Okay, this was a very emotional, inspiring and captivating book.
This story is about getting out of the drenches, out of the hopelessness, out of the depression, and how to continue living with depression and not letting it weigh you down. It’s about found family, enemies to best friends (never read a book like this), and supporting each other. I really enjoyed J.C. Davies writing. I loved the way he gripped you in this book, how he wrote these characters. I love how the side characters had your heart as well. I cried a couple of times throughout the book.
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“…there’s always a light at the end of the tunnel. Sometimes it’s just difficult to see it in the darkness.”
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We follow a girl named Alice who got diagnosed with MS right before her Olympic Games and that completely derailed her life. I can’t relate to Alice regarding her body betraying her in her peak in life but I can resonate with the anger, spite, shame that she experiences. She turned to alcohol in the beginning of the book, living in her car, homeless just trying to suppress her feelings, her dark thoughts and just her confrontation of her life.
We then have Kat, oh she’s a little street rebel who holds the biggest chip on her shoulder. She is angry, mean and living in fight or flight mode all the time. (Her cortisol levels are probably through the roof…XD)
Patrick has my heart!!! OMG!!!! He is such a good book boyfriend! He was going through his own struggles and was always there, always there in the background not letting go of hope, always a silent supporter even if Alice was not being a good friend. When he arrives at the restaurant I was balling! I was balling so hard because despite everything he came. He came and was there.
Pete and Tommy, opposites attract. Hahaha! Them being pillars in these girls life despite going through so much, ugh, I love them.
Here are some of my quotes I highlighted:
“She downed the wine in two gulps and ordered another, reflecting on how easy it is to make promises to yourself in the morning that are impossible to keep once the sun goes down.”
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“ The motivation to do things for other people fades, no matter how much you care about them. But the fire that comes from within - that’s what lasts. You can’t lean on anyone else to carry you through this. You have to want it, deep down.’ She jabbed her finger into her chest for emphasis. ‘So, do you? Do you really want this, or are you just trying to make other people proud?”
...“And whether I do this for you, for Pete, or for myself?’ Kat continued, her voice trembling slightly but each word sharp and deliberate. ‘That’s none of your damn business.”
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“No one expects to have their dreams taken away in their twenties, but she’d adjusted and adapted. It wasn’t just about moving on; it was about transforming the loss into something new, something meaningful.”
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I got an ARC Copy of this book and this is my honest rating of the book. :)