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Saving Bella
A debut novel from H.C. Blake - Perfect for fans of My Fault (Culpa Mia) by Mercedes Ron
"Of course I like her. I more than like her. She’s my weakness, my kryptonite. If she wanted to burn the world down, I would gladly give her the match because she doesn’t need me to help, she’s capable of doing it herself and I love that about her. I love her. "
My past always seems to catch up to me
Arabella Carter has learned to keep her guard up. After a childhood which has left her scarred, her bad grades, rebellious streak, and battles with mental health aren’t just problems—they’re survival tactics. So when she moves to a new school, all she wants is to blend into the background and start over quietly. But it seems that fate has other plans.
She is irresistible Jace King is the school’s golden boy with a twist—popular, effortlessly confident, and carrying the kind of reckless charm that turns heads and breaks hearts. Everyone thinks they know the smooth talker, the bad boy, the one who never takes anything seriously. But when he notices Arabella, something shifts. Protecting his little sister is one thing, but protecting this newcomer is something entirely different.
A dark shadow creeps closer What starts as an unlikely connection quickly deepens into something more. Together, they face heartbreak, buried trauma, and the kind of love that demands everything they have to give. Arabella and Jace must learn to trust not just each other, but themselves. Because healing isn’t easy, and love doesn’t fix everything,but sometimes, it’s the place where everything finally begins to change.
This book contains heavy themes which are mentioned at the start of the book.
"Of course I like her. I more than like her. She’s my weakness, my kryptonite. If she wanted to burn the world down, I would gladly give her the match because she doesn’t need me to help, she’s capable of doing it herself and I love that about her. I love her. "
My past always seems to catch up to me
Arabella Carter has learned to keep her guard up. After a childhood which has left her scarred, her bad grades, rebellious streak, and battles with mental health aren’t just problems—they’re survival tactics. So when she moves to a new school, all she wants is to blend into the background and start over quietly. But it seems that fate has other plans.
She is irresistible Jace King is the school’s golden boy with a twist—popular, effortlessly confident, and carrying the kind of reckless charm that turns heads and breaks hearts. Everyone thinks they know the smooth talker, the bad boy, the one who never takes anything seriously. But when he notices Arabella, something shifts. Protecting his little sister is one thing, but protecting this newcomer is something entirely different.
A dark shadow creeps closer What starts as an unlikely connection quickly deepens into something more. Together, they face heartbreak, buried trauma, and the kind of love that demands everything they have to give. Arabella and Jace must learn to trust not just each other, but themselves. Because healing isn’t easy, and love doesn’t fix everything,but sometimes, it’s the place where everything finally begins to change.
This book contains heavy themes which are mentioned at the start of the book.
424 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 1, 2025
6 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 1, 2025
4 stars ⭐️
this book was such a beautifully emotional read, it genuinely tugged at my heartstrings. I loved bella and jace so much, the way they grew to love each other was so heartwarming to see.
i loved both of their character arcs and am so happy with how the book ended.
this book was an amazing debut 💗
this book was such a beautifully emotional read, it genuinely tugged at my heartstrings. I loved bella and jace so much, the way they grew to love each other was so heartwarming to see.
i loved both of their character arcs and am so happy with how the book ended.
this book was an amazing debut 💗
October 29, 2025
4.5 ⭐
A beautiful yet tragic story. I couldn't stop crying throughout the book.
I'd like to thank the author for having me as an ARC reader for this book 🫶🏻💕
A beautiful yet tragic story. I couldn't stop crying throughout the book.
I'd like to thank the author for having me as an ARC reader for this book 🫶🏻💕
September 22, 2025
Read this book many years ago back when the author was still writing her silly stories on whatpadd correcting all her spelling mistakes at very stupid hours in the morning. this book is honestly amazing I loved the crazy roller coaster of emotions that you feel throughout the experience of reading and I am so proud of this author for making her dream come true and publishing her book for the world to read I can't wait to read the many more books she will make.
December 17, 2025
I was extremely excited to read this book. As a fellow indie author, I will always try to support others' debut works. Saving Bella is a fast, powerful, and heartbreaking read about a girl who learns that trauma cannot easily be outrun. The book is divided into three parts That being said, Blake handles the realities of trauma maturely, inviting the readers into Bella's mind in a respectful way. There are some reviews that say that her arc is weak, but I don't see that at all. Jace is very much the 'bad boy' archetype in many new age adult novels, but he doesn't fall into any of the stereotypes that many bad boys do.
That being said, there are some flaws. The only reason why this is not a two star rating is because the formatting issues are not entirely the author's fault. The errors make it quite hard to read, but I got through this book in two days. It's not as bad as it could have been.
Secondly, the style. Blake wrote this in first person present, which is not a bad choice. Victoria Aveyard wrote the Red Queen this way and it worked. However, I noticed that there was an overuse of passive voice and inconsistency with what Jace said and what he actually did. For example, he tells Bella to ease up on the swearing, but his chapters are full of swear words. As much as I can see this as intentional, it takes away from the story because the more juvenile writing does not line up with the heavy material.
A huge congratulations to H. C. Blake and I can't wait to see what she writes in the future.
That being said, there are some flaws. The only reason why this is not a two star rating is because the formatting issues are not entirely the author's fault. The errors make it quite hard to read, but I got through this book in two days. It's not as bad as it could have been.
Secondly, the style. Blake wrote this in first person present, which is not a bad choice. Victoria Aveyard wrote the Red Queen this way and it worked. However, I noticed that there was an overuse of passive voice and inconsistency with what Jace said and what he actually did. For example, he tells Bella to ease up on the swearing, but his chapters are full of swear words. As much as I can see this as intentional, it takes away from the story because the more juvenile writing does not line up with the heavy material.
A huge congratulations to H. C. Blake and I can't wait to see what she writes in the future.
November 2, 2025
This story follows Arabella Carter (Bella), a girl who’s been through more than anyone her age should. On the surface, she looks strong, detached, but behind that facade lies a history of physical and emotional abuse that shaped who she’s become.
What I appreciated about this book is how it sheds light on the reality of trauma survivors—the way they navigate new environments, relationships, and trust. Even after arriving at a new school, Bella’s guarded, and always ready to defend herself. Yet, through her growing connection with Jace, we start to see her slowly unravel her pain and rediscover parts of herself she thought were gone.
The story also doesn’t shy away from portraying PTSD and panic attacks in an honest way. It's also not just about love. It’s about survival, healing, and the difficult road toward believing that you deserve better.
Give it a read. :)
What I appreciated about this book is how it sheds light on the reality of trauma survivors—the way they navigate new environments, relationships, and trust. Even after arriving at a new school, Bella’s guarded, and always ready to defend herself. Yet, through her growing connection with Jace, we start to see her slowly unravel her pain and rediscover parts of herself she thought were gone.
The story also doesn’t shy away from portraying PTSD and panic attacks in an honest way. It's also not just about love. It’s about survival, healing, and the difficult road toward believing that you deserve better.
Give it a read. :)
November 30, 2025
3.5 ⭐
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC copy of this book, so thank you to H. C. Blake! This book was a good quick read, but does reflect a Wattpad fic in many ways. I enjoyed the plot and the characters were lovely, but certain things were very unrealistic in my opinion.
This book would be good for anyone who wants to read a book where the stakes are low but emotions and comfort run high. The focus to the novel is the romance, but the thriller aspects do come up often, leading to quite a good blend between the two.
Happy reading my lovelies xx
I was lucky enough to receive an ARC copy of this book, so thank you to H. C. Blake! This book was a good quick read, but does reflect a Wattpad fic in many ways. I enjoyed the plot and the characters were lovely, but certain things were very unrealistic in my opinion.
This book would be good for anyone who wants to read a book where the stakes are low but emotions and comfort run high. The focus to the novel is the romance, but the thriller aspects do come up often, leading to quite a good blend between the two.
Happy reading my lovelies xx
November 1, 2025
What was that plot twist??? (In a good way of course.) I was so sure I knew what would happen, even when she got kidnapped, but this book just kept me guessing. I was sitting there just convinced that she would be rescued within a week, and then the next chapter was five years later. Then I thought that it was like an epilogue and she was back with him, but no, she hadn’t been rescued yet! I was getting so scared for her. I definitely loved this book!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
November 1, 2025
This story was absolutely amazing!! It got me out of my reading slump and I loved how tragic and beautiful the story was as a whole! Thank you so much for having me as an arc reader 🫶🏾🫶🏾🫶🏾🫶🏾
November 5, 2025
The main reason this drops a star for me is that I didn’t really get the vibes that Jace was a bad boy as he seemed to switch so quickly. Other than that, I loved the development of their relationship and Jace’s sister was easily my favourite character. I also liked the portrayal of Arabella’s mental health. This was a great debut novel and I look forward to seeing other books written by this author in the future.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews