You Broke Me First

by C.R. Johnson

Savannah Grace Barrett grew up on a ranch in small town Oklahoma, where everybody knew everybody's business. Her seemingly perfect life is upended when an older, mysterious, handsome man moves to town. Savannah fell to her knees for him. His attraction to her turned to obsession over the course of eight months, while grooming his perfect pet. He suddenly disappears from her life without a trace, leaving her broken and utterly devastated. 3 years later, Savannah isn't the same submissive little girl anymore! She moves to New Orleans and once again they cross paths. Can she trust him? Will he break her and leave her again? Or will she be the one doing all the breaking this time?!

255 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 29, 2023

Reviews

[Cari Rees · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book!! It was beautifully written! Savannah is a young girl who comes from a well off family. She does have family trauma she is dealing with. She is in love with Jake. He ends up leaving her while she’s sleeping. He does leave a note. He never comes back. 3 yrs have past and she has saved up some money and is much stronger. She heads to NOLA. She gets there and meets Cami and they become friends. She’s looking around town and runs into…. HMmm. Jake AKA BASH. He’s totally not who she thought he was. It gets very interesting. She also meets his twin brother SIN!! 🥰🥰 Totally worth the read!! So much happens that you don’t see coming!

[JoJoClassicComeBack · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved every minute of this book!

I’d read the synopsis and it gave vibes of a second chance trope. Savvy is a young girl desperately in love with Jake. Jake leaves without even saying goodbye and destroys her.

Three years later, Savvy moves to New Orleans to start a new life. She picked this place partially because of the stories Jake told her and how magical the place seemed. And deep down she hopes that’s how she’ll find Jake again. Well, she does, but she’s a different person now. And really, truly, so is he.

Then comes the brother, the twin brother, Sin. Actually, Christian, but called Sin. And boy does that mean trouble, or does it?

You think things are wrapped up at the end and then one final twist. I am so glad I have the second book to start on immediately. This took a turn at the end that has me reeling with questions!

A must read, in my opinion. A great story, hot spice, and a new book boyfriend! On to book 2!

[Amanda Jernigan · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was a very good read

[Sarah Jayne · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am convinced every 3 star and above reviews are paid actors because there’s absolutely no way you all are rating it that high. This book literally is one of the worst books I’ve ever read and I can totally justify it with my review. I will mention spoilers and underage triggers so buckle up! I will also mention, I actually wanted to DNF this book 16% of the way in but kept going DUE to the amount of good reviews on here I’ve seen.

Firstly let me start off by saying how disgusted I was that the female FFC Savvy and all of her friends mentioned in this book were underage (16) with a man in late 20s early 30s. I understand age of consent is different in each country but the explicit detail that went into describing the sexual encounters with underage girls in this book was so disgusting. I was not aware this book had these triggers as I read it from KU. there’s dark romance and then there’s this.

Savvy the 16 year old girl falls head over heels with Bash, a man in his late 20s (early 30s) not knowing about his extremely dark past. After spending the summer together in a cabin she wakes up one day to find him erased from her life.

Years pass and she decides to leave her home town of Oklahoma and move to New Orleans. There she runs into Bash. Within 24 hours things are seemingly forgotten with her heartbreak and they are in bed together.

Not long after she meets Christian/Sin who is conveniently Bash’s twin brother. Insta romance, tattoos together and in some seriously unrealistic love within a 24 hour period.

When savvy’s father becomes ill she flies back to her home town escorted by her new lover Sin. When she arrives her father is discharged from hospital immediately despite it being a life threatening emergency (this whole scene made zero sense). The day of seeing her father in hospital all she’s worried about is having crazy sex with sin, girl how is that even on your mind when you’ve just flown from another state to see your sick father?!

Here’s some other points to summarise;

Girls are at a salon getting hair, nails etc done while the guys are all murdering people

Savvy and Sin are staying in a cabin once for literally one night, then there’s mention the next day that the MMC called the owner and the cabin is now there’s, as in they are now the owners.

In one chapter savvy was with Sin and his friends, they went to a club where savvy caught up with some old friends whom she had had a falling out with due to her relationship with Bash. She introduced them to sins guy friends and they all go home together. The next day all of the girls and guys who met THE NIGHT before are talking about being in love and now moving to an entire different state the next day IN THE SAME HOUSE AS EACH OTHER Umm wtf?!

I am possibly the number one fan of the series “The Vampire Diaries & The Originals” but the CONTANT referencing in this book felt so out of place with the storyline. It’s even gone as far as the mention that the house the MMC sin lives in is the house in the quarter in New Orleans that belonged to Klaus Milaelson IYKYK. It’s honestly so far out of context in the book.

The use of the pet name “Angel” over and over again was so cringe it was actually making me gag.

The MMC in this book (the twin brother Bash) was sent to a rehabilitation centre where in less than 24 hours he had apparently convinced the Psych doctor some sob story about savvy his ex and then what do you know; those two are banging and then going on holiday together to Oklahoma in less than 24 hours spent together . Very realistic…..

Savvy not knowing her mother was not actually her real mother and then meeting her real mother, in the first meeting her mum is helping her plan the murder of her ex and organises some things for her? Excuse me?

The ending?! WTF was that even?! Recording a Murder where all the girls are dressed up playing different pop music as each of them take a turn torturing the victim? And then taking the recorded video back to their boyfriends as they all sit and watch it?? It’s not even sadistic it was just plain weird af.

The mention of the use of “white sage” to burn evil spirits in this book when the girls were about to commit a murder was downright disgusting and completely culturally inappropriate. I suggest the author do some research on how culturally insensitive and inappropriate this was to indigenous people.

We can all be delulu when reading books, I’m the first to put my hand up and say I’ve read it all, the dark, the forbidden, the taboo. This book was honestly hands down terrible. I’ve never in my life given a review this bad.

[Chrystal Gregg · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book...

I don't even know where to begin. I am so so glad I read this dark romance and I know I'll be reading it over and over again. I love the amount of angst, heartache, and endless spice in this book. I love Sin and Savannah and the love they share. The Cathedral scene will probably live rent free in my head for a while. I am a huge vampire diaries fan and love that the author ties that in with the story. I love Nola as shown in this read. I want to travel there one day. I also plan on gifting all my vampire diary friends a copy of this book because that's what book friends do! I know they are going to be in love with this book when they read it too. I can't wait for this story to continue with the next book in the series. Thank you C.R. Johnson for writing such an amazing book!

[Kelli Loy · Rating 5 out of 5]

So hood! I read in under 24 hours.

[Rebekah Powers · Rating 5 out of 5]

CR Johnson knows just how to pull a reader in and never let them go!

You Broke Me First checks all the dark romance boxes with plenty of angst, heartache, mystery, danger, chili peppers (wink, wink), and twists and turns you will never see coming.

One of my favorite things is the growth of the main character, Savannah. This girl takes the hits coming at her and comes back stronger. You won’t find her whimpering in the corner, hoping a man will come save her.

The villain is pure villain. He’s absolutely psychotic and makes no apologies for it. His level of crazy will keep you on your toes as you read.

I love a book that’s unpredictable and isn’t like “all the others”, which is a huge appeal to me with this book. There’s no predictable plot line, and CR Johnson have your jaw hitting the floor and muttering, “wtf?!” to yourself.

[Jennifer Gray · Rating 5 out of 5]

🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥🌶️🌶️🌶️🌶️

Oh my gosh this book will keep you on our toes. Highly recommended it. So savvy is from Oklahoma she 20 . Comes from a rich family but hasn’t had the best up bringing. Her mom is terrible and so is her brother. Well at 16 she meets cash. She was in love with him until one night he up and left and told her to forget about him. So 3 years later she ends in on New Orleans. She runs into him and the entire time she was with him it was a lie. She hates him, until one day she was out looking for for a job she runs into Son at church. He ends up being bashes twin brother. And that’s when bashes looses it. Please read this mafia book I literally couldn’t stop.

[Kristens_korner · Rating 4 out of 5]

To be honest, I had actually DNF'd this book. The main character was driving me crazy with her poor impulse control and immaturity. Then, a friend of mine posted a review about how much she loved it, and the ending was such a shock. I'm happy to say I'm glad to have gone back and finished the book. The female main character makes a big turnaround, the love interest gets way better, and the ending is definitely not what I was expecting!

[Christy Davisson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy Twists and Turns So Much Happening Here!!

Wow, this book has intricate storylines woven through multiple POV's and it will have you questioning everything you read along the way. The author does a fabulous job of weaving together some seriously crazy plots that make you wonder what will happen next.

I loved that this book starts off with Jake/Bash/Sebastian already as a liar. You just don't know the full extent of what he's done or will do until the story starts to unfold between him and Savvy/Savannah.

Savvy being a young naive girl, is crushed by her first love only to find he's not who or what he led her to believe. Now in a new state looking to make a new life for herself she's torn with the decision to trust her instincts with dealing with this new side of the man she thought she once loved until she finds herself drawn to his twin giving her an insta love connection she's never felt before. Then the undeniable connection to Christian/Sin who happens to be Bash's twin brother just brings even more drama and angst to Savvy's world. All I can say is this book has A LOT of TWISTS in it and things are never what they fully seem the more the story progresses.

So if you love a good mysterious circumstances, insta connection, age gap, tons of spice, dark themes, revenge, psychotic ex-boyfriend, Nola vibes, and so much more then you will want to grab this one. It will take you on one wild ride and the ending is a bit of a cliffhanger. So I definitely recommend this one if you are looking for something unique with an intricate plot.

[Maddiereads24 · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can not express how much I loved this book! The storyline was so good! Each character had depth to them and you find yourself loving the side characters just as much as the FMC and the MMC! I laughed I cried and got mad and also felt a little uneasy in a small part of the book! But I love how it literally made me go through every emotion! Savannah is such a strong woman! Like I don’t think she actually realizes how strong she is until midway through the book! She has endured so much in her short life! She’s hilarious and sassy which I absolutely loved! Christian aka Sin I just loved him so much! He wants what’s best for Savvy and wants her to take the lead and do what she actually wants! He always has her best interest at heart! He’s caring and loving and always wants to go above and beyond for Savannah! He literally worships the ground she walks on and doesn’t care what people think. He’s hard but also soft at the same time! I just love him he’s definitely my new book boyfriend! There was a small part of the book though I found intense and hard to read personally so just check your triggers! There is spice and it is spicy! I also loved how this book has spice but it wasn’t the main focus! The ending though ugh utter shock! I can’t wait for book two to come out! I’d also recommend this book to anyone and everyone! I will forever read anything this author writes!

[Courtney Anderson · Rating 5 out of 5]

OMG OMG

What in heck did I just read?! I say that in the best freaking way possible. This book blew me away. It was so good.

You have this idea of how you think the book is going to go. Second chance romance where the MMC lies to protect the girl he fell in love with. The FMC running into him accidentally and understandably getting mad while also finding out he is head of the Mafia in the city. The MMC groveling and proving to the FMC that he still loves her and wants her. THEN!!!!! Here is the big THEN! The whole story takes a freaking left turn and then like 1000 more left turns. I was not expecting the turns but I was 100% on board for it! With all that being said the story ends with what you would think is a happy ending but of course there is a little twist. I am excited to see how the next book in the series plays out.

The book had a little of everything that I love. Very spicy. Also can I have Sin as my man?! 🔥🔥🔥

[Ashley ADirtyRead]

After being sent a video on TikTok with a list of triggers I was in there like swimwear. I was about it. Once I got into the book, Bash seemed like a crazy guy - and while he is for sure - he isn't the love interest. He left her in the middle of the night when Savvy was 16 and she picked up the pieces of her broken heart. When she was 20, she moved to New Orleans and saw him again. He tries to work on getting her back. Eventually, she ends up getting with his twin brother Sin and now Bash goes crazy and wants to end everyone. BUT they send him away and he works on his revenge from a distance. Meanwhile, everyone else is just happy.

The story had some twists, but I was expecting the love interest Sin to be unhinged, not his brother. Bash's crazy seemed to take a back seat to Sin and Savvys cute little relationship and all of their friends' relationship.

[Nic_key_reads · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’m not going to lie….I needed to take a few days to get my words right for this review. But I’m ready now.

Blown away is the words I would use considering this is only the second book by C.R. Johnson and she completely slayed it. I was at a crossroads reading this. At first there is a certain character I won’t name any names for the risk of spoilers that I wanted to love. But then this certain character did a 360 on me and that was that.

This is a story you won’t want to put down. It’s dark but with all the steam. It’s fast moving which means we don’t have to wait long for the good parts but it doesn’t lack a story line.

It does end on a cliffhanger. One that will make you say I need more.

[Nicole Brittany · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book blew me away. From start to finish CR Johnson takes you on a wild ride of suspense, betrayal, and love. This book starts off with Savy moving to Nola (the most magical city in the world) where on her first day there meets a new friend Cami who takes her in. The past then comes knocking on her door and all hell breaks loose. She then meets Sin who is a tall glass of hotness. The lengths that Savy would go to protect the ones she loves is out of this world. If your looking for a dark romance with all the right triggers this ones for you. Highly recommend!

[MHT Books · Rating 5 out of 5]

My head is spinning

When your best friend tells you to read this book immediately, you do. And I’m so thankful I did, I loved it. You think you know which way the story is going then…boom, twist…boom….turn. Oh Bash you crazy mofo, you got what was coming. And Sin, how are you so perfect? Let’s not forget the f*ucking girl power. This book was so damn good, it’s going to take me days to recover.

[Tajia Maniscalco · Rating 5 out of 5]

my mind is spinning with all the plot twists

what a sinful read
Spicy, super fast paced love story riddled with lies, mystery, trauma, love and new beginnings.


I will be a little honest and say I wasn’t a huge fan of the begging of the read due to the FMC age, but after the first few chapters, the rest of the book made up for it as things started to unravel and make more sense. So if that is a no go on a bookish thing for you I will say give it a chance.

[Amanda Moore · Rating 5 out of 5]

I devoured this book. I could not put it down I was sucked in from the cover. I love Savannah and Sin together. I love all the Vampire Diaries and The Originals references. I’m a huge fan of the series. Just when I thought I figured the book out it would take a turn and shock me, some points I was literally yelling at the book out loud. The spice is fantastic in this book. You wont regret it if you read this book I promise.

[Kristi Schatz · Rating 5 out of 5]

What an amazing book!! I couldn't put it down. Savvy is such an amazing, strong FMC, you can't help but love her. Savvy and Sin has such an amazing connection and love for each other. They go through a terrible ordeal in this story, my emotions were all over the place. All the characters in their group are ruthless to the core and will do anything for each other. I love them all. I can't wait to read more about these characters!!

[Kira · Rating 5 out of 5]

Man, oh man, what a world wind! C.R. killed it, ooof, I absolutely couldn’t put this down!! 5 stars is nothing! I was obsessed with Sin since the first minute he saw Savvy! And damn those twists and turns !! 10/10 recommended and the other side characters I need books for ! But that cliff hanger !!! Can't wait to see what's next

[Tonya Blanton · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh this book !!!! I devoured it, the twists and turns were all on point and written beautifully!! The character development really did make you feel like you could see what they looked like and feel what they felt! I immediately dove into the second book “but I’m still standing” because I had to know what happened… I cannot recommend this enough … 5 stars with all the spice 😘

[Shelly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A cliff hanger?!?!

This book is to d@mn good for its own good!! And then you add in a cliff hanger?! I can not wait!!!! Who ever is reading this review and deciding if they want to read it, do yourself and just read it!!! I got hooked so quickly. The twist and the turns are perfect. This will definitely be a favorite of mine for a while!!!

[Mickeybare · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this book. it is a dark romance, so check the trigger warnings. But this story is truly amazing, it Deals with secrets, lies, decit, love, & abuse. But it's also about love, revenge, and knowing your worth. it does deal with BDSM, drugs, Mafia/Crime families, and found family. this is the 1st book in the series and it is absolutely amazing, but the Cliff Hanger will leave you beyond shocked (did anyone see it coming) if you are a fan of dark romance Oklahoma lake & small town settings as well as the New Orleans French Quarter settings you will love this book, just be ready with the next book But I'm Still Standing ready to go when you finish this because you won't want to wait after the final Cliff Hanger. it is definitely worth the read. 💙💙💙

[Dani6614 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Absolutely loved this story!! I was hooked from the first page and some of those turns! I couldn’t put it down as I couldn’t wait to see what happened next. I love the ending, and really hoping for a book 2! Definitely recommend reading this book!

[Nineette · Rating 5 out of 5]

sin and Savannah

I’m glad she also added Sebastian point of view to really see how unhinged he was. Savannah finding out secrets and all the lies she was fed by Sebastian and finding out he has a twin which is totally opposite of Sebastian.

[Kellane Ayanna Mitchener · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars

I enjoyed this book. I wasn't expecting who Savvy would end up with but oh boy am I happy that she got a great guy in the end. A good read but that cliffy I wasn't expecting and who could it be, now I'm on pins and needles waiting to find out.

[Jonnica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review

Never saw so many twist and turns coming with this book. I absolutely loved every minute of it and couldn't put this book down. I don't want to give any spoilers but if you love a book where you never know what's coming then this book right here is for you!!!

[Candace Waugh · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has all the spice to keep you interested. A surprise/unexpected love trope. Plus a killer revenge scene! If you want to read about some bad a** girls falling and love and getting revenge with lots of spice….this is your book!

[Tamotha clark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sin or Bash

One woman and twin brothers are mixed up in drama. One loved her and another loved her and used other woman and and also psychological crazy . Both brothers want to kill one another. This is a entertaining story. You have to read.

[Tich Brewster · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a book that you will not want to put down. It keeps you hooked with unending action, wondering what is waiting around the corner. It’s dark and spicy, and the perfect binge.