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Pretty Girl

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If there were one day that she could change it would be the day she was taken.

After her parents’ divorce, seventeen-year-old Izzy Scott and her mother move to the old town of St. Augustine to begin a new life, a life beyond the media attention and the memories of the traumatic experiences that left an everlasting affect on their family.

The former ballerina is trying to adjust to the outside world without suffering a panic attack and exposing who she is - all while getting through her senior year at a new school. That’s easy to say until she meets local boy Mason Winchester, a boy with a tragic past.

Mason has a reputation for violence, but a love for motorcycles. At the age of eleven he lost his mother to cancer and from then he has been running from something, but could never really get away.

Like any other angry teenager, he just wants to be left alone and to have nothing to do with anyone else because he believed that he had nothing to offer. That changes the moment he saw what was in the new girl eyes.

Tragedy wasn't new to either of their lives but among the secrets and the memories the one thing they both never excepted was to find hope.

*This book is recommended for readers 18+ for violence, language, and some adult situations.*

393 pages, Kindle Edition

First published July 29, 2014

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85 people want to read

About the author

Amy Heugh

1 book16 followers
I'm a designer, an artist, avid movie goer, amateur psychologist and a secret hopeless romantic with a health dose of reality.

I love to hear from readers, so drop me a mail and lets have a conversation

amy.heugh77@gmail.com

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Displaying 1 - 23 of 23 reviews
Profile Image for Brittain *Needs a Nap and a Drink*.
373 reviews491 followers
March 8, 2015


Izzy is trying to work through a traumatic event in her recent past. She and her mother essentially run away to St. Augustine and try to start over. But it isn't so easy to brush off your own history. Izzy is a loner by nature and distances herself from the rest of her classmates but the problem with being the new kid is that everybody is curious.

Enter Mason. He's bribed into getting to know her better by one of the popular class jerks. He has a mess of his own baggage and Izzy and Mason connect on a level only known by the truly lonely. He sees this beautiful girl who has so much to offer the world but closes herself off. She sees a kind person surrounded by a brick wall that she feels that she can break through.

Mason...


Really? Really? You accept a bribe to meet a girl? This isn't 10 Things I Hate About You. You should know better. It felt like a bad teenage rom-com...probably because we've seen this trope a million times. I've read it before. I've seen the movie. He's a walking cliche. Bad boy on a motorcycle? Hangs out by said bike after school? A girl getting on a random dude's bike and driving off with him? It seems like people would have a lot of issues with this. Namely, her parents. What about his aunt? I see some insurance issues in this.

Next...Izzy. If you are so attached to your twin brother, then why have you not talked to him for the first half of the book? Why haven't you talked to your dad? It felt like a lot of stuff was left out of their relationships and it would have helped the plot a lot.

The drama at the end didn't feel like enough, either. There was a fair amount of build up to the conclusion and then it was kind of underwhelming.

What I wanted:


What I got:


I'm over it. Done. Come on people. Let's have some spark in the YA genre! Please...I'm begging you.

Full Review at Tara Belle Talking
Profile Image for Rae King.
Author 1 book28 followers
November 16, 2014
I received this book in exchange for an honest review.

Pretty Girl took me deep into the minds of two teenagers who were recovering form traumatic pasts, trying to find the strength to carry on with their lives.

This story is told in alternating POVs, which I love!
Izzy is a seventeen year old who recently moved to St. Augustine with her mother to get away from the life she couldn't face anymore. Two years prior to her move, Izzy went through something terrible that drove her to try and take her life. We don't find out exactly what horrific things Izzy was subjected to until the end of the story. The beauty of this story is that without even knowing what Izzy went through, Amy Heugh shows us the depths of her depression and anger. It was real. And I could feel it.

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Mason is also a seventeen year old senior. He is known for his intimidating looks and hard-core attitude. He's a love 'em and leave 'em type of guy, never giving his trust to anyone. Mason lost his mom at a young age, leaving him with an angry, abusive father. After his fathers death, Mason moved in with his aunt and two cousins. He grew up as a loner with hate in his heart.

"Monsters live in the darkest corners of our harrowing memories, reminding us of the ugliness and malice of life, as it eats at our hearts. They live in the fading smiles, turning hearts into stone to cope with the plight, and tomorrow won't remove the sadness. We think that time will heal the pain, but it betrays us constantly with images of what we can't erase away."

After Izzy meets Mason (after a couple run ins were she pushed him away), they see the pain that the other tries to hide, and reluctantly, are drawn to each other. Their friendship was beautiful. They needed it in so many ways. Two people, who refused to give their trust away, slowly start trusting each other. The process was one hundred percent believable.

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Just writing about this book puts tears in my eyes again because it affected me that deeply!

As the story progresses, I was struck by the realism of how Izzy was recovering. The little things she experienced (with and without Mason) that made her look at life a little bit differently were absolutely beautiful. As Mason starting giving her parts of his heart, it was incredible to feel his hope blossoming. When Mason confessed to her everything that happened to him as a child, I lost it. I thought it couldn't get worse than that, but it did. The story has a twist near the end that is absolutely devastating. This book just ripped my heart out and I didn't know if I'd be getting it back. Reading about these two characters was a heart-wrenching experience. Their journey of recovery, acceptance, friendship, and love made me cry and smile and laugh and grimace. I know Izzy and Mason will be living in my head for a long time to come.

Amy Heugh has written this book in a way that makes you feel the emotion. The Pain. The hope. I didn't just read this story, I experienced it. This book will stay with me forever. It is hard to compare this book, but if you liked The Sea of Tranquility or Pushing the Limits, then you need to read this one! I could gush about the writing style, the intensity, the depth of emotion in these characters for days, but I am just going to say that this book deserves to be read!

Thank you, Amy Heugh, for telling this incredible story. You absolutely blew me away!
Profile Image for Keep Calm Novel On.
469 reviews72 followers
August 26, 2014
*I received a copy of the eBook from the author in exchange for an honest review.*

Pretty Girl by Amy Heugh is a powerful read with raw emotion. Izzy Scott and Mason Winchester are seniors at high school. They are drawn to each other not knowing each other’s traumatic past.

Izzy and Mason present their feelings in their own point on view. Their voices are district and believable. The pace is slow but necessary since the reader needs the details to understand their heartbreaking journey. The depth of their pain is presented via their voices.

How will Izzy and Mason heal? Will they heal? The reader will not only feel for Izzy and Mason but will want to believe in them.

Although it is a difficult book to read because of the pain, it should be read. Society often ignores and neglects depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, bereavement, and abuse. Individuals often suffer in silence—in their homes, at school, place of employment and on the streets. This novel makes the reader stop and question humanity. This is not a dumb downed young adult fiction. It would be a great book for a book club discussion. It is important to understand and discuss human pain. It is also important to show readers that we are never alone in our struggles.
Profile Image for Shayna.
130 reviews1 follower
January 26, 2015
Did you read that summary? That's the book. There it is, pretty much all of it. Do you notice the way that it's written? That's also how the book reads. I'm sure you're thinking "well, it can't be that bad." Oh how naive you are, my dear.

Page after page of this nonsense drove me insane. If it weren't for my book resolution to not have one book end up on my DNF shelf this year, this book would be on it. In the span of two chapters I was completely bored, already knew what the big "mystery" was behind Izzy's scarred past, and found the thoughts of both our MC's to be completely unrealistic.

After informing our coquettish waiter of my unwelcomed filamentous biomaterial...

And that's both the characters "voice." An unending stream of thought vomit with SAT words thrown in for funsies I guess.

Read the rest of my review on A Goddess Reads!

Profile Image for ☆Joycedale☆.
931 reviews38 followers
June 30, 2015
Mason and Izzy have survived some truely flipped up crap. Both of them are so damaged from what they've been through.
They recognise this in each other and can't help but be drawn together. They slowly start healing each other when their worlds get turned over again.
While I found this to be at times to wordy and the amount of grammar errors hurt it was a truly engrossing tale.
It just seems as if a lot of the story is spent inside their heads with their self diagnosing.
Profile Image for Samantha Clysdale.
297 reviews14 followers
December 15, 2014
I received this book in exchange for an honest review All About YA.


I enjoyed how the two characters compliment each other. I could not stop laughing when Mason called Amy a pretty girl. Also I could imagine Mason looking like a parrot. I felt for Mason and Amy having to go though what they did. It's always hard to lose people you love. With that being sad I highly recommend this book.
Profile Image for Austin Webberly.
Author 1 book7 followers
January 2, 2015
I received this book for a honest review from the author

This book was pretty good. The story was interesting and the characters were well thought out. Some parts could've been left out but other than that it was pretty good (see what I did there?).
Profile Image for Cynthia.
199 reviews17 followers
August 19, 2015
I loved to read books from the authors I’ve never read their works before without finding out first the what-about of its content. I simply loved to make expectation based on the cover, though I realized it’s not always effective. I rarely read blurbs and only do when I couldn’t make any interpretation from the covers.
Seeing Pretty Girl for the first time, I couldn’t help but hooked by its beautiful cover (and also the title!). I interpreted the story must be those kind of sweet romance (almost fairy-tale like) with adorable couple. Something like that. Never once crossed in my mind that this book would be crushing my heart out thousand times repeatedly and cut the pieces into some confetti.
Izzy hated it when people asked her if she’s okay. She hated it when people called her by her given name, Isabella. She hated it when her mother made decisions for her. She hated it when people made her the center of attention. She hated crowd. She hated strangers. She hated liars. She hated to talk about her past to anyone. She hated the reflection staring back at her in the mirror. She hated herself.
Mason hated it when people judged him by his doings. God, he hated his own doings. He hated people with their needs to put the whole society into groups. He hated people who benefited one’s trust and crushed it in a flash. He hated it when his mother left him. He hated words of sympathy. He hated disappointing those who loved him. He hated people with hollow eyes. He hated himself.
When the two flawed worlds collide, it could only mean either of the two things: worst collision that caused indiscernible wreckage or good collision that filling each other’s voids. Izzy and Mason’s encounter could be one of those things. But it was only natural to push each other away in the beginning. They knew nothing about each other, yet they could make out what was haunting each other’s eyes.
“And, what I see, I know so well, and it kind of scares me, but it brings relief along with it, knowing that I’m not the only one out there who is like me.”
-Izzy-

Slowly but steadily, they finally became closer and together reached the gate of friendship. But to start a relationship―whatever it was, there should be trust given to each party. The question was, were they ready to reveal what they’ve been hiding from outer world under their quilts? While one’s secret was worse and darker than the others? While one��s secret was more heart-crushing than the others? The answer was hidden within their hearts, whether they wanted to make the first step to each other’s hiding corner and help directing the light to come inside.

“The past cannot be undone, but tomorrow knows no regret.”

Seriously, God. I felt so damn hollow during reading. I didn’t even know what to say. I might successfully guess their secrets but holy, Amy Heugh hid nothing ordinary behind the curtain! They were greater, darker, and scarier than what I could imagine. When I thought things couldn’t be worse, they were. I might just let Nicholas Sparks to share my award of most heart-breaking author with Amy Heugh. They both had done a very good job breaking my heart but giving me good life lessons of life to think about after reading. I liked that a lot.
The story began quite slowly at the beginning. On the first 20% I almost giving up reading but I kept going anyway. The heroine, Izzy, lassoed my heart the moment I met her. She has a really strong character and even though she was flawed, she didn’t turn into full time brat like most people with same situation. She might appear cold but she didn’t have a stone heart. And Mason, the hero, was one brave boy despite all the bad things happened in the past. I loved how fierce and keen he was when it came to protecting those he loved. God, Mason, come protect me, too please.
“You know what I hate?” His voice soft but strong.
“What?” I whispered, almost afraid to be heard.
“That you have to feel like that, that you feel like you have to deceive everyone around you for their sake only. Don’t do that, and I don’t want you to lie to me. I hate fucking liars.”

Amy Heugh’s writing style is so excellent! I loved how Izzy’s recovering was described here. It was as if we were there as well witnessing every second of it. She didn’t narrate it in one straight paragraph but through pages of scenes so when we almost reached the end Amy was like taking us to recall all the progress Izzy has made little by little and it was overwhelming and made me want to cry happy tears. How Izzy and Mason formed a whole different kind of friendship, two fragile hearts protecting each other. God, that was so damn touching I wanna cry all week. There were just too many heart-wrenching scenes I was scared I might ended up curling in bed in despair. I had no idea that two desperate people could form a tight chemistry that led into a really beautiful relationship. But don’t worry there were also some cute scenes as well.
My emotion was totally played here. The tension was built real strong I felt like my breathing stopped for some good minutes and I was scared to exhale it. God, if you are fan of heart-ripping story, you have to pick this book right this minute!
The after-reading effect is quite strong. I have these repeated flashing scenes in my mind about this book that made me think about a lot of things in life. This book contained a very good amount of life lessons. Every word was written beautifully and full of meaning. The realization was one thing that I really adored of Amy’s writing. I’m having a hard time choosing my favorite quote from this book but it’s alright, I’ll just end up citing the whole book here…
Despite all the indication of heart-ripping story I mentioned above, this book would make you smile in the end. Well, I don’t know I just feel like saying this so a lot of people wouldn’t hesitate in picking this book up for their next read :)
“I realized that some people came into your life
just so they can teach you how to start it over again.
The day Mason rescued me he shared the words that gave me the power to do just that...
“... . I can’t tell you when it will get easier or promise you that it will be okay,
but I know that I won’t give up because I’m with someone
who gave meaning to the word ‘hope’.
I heard once that sometimes you have to go through the worst
so you can arrive at your best, and I believed that day for me will still come.
Until then I know that the sun will set over the horizon and a new day will begin.”

Profile Image for Ariel.
230 reviews43 followers
September 3, 2014
~I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.~

Before I even start talking about the book, lets talk about that cover. The cover is absolutely gorgeous. I love books where the cover and title actually mean something in the book. The “ahh” moment when the title and cover make since is great.

The writing is absolutely amazing and addictive in this book. I never wanted to put it down because of the gorgeous prose. In the beginning the pacing was slow but it felt intentional and in about 15-20 percent in, it picks up.

The story is told in alternative point of views from our mains Mason and Izzy.

Going into this book I was totally expecting a cutesy story about two damaged leads with a mysterious past. Instead, I got a mind blowing devastating amazing book.

Pretty Girl has a lot of common themes in YA in it including the bad boy and new girl, The Bet, and The damaged misunderstood leads. Luckily thought it was so well written and delivered. I am usually really opposed to the theme of “The Bet” . Which is when the male lead agrees to a bet to sleep or mess around with the female lead. I actually didn’t mind it in this story because it wasn’t a main focus of the characters. Mason also realized early on that he made a mistake taking the bet instead of saying the only reason they where hanging out with each other was because of the bet. The other two common themes are ones I really enjoy and they were done really well. Towards the end some events surprised me, so bonus points!

I love a good romance especially when the leads are written so well and the chemistry is amazing. What I love even more in a romance is when it isn’t the main focus of the story. This book was so much more than a romance. It was more about surviving,coping, and friendship.

I love that Izzy goes to a therapist and it is associated as a positive in this book as well. A lot of YA views getting help when you need it as a negative and I am so glad that this book did not. Beside therapy the themes of anxiety, depression, and PTSD are all portrayed excellently.

Izzy was a great lead. You know something crazy happened to here. For having anxiety, depression, and PTSD she was so strong. She stood up for herself and she knew what she wanted and when she was done with someone. She had a good head on her shoulders and a awesome personality when she was showing it.

Mason was gorgeously damaged. He was loyal to the people he cared a bout especially Ben and Zoe. You could understand who he was and why he behaved the way he did. My heart aches for young Mason! P.S. pretty girl is the cuties nickname ever.

Their stories broke my heart. I loved them not flaws and all but because they were perfectly flawed flawed

Quotes

“When two people start to become fragile, small cracks start to show until eventually it becomes uncontrollable, and then you realize there is no other way out besides abandoning the hope you had inside.”

“I could no longer rely on myself to believe I could swim against the rising waves, because it didn’t matter as I had already crashed against the shore, battered and bruised, holding on to the certainty that I wouldn’t heal.”

“Perhaps I was fragile and tender, like a baby bird that just crawled out of its shell, which was now vulnerable and everyone was willing to catch me if fell from the top of the tree. But I didn’t need saving, I wasn’t ready to be caught because I wasn’t ready to take flight, yet.”


More reviews at my blog Arya The Fangirl
Profile Image for Qiū.
8 reviews2 followers
October 19, 2016
~I received Pretty Girl free from Amy Heugh in exchange for an honest review.~

Actual rating: 3.5

"In life, it impinges on us to make choices every day, altering the fabric of one’s reality or even their future."

"Pretty Girl" is far from what the title gives off and what I had in mind. It's not a light read, a sweet romance or anything that would stand close to a girl starting at a new school. It is rather, a book that weights on the darkness and pain in everyone.

This novel is one particular genre dealing with main characters who are drowned in a past shadowing their reality and bringing them on the edge of a cliff. In this story, Amy Heugh doesn't linger on the past that's rushing towards the main characters, but she's telling their story, from the moment they jump off that cliff.

"Pretty Girl" is told from two PO: Izzy's and Mason's. Izzy is a girl who is rough, distant, and basically yells "Stay away from me or else I'll kill you!" I admit it's hard during most of the first part of the novel to like her. On the other hand, Mason, although similar on the surface, has a soft spot. I'd say he has a lot of soft spots, especially when it comes to Izzy. And undeniably, I happen to like Mason a lot.

Everyone in this novel plays a role where their past impedes their present or future. People all have a past, and for some of them, it's something they can't ever escape from. Amy Heugh is able to put those feelings and struggle into words.

I knocked off one star because for me, to keep me entertained, the balance I need in a novel is about half dialogue, half action and somewhere squeezed in between that, a small part of description or everything jumbled together that is neither dialogue nor action. "Pretty Girl" doesn't go easy on this. It is on the contrary, filled with inner thoughts, reflections and details. And for me, it's a killer.

I'm knocking another half star for the long chunks of still action, when nothing happens and gives the words/feelings an impression of distance, as if blurry. The pace is slow, and that is one tenacious factor for me to appreciate anything at all.

This book, more than about the romance, is rather about understanding. It is not an easy read, but it's a dive-in into the minds of people who are similar to us, to those we know, who went through a lot and who are still struggling to this date.
Profile Image for Julie.
1,086 reviews75 followers
September 23, 2014
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for my honest review.

Pretty Girl gets an overall 4.3 stars from me!! It has been awhile since I've read a YA book so it was refreshing to be asked to review this one!

For starters, I was confused by the cover of this book until it was almost over and then it made perfect sense! I don't normally comment on a book cover but this one had me intrigued.

Honestly, I thought this book started out really slow. I almost gave up on it!! Something told me to just push through it though and see what I could get out of it. I'm so glad that I did. I did feel like the characters were not developed until over halfway through the book. I just couldn't get a sense for where the story was going either! I sensed an "elephant in the room" for awhile but it didn't become clear until, as previously mentioned, about halfway through the book. I saw a lot of typos (but I'm forgiving of that since I did not have a final copy). Also, please keep in mind, I'm an adult reading YA. Someone in this age group may find this a more suitable book for them. I do, however, still love reading YA!

Once I "got into" this book, I felt the story really taking hold and developing almost instantly. Izzy's character was the most intriguing to me with Mason being a very close second. I found the twist of events to be interesting (I sensed something being off what a certain someone but I won't mention names to spoil it!) Overall, I was pleased with how the book ended.

For my regular readers, I do want you to know that there is very strong language in this book. It also focuses on some very intense "adult" scenes so as a parent, I would recommend reading first before your young adult reads it. They have a few questions that you would want to be prepared to answer.

Many thanks to Amy Heugh for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Profile Image for Tiana Lemons.
39 reviews6 followers
October 13, 2014
I loved this book. Although there were quite a few spelling/grammar mistakes, this book was placed together with care, and the product? Perfect. Magnificent. Although Izzy, at times, had a few disliking qualities, both Izzy and Mason were just lovable. The pity I felt for both made my heart ache as their individual stories began to unfold. This book isn't all about love. It is about getting over the past, and starting new again. The title is just perfect. Although it was deceiving at first, I had become quite fond of the title and the cover of the book. It connected well with the story, and the theme was pulled throughout the story. Laughter and tears were shed throughout the story, which had made the characters really come to life. I admit, I did cry near the ending, but that is all I can say without spoiling the book.

Although the plot was shown a little later in the book, I had really enjoyed Izzy and Mason's story (I was hoping for an epilogue, but was later disappointed...). Not only did I find their story heart wrenching, but these two characters have taught me something to keep in mind. No matter what happens, move on. This book is full of emotions and is highly recommended to sophisticated readers. Like the warning of the book in the synopsis, this book is highly recommended for someone who is able to read through some (or a lot) violence, foul language, and adult situations. My only criticism for this book would be getting an editor for it. Maybe I got the wrong or unedited version, but there were noticeable spelling and grammar errors. For someone like me, a mistake would kidnap my attention from the story. Other than that, I am more than happy to reread this book a hundred times, maybe even a thousand if I can. Perfect book, with "perfect" characters.

***READ FULL REVIEW AT ETHEREAL BOOK REVIEWS***
12 reviews1 follower
August 28, 2014
I received this book from the author for an honest review. The author had no influence in this review.

Let's start out with the basics. There wasn't much of a love triangle if that's what you're looking for because this is mostly about Izzy and Mason. The point of view was both Izzy and Mason's perspective. I know this sometimes makes things confusing, but you won't find that here. I did buzz out a couple of times reading it, but it gets interesting so just hang around.

People have various ways of dealing with grief, pain or traumas. Izzy was a girl that for unknown reasons she tries to shut herself down. Mason was trying to deal with the death of his mother and other things. While Jake's sister died of cancer. When Izzy moves into town, everything changes. She helps people deal with their pain while she tries to live with it.

My reaction to the characters?? Too much pain and grief. It's understandable after what they have endured, but their wasn't much action or any other emotion in the characters. I didn't feel connected because Izzy was always trying to hide or blend in ... which caused her to not give us much of her thoughts, and same for Mason.

My reaction to the book?? The story in general was interesting and we all (well most) wanted for Izzy and Mason end up with each other so they can be understood by themselves. As I said in my reaction to the characters, their wasn't much emotion and I personally didn't see the story through their eyes. So my rating would be a 3.75 ... but I'll give it a for because it did end up catching my attention.

I'd recommend it to anyone because it was a good story after all.
Profile Image for Jocelyn Khor.
33 reviews
February 1, 2015
3.5 stars

I received this book from the author in exchange of an honest review.

Can we just take a moment to admire this very beautifully done cover? I'm not gonna deny, the cover was one of the reason I picked this book up. Please don't judge me *covers face*

Pretty Girl basically tells the story of two broken teenagers, Izzy and Mason. How the two met each other and then discovered one another's secret. Beware that this has mature themes in it, so don't read it if you feel uncomfortable reading them. The story was told pretty nice (even though in dual POVs) and I like how it was unfold.

To be frank, I'm not the hugest fan of Izzy and Mason. But I still kinda like them though. Even so, I rooted for them throughout the whole novel. They're not the easiest characters to relate to, but somehow you feel like you understand them when the truth was told. I also liked the fact that there's quite a character development in this story.

To the tell the truth, I'm not that much into the author's writing style. It got too descriptive at times and often stirred into other subjects and then returned back to what was happening in the story. The writing was meant to be emotional, but I just wasn't a fan of it, some may like how it was written though.

Because of the writing style, the pacing sometimes was a bit slow. However, it was well-paced throughout the whole book. Izzy's backstory took too long to be uncovered in my opinion as I was impatient to know what broke Izzy in the past.

Overall, a nice story with a great and hopeful ending. It really couldn't end in a much better way. Oh, and did I mention how gorgeous the cover is?
Profile Image for Natasja.
286 reviews9 followers
November 16, 2014
Pretty Girl by Amy Heugh is a great book with a story full of emotions and traumatic pasts. When I read the book description I knew I had to read it. The book starts a little slow, but when you get further in the book you understand why.

Izzy Scott and Mason Winchester are the main characters and both seniors at the local high school. It seems they have something in common, because both have a troubled past. Maybe that is the reason why they are drawn to each other. But it will take a long time for them to really trust the other to tell the traumatic past they went through.

Slowly the feelings for each other begin to change and grow into something more than just strong friendship. They feel the pain the other have, but keep some distance to let the other deal with the past in their own way. But will they trust each other enough and let the other in?

I have to say that this book blew me away. When their traumatic past is slowly revealed in the book, you really can feel their pain and understand their anger and distance towards other people. I loved Izzy and Mason, although I wanted to slap Mason something for not telling Izzy the first reason he contacted her, but he turned out to be the best thing ever happened to her.

Amy Heugh has written an amazing novel with great characters and a heartbreaking storyline. Even though it’s full of raw emotions, anger and betrayal, it eventually turns into true love and great friendships. I definitely am going to read more of this author in the near future.
Profile Image for Hayley.
87 reviews2 followers
April 26, 2015
The first thing that struck me about this book is that it was beautifully written. It also begins with a lot of hints towards the plot, but reveals absolutely nothing. I was questioning everything right from the beginning and for the most part I adored it. It's hard to review this book without giving away too much of the plot, which I think shows how good the plot actually is. If you can't describe what you loved without giving the plot away, it goes without saying that the plot is a ridiculously enjoyable thing.

The characters were very well written and multi-dimensional, they were also quite relateable and not predictable which makes a change from most YA books. They all had their own unique back story, and although they were often complex and unpredictable they weren't so over the top that they were unbelievable.

My only problems with this book are that as I went on it became hard to keep track of which character I was reading, and also that after a while when more questions arise but none have been answered it gets somewhat frustrating, making the book go slower even though it's enjoyable.

I rated this book 4 stars on Goodreads.

I was given this book in exchange for a review. My views are in no way affected by the author or publisher.
Profile Image for Serena .
254 reviews12 followers
January 7, 2015
** I received a copy from the author in exchange for an honest review**

I really like the characters, I really liked the story. There was tons of emotion and well crafted plot and it was really unique I would say. The only thing I didn't like was the writing style. It was very descriptive and I just wasn't into it at all. I'm not really a person who likes in depth description and I just couldn't find myself enjoying it.

Now I know people who would love the writing in this book. I didn't but that's okay. I still really loved the story and the characters and I am very thankful to have had the opportunity to have read this book. Heugh is very talented and I hope to read more from her in the future. I might even reread this book again because, who knows, maybe my mood played a part into the whole descriptive aspect of the book and I'll want to try again. It's just that I can't make myself skim books if I get bored, even if I'm really bored, and because I didn't skim parts of the book, it just made it feel like it was dragging on and on. Basically, I loved the story but didn't like how it was written. So in the end, this is still a very good book and I hope you think so too. I especially loved the ending. 3.5 stars.

Profile Image for Frau Sorge (Yuki).
545 reviews26 followers
August 11, 2014
I received this book free from Amy Heugh in exchange for an honest review.

And damn me to hell, I will post an honest review here.

First thing first. The plot? Predictable. The pace? Painfully slow. The most of writers would squeeze the events in some short story or a novella, but not Amy. Why? I'll get to this later. There's not much "action" here; Isabella and Mason (I feel myself wincing now-I hate heroines named Isabella, Izzy, or Bella with passon-but it's just me, I guess)are hardly likeable at first. Pretty girl contains inner monologues, mostly.

Normally I'd have given such a book one or two stars, depends.

Why not now?

The writing is incredible. Every sentence is a work of art. I took my time with this book and I found myself simply admiring the beauty of Amy Heugh's style.

And when I finished her book I thought that there's a reason for all that bad things I've enumerated above. Amy Heugh wanted it to be this way. The plot, the pace, the lack of torrent of events.

Her book is a metaphor for life after breakdown, for life full of guilt and self-hatred. For redemption.

That's why I'm giving it 4 stars.




Profile Image for Els.
44 reviews
August 6, 2016
I truly loved this book.
In the beginning it read a little bit slow. I had to adjust to the many descriptions but after that, I couldn't stop reading. I wanted to know more about the main characters: 'what did happen to Izzy and Mason? Why are they so damaged?' It was a great story, great writing. And there were a lot of life lessons:

"Every person who lives in this world has problems. Some problems are worse than others and some people hide them better than most. We can’t always avoid them, but we have the choice to either to walk the path of avoidance or begin the hardest quest of our lives. The way we deal with them will determine how we go through life."

I hope we get more to read of Amy Heugh in the near future.


Profile Image for Teresa Kander.
Author 1 book187 followers
August 29, 2014
**I was given a copy of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.**

I was unable to get through more than four or five chapters of this book. The plot was dragging and never really grabbed my attention. To be honest, I still had no idea at that point what was going on/had gone on with the main character.

My biggest problem,as a writer, was trying to get past the grammar errors, the awkward sentence structure, and the misuse of words. If I had a print copy, I would have pulled out my red pen to edit and revise the entire manuscript.
Profile Image for Debbie Hughes.
188 reviews7 followers
August 17, 2014
I am in love with Izzy and Mason! Great read! Such a great story of two young people finding there way together. Learning to trust and overcome there past. Great lesson for young and old...Couldn't read it fast enough. I hope to read more from Amy Heugh.
Profile Image for Lydia.
966 reviews10 followers
June 13, 2016
This was a book I could not even get through Chapter 1. The language and writing were extremely lacking. I don't often say this, but I guess I'm annoyed for having paid for the Kindle version.

Heugh needs to submit her work for critique and editing before release.
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