking big fat ugly tears falling down my face, to the point I laughed at myself and was waving my hands around, trying to stop. I’m still got tears running down my face, writing this review. Don’t read chapter 22, unless your a gluten for punishment like me, just skip to the epilogue. The epilogue was precious and gave me warm feelings, they just didn’t stop my tears.
This beautiful devastatingly heartbreaking journey through grief and loss will have needing all the tissues you can find. Jesse and Leo have the perfect marriage that balances nicely with coparenting Jesse’s daughter, Raine with Zara. The four of them have such a good relationship. When an unexpected loss occurs, it puts every single one of these relationships on the line. With their marriage hanging by a thread, Leo and Jesse start seeing a therapist. Their journey back to each other and healing after being affected by bad choices was not easy. Leo really steps up his game and tries to right all his wrongs.
“You’re mine,” he says with such finality. “You’re my worry, my heartache, my burden. Whatever you think you are, whatever season it is for us, you’re fucking mine, Leo.”
This was hard to read, it’s down right heartbreaking. There are however, the good parts as well. You feel an overwhelming amount of love and devotion between these characters. Their chemistry and connection flew off the pages. It was like a perfect in your face, let me love your pain away connection.
I’m a new reader to Marley Valentine, this though hard to digest, was beautifully done. Marley is an excellent author, and excels with writing style and ability to make the story come to life. I was an emotional wreck and I loved it. I love books that make me emotional and that I can easily connect with the characters. The characters from What We Broke, have my heart.
CW:
Loss of family member, depression, alcohol abuse, drunk driving/DUI/arrested
October 1, 2025
It was real, raw, and emotional.
This is the real marriage in crisis.
These are my initial thoughts, full rtc.
Marley Valentine doesn’t hold back—this is a raw, unflinching look at what happens when love isn’t enough to keep two people together… or at least, not in the way it used to be. The emotional tension is thick from page one, and it’s clear that this story isn’t about falling in love—it’s about staying in it, even when everything feels like it’s falling apart.
The writing is sharp and emotionally grounded, with dialogue that feels painfully real. Every argument, every silence, every small act of hope or resignation hit with impact. I appreciated that the book didn’t try to tie everything up with a neat bow. It felt honest—messy, but honest.
Overall, this is a beautifully written, emotionally mature story about heartbreak, healing, and the hard work of choosing love—again and again.
🕯️⋆｡𝐩𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𖦹°📖⋆.
⤷ This is my first ever M/M read, and I'm desperately craving an emotional story that will make me cry. Huge thanks to Erika for the recommendation 🩷✨
This is the real marriage in crisis.
These are my initial thoughts, full rtc.
Marley Valentine doesn’t hold back—this is a raw, unflinching look at what happens when love isn’t enough to keep two people together… or at least, not in the way it used to be. The emotional tension is thick from page one, and it’s clear that this story isn’t about falling in love—it’s about staying in it, even when everything feels like it’s falling apart.
The writing is sharp and emotionally grounded, with dialogue that feels painfully real. Every argument, every silence, every small act of hope or resignation hit with impact. I appreciated that the book didn’t try to tie everything up with a neat bow. It felt honest—messy, but honest.
Overall, this is a beautifully written, emotionally mature story about heartbreak, healing, and the hard work of choosing love—again and again.
🕯️⋆｡𝐩𝐫𝐞 𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐝𖦹°📖⋆.
⤷ This is my first ever M/M read, and I'm desperately craving an emotional story that will make me cry. Huge thanks to Erika for the recommendation 🩷✨
June 1, 2023
What We Broke is a heartbreaking story about grief and how a marriage survives an inconsolable loss. Leo and Jesse are in a committed marriage when the unthinkable occurs, resulting in their marriage being put through the most challenging of situations.
This story depicts two timelines. The present deals with their grief and separation following their loss. The past shows their meeting and falling for one another. I appreciated the balance of both timelines. It helped to level out the angsty emotions of the present day with lighter and more hopeful moments of their past courtship.
When a couple is already married at times I feel a disconnect in their relationship as the reader, therefore getting to see Leo and Jesse meet, fall for one another, and see their initial sparks I was better able to understand their present-day relationship and root for the reconciliation even more.
This is not an easy story to read, it has many heartbreaking moments that are hard to take, but the overwhelming sense of love, devotion, and perseverance between Leo and Jesse makes you so happy for their emotional breakthroughs along the way, even if at times it appears too dour and hopeless.
What We Broke is a beautiful story and this author excels at topics and stories that are not always easy to digest, but they are worth it in the end.
*** I reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.***
This story depicts two timelines. The present deals with their grief and separation following their loss. The past shows their meeting and falling for one another. I appreciated the balance of both timelines. It helped to level out the angsty emotions of the present day with lighter and more hopeful moments of their past courtship.
When a couple is already married at times I feel a disconnect in their relationship as the reader, therefore getting to see Leo and Jesse meet, fall for one another, and see their initial sparks I was better able to understand their present-day relationship and root for the reconciliation even more.
This is not an easy story to read, it has many heartbreaking moments that are hard to take, but the overwhelming sense of love, devotion, and perseverance between Leo and Jesse makes you so happy for their emotional breakthroughs along the way, even if at times it appears too dour and hopeless.
What We Broke is a beautiful story and this author excels at topics and stories that are not always easy to digest, but they are worth it in the end.
*** I reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.***
September 16, 2023
Audio - 5 Stars
Story - 4 Stars
Story - 4 Stars
June 6, 2023
✰ 5 stars ✰
thanks so much to Mila for buddy reading this with me, you can find her review here ♡
please check trigger warnings before going into this, they are on marley's website and in the author's note of this book!
i knew this story would be absolutely soul crushing (which it was) and i'm not a person who reads a lot of medium-high angst stories. i thrive in my low angst stories but i had to read this because i want more books with established couples/marriage in crisis. we always get the happy epilogue phase in books, but i want to see what comes after that. just like the quote above, no love is invincible and i want to see how true love will prevail even after the honeymoon phase. this book is exactly that, leo and jesse are the definition of soulmates.
✦ leonardo ricci-hunt (leo) ✦
leo was doing whatever he could to push jesse and everyone else away in his life. after what happened to him, he sees no way out. even though he has his husband, his daughter, and his bestfriend, he is suffering deeply and so consumed with pain and grief that he only sees and feels that, nothing else. he doesn't want to bring jesse down with him which is why he wants a divorce, not because their love had faded between them, because it hadn’t. i feel some may be put off by leo's character because of the choices he made. but i understood him and sympathized with him greatly. i've never experienced what he has but we all deal with grief differently and we all have different coping mechanisms. yes, what he was doing was hurting those around him but an absolute unimaginable loss happened to him and jesse.
✦ jesse ricci-hunt ✦
jesse was the glue in his family. he was always the one to put on the strong front when everything else around him was crumbling. he never ever would give up on leo. as soon as he saw leo, he knew he was it for him. so even when the most unthinkable happened, he still tried to remain to be what was holding everything together, but everyone has their breaking point. he never had the proper time to grieve their loss because he was trying to keep his family together. he is someone who will always set aside his feelings and needs first for those he loves. he was the only one fighting for his marriage, and seeing leo through his eyes and what it was doing to jesse was devastating. i cried so hard for him.
this story takes place in the then and now so while we get the crippling angst in the now chapters, we get how they fell in love in the then chapters. i can't express how grateful i am for those chapters, they helped balance out the angst. it showed how precious and one of a kind their love is. marley's writing absolutely captivated me, how she portrayed their feelings broke me. 🥺
julian and deacon have some cameos in here from Without You so seeing them again was an absolute delight. they are still one of my fav couples to this date and they have also experienced a great loss, so i loved seeing how supportive they were. we also discover some great news from those two 🥰
there is also no ow/om drama, and no cheating for those who want a safety check going in.
what to expect:
✧ marriage in crisis
✧ hurt/comfort
✧ single father
✧ soulmates
✧ julian & deacon cameos
✧ some spicy 👀
✧ HEA
thanks so much to Mila for buddy reading this with me, you can find her review here ♡
please check trigger warnings before going into this, they are on marley's website and in the author's note of this book!
I want to believe our love is a great love, a true love, but unfortunately, the hard lesson to learn is that it doesn’t actually matter which one of those it is. Because with great love comes great loss, and with true love comes true pain. And no love is invincible.
i knew this story would be absolutely soul crushing (which it was) and i'm not a person who reads a lot of medium-high angst stories. i thrive in my low angst stories but i had to read this because i want more books with established couples/marriage in crisis. we always get the happy epilogue phase in books, but i want to see what comes after that. just like the quote above, no love is invincible and i want to see how true love will prevail even after the honeymoon phase. this book is exactly that, leo and jesse are the definition of soulmates.
We aren’t just bound together by marriage vows, we are tethered. Like magnets, my soul couldn’t detach itself from his no matter how hard I tried. And I’m fucking trying. — Leo
✦ leonardo ricci-hunt (leo) ✦
leo was doing whatever he could to push jesse and everyone else away in his life. after what happened to him, he sees no way out. even though he has his husband, his daughter, and his bestfriend, he is suffering deeply and so consumed with pain and grief that he only sees and feels that, nothing else. he doesn't want to bring jesse down with him which is why he wants a divorce, not because their love had faded between them, because it hadn’t. i feel some may be put off by leo's character because of the choices he made. but i understood him and sympathized with him greatly. i've never experienced what he has but we all deal with grief differently and we all have different coping mechanisms. yes, what he was doing was hurting those around him but an absolute unimaginable loss happened to him and jesse.
Logic told me he was spiraling. We were spiraling. We had been all year. But my heart didn’t care. My heart was his and had been since the moment I laid eyes on him. To have and to hold. To love and protect. But there were also the unspoken vows. Like how my heart was his to wreck and to ruin. To damage and destroy. — Jesse
✦ jesse ricci-hunt ✦
jesse was the glue in his family. he was always the one to put on the strong front when everything else around him was crumbling. he never ever would give up on leo. as soon as he saw leo, he knew he was it for him. so even when the most unthinkable happened, he still tried to remain to be what was holding everything together, but everyone has their breaking point. he never had the proper time to grieve their loss because he was trying to keep his family together. he is someone who will always set aside his feelings and needs first for those he loves. he was the only one fighting for his marriage, and seeing leo through his eyes and what it was doing to jesse was devastating. i cried so hard for him.
“You’re mine,” he says with such finality. “You’re my worry, my heartache, my burden. Whatever you think you are, whatever season it is for us, you’re fucking mine, Leo.”
this story takes place in the then and now so while we get the crippling angst in the now chapters, we get how they fell in love in the then chapters. i can't express how grateful i am for those chapters, they helped balance out the angst. it showed how precious and one of a kind their love is. marley's writing absolutely captivated me, how she portrayed their feelings broke me. 🥺
julian and deacon have some cameos in here from Without You so seeing them again was an absolute delight. they are still one of my fav couples to this date and they have also experienced a great loss, so i loved seeing how supportive they were. we also discover some great news from those two 🥰
there is also no ow/om drama, and no cheating for those who want a safety check going in.
what to expect:
✧ marriage in crisis
✧ hurt/comfort
✧ single father
✧ soulmates
✧ julian & deacon cameos
✧ some spicy 👀
✧ HEA
October 4, 2025
WHAT WE BROKE??
You broke me you stupid fucking book!
Marley Val is my gushy weakness apparently. Because what do you actually fucking mean I’m out here sooking over tropes I hate, subject matter I don’t relate to and can’t personally understand and yet, I soldiered through because I needed that HEA like I NEED BREATHING????
JUST BE NICE TO EACHOTHER AND KISS IMMEDIATELY YOU STUPID FUCKHEADS - me, the whole book.
I got fucked up by the dual timeline.
Because the first two chapters are super intense, and I admit, I felt very sure that I will not be able to relate to these men at all, and I felt disconnected from them immediately because.... well, like... babies are not my thing..... soooooooo... this whole book was way out of my comfort zone/little box that I usually stay in when it comes to the books I choose....
But once the past POV’s started and you start building the picture of past happy them and current broken them...
OMG… I WAS A MESSSSSSS!!!
(I will also add I really feel the child loss was handled really poorly in relation to the poor fkn surrogate who lost the baby, she felt like… ignored the whole book and it was all about our MCs, but I hear she has her own book so maybe she deals with that in that book? But it would have been nice to see some consideration for her in this book because she was the mother of their other child, and they’ve been best friends for 20 years or something so some extra love in that space would have been nice)
I wanted to slap these men HARD, and then watch them make up after.
You broke me you stupid fucking book!
Marley Val is my gushy weakness apparently. Because what do you actually fucking mean I’m out here sooking over tropes I hate, subject matter I don’t relate to and can’t personally understand and yet, I soldiered through because I needed that HEA like I NEED BREATHING????
JUST BE NICE TO EACHOTHER AND KISS IMMEDIATELY YOU STUPID FUCKHEADS - me, the whole book.
I got fucked up by the dual timeline.
Because the first two chapters are super intense, and I admit, I felt very sure that I will not be able to relate to these men at all, and I felt disconnected from them immediately because.... well, like... babies are not my thing..... soooooooo... this whole book was way out of my comfort zone/little box that I usually stay in when it comes to the books I choose....
But once the past POV’s started and you start building the picture of past happy them and current broken them...
OMG… I WAS A MESSSSSSS!!!
(I will also add I really feel the child loss was handled really poorly in relation to the poor fkn surrogate who lost the baby, she felt like… ignored the whole book and it was all about our MCs, but I hear she has her own book so maybe she deals with that in that book? But it would have been nice to see some consideration for her in this book because she was the mother of their other child, and they’ve been best friends for 20 years or something so some extra love in that space would have been nice)
I wanted to slap these men HARD, and then watch them make up after.
June 5, 2023
4.5 Heart Wrenching Stars!
The first thing I should mention is to heed the TW the author listed on her website. This is a tough book to read. Lots of angst and heartache. More than once I had to give myself a break and walk away. That being said, I loved it. It was real and it was heart wrenching at times, but I adored both Leo and Jesse and wanted them to pull through.
My only complaint is I am not a big fan of flashbacks, but I absolutely understand why it was done in this story
The first thing I should mention is to heed the TW the author listed on her website. This is a tough book to read. Lots of angst and heartache. More than once I had to give myself a break and walk away. That being said, I loved it. It was real and it was heart wrenching at times, but I adored both Leo and Jesse and wanted them to pull through.
My only complaint is I am not a big fan of flashbacks, but I absolutely understand why it was done in this story
August 27, 2023
Such a heartbreaking marriage in trouble romance. We get chapters flashing back to when they met and fell in love to the present day where they are unable to communicate with one another after experiencing a heartbreaking loss. My heart broke so much for these two as they tried to navigate life together and get each other to open up. I loved the rest of their family, too, and how they learned that tragedy affects everyone in such different ways and that they need to learn to lean on each other and not close each other out. Definitely bring the tissues if you pick this one up!
February 2, 2024
This is a story about love and grief. About fucking up your life. About pain and resilience. About marriage and what it takes you to make it work. It hurts.
I want to believe our love is a great love, a true love, but unfortunately, the hard lesson to learn is that it doesn’t actually matter which one of those it is. Because with great love comes great loss, and with true love comes true pain. And no love is invincible.
The first half was so good but so painful. The book starts with a figurative punch to the gut. The second half was a bit more disappointing. I needed more pain, more hardships. It was just a bit too easy. Too much forgiveness. Not enough consequences. 🤷♀️
I want to believe our love is a great love, a true love, but unfortunately, the hard lesson to learn is that it doesn’t actually matter which one of those it is. Because with great love comes great loss, and with true love comes true pain. And no love is invincible.
The first half was so good but so painful. The book starts with a figurative punch to the gut. The second half was a bit more disappointing. I needed more pain, more hardships. It was just a bit too easy. Too much forgiveness. Not enough consequences. 🤷♀️
July 15, 2023
I wanted to love this book so bad! I even listened to my heartbreak playlist in preparation for this book. I wanted to fucking FEEL. But literally nothing happened in this book. Just Leo being selfish. Jesse chasing him. Zara and Gio had no reason to be there and I thought Raine was ten years old the entire book. I wanted raw. I wanted heartache. Ugh I wanted cheating and rejection and then groveling. Chile, I had to reread Ache to get the feels I was in the mood for. There was no need to keep going back to "then". Nothing happened then. All the five stars were killing me. Like, what did y'all love about this book/couple?!
November 12, 2023
Excuse me while I sit and cry in a corner for the rest of the day.
June 12, 2023
**beta review- full review to come**
This is Marley’s masterpiece. I’m amazed at the depth and originality of this story. Easily a top read of ever for me.
I cannot wait for everyone to experience this story🖤
•••
”The only way I’ll ever let you go is if I’m six feet under.” I glide the tip of my nose down the length of his nape, enjoying the hitch in his breath and the way his body shivers against mine. “It’s till death do us part, baby. And we’re both still here.”
Books that really resonate with me I always have a hard time reviewing. Should I give you some high note plot points? Should I just go through the emotions? Or should I just tell you why I think you should read it? Ugh. This is also the fourth time I’ve tried to write this *looking you Goodreads. Get it together*
Anyway.
There’s something magic about a book that really shows you why each emotion and each hurdle is necessary. So many stories right now are just sad for the sake of being sad. Or just unnecessarily traumatize their characters for the sake of being able to say “hey it’s *blah blah* trope. Marley however said “No we’re not going there. I will hold your hand through my characters battles and show you exactly why every moment mattered* and like that’s beautiful
Leo and Jesse have a perfect life and a perfect love until the unimaginable happens. Marley did a great job of taking these fictional characters that you grow to love and giving them something that really happens in our day to day lives. It’s not always romance and love and you’re my favorite person. It’s waking up and choosing to make something work on the days that you want to give up. Something about this story hit different. Something about this story felt a bit like hope. Hope for people that are currently not in the perfect romance book honeymoon phase of their lives. Hope for people that may be having a rough time with their inner demons. This story gave us the escapism that we long for while also giving some real to latch on to in order to see that life does get better.
I 1000% feel like I’m rambling and I’m not entirely sure that any of that made sense but the moral of the story here is. This story was original. It was well written. It was a work that felt real and isn’t that what we want.
All in all. This is currently the top read of the year for me. It’s my top ever Marley book. And I truly think that your life will be better having read it.
So do it, okay?
This is Marley’s masterpiece. I’m amazed at the depth and originality of this story. Easily a top read of ever for me.
I cannot wait for everyone to experience this story🖤
•••
”The only way I’ll ever let you go is if I’m six feet under.” I glide the tip of my nose down the length of his nape, enjoying the hitch in his breath and the way his body shivers against mine. “It’s till death do us part, baby. And we’re both still here.”
Books that really resonate with me I always have a hard time reviewing. Should I give you some high note plot points? Should I just go through the emotions? Or should I just tell you why I think you should read it? Ugh. This is also the fourth time I’ve tried to write this *looking you Goodreads. Get it together*
Anyway.
There’s something magic about a book that really shows you why each emotion and each hurdle is necessary. So many stories right now are just sad for the sake of being sad. Or just unnecessarily traumatize their characters for the sake of being able to say “hey it’s *blah blah* trope. Marley however said “No we’re not going there. I will hold your hand through my characters battles and show you exactly why every moment mattered* and like that’s beautiful
Leo and Jesse have a perfect life and a perfect love until the unimaginable happens. Marley did a great job of taking these fictional characters that you grow to love and giving them something that really happens in our day to day lives. It’s not always romance and love and you’re my favorite person. It’s waking up and choosing to make something work on the days that you want to give up. Something about this story hit different. Something about this story felt a bit like hope. Hope for people that are currently not in the perfect romance book honeymoon phase of their lives. Hope for people that may be having a rough time with their inner demons. This story gave us the escapism that we long for while also giving some real to latch on to in order to see that life does get better.
I 1000% feel like I’m rambling and I’m not entirely sure that any of that made sense but the moral of the story here is. This story was original. It was well written. It was a work that felt real and isn’t that what we want.
All in all. This is currently the top read of the year for me. It’s my top ever Marley book. And I truly think that your life will be better having read it.
So do it, okay?
June 24, 2023
4 Stars!
My God...this book ripped my heart out but put it back together. Told in alternating past and present timelines, we get to see the beginning of Jesse and Leo's love story and all they had before tragedy tore them apart. I did love the way the story was told because we got to see the beginnings of their relationship which enabled me to bond to them. This is a story of love and loss and having to fight back from the darkest of experiences. There is no cheating or drama or anything like that.
The story follows two men/ husbands/ soulmates/ each other’s everything during a time in their lives when their marriage is close to falling apart after something terrible happened. They deal with their grief vey differently. I loved watching Jesse fight for Leo in the beginning but understood what Leo was going through.
This was my first read by this author even though I have a few of her books on my shelves...I mean, that cover for Without You?!?! I will definitely be reading more of her books hella soon! Her writing packs a serious punch, her characters were well developed, and there was still plenty of steam in this one, even with the emotional and heartbreaking subject matter.
I would definitely recommend this book to any second-chance M/M fans who are looking for a read that packs all the emotions!
I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
"You're mine," he says with such finality. "You're my worry, my heartache, my burden. Whatever you think you are, whatever season it is for us, you're fucking mine, Leo."
My God...this book ripped my heart out but put it back together. Told in alternating past and present timelines, we get to see the beginning of Jesse and Leo's love story and all they had before tragedy tore them apart. I did love the way the story was told because we got to see the beginnings of their relationship which enabled me to bond to them. This is a story of love and loss and having to fight back from the darkest of experiences. There is no cheating or drama or anything like that.
The story follows two men/ husbands/ soulmates/ each other’s everything during a time in their lives when their marriage is close to falling apart after something terrible happened. They deal with their grief vey differently. I loved watching Jesse fight for Leo in the beginning but understood what Leo was going through.
This was my first read by this author even though I have a few of her books on my shelves...I mean, that cover for Without You?!?! I will definitely be reading more of her books hella soon! Her writing packs a serious punch, her characters were well developed, and there was still plenty of steam in this one, even with the emotional and heartbreaking subject matter.
I would definitely recommend this book to any second-chance M/M fans who are looking for a read that packs all the emotions!
"Do you know how hard it is to have you so close but still so out of reach?"
I received an eARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 5, 2023
Maybe the most heartbreakingly beautiful book I have ever read.
This book was everything I was hoping it would be and so much more. Simply stunning in every way!
Jesse was an absolute dream. A pillar of strength for everyone and he often stood alone. He asked for almost nothing in return. He loved Leo so deeply that it bled through the pages. He would go to any length for his husband. To be loved by Jesse would be a gift, a treasure more valuable than any other.
Leo was so lost and completely stuck in his grief. He found some relief in the bottom of a bottle but it left him even more alone. And his grief had turned into despair and guilt. He couldn’t find a way out. He love Jesse so thoroughly but felt he had no value, no purpose. He was drifting.
The additions of Zara and Raine were not only crucial to the story but added so much more depth and understanding to the complexity of family but also the resiliency that lies within everyone.
This book is a top 5 of all time as far as I’m concerned.
This book was everything I was hoping it would be and so much more. Simply stunning in every way!
Jesse was an absolute dream. A pillar of strength for everyone and he often stood alone. He asked for almost nothing in return. He loved Leo so deeply that it bled through the pages. He would go to any length for his husband. To be loved by Jesse would be a gift, a treasure more valuable than any other.
Leo was so lost and completely stuck in his grief. He found some relief in the bottom of a bottle but it left him even more alone. And his grief had turned into despair and guilt. He couldn’t find a way out. He love Jesse so thoroughly but felt he had no value, no purpose. He was drifting.
The additions of Zara and Raine were not only crucial to the story but added so much more depth and understanding to the complexity of family but also the resiliency that lies within everyone.
This book is a top 5 of all time as far as I’m concerned.
July 31, 2023
❝ I've seen him happy, I've seen him angry, I've seen him sad, I've seen him grieving. I've seen him in all the ways one could see the one they love, but I had never seen him spiral. And I wasn't prepared for the way it made me feel. He is my rock, and my rock is cracking, and it's all my fault. ❞
what we broke by marley valentine gagged me. it muzzled me. it silenced me. i just wasn't ready. when i browsing my kindle eyeing for my next read, i stumbled into this so i check with goodreads what this is book is all about and it turned out that it was indeed about grief. and fast forward to almost 12 hours later and here i am feeling so emotional. the moment i finished this book, i put my kindle down, music blasting in my headphones, and i just feel these emotions. great set of characters and a powerful storyline. maybe i didn't fully swoon with jesse and leo's romance but i was a mess in the end. my eyes were glued to start to finish and my thumb was tapping my kindle for like every 30 seconds to flip the pages. it was an experience.
October 4, 2025
An interesting story with a concept I had yet to read, didn't quite do it for me in the end.
Husbands Jesse and Leo have been married for several years and after a surrogacy that ends in stillbirth, it tears them apart. Their marriage is in shambles and they're on a journey to reconnect with each other after the death of their soon to be daughter.
This was fine. I don't think I love the marriage in ruins trope - I do appreciate that we had split timelines where we had the present and the past when they first met (and thank god because I wouldn't have liked the story much without it). I do live for tension of two people meeting for the first time and falling in love so I'm glad we had the flashbacks. The present wasn't as engaging for me and meeting characters 7 years into marriage felt like I had missed some of the puzzle.
I think I wasn't connected to the story. I didn't find it very interesting and I feel so awful saying that cause this is a very real issue people face and very real consequences that take place, but it just wasn't something I was really into. Maybe wrong time / wrong mood to be in when reading this.
Marley Valentine's amazing writing style is still very much present and I finished this in almost one sitting, so it was clearly engaging enough, but I just have left this book with a sense of... okay yeah that was fine.
Not nearly enough smut for me. LOL. I have gotten so used to MV's incredible sexual material that this one was lacking compared to the others I have read from her, but obviously with such a heavy topic, this was more about the romance and the deep connection reforming than the wild sexcapades we usually read about.
If you've never read anything from Marley Valentine, don't start here. If you have, it's worth a read! Just not a showstopper like some of her others
Husbands Jesse and Leo have been married for several years and after a surrogacy that ends in stillbirth, it tears them apart. Their marriage is in shambles and they're on a journey to reconnect with each other after the death of their soon to be daughter.
This was fine. I don't think I love the marriage in ruins trope - I do appreciate that we had split timelines where we had the present and the past when they first met (and thank god because I wouldn't have liked the story much without it). I do live for tension of two people meeting for the first time and falling in love so I'm glad we had the flashbacks. The present wasn't as engaging for me and meeting characters 7 years into marriage felt like I had missed some of the puzzle.
I think I wasn't connected to the story. I didn't find it very interesting and I feel so awful saying that cause this is a very real issue people face and very real consequences that take place, but it just wasn't something I was really into. Maybe wrong time / wrong mood to be in when reading this.
Marley Valentine's amazing writing style is still very much present and I finished this in almost one sitting, so it was clearly engaging enough, but I just have left this book with a sense of... okay yeah that was fine.
Not nearly enough smut for me. LOL. I have gotten so used to MV's incredible sexual material that this one was lacking compared to the others I have read from her, but obviously with such a heavy topic, this was more about the romance and the deep connection reforming than the wild sexcapades we usually read about.
If you've never read anything from Marley Valentine, don't start here. If you have, it's worth a read! Just not a showstopper like some of her others
October 7, 2025
This is my first book by this author, and I think I can easily say that I will continue reading books by them.
The story was very sad and very dramatic; the grief and sadness that the characters, but especially Leo, experienced felt extremely real (even if a bit extreme), because the guy lost his baby but also threw his life down the drain and just stopped caring about his husband and stepdaughter. I know this might sound weird, but even though I was expecting them to get their act together and find happiness again, part of me was still hoping they’d actually gotten divorced
I also think their whole family dynamic, and having Zara, who is the mother of Jesse's child, being the donor and also carrying the baby, felt like an extremely messy factor that could easily lead to a complication, which, in fact, sort of happened with even Jesse acknowledging he was picking sides.
Leo's grief and feelings were a bit irrational; he knew it, the therapist knew it, we knew it, but somehow Jesse couldn't seem to get it. It also threw me off how Jesse was adamant that they fix everything, and finally, when Leo started seeing the light, Jesse acted angry and aloof.
3 stars for the book + 1 star for the narration because I really don't think I would have read this book if I didn't have the audio available in my library.
The story was very sad and very dramatic; the grief and sadness that the characters, but especially Leo, experienced felt extremely real (even if a bit extreme), because the guy lost his baby but also threw his life down the drain and just stopped caring about his husband and stepdaughter. I know this might sound weird, but even though I was expecting them to get their act together and find happiness again, part of me was still hoping they’d actually gotten divorced
I also think their whole family dynamic, and having Zara, who is the mother of Jesse's child, being the donor and also carrying the baby, felt like an extremely messy factor that could easily lead to a complication, which, in fact, sort of happened with even Jesse acknowledging he was picking sides.
Leo's grief and feelings were a bit irrational; he knew it, the therapist knew it, we knew it, but somehow Jesse couldn't seem to get it. It also threw me off how Jesse was adamant that they fix everything, and finally, when Leo started seeing the light, Jesse acted angry and aloof.
3 stars for the book + 1 star for the narration because I really don't think I would have read this book if I didn't have the audio available in my library.
September 18, 2023
3.5 stars
I understand Leo but I really feel bad for Jesse. He is the best husband Leo could have asked for. I did not like Zara (that is just me). Not that she is a threat but she just feels weird to me.
SPOILER:
At the end, the epilogue and the way they resolved was lacking. I wanted them to try again to have a baby now that Raine is gone.
Also, the story of why their relationship turned sour was so predictable even without reading the blurb.
I understand Leo but I really feel bad for Jesse. He is the best husband Leo could have asked for. I did not like Zara (that is just me). Not that she is a threat but she just feels weird to me.
SPOILER:
At the end, the epilogue and the way they resolved was lacking. I wanted them to try again to have a baby now that Raine is gone.
Also, the story of why their relationship turned sour was so predictable even without reading the blurb.
July 9, 2023
I liked the relationship angst a lot more than the hurt/comfort parts.
July 8, 2024
Marley Valentine has once again destroyed me. Talk about being stabbed through the heart straight from the prologue. 💔 I can't recall another book that has dealt such emotional damage so quickly. From the beginning, I felt wave after wave of heartache as things about Leo and Jesse's relationship were revealed. The way the layers were peeled back and exposed though POV changes and time shifts between past and present was beautifully done. I felt their profound sense of loss, the deep and intense love between them, and their journey to healing deep in my bones. My only complaint is that the book wasn't longer. I would have loved to have spent more time getting to know these two. 😭
The audiobook for this was fabulous! Joe Arden and Teddy Hamilton were excellent as Leo and Jesse. Joe destroyed my soul with the amount of vulnerability he conveyed as Leo. Give this a listen. I cannot recommend it enough! 🥹
The audiobook for this was fabulous! Joe Arden and Teddy Hamilton were excellent as Leo and Jesse. Joe destroyed my soul with the amount of vulnerability he conveyed as Leo. Give this a listen. I cannot recommend it enough! 🥹
October 4, 2025
I really loved this book. It hit me in such a quiet but deep way. The way the story was told—with the flashbacks—was so good. It gave everything more meaning, more emotion. I felt both of them, their pain, their guilt, their love. It felt raw and real.
Leo’s redemption arc got to me. It wasn’t rushed, it happened slowly, and that made it feel believable. You could feel how much he wanted to make things right without forcing it. Jesse… god, he was such a beautiful, natural caretaker. He gave so much while still protecting himself, and that balance made him feel so human.
The co-parenting part was one of my favorite things. It’s not something I see a lot in books, and here it was done with so much care and love. Zara, Rain E and Gio, thank you for suppoorting these babies!
This story hurt, but in a good way. It was full of feelings, but it never felt too much. Just real, complicated, and full of love that still had a chance.
Leo’s redemption arc got to me. It wasn’t rushed, it happened slowly, and that made it feel believable. You could feel how much he wanted to make things right without forcing it. Jesse… god, he was such a beautiful, natural caretaker. He gave so much while still protecting himself, and that balance made him feel so human.
The co-parenting part was one of my favorite things. It’s not something I see a lot in books, and here it was done with so much care and love. Zara, Rain E and Gio, thank you for suppoorting these babies!
This story hurt, but in a good way. It was full of feelings, but it never felt too much. Just real, complicated, and full of love that still had a chance.
July 21, 2023
What We Broke is such an emotional story! This is a mm, marriage in trouble, emotional romance between Leo and Jesse. Who both got hit with a massive loss when the story starts, we then see them a year later falling apart as they have dealt with the loss and pain very differently.
“Fight for the good. Earn your right to deserve the good. Nurture and love the good. And let it matter less what we broke, than the fact that we found our way back to each other.”
This story was so emotional and beautiful. I’ve been making my way through this author’s books recently and they always hit so good. The story kicks off hitting you right in the feels with the stillbirth of Leo and Jesse’s daughter (via surrogate). We see them dealing with the immediate loss and grief and cut to one year later where they are completely broken. The journey was so everything: the pain, the drinking, wanting a divorce, therapy, dealing with the loss together, the grief, their teenage daughter. I was rooting for this family to come back together and the way the narrators, Teddy Hamilton and Joe Arden, made you feel everything was just so so good! Absolutely phenomenal and cannot recommend enough.
CW and occurs on page: stillbirth, passive suicidal ideation, self-medication, alcoholism
“Fight for the good. Earn your right to deserve the good. Nurture and love the good. And let it matter less what we broke, than the fact that we found our way back to each other.”
This story was so emotional and beautiful. I’ve been making my way through this author’s books recently and they always hit so good. The story kicks off hitting you right in the feels with the stillbirth of Leo and Jesse’s daughter (via surrogate). We see them dealing with the immediate loss and grief and cut to one year later where they are completely broken. The journey was so everything: the pain, the drinking, wanting a divorce, therapy, dealing with the loss together, the grief, their teenage daughter. I was rooting for this family to come back together and the way the narrators, Teddy Hamilton and Joe Arden, made you feel everything was just so so good! Absolutely phenomenal and cannot recommend enough.
CW and occurs on page: stillbirth, passive suicidal ideation, self-medication, alcoholism
May 29, 2023
What We Broke. I do believe that I just finished another one of my top reads of this year, and I can't recall the last time that I so equally smiled and cried while reading a book. This is not only one of the best MM romances that I've read, it's also one of the best married couple books that I've read. My only complaint is that this story came to an end.
Jesse and Leo had a nearly perfect marriage until an unthinkable tragedy tore them apart. Now, they can't be in the same room, can't look each other in the eye. Their relationship is broken, but one of these men is unwilling to give up. He is determined to give everything to fix their marriage, but at what cost to his own self?
Before and After. The beginning of Jesse's and Leo's relationship is beautifully heartwarming while the demise of their marriage is tragically heartbreaking. The author does a perfect job of balancing the past with the present, giving the reader the greatest of highs to balance the darkest of lows. I smiled and swooned as often as I cried and felt my heart break. I fell in love with not only Jesse and Leo but with their unconventional family and their support system too. Every single character in this book found a place in my heart, and I didn't want to leave them as I turned the final page.
While this book does deal with some very heavy topics (please check out the trigger warnings), the story is written so beautifully, so realistically. It's a true look at marriage, love, loss, grief, and family. Jesse's and Leo's story grabbed my heart from the very first page and didn't let go. I read this book in nearly one sitting and would have loved nothing more than to continue to live in their world for awhile longer. I absolutely loved this one and I cannot recommend it enough. All. The. Stars.
Jesse and Leo had a nearly perfect marriage until an unthinkable tragedy tore them apart. Now, they can't be in the same room, can't look each other in the eye. Their relationship is broken, but one of these men is unwilling to give up. He is determined to give everything to fix their marriage, but at what cost to his own self?
Before and After. The beginning of Jesse's and Leo's relationship is beautifully heartwarming while the demise of their marriage is tragically heartbreaking. The author does a perfect job of balancing the past with the present, giving the reader the greatest of highs to balance the darkest of lows. I smiled and swooned as often as I cried and felt my heart break. I fell in love with not only Jesse and Leo but with their unconventional family and their support system too. Every single character in this book found a place in my heart, and I didn't want to leave them as I turned the final page.
While this book does deal with some very heavy topics (please check out the trigger warnings), the story is written so beautifully, so realistically. It's a true look at marriage, love, loss, grief, and family. Jesse's and Leo's story grabbed my heart from the very first page and didn't let go. I read this book in nearly one sitting and would have loved nothing more than to continue to live in their world for awhile longer. I absolutely loved this one and I cannot recommend it enough. All. The. Stars.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 947 reviews