Kendall knows who she is, knows her place in the world. She's the daughter of convicted drug users. She lived in a trailer park. She knows the world sees her as white trash. That opinion does not bother her. For a period of time, she was happy. Her Grandparents were raising her, she had three best friends, her boyfriends, Brian, Will, and Casey. Her Grandmother died, then tragedy destroyed her world when she lost all three of her boyfriends in a car crash. Since then Kendal has gone to school, gone to work, cared for her Grandfather who is now dying, and suffered at the hands of a school bully. None of it matters. She wanted to die with her guys. Her life might as well be over. She tried to end it, unsuccessfully. There is no future for her. Then one night at work she catches the attention of four local golden boys, best friends, private school football stars, Lucas, Maverick, Teagan, and Goose. Kendall is not interested. Her heart is closed. She will never allow anyone in again. When you love, you can lose. She can't lose anything else. But the guys slowly work their way into her life, her heart. Teagan also has a younger sister that becomes a true girlfriend to Kendall, something that she's never had. Just as Kendall starts to live again, the guys prove her right. She knew that she shouldn't get involved with them. They are rich, she's from the wrong side of the tracks. It's fun to go slumming but getting hurt again may be more than Kendall can survive. There's only so much one person can lose.
What a book! There's such power and beauty in this story. Accompanying someone on their journey as they hit the bottom and barely keep it together and then rebuild a life is a rare privilege when written this well. Pain, heartbreak, heartache, loss, the struggle to make it through another day after your world has been shattered, hopelessness. Brandy Slaven has written a book that captures the raw emotions of Kendall. It was heavy and heartwrenching. Kendall was one of those characters that you fell in love with immediately and rooted for. She was genuine, rough around the edges yet smart and loving. She just couldn't risk losing any more of herself or losing anyone else she loved so she was closed off. Lucas, Maverick, Teagan, and Goose were all solid characters in their own rights. Lucas with his loving family and all those brothers, especially Lincoln. Goose with his vulnerability from having been ignored by his own parents. Teagan with his wonderful little sister Ryleigh and his micro-managing father and line of young step-mothers. And Maverick. Guarded, angry, capable of inflicting damage to others trying to protect himself. Each guy was a fully developed character, human, some flawed. The relationships seemed so organic, the mistakes made along the way so common. This was a truly believable contemporary RH. That makes it extraordinary. This is one of my favorite RH's ever. I am so eager for the next book!