"I'm Cooper Taylor. I'm a Scorpio. I enjoy women, long walks on the beach, and my roommate says I use girly shampoo. Oh, and I generally hate anyone in the film industry because they're total assholes. Guess you could say I'm you Pai Mei."
"Willow Avery. Actress, Cancer, and according to my team, on my last leg before porn."
I totally and utterly adored Tidal and the characters within. They were damaged; they were charming, witty, and utterly lost as they navigated the unknown of life surrounding them. Each character in this story had a purpose and that purpose affected the outcome of our MC's. Eric, Paige, and Miller were just as important to me as Willow and Cooper. They helped build the story and sustain it. I was invested and I finished in one sitting because I needed to get to the end to find out if Willow's heartbreak and mine also would be fixed.
Willow was a damaged heroine. At 19, she had been used and abused, along with using and abusing. She was washed up and had endured all the entertainment world had to offer her. Tragedy and scandal caused Willow's initial reason to check out after that any time she couldn't deal she automatically turned to drinking and drugs. Her choice of coping. Spiraling out of control Willow was offered her last chance, her one and only saving grace. A movie deal and one hot surfer coach. Who knew the boy that smelled like coconut shampoo would be the one to save her.
"He was wrong. I wasn't beautiful. I was damaged."
"I'm fucked up Cooper."
"We'll fix you."
Cooper was not your typical surfer dude. He was just as damaged as Willow, but in a completely different way. The movie industry held no interest for him; in fact, he had an intense dislike for it. His coping mechanism was the water. He didn't do clients, well until her that is. There was no love at first sight in this story, but instant lust and attraction came in bucket loads. Coop made no secret of the fact that he wanted Willow in bed and soon. She, however, fought him each step of the way. Our hero showed us a soft side to him that held patience and understanding. When it came to Willow, Coop was protective over her and he refused to let her fail. Rough around the edges when it came to relationships I found that Coop made a perfect hero. My heart melted as he pulled Willow through her tough moments.
"I'm falling in love with you, Wills. You drive me crazy. I mean, it started out as this need to get you out of my head, but the longer I'm with you-"
"You take the nightmares away, I wanted to tell him because I don't fucking know you, but when I'm with you, I want to feel again. I don't need pills or noise or distraction."
As I mentioned earlier there was loads of instant lust and attraction. The push and pull drove me a bit insane. One minute they were all over each other, in the next instance one of them would be pushing the other away. You definitely felt the connection and intense character chemistry. I literally sighed out loud when Cooper finally made the move they we had all been waiting for. His rule of not dating and having sex with clients be damned. They were electric together, but it wasn't without issues as Willow would not allow him to see her completely naked in the daylight. This is where I feel completely in love with Cooper. He took it all in stride and showed Willow that he respected her and wanted her for her. No matter the work he had to put into them.
"Jesus, Wills, we've been undoing each other for days. The last place we're going to tear each other apart is right here, in the sand. Guess you can say I'm greedy because I want to be the only one who hears you come."
I loved the character development, the relationships that grew out of tragedies, mistakes and a life destroyed by entertainment and partying. Good friends were made, secrets revealed, love grew and blossomed, and the chance for inner peace was found. Emily gave us a love story filled with twists, secrets, and turns. My heart ached and broke on many occasions. That was until the end when Emily wrote one of the best epilogues that I have read in a very long time. I originally was going to rate this a 4 and her ending cinched that 5 star spot. Perfection Emily, thank you for such a beautiful story.
"We love you, Willow. Me and Eric and the boy with the coconut shampoo."