Being the boy who accidentally shot his sister was hard. Never being able to find the girl who actually pulled the trigger was worse. Convinced, through years of relentless therapy, that she was a figment of his trauma and imagination, Eli Adams gave up on her existence. Until one day a name, bearing remarkable resemblance to the people missing in his life, showed up out of nowhere. Suddenly he was thrust into a journey that forced him to offer up his soul as payment for the truth. What he discovered along the way, was that the girl who took his sister's life and his hand, all those years ago, had become the thing he needed to be whole. Saving her was one thing. Healing her was another. Convincing her to love him will be the toughest part of it all.
Caution: Author uses multiple pen names on the same book (different releases/editions). GR policy dictates that the name on the first release remain primary on all subsequent releases. The secondary name would be whatever name is on the cover, if different.
This is the companion novel to 'The Lonely' which you should read first. To be inside Eli's head was awesome. He was so lost and broken and so very in love with Sarah. This finishes past the point of the first book and ties everything up beautifully. Would be good if Stuart had a book. These two books are on my keeper list for sure. Dark and intense but love wins in the end.
Lost Boy is a great follow up to the The Lonely- better story in my opinion. I read The Lonely and although I liked it, I was pretty confused. A lot of the time I was lost, and felt there was too many things going on at once. Lost Boyfills in all the gaps, and Eli's questionable motives are much more appriciated and understood. A dark, heartfelt book story told by Eli. I absolutely loved reading his POV. He is amazing and completely prefect. A great dark romantic read! If you enjoyed The Lonely, this is a MUST read! So I read that Sebastian is getting a book? Cool, cool. But what I would die for would be Stuart's story. PLEASE?!?!?!
"Lost Boy" was a great follow-up (probably better)than the first book "The Lonely." The first book is told from the girl's POV, Sarah, and the second is the guy's, Eli. It really is like two different books from each of their perspectives. Not much repeating here. What I really liked better with this book is the way the ending was handled (not nearly as tedious) and this one had a delicious Epilogue that gave us a glimpse at everyone's story, not just Eli and Sarah's.
Certain parts of these books are fairly dark. Both of these main characters were abducted when they were children and faced many horrors. And, their adult lives are almost just as horrible trying to deal with the memories and psychological problems that came from their abductions. But, in the end they were both strong enough to heal each other (as much as they could ever be healed).
The writer, Tara Brown, did a wonderful job handling the complex situations presented in these books. I would definitely read another book authored by her. And, you know, there are enough tormented characters left in these two books that another one might be possible (i.e., Stuart).
I'm so torn as to how to rate this one. I cannot express how much I was anticipating. Getting Eli's POV. There was so much I wanted to know about what had been happening behind the scenes in The Lonely, and I wanted this tobe my holy grail of explanations. Unfortunately, I didn't feel like I understood all that more after finishing this book.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoyed it. Eli was a character I both loved and hated in the first book, and learned to love even more in this one. I just wanted to give the poor guy a hug. I think he was more messed up then poor Sarah. I just wanted to understand more - about his issues, and the way he coped before finding Sarah, about that bithch Jane, and a better explanation of what the theory behind her "therapy" was. I wanted more about how Eli could go through with it. And geez, way to raise more questions, about Sebastian and Stewart.
Overall. It was a good book, and I would defiantly recommend it for fans of The Lonely, just don't expect to come out for it with a lot of loose ends tied up.
4.5stars. Still as weird as book one but I loved Eli's story..... I needed to skim through The Lonely first otherwise I would have been The Lost One! Once I had reacquainted myself with the story it was all good. I said at the end of the last book I was looking forward to getting into Eli's head and I wasn't disappointed. X
Seriously, I love Tara Brown for so many reasons and this series is a huge reason as to why. It started with The Lonely, an intelligent, dark and disturbingly appealing story that was so unique that it shot straight into my heart as a loved favourite.
Well, as much as I loved The Lonely, I loved this companion novel Lost Boy even more. No question, one of the best books I’ve read in a long while, it just messed with my head even more, I loved it even more and I weirdly understood everything even more. However, I also cried more and my heart literally bled as my tears blurred my vision.
“I want you to pick me…”
Does that make me as ‘eccentric’ as its maker (and I mean this lovingly!)? Or does it show what a fantastic and original Author Tara Brown really is? I’m definitely going to go for the latter…though with a hint of the first!
“It’s best to not poke the things that live inside of me with confinement, not when I am already too close to losing it.” – Eli
I’m mindful of dropping spoilers in this review as I really recommend reading The Lonely which is then followed by Lost Boy. They should be on everyone’s to read list if you love the dark and emotional reads. If you love a good clever mind f*ck basically.
It all started with a tragedy. A tragedy that impacted two people whose souls were in that moment bound together forever in the most disturbing yet beautiful way.
“I owe that girl the sun, the moon, and the stars. I owe her everything in the whole world.” – Eli
It puts them on a path which would leave deep scars and affects them to the extreme when their paths cross again. One knowingly, the other in the dark in respect of who and the why’s.
“I want her now. I want her safe now. I want to take her away from it all. I want to save her, the way I promised I would.” – Eli
In The Lonely we had Sarah’s POV and it broke my heart. In Lost Boy we have Eli’s POV and it not only broke my heart…it completely broke my whole being. I love this man…LOVE him, and I will never ever forget him no matter how many books I read or how many broken male characters I come across. He’s so screwed up from what life has offered him so far but seriously…he had me in stitches of laughter one second and in floods of tears the next. He BROKE me and I love him for it!
“The pain was stuck in my seized-up heart. Everything was too big and too scary, and I had to be a man. A man that saved his little sister. A man that saved the day. A hero. Instead, I was a lost boy. I cried out for help like a child.” – Eli
Even though some of this story feature the same scenes as The Lonely they’re from Eli’s POV making them seem somewhat original and different. This companion novel stands on its own in the sense that NO WAY is this a re-write, this is its own story. The story of Eli! I can’t really explain it, but it was as if I was reading with fresh eyes and making new conclusions. We learn so much more and experience things we had no idea happened. So many questions were answered and what I thought was one thing turned out to be completely different.
“She needs me. She’s going to be scared and confused, and the lonely is going to come and take her away…”
“She is me, but a girl. The two of us together would probably cause the apocalypse…”
Well played Tara Brown…truly spectacular! I don’t even know how to accurately explain how reading this book made me feel. What I will say is, please read these books in order as you will be taken on one hell of a journey you will never forget!
“When I was a boy, I met a girl and the worst things imaginable happened to us…”
We knew Eli is a man obsessed…but I won’t say why or how. His outlet is Sarah. His reason is Sarah. His life is Sarah. His breath is Sarah……Sarah is his redemption…
“The dead look in her eyes came from loss. The loss of her family, safety, and love…”
As for Jane…someone please hand me a pitchfork!!!
And Stuart…I wanted to hug him!! I’m so glad Eli had him as a ‘brother’!!!
This series is so gritty and the emotion is so raw and ugly it makes for something beautiful and heart-breaking. I cannot recommend this series strongly enough! Tara Brown you ROCK, you astound me and mesmerize me with your words and I love you for it.
“It means that even though you see me differently, I have the same reactions to things as you. I am human, just different than you but no less worthy of love, respect, and justice. I bleed, laugh, and die the same as you, regardless of the differences inside of me. Or outside.” – Eli
Arc provided by author in exchange for an honest review
The Lonely was amazing. But THIS one?!? OMG! I am beyond blown away. Tara Brown is a master!
I loved getting Eli's story. Being in his head was quite an experience. Your understanding of his character will reach a whole new level. He truly made me laugh out loud, cry good tears, and feel his emotions through the words on the page. It's quite safe to say that I love Eli even more than before, if that's even possible.
So many things we didn't know from the first book are shown to us for the first time. We also get to see more of Stuart and learn about his heartbreaking story. Also loved Eli and Stuart's relationship.
Seeing Sarah through his eyes is incredible too. Because of the past and how they found each other makes me love them even more. All the terrible things life thrown at them, they are still strong enough to heal and love each other.
I'm begging Tara to give us a Novella for Sarah and Eli. One to show us their future of growing up, getting married and starting a family. So glad I read this one. AMAZING BOOK! Wish I could give it 10 stars!!!
10 STARS!!!!Okay well due to restrictions I will have to only give it 5 stars I was given an ARC for an Honest Review.
LIKE.TOTALLY.OH.MY.GOSH. How's that for my 90's cheerleader inner self?Tara Brown has written yet another winner.Lost Boy is the companion Novel to The Lonely.It is from Eli's Point of View and should only be read after you read The Lonely.I normally am not a huge fan of these type of books,meaning rewriting the same book in the Males POV.But this is one of those times where I make an exception. In fact,I truly encourage anyone thats read The Lonely to read it and if you haven't read The Lonely..then what the heck are you waiting for? Lost Boy is just as gritty as The Lonely obviously.But its edgier since we are dealing with Eli.We also were able to see more of Stuart which I really enjoyed getting to know him better as well.As with all books that are rewritten from the other main characters Point of View..we know what will happen and yet I still found myself worried.I kept telling myself..Self..you know what happens.You've read The Lonely.You know what happens.Well Self wasnt listening very well and was still worried about Eli and Sarah. This is one of those..can I call it a series?..That will blow you out of the water.Im serious.When I see the books they make into movies..im like Why hasn't Tara Brown been contacted?Her books are A-FREAKING AMAZING.Tara Brown honestly has never disappointed me in anything she has written.She is one of the select few authors that I hold close that is able to mesmerize me with their writing.Tara has written other wonderful books that you should check out as well!
This is a companion to The Lonely. It’s much more than just The Lonley retold from Eli’s POV.
Tara Brown calls this book ‘weird’. THIS IS NOT WEIRD! It’s incredibly smart and simply amazing.
***Experiencing the story through Sarah's eyes was amazing, but seeing it through Eli's is PHENOMENAL.***
It is remarkable how Sarah and Eli coped with what happened in very different ways. The experience through his eyes is very different than that seen through hers. Sarah dealt with it through her OCD. Eli never really dealt with it. He became obsessed with proving Sarah existed.
This story makes you understand Eli and his reasoning behind everything that happened. A lot of the holes are filled in, and all of the WTF and holy S%$#& moments from The Lonely are put in perspective. The lengths he went to protect her were just.... just... I don't know -- indescribable. His dedication and devotion to her is heart melting. There is a lot to Eli you don't see in The Lonely. You don't realize the extent of pain and suffering he endured all those years. It was desperately hard for him to walk the fine line between detached and involved when it came to interacting with Sarah.
When The Lonely ended (even with the Epilogue), it still felt unsettled and I was left wanting more. The Epilogue in The Lost Boy fixed all of that. It was PERFECT and fit the story of Eli and Sarah perfectly. Am I sad their story is over? Yes, but I’m happy with the ending; it feels complete and I am okay walking away from it at this point. But, that doesn’t mean I wouldn’t looooooove to see a novella with Eli and Sarah. Hint, hint Tara Brown.
The blurb isn't much to go by, but because of the mystery and thriller aspect of the book not much else can be said.
I read 'The Lonely' and 'Lost Boy' along side one another. If you have never read either books, then I would say to just read 'Lost Boy'. But if you have read 'The Lonely' then I highly recommend you read 'Lost Boy' too.
I'm going to use some of my review to compare the two: I found myself initially more confused reading TL due to the fact that the mystery aspect was hidden, whereas in LB it was more vague. LB was written from the male lead characters POV, I find a male POV much more interesting anyway, but I think you get a lot more out of hearing his story than you would hers. Her story tells us more about how she's generally feeling, but his story tells us more secrets and gives a greater understanding overall.
The books are very dark, and the characters are the most fucked up pair I’ve ever read about. I think the situations and the feelings presented in this book can be very hit or miss for a lot of readers. It's fast paced, complicated, tormented, dark and questionable. I enjoyed the ride, but I also found certain things confusing and trying.
My star ratings: 1* Complete trash 2* Waste of time really, but I carried on for some reason 3* Half decent, sometimes down to personal preferences 4* Could read this again, only a little thing is missing, maybe more humour or romance etc... 5* Would read this again and again, unique story, adore this author
While I am not a fan of second POV books, this one was absolutely fantastic! At times it was so creepy to be inside of Eli's head and sad to see how messed up he really was.
This is Eli's story from his days in the hole up until he finally finds Em and starts to keep an eye on her. While we pretty much knew Eli was obsessed with Em and her safety, this story shows how desperately he needed to protect her for his own sanity. They were both teetering on the brink of a total meltdown every second of the day it was heartbreaking. In The Lonely, you think Eli as a more put together man, in Lost Boy we learn that isn't the case at all.
It had been a while since reading The Lonely so I was a bit confused at the beginning, but it does all start to click as you keep going. It was an amazing story of survival, healing and love. It couldn't have been any better.
The story from the lonely was heart breaking and powerful and amazing. The story in lost boy from Eli's point of view was at least 10 times better if that's possible!! I loved it! Hearing more about Stuart was fantastic too. I felt with the lonely that it ended good but not great and in this one.. Well I loved the ending and I feel like the story was complete. I would still love to read more about the characters and I would love a book on Stuart!
Fantastic. Loved it. I waited so long and it did not disappoint.
I have not enough words to describe how emotional the first book was and Eli's POV was equally heart-wrenching and sad. It still amazes me that this story has gripped me so much. It took days to stop thinking about book one and this one has made it complete!!
This was an amazing story told by the guys POV. It is a companion novel and some people don't like having to reread the same story but in the guys POV but this is different. Eli is one or those characters that you need to hear his story. His relationship with Stuart and his obsession with Sarah. I know understand why he did the things he did and his mentality. Definitely worth the time to read.
Holy Shit!!! What can I say?!!! I already loved Eli in The Lonely, now, after seeing things from his perspective in Lost Boy, I love him even more! Tara Brown again amazed me beyond reason! When I read The Lonely I came to the conclusion it was one of the most inteligent storylines I've read so far...Now with Lost Boy I see it was even more inteligent then I originally thought! Eli's POV is quite different from Sarah's...he's not as broken as her, at least ot anymore...Also discovering his relationship wit Stuart was such a great bonus! Eli is a very strong young man and to be able to love and care for someone for so many years as he did for Sarah just proves how good he actually is, despote his toughts that he doesn't deserve her. There's no one better for each other! Seeing things from Eli's POv just proved how disturbing Jane was. i always thought she was up to something in The Lonely, but now we know she was. What a sick woman...thank God Eli turned out to be a good man or else I'd have to go inside my Ipad and just beat the shit out of her! Eli and Sarah might think they're not normal, but considering everything they are fairly normal LOL I absolutely loved reading Eli's side of the story and I restate what I already knew and spread out: The Lonely is one of those books that you can't go on with life without reading it. And now Lost Boy is the perfect companion for it! They are definitely MUST reads! No matter how many times I read them, Tara's talent won't faill to absolutely amaze me!
Nádherné, temné a sladkobolné doplnění nádherného, temného a sladkobolného příběhu. Uznávám, že po dějové stránce to bylo trochu uspěchané, protože Lost boy přináší Eliho pohled jen na ty nejvýraznější okamžiky z The Lonely, plus něco navíc před počátkem děje The Lonely, něco navíc poté jako dovětek. A je to krásné. Prohlubuje charaktery jednotlivých postav, doplňuje, co se dělo "v zákulisí" The Lonely a mně tak spousta věcí, z kterých jsem byla v The Lonely zmatená, konečně začala dávat smysl. Eli je neuvěřitelně charismatická postava, kterou jsem tu mohla už z principu knihy poznat mnohem lépe, stejně jako Stuarta a Jane, naopak Sarah byla poměrně upozaděna, ale to dává smysl, když hlavní roli tu hraje Eli a jeho myšlenky. Lost boy mě nedostal ani tak svým příběhem a atmosférou, do příběhu jsem se mnohem více ponořila u The Lonely. Lost boy ukazuje charaktery postav v trochu jiném světle než The Lonely a doplňuje mezery, které po sobě už z principu románu The Lonely zanechalo. Je to příběh nádherný. A veskrze neobyčejný. 4.5*
Plně souhlasím se slovy autorky v její recenzi této knihy: "If you find yourself reading the The Lonely and despairing at the depravity, this book will make you feel better, I will say that. If you can suffer through the dark bipolar writing of The Lonely, this will mend your heart. But if you loved The Lonely, this will break your heart."
I'm not surprised that this book was downright amazing! I'm not surprised that some how this author seems to know exactly what the reader hopes for and delivers it with an imagination so new and original! We get Eli's POV in this book and oh man talk about another head trip I had to take! My emotions are always running high when I read a book of hers. Yes, I cried. This "lost boy" is so broken and is so fragile...you hope for his happiness in ways you didn't imagine you could because he's just a fictional character right? Author Tara Brown brings everyone alive and you will never regret sitting down reading one of her stories. Watching Eli and Sarah come to who they are now from Eli's POV was awesome. His journey to being the man he wants to be was a fascinating tale. Twisted and broken but somehow whole. Fantastic job to the author! I give this book my thumbs up!
Do Not Read This until you have read The Lonely. This is a companion book from an alternate POV. If you read this first you will have no freaking clue what is going on.
OMG. These people are crazy. Well less crazy than I thought. I thought they were out of their minds when I read the The Lonely. Now I just think they are a bit unhinged. I like Eli so much better now.
Eli and Emlyn/Sarah are survivors of kidnapping and torture, but their paths to adulthood were very different. In this version we get Eli's story. He had it much "easier" than Sarah. Or did he. Even Sarah thinks it would be easier to be raised by nuns than ignored by your own family. And Dr. Jane....lets just say it....Bitch. Capital B. Crazy Capital B.
If you like The Lonely, you need to read this. But make sure you read The Lonely first.
Lost Boy, although darker than The Lonely, is much better than the other book. Mostly because it encompasses things we don't ever find out (including the epilogue) in The Lonely. The only complaint is that I wished she hadn't written these two books in such a way that both had to be picked up to completely finish the story. The Lonely didn't really include all the pieces of the story, thus prompting the reader to pick up Lost Boy to finish the tale. Sadly, this is becoming a trend.
Lost Boy deals with Eli's side of the story and how he felt. Some scenes improve his character but some others almost destroy his image of The Lonely. Things go well but I just don't like being 'forced' to pick up this book. Though I confess, even if this didn't have the extra parts, I would have picked it up. Because as I said, Lost Boy includes things we couldn't find out via The Lonely.
I'm not a huge fan of the same story but told in another mc's POV, but given The Lonely's shocking story, Eli's POV gave it the completeness and understanding The Lonely deserved.
It was worth the wait, I loved it. I have to admit when I first started I was a bit nervous that it would 't meet my expectations. Well it did. Still very emotional. The Lonely is one of my favorite books. I love all these fuc*ed up characters. Eli's version added some new and interesting things to the story. What was great also was that Stuart's character was really brought forward. I wouldn't mind reading his story next ;) (hint, hint). Well done!
I sometimes feel let down by "follow up" books that are from the male perspective but Tara Brown didn't let me down with this sequel. I was glad to read this from Eli's point of view and it also filled in a number of areas that I was still scratching my head about.
First time read from this author and it wont be my last.
After reading The Lonely I was a bit disappointed, feeling like there were many gaps in the story. Then I read Lost Boy and it filled those gaps, added so much to the story, I actually really enjoyed it!