Broken

by Evelyn Sola

JULIA
I never saw Noah Weston coming. He swept into my life like an unexpected storm, but soon, he was everything to me.
Until tragedy struck.
One day I was planning the rest of my life with my soulmate, and the next I was picking up the pieces of a love so strong, it broke me apart.
It took three years to put myself back together.
Three years until I was ready to move on.
I’ll never forget it. The day he came back.
Can lightning strike twice? Maybe, but when I look into his eyes, all I remember are the last words he ever spoke to me.
The words that left me broken.

NOAH
I loved her before I knew her name. She was more than just my heartbeat. Julia Blake was a dream too good to be true.
When real-life invaded the bubble we had created, I was left a broken man.
I survived, but I was dead inside. Half the man I used to be.
The half I needed had a new life without me.
Three years later, I’m back to reclaim what I’ve lost.
I’m back for her, only she wants nothing to do with me.

Genres: Second Chance, Romance, Contemporary, Second Chance Romance, Friends To Lovers, Contemporary Romance, Disability

332 pages, Kindle Edition

First published February 15, 2021

About the author

A Boston native, wife, mother, and wine enthusiast. If she’s not writing, thinking about writing, you will find Evelyn with a book in her hands. While a new publisher, she’s been writing for years, and she will continue to write for many years to come.
Evelyn is obsessed with assertive and confident men who will stop at nothing to get their woman. Her stories are filled with love, passion and humor.
She currently lives in Washington, DC with her husband and two daughters.

Reviews

[Sonia · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 stars. One of the best grovels I’ve read

Oh. My. Gosh. This book has been sitting in my kindle for almost two years. I knew he groveled. I knew. But man… I didn’t realize how GOOD and PERSISTENT he was.

I hate when I sleep on a good book, especially one with a devoted groveler. Because Noah puts all the Hs out there to ✨SHAME✨. This man remains ✨CELIBATE✨. Sigh 🥹 extra points from me 🫶👏🏻.

Noah/No and Julia/Li (mid-20s in the present) were together, completely devoted and in love, until Noah broke her heart after he’s hospitalized ☹️. He kicked her out of his life, cruelly, and his family made sure to ostracize and belittle her as well, adding salt to her increasing wound.

She was broken, but she eventually came out stronger with the help of her best friend Claudine and her family- her sister, Trish, and her parents.

Three years have passed and she’s finally doing well, mentally/physically/emotionally, and she’s excited to start the new school year as a second grade teacher again. And then the man that BROKE her walks in to her school as the new third grade teacher… and she’s distraught 😬.

Not only did Noah get hired at her school, but he also moved in across the street 😅.

Three years have passed, and he’s ready 👀. Ready to grovel and get his girl back 👀, ready to make things right 😅- and nothing’s gonna stop him from doing it 💁🏻‍♀️.

What I loved: POSSIBLE SPOILERS
—the ✨GROVEL✨. Hands down, one of the BEST grovels that I’ve ever read. Noah’s persistent. He doesn’t stop. He keeps going and going. It doesn’t matter what Li says, he’s not giving up. Julia has her work cut out for her 😬 because Noah’s here to stay 💁🏻‍♀️ and he’s gonna keep coming for her until she finally understands how deep his love is 🫶

—no OW anything 👏🏻. I just love me a man who is blind to all other women 😮‍💨. As soon as Julia shared half her brownie with him when they first met, he was a goner. He only has eyes for her 🥹past, present, future- she’s IT 👏🏻

—her backbone 💅. I mean. I kind of felt bad for Noah 🤣. Kind of 😅 lol. I loved that Julia didn’t just roll over and cave. She makes Noah WORK 💁🏻‍♀️

—seeing them as a couple ❤️🥹. I looooved this. They don’t get back together at the end and we’re left imagining what happens after:l; it happens halfway through the book ❤️. We see them with their new realities while struggling/moving on from the past ❤️

—the angst 👀. These two BROKEN souls had my heart ❤️

—the tension 👀. I love feeling all the butterflies in my tummy. These two had so much tension 😮‍💨. Julia HATED that she’s so affected by it, and Noah knows how to take advantage 😈 yaaaas Noah 😉

—the 🔥. I loved that we got the flashback scenes of how it all started, but I especially loved the present ones 😉. Noah tries to go slow 😅 he tries to be patient, but LAWD, I’m so glad he bulldozes 🥵 cause Julia can’t help but to cave 💦. I wish it was more detailed, but hey… i felt satisfied 😅

—his favorite scent and flavor is her 🥵. Yuuuup… he’s a giver 😮‍💨

—OMD 😈. I luuuurved this 💁🏻‍♀️. I felt a tiny bit bad for Noah- seeing her date someone isn’t nice, but then again, he’s the reason they separated, so… 🤷🏻‍♀️😬

—the letters 🫶

—the permanent way he shows his love ❤️

—the apologies and grovels, all around. They needed to happen

—Claudine 🤣. The intense hatred in this girl made me giggle 🤣. She’s the type of friends we all need in our corners. Ride-or-die to the max 👏🏻(to an extent😅)

—THE EPILOGUES 😭😭😭😭. The one in the book alone got me emotional, but then the bonus one hit the head on the nail for me too 😭🫶❤️🥹🥹🥹 gaaaaahhh 🥹

What I didn’t like/wanted more of: SPOILERS
—there were a few times where I was feeling bad for Noah 😬. Normally, I’m all for the heroine’s position, but, damn, she really gave him a hard time 😅, especially when it REALLY hurts him (like the date on that day). Sigh 😐

—I REALLY wish we had her POV once she decides to give into him. Don’t get me wrong, I was ✨EATING UP✨how Noah was feeling and how ecstatic he was when she accepts his touches, but damn… I needed to know where her headspace was 😬 before this, she wasn’t caving in at all. I know the accident had a lot to do with it, but I just wanted to be in her head

—more detail in the 🔥, especially the first one. It takes half the book to get there in the present, I needed it to be MAAAANY pages long 🤣

—I did NOT like Claudine getting as physical as she did 😬. At first, I was understanding, but then I was irritated 😅

—There were a couple of things that I found to be repetitive, mostly because they happened during pivotal times (like widening of eyes and hands going up). But it didn’t bother me to the point where I’m lowering my rating 🤣

Overall, I loved it 🥰

⚠️safety squad⚠️
-no cheating*/sharing/current owd
-racism/classism/elitism
-mental health/depression
-OMD: the h dates OM in the present. The H and OM fight 😅. During the three year separating, she dated one man
-mild PAST owd: the h thinks an old flame and the H are daring and that’s why he breaks up with her. The ow is gay
-during separation, the H is celibate. The h isn’t, but only slept with OM once
-no condoms/she’s on birth control/no talk about safe sex but neither sleep around so it didn’t bother me 😬
-HEA/epilogue/6 years later

[Rachael*Caribbean*girl*bibliophile · Rating 5 out of 5]

Spoilers ahead, I think even my Kindle is surprised at my 5 stars😂 I'm stingy with those I tell ya


Noah and Julia started off as friends and quickly moved on to more, after a little over a year of dating and being deeply in love he gets into an accident. Shocking Julia to her core the man she loves claims he's never loved her and broke up with her. Despite all her attempts Noah, with the help of his family, eventually manages to push Julia away. Heartbroken and shattered she spends years trying to piece her life back, just as she's managed to breathe again Noah returns determined to get her back.


***********
Random thoughts

1)I'm not a fan of second chance romances and while I can't say I agreed with Noah's reason for breaking up with Julia I will say it's understandable

2)This is the most authentic representation of a black woman I've ever read.... I am sis, sis is me

3)I've seen reviews on books that rave about a good grovel before and I've always disagreed, I'm the type of woman who can hold a mean grudge and if the man who claims to love me has done me wrong? You bet your ass he'd GROVEL before I gave him another chance (unless he cheats then he can roast in hell while Satan dances a jig on his balls).....but I digress..... THIS my friends is a good grovel!!!!!! She made him WORK for that second chance and I cheered her on at every step!!! Yasssssssssss sis!!!!!!!👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏👏

4) When I tell you this man was DETERMINED! Whew! White boy brought his A game!😂

5)Interracial romance? Yes ma'am! One of the best I've read in terms of realistic portrayals of all parties involved including the secondary characters

6)This isn't to say this book is perfect.... It actually was a little too long but I'll forgive a LOT for my next point

7)The H was celibate during the 3 1/2 year separation!!!! Y'all hear me??? You down in the back???? This man kept it in his pants!!!! Yes he was recovering but he had time and opportunity yet all he focused on was recovering so he could get his woman back!!!!! Manwhores take notes!!!!

8)Unfortunately another negative..... His ex was still in his life. Let me tell you I hate exes in my romances! Hate them! And this one was now a married lesbian but I still didn't care!

9)After they got together we not only see the couple together but see the rebuilding of relationships between the families too, the break up was hard on both sides and Noah's mother had some making up to do

10)While Noah was deliciously J/P he wasn't as Alpha as I usually like

All in all this book had it's faults but I'm going to do something I rarely do and rate it 5 stars!! This is why I read ROMANCE!!!



Second chance
H did the initial break up
H was celibate
h dated and had one disastrous sexual encounter. In the present we see her date and kiss OM as she tries to move on with her life



I think the H's brother and her best friend would make a great couple



If anyone has safety info on the other books by this author I'd love to know, I want to try more but not without some idea of what I'm getting into

[Katie · Rating 2 out of 5]

Strong level of grovel. Could be considered over the top and unhealthy. There’s grovelling with the option to step away if the answer is no and there’s grovelling where the H moves in across the street and gets a job at the h’s work place and never takes no for an answer.

The H was in a serious accident 3 years ago and after hearing all of the sacrifices the h was prepared to make while he was recovering, or potentially not recovering, he brutally dumped her. This paired with her family’s dislike of her colour of skin and lack of 1% elitist prestige and adding some untruths while she was kicked out of the H’s apartment had the h spend the next 3 years mending her very shattered heart.

The H shows up, after 3 years of operations and physio, wanting back in the h’s life and not prepared to accept a no.

I really really did not like the h’s attitude towards her best friend of 11 years who’d been helping the h to recover from heart break over the last 3 years. The best friend was protective. She was shocked to see the h back together with the H and reacted accordingly. The h was upset with her friend’s reaction and refused to see her or engage with her for most of the remainder of the book.

The author then had the best friend explain that her reactions were about jealousy than protectiveness.

As another reviewer astutely put it-there is a HEA but it’s hard to even like the h by the end of the book.

[Nelly · Rating 1 out of 5]

I have nothing constructive to say about this book. It didn't impress me in any way.
Noah's treatment of Julia just doesn't sit right with me. He neglected her for three years before suddenly barging into her life and stalking her nonstop.

Following her breakup with him, his brother had her kicked out of the house, and his parents treated her like gum under a shoe.

The cleverest move Julia could have made would have been to run a bus over Noah.

I've read several second chances, but this was the most unsatisfying one I've ever read.
I suppose the writing is okay, but it's very dry. Even the dramatic scenes where Noah pops up are like pure sh*t.

Likewise, nothing happens in the plot. Even after begging and groveling for pages, nothing has changed in the lives of these people, not even the reminder of Noah leaving. The payoff isn't substantial, nor is the anticlimax satisfying.

Noah and Julia didn't change their ways, they didn't have their lives turned upside down. It didn't even dawn on them how much damage was done when Noah broke up with Julia. He did this because he was selfish.

He then ignores Julia's mistreatment by his wealthy family. The two seem to forget about the past and carry on as they always have.

I had a difficult time getting into this book because of how stalkerish Noah was. Without even considering how this affects Julia, he immediately set about causing chaos in Julia's life.
It was a clever concept, but the end result was disappointing and difficult in general to follow.

The storyline wasn't interesting and none of the characters (with the possible exception of Claudine) were likeable. Throughout the course of the whole book, it seems to me that we were thrust into a conflict which never really was clearly explained at all. In my opinion, this story could have been executed very well, but I just couldn't connect with it.

[Rosie · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars

After a year of dating, and lying in a hospital bed, Noah Weston tells Julia Blake to leave because he never loved her. Instead of this making her stronger, she becomes broken and weak. It takes her three years with the love and care of her best friend Claudine (and her sister) to get herself together after her one year relationship.

Claudine—I loved her! She was a true ride or die—your enemy is my enemy type of friend. Definitely, a person that would help you hide the body, if necessary!

Now ... spoilers ahead!

Julia—can we (real) talk?

What happened was so, so wrong! You don’t excavate a person that was your ROCK during those dark days when you couldn’t eat or sleep and wanted to die over a man. Claudine was there FOR IT and was one of the people that saved your life and your sanity in conjunction with therapy.

You needed her in the bad times, but not the good? You told her all the bad stuff that happened, but allowed her to be blindsided at work. A phone call or stopping by her house before being kissy face with Noah at school would have gone a long way in her not being hurt by you NOT talking to her about taking it slow with Noah.

After radio silence from you, and after making attempts to try to meet and talk to repair the friendship, Claudine shared some things out of pain and anger. Things that you might have shared with Noah—eventually and I didn’t like it, but I understood why. She also regurgitated the very words that were said to you by either Noah or Greg or both and you revealed your bias.

Later, recognizing the error of her ways and her delivery, Claudine contacts you via text and you scoff and say that you have no time for her, knowing that she’s reaching out to try to repair the damage to your friendship. Yet when Noah’s racist mother comes to your house minutes later, uninvited, you give this hateful woman two hours of your time.

But you wouldn’t give Claudine two minutes and was so easily able to dismiss all her overtures and therefore sacrificing an 11-year friendship because you had Noah back in your life—this was not a good look at all and speaks volumes to who you are as a person when things are good and you have your man back in your life.

A man you allowed to stalk you at work and at home and when you tried to date, he accosted you and your date. When you wanted to take it slow, he was easily able to get you back into bed within minutes. When you wanted to go home to do laundry, he insisted you do your laundry at his house. In fact, he insisted upon you spending the night, and every night, at either your place or his. When you went home upset, he followed you and stuck his foot in the door to prevent you from closing it and refused to leave—every time you wanted to be alone. He was obsessive and possessive and it was cray-cray behavior. When he called Cory an asshole because he’d liked you, I’d had enough of Noah.

I found his behavior incredibly disturbing and you not recognizing his behavior as creepy and disturbing was frankly—very disturbing. Yet he was forgiven for kicking you out of his life and telling you, he never loved you. His brother Greg gave you two days to remove your personal belongings from Noah’s apartment—otherwise, he was going to call the police and you eventually forgave him. Because you refused to believe what Noah said you returned to the hospital the following day and was promptly escorted out of the building, by Security. Now, Noah's mother is allowed to talk to you and justify her actions, without an apology and you gave her the time of day to do it.

In fact, all of The Weston's became a constant in your life and Claudine became expendable. Claudine deserves better than what she has received and her saying she was jealous felt like her grasping for straws, it was a disservice to her and her character. How sad of an end is that for an 11-year friendship?! Noah completely cut you out of his life and now you’ve done the same thing to Claudine. Do you not see the parallels? Things were said by all The Weston's that can NEVER be taken back, but they were forgiven. Do the right thing! Give Claudine the love and care she gave you, because now she needs it.

Take care. Stay safe.

-R

I like this author's writing style and 'Unwrapped' is one of my favorite reads so I'll soon be checking out her other books.

Recommended: Your opinion may differ. Read It!

UPDATE: Read the Bonus Wedding Epilogue that you can get by signing up for the author's newsletter. It melted my cold h♥art.

Claudine and Greg would make an interesting couple. I'd love to read about their journey together in finding love since they are the unlikeliness of couples.

[Beeg Panda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I like the premise:
Hxh are soulmates
H is injured
H rejects h because he believes he's no longer whole
H finds h after 3 years to grovel his ass off

POSSIBLE SPOILERS:
.
.
.
.
But THIS twit breaks ties with her in such a brutal way that she's only now getting over him
She's just about ready to move on now
The best part of the H is his grovel
Boy, does he grovel
And she's stubborn
I actually almost felt sorry for the sod until, once they kiss and make up (after so MUCH theatrics) he once again messes up
fidiot

The ending was enough to reduce this book to a 1 star read for me but I sadistically enjoyed his pathetic begging and pleading as well as her determined refusal to relent. So even though they have a HEA, I utterly dislike the h by the end of the book. She's written in such a way that her decisions make absolutely NO sense whatsoever. Either that or the author perhaps forgot to add something in the epilogue.... either way, I think I should stop reviewing now because I might just give it 1 star afterall


ETA:
She's has one sexual experience (not the greatest) during their time apart
Presently she's starting to date a bit
He hasn't been with anyone else

[Miki’s⚠️ Safety Reviews & Rants⚠️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

🌟Brief Summary:
🔥THE BEST GROVEL EVER🔥
Seriously all authors everywhere need to take notes. If every bully or cheating book had a good grovel like this and had a FMC who made the H work for it HHAARRDD then they might be more palatable….. maybe😅.

Now was this book perfect? No but I sure do enjoy the majority but of it.

”I know my love broke you, but your love saved me. Let me put you back together again.”

I love me a man in pain 🥀 a man that shows TRUE REMORSE a man that won’t give up. A man who proves his love and regret with a AMAZING GROVEL! And if that’s what your looking for then this book is for you.

❣️Things I Liked/Loved❣️
-I liked how REAL and human our hero was. He wasn’t this cocksure dickhead that always seemed to have his shit together. He was real and had faults and insecurities. Loved this.

🌟🌟🌟🌟HONESTLY THIS BOOK BELONGED TO NOAH. HE WAS THE SHINING STAR! ALL MY STARS ARE FOR HIM AND THE GROVEL❤️‍🔥

🔥I LOVE ME A CELIBATE MAN! And honestly this wouldn’t have worked if he wasn’t celibate! But thank you author for giving us a man who has eyes 👀 for ONE WOMAN ONLY!

-I love that we actually get to see them as a couple! Lots of good feels 🥰🥰

-His complete and utter desperation and need to be with her to win her back 🥰

-His need to even just hold her hand is 😭😭

-His letters 💌 to her when she wouldn’t talk to him.

-His jealousy and possessiveness, now he did let her go, so what right does he have? But I loved it all the same.❤️‍🔥

-“Please Baby” 😮‍💨

-Gotta love a man that tattoos your name on his body🔥

🙌🏻I LOVED JULIAS BACKBONE! No doormats here🙌🏻

I’m sorry for pushing you away. It’s the biggest regret of my life.” “Boys are dumb.”……TRUER WORDS WERE NEVER SPOKEN‼️

-❤️So although what Noah did was really bad it was NOT irredeemable…. I liked that. Sometimes the H does stuff that they just can’t come back from and I don’t think that was the case here.
😡His family was more so in the wrong. You definitely felt his pain to even though he caused a lot of it himself. The accident was horrible and tragic and his first reactions are somewhat understandable. So you really can’t hate him especially when he’s back to win her and make it up to her.

Things I Did 💔 Not Like
‼️My first and main complaint is the cultural difference between these two families/characters were not show very well. We are told Noah is rich and white and Julia is African American and from a more modest family income. But had I been reading this and not been told that information then these 2 could have been Jack and Jill cookie cutter vanilla white folks from suburbia America. There was NO stark details or characteristics that made me believe they were two people from completely different backgrounds melding together.
‼️And since racism was a main topic between this couple families. I felt this needed to be shown better.

‼️Poor Julia, ever the victim. She got annoying for me cause Noah went through SO MUCH, and yes he was wrong, but what he went through was just as intense and also harder. Julia couldn’t get past her own view and her own pain. I felt like she was very self centered. She was also BORING AS FUCK! After her and Noah get back together she looses all her personality. Like her only character trait was her being in love with Noah. Who was Julia outside of her pain, anger and her relationship with Noah? 🤷🏼‍♀️ I have no idea.

‼️ I don’t like that everyone put hands on each other it felt childish and inappropriate. No one should ever hit or push another human being. Especially not adult woman.
Claudia turned into a bulky and I didn’t like that she always had to push men physically.

‼️Also what happened to Claudia? It was left unresolved and I definitely did not like that considering her friendship with Julia was a huge part of the book.

‼️I just felt that we were given a glossed over summary about how these two families finally melded together. This was handled poorly. We should have been shown more of the conflict and resolution.

‼️WE WERE NOT SHOWN THEIR WEDDING!!!!!! Are you shitting me. Take out a sex scene or 2 and show me their freaking wedding after all that.


🥀 Hero:
Noah-3rd grade Teacher
Caucasian and come from a wealthy family ”I’m broken, but I’m yours. Noah”

🦋 Heroine:
Julia- 4th grade Teacher
African American and doesn’t come from wealth….. and basically a boring character.

💭 POV:
Duel first person

🔥 Burn Rate:
Medium 50% for the first sexy times

😡/😍 Angst level:
Medium low

❤️‍🔥 Sexy times & Descriptive sex:
Yes lots of sexy times here. Noah is 😮‍💨😮‍💨😮‍💨 and deserves all the accolades here.

🌓 Push/Pull:
Definitely first from Noah breaking up with her.
Then Julia for the first half of the book.

☠️ OW/OM Drama:
OM- she dates OM to get over Noah. She kisses him and uses him (in my opinion) in petty ways to get back at Noah.

OW- perceived drama, his ex GF from HS is still around as a friend but she is just that… a friend. She is married.

🤮 OW/OM Sex / Fluid or DNA Exchange:
Julia kisses OM and plans to take it further

🤬 Cheating:
None!!!!! The H in no way EVER CHEATED! They broke up for other reasons. He has eyes only for his woman!

👰🏼‍♀️ Virgins:
None
No manwhore

⛈️Separation/ 3rd Act Breakup:
No 3rd act break but when the books starts they have been broken up for 3 years
-Noah was celibate
-Julia had one BF and slept with him once.

Safety⚠️Triggers🗡️:
Racism
Car accident
Drunk driver
Handicap/ paralyzed
Hospitals and surgery

🌈Epilogue:
6 years later

🥂HEA:
Yes 🙌🏻 it was very sweet- love me some Noah

❌My opinion is just that… MY OPINION.
I know we all get passionate about our favorite reads and characters but we should respect each opinions a thoughts. ~Thank you

[Nikki ღ Navareus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story was pretty decent. It had a bit of nice angst in it, and some nice hurtful feels by Noah's parent's assholish behavior, along with a bit of drama from the Julia's assholish best friend. This would have been a 4 star read for me, but there were just WAY too many sex scenes in this story for me.

I know, I KNOW!!!
I think I'm getting too old to enjoy the plethora of these scenes in stories.
Add that to Julia refusing to forgive Noah for WAY TOO LONG, and it knocked a good half a star off from this story. Yeah, I understand he was a dick to her when he was in the hospital, but he explained to her how he believed he'd never walk again and he didn't want to saddle her life down with taking care of a paraplegic. The story and Julia's stubbornness drug on in the end for way too long for me, but it was great when Julia finally took Noah back and finally forgave him for real. I especially enjoyed Noah's parents becoming better people by the ending too. I really didn't think they had it in them, so that was a nice surprise.

[Sue Miz · Rating 1 out of 5]

Everything was going fairly OK up until 40%
Then everyone suddenly turned into 4th graders

I think Noah and Julie are perfect for each other
Because he is a selfish entitled rich man acting like a 10 year old
And she is a selfish insufferable spineless woman acting like a 10 year old

I liked the beginning of the story tbh
The "I love her so much I don't want her to suffer with me so I'll break her heart in the worst way imaginable and then when I'm better I'll just waltz my way into her life and never take no for an answer"

I liked the teeny weeny tiny resistance she supposedly showed

But then the most clichéd grovel of all time happened
HE WROTE HER A LETTER 🙄🙄🙄🙄

And then que the last 50% of the book them having sex and shouting at each other over and over

But what I most hated about this book is how she treated her friends and family!! The minute Julie decided to get back with Noah it's as if all the others didn't exist anymore
In fact all the book she never asked her friend and sister how her lives are. It's always me me me
She disregarded all her support system for the dick
Whereas Noah showed all respect and support for his family

I hated his brother Greg
You know what, I hated Noah
That man claims to have a masters in education???? He shouldn't be allowed near 1 foot near a child
He has a temper
He beats ppl
He grabs harshly his gf
Everything about him is wrong

And I hate
Absolutely hate a FL who shuts down bec her bf leaves her 😒 yeaaah, Bella Swan was enough

[Julia]

No rating because I only got a chapter in.

I know pretty early on when a book isn’t going to work for me, and a big indicator is excessive use of words like “broken” and “shattered”. So yeah, it’s not you it’s me.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF

I quit. Julia was beyond dumb. There is no way I would take a man back after everything that he put me through and then dump my best friend who was by my side through it all. This book only proves how women have no loyalty but to peen. Smh.

[jada · Rating 2 out of 5]

Based on other reviews I thought I was going to LOVE this. I did not. 💀

The only pro from this book is that he was celibate for their 3 year separation and had to see her date another man. Her family and friends were great too with hating Noah 🫶🏻 love to see it
I can’t even add that she wasn’t celibate as a pro bc it was one time a year ago and she regretted it.

I was expecting a good grovel but what I got was lackluster. Noah shoved himself back into her life, not taking no for an answer. She started “dating” someone new (they saw each other like 3 times??) and Noah had a hissy fit every time she wasn’t home and during the two times he saw the om.
Julia stood her ground until 50%. That’s it. Then she wanted to “take it slow” but they were fucking the second they got home from agreeing to “take it slow” and he was moving clothes over, giving her a key and talking marriage within the SAME DAY.

Noah and his brother pissed me off to no end. EVERY TIME someone would mention how Julia didn’t need to forgive him, think about what he put her through their remark was well “NOAH ALMOST DIED!!!” think about what HE went through! I literally don’t give a flying fuck what he went through 😤 I hate when mc pushes their partner away due to an accident and this was no different!! Everything Julia and her family were willing to do to help him recover just to get treated the way she did?? No

Julia is a better person than me bc no way in hell would I forgive him. Also I would’ve made him choose his parents or me. Sorry not sorry but they’re literally racist and he defends them like no other 🙄🙄🙄
Then ofc the ow that Noah actually let in at the hospital, is his ex. But they’ve been friends for years, she’s gay, their parents pushed them together 🙄 don’t care. not only does Julia have to deal with his shitty brother and parents but his exgf will forever be in their lives and she knew about his surgery at the end before Julia like GET OUT

[↬ Ⓛ]

Dnf 50%

Groveling is on point & accurate. But Noah still ain’t shit bc he’s ignorant af. The reason he broke up with her is beyond stupid & he’s not even apologetic about his bro or parents harsh actions towards the heroine in the past when he’s tryna make amends with her tho. Like get tf out of here. Banks from Arranged should take some lesson from Noah with the whole “groveling.” That’s all.

[Katie M · Rating 1 out of 5]

TRIGGER: racism

I am actually crying as I write this review. I truly cannot believe what I just read.

I am a Black woman and I cried for the young Black woman in this book who innocently loved a rich white man. I cannot and will not get over Noah and his family's treatment of Julia. The fact that Noah didn't hold his racist family accountable for all their harmful actions...

He was so selfish in the way he pursued her. Everything she said went over his head. Every time she brought up her pain, he never listened but brought up his instead. He needed to listen and know the extent of his actions. But no, he had the right to explain himself and talk her pain away. I swear every time "you hurt her" came up, it was rebuffed with "but I was hurt too". It was always about what Noah needed and wanted in his pursuit. Never about her peace and comfort or joy.

Noah was a vile character and if he truly loved her, no actions post-accident (including winning her back) convinced me of that love.

If this is what love is, I want no part of it.

Shout out to Black sisters everywhere, those by chance and choice.

#dnf

[artsandgrace *ೃ༄ · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’m in the mood for some epic grovelling and while this book has that…. It’s disappointing. I feel like Noah took everything lightly with how broken he’d made Julia feel. And Julia was like, “OK I forgive you.” Their fights were heated and then literally two lines later they started kissing.

75% of the book I was planning to give this 4 stars but the last quarter sucked. I mean, J wasn’t angry because Noah was going for surgery, she was mad because he didn’t tell her he was going for it, like this brings back to their earliest problem — him pushing her away due to his injuries.

Personally, I agree with Claudine. If I could choose someone in this book, it’d be her. Her reactions were justified. So was Trish’s. I think Julia was very stupid to have just accepted Noah back like that. Sure, she refrained from saying ILY for about a few months but that’s it. She said she wanted to take it slow, and bam, sex the moment she forgave him. Did she put her feet on that “taking things slow” pedal? Nah. One kiss, and melty melty pants.

Last but not least, I hope we’re seeing Greg and Claud sometime soon. Those two have some major chemistry going on iykwim *wink*

So sad to rate this 2.5

[Jamie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Reread December 2023

I didn’t love this as much as my first read. Noah was way too forgiving and easy on his dumb ass family. And the ex gf situation still pisses me off

————

Ugh I hated that he was friends with his ex. Idc if she’s a lesbian, she was still his gf at one point so it bugged me that he continued to be friends with her because he sure as hell wouldn’t have been friends with any of Julias ex’s.

That was the only thing wrong in an otherwise perfect book though. I NEVER read second chance, but since he was celibate this worked for me.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most epic grovelling everrrrr!

[AJ · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I’m broken, but I’m yours.”

3.5 stars

A heartwrenching second-chance-romance that is chock-full of feels.

Julia and Noah were college sweethearts who fell in mad, all-consuming love. They had a blissful year together where they barely left each other’s sides, dreaming of their future, before it all fell apart, leaving them both devastated.

Three years later, and Noah is back, and he’s inserting himself in Julia’s life in all the ways – he gets a job teaching at the same school as she does, and he even buys the house across the road. He is back, he is apologetic and he is full of endlessly swoony declarations, determined to win back his girl.

“I love you, Li. I’m going to tell you every day until you believe me. And when you do, I’m going to take away all the pain I caused you. All you have to do is give me one chance to make things right.”

We are thrown right into the drama with this one. The story is told entirely in the present, with glimpses back to moments of their initial romance, and we very quickly see that they are both still completely shattered by their break up. Noah is a desperate man who makes it clear he’s willing to do anything to get Julia back, but she was left utterly destroyed when they separated, and Noah certainly has a lot to make up for. She doesn’t make it easy on him, and so we get this intense, dramatic and emotional back-and forth where she fights to protect herself, and Noah unleashes near-constant heartfelt pleas for forgiveness.

“I love you, Li.” She stops midstep. She doesn’t turn around, but she stops walking. I take that as a victory and continue. “I never stopped. I made the biggest mistake of my life that day … I’m so sorry. Let me explain, please.”

Their breakup was pretty brutal, and so is the emotional turmoil as they figure it all out. It’s angsty and intense, but then, abruptly, the reconnection comes, and from that moment on it’s all blissful love, passionate sex and even more swoony declarations.

“We’re right here. The woman I fell in love with is still here, and so is the man you love … What we have is ours. Your heart, your body, your love. Those things belong to me, Li. You’ve always been mine and time apart won’t change that.”

It’s super emotional, and they still have a lot of issues to overcome from rebuilding the trust between them to their families and friends accepting their relationship, but Noah is one very determined man, and now that he’s got his girl back, he’s not prepared to let anything get in the way of that.

“I’m here, baby, and we love each other. That’s worth fighting for. I’ll never let you go again.”

It’s a dramatic ride from start to finish, and though the book is full of emotion, I didn’t feel this one as much as I was expecting, and I’m not sure why. I did find the story a bit repetitive – the first half of the book we see Noah fighting to win Julia back and they both say the same things over and over, and we see every little detail of it. The BOOM, they’re back together, and are declaring love, forever, and moving on from the past over and over, they have sex over and over, and again we see every little detail. I usually love seeing those little moments, but in this case it didn’t really progress the story and made it drag a bit for me because there was just so much of it – all very much the same.

I did enjoy seeing them come together and find their way forward, I just think it didn’t need to be as long as it was.

An unexpected highlight for me was getting to know Noah and Julia’s families. They are a big part of the story – both in the past and in the present – they bring some sweet and funny moments that were really appreciated in the middle of all of the heavy.

“I made an ass of myself … I heard from someone else that Li’s got a coffee date with some asshole tomorrow, and I confronted her about it. Told her that her body was mine.”
“Dude,” Greg says. “What the hell is wrong with you? You never say some shit like that to a woman. Even if you believe that, keep that shit to yourself.”

I really enjoyed this book. I was invested in Julia and Noah as a couple, and I’m a sucker for a second-chance-romance, so I was happy to see two people who have so much love for each other find their HEA. And bonus - there’s an epilogue which gives us a glimpse into the future, and provides great closure.

3.5 stars.

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

[Kerry Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

5⭐️ The groveling in here was just WOW 10/10 chef kiss, I adore books with groveling,especially when it’s done as well as it was done in this book.The love between these two were undeniable!! I was rooting for their second chance since the first chapter!! You could feel their love for each other bursting through the pages,I loved everything about this book.

[Melluvsbooks]

DNF - hesitant H - experienced h - meh

[Soma · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing book!
It's a second chance trope with a black Heroine, one of my favorite tropes. I loved that it has lots of grovels and the amount of angst was too much it made me cry!
The characters are made for each other. I loved that he was loyal to her even though they were not together.

[Valentine]

DNF 40%, as soon as she started to forgive him, I gave up, I couldn't stand the H.

[Prottasha♡︎ · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this book and the groveling is so satisfying. He goes against his parents for her and was celibate for three years.

A worshipping man with a bun and a black tall girl romance. Julia was broken and really hurt but he showed he is worthy and Julia was strong. The emotion was still there but she had a backbone. I liked them both though our Hero Noah had his reason for messing up. In one word Noah is smitten by her.

Noah did something horrible(not even close to cheating or other women related) in past now he regrets so he comes back. He is her neighbor and gets a job at the same school as her. He tries to apologize but she doesn't listen. Atta girl. So he had to write a letter with his horrible writings(Her words not mine)

Everyone needs a baddest-ass bestie like Claudine. I felt the aches where she threw the food Noah bought for her lol. And Noah's jealousy... At 40% of this book, I started to get (little) convinced that the guy is redeemable and worthy of giving a second chance. 45% of this book doesn't mention OW or OM, I was exhausted with those dramas anyway. The writing was good overall and groveling takes all.

Noah is protective, possessive, jealous, smitten, and has a very soft spot for her. But he is beyond Nosy. Always peeking and keeping tabs on his neighbor, bad manner Noah!

I was about to hate her for wasting the food twice! She trashed those God!!! How dare she! I was more hot-headed than Claudine but then I knew he was allergic to strawberries...
But the next moment this girl destroyed a huge flower bouquet...you can't be serious


It wasn't much steamy but I will pass. I got what I want though I was expecting to shed some tears, it's low angst. I really hated him for emotionally wrecking her.

They did the cruelest thing to her though It wasn't technically his fault what everyone in his family did with her was beyond cruel. I wasn't ready to forgive.

I forgave this guy when he was feeling weak and limping but as tried to talk she shoves past him and he was about to fall but his brother Greg catches. Still, he didn't care and screamed after her that he loves her and my heart ached for him. Really. The guy wrote her letters🥺 and sent pictures.

I used to think she is a little bit bitchy but now I know nothing they deserve. She fought for him and got humiliated many times yet she wasn't ready to go.


“Is Noah about to get his ass kicked?” Claudine asks. “I’ll help.”


Even in a serious moment, Claudine makes me smile.

But when Julia got back together Claudine was pissed so to save her from another heartbreak she said him how Julia was hospitalized and to get over him she f@cked a man she was dating then. The relationship strained between Claudine and Julia and I hate the fact they fall apart.

Noah has a fetish for Julia's ass. And Damn why she had to put whipped cream there and lick it with... Please at least leave out the food.

There's a family drama and his parent's racism.
Their marriage was rushed. Anyway, they get a HEA after six years with a three-year-old girl and twin boys.

[Valeen Robertson (Live Thru Books Blog) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Amazon

The last person Julia ever expected to see again, the last person she ever wanted to see again, is in her town, at her school, invading her life. He broke her when he told her didn't love her back then. And now he's back wanting a second chance. She's adamant that he leave her alone, and not even up for the idea of letting him back to break her all over again. Unfortunately for her, she's never gotten over him, and will find it very hard to resist a penitent man intent on winning her back. But, has he really changed? Is she right to trust her heart to his care again?



First off, I have to say this is a well-written story with great themes - second chances, redemption, forgiveness. So why 3.5 stars? I couldn't for the life of me, see that Noah deserved that second chance. His treatment of her, regardless of his motivation, was unforgivable in my eyes. Telling someone you don't love them is not something I could ever get past, and I don't know how Julia managed it. Don't get me wrong, I felt badly for how messed up Noah was back then, but pushing her away by telling her that is ridiculous. Secondly, I couldn't feel their connection. I felt Noah's obsession with getting her back, but love? Not sure about that, and probably because there's not a whole lot of time spent on detailing what had gone wrong, nor is there much time in the present at discussing whether Noah had really changed. The taking of him back was too abrupt for my tastes, and it's why I couldn't really see their connection. So all in all, a well written story that I couldn't connect with, nor did I feel a strong connection between the two leads.



ARC via Indie Pen PR for an honest review.

Review / Release Tour: Live Through Books Blog.

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[RubyGreen · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF (50/60%)

Sometimes the ratings of some books on Goodreads really get me confused. I was looking forward to reading this book but I couldn't stomach it, some points left me bewildered or grated my nerves. This is going to be a long rant and I have to get it off my chest.

At first I thought the backstory of Noah and Julia was quite sweet. Now with hindsight Noah’s territorial side doesn’t seem so cute anymore and Julia can be so clueless sometimes 🙄 He meets her family but she doesn’t ask to see his, doesn’t seem to think much of his financial situation… I found that so frustrating !
I liked Julia's sister and her best friend (sorry, I forgot their names). That level of commitment toward their friend/sister is one of the few things that redeemed this book in my eyes
Present day Noah is frankly scary and bullish. He's a downright stalker. Period. He pushed Julia away, literally tore her heart to bits and comes back sauntering in her life as a light summer breeze. As if 'love' could fix it all. *rolling my eyes upwards so hard*
He follows her every moves and acts like a madman when she tries to move on. I mean...this trope is not only tired but so, so sick. For a man willing to stand for himself he seems to be used to have things working the way he wants to and doesn’t take no for an answer (especially coming from Julia). Entitled anyone ?
A man following his love interest around town, working in the exact same workplace as them, settling across the street and making a scene in front of the whole neighbourhood is definitely NOT LOVE. If a man treats you that way, just FLEE. Even if his eyes are greener than the greenest vales in Ireland and his hair has an auburn shade to die for.
Noah has absolutely no respect for Julia's boundaries (and none for himself too imo).
What bothered even more is his inability to acknowledge his family’s racist behaviour. He wants to be accepted by J’s family but does not do much to protect his significant other from his own family’s bullying. After all the things she’s been through he could be more supportive in that regard. But then again, I didn’t finish the book so…Maybe he changed his point of view in the end ? I’ll probably never know !

If you read this until the end, thankyou ! To finish on a positive note, the writing was actually good and once again, I had really high hopes for this story. Anyhoo, I’ll still check the other books by this author.

[Maria (semi hiatus)]

DNF at 75%.

The first half of the book was so good! The amount of groveling and her not giving in. The hero messed up which caused a 3 year heartbreak for the both of them. I liked both MC’s, although because of his stupidity the H needed to win me over in the beginning but he did! The heroine was a strong woman, I liked her sass.

At the 50% mark it went downhill for me. She had an accident and instantly realised the H was the one she first thought about and decided now was the time to talk. He already tried for months in the first half of the book and was happy as a puppy when he finally got his chance. Straight after that talk they fell back in a relationship and had sex straight away. Nothing was resolved yet. She did a 180 since the accident and this made me dislike her so much. She even had the audacity to tell her bff and sister basically“to get over it, we’re back together now”. They were the ones that had to pick her up when she was sick of heartbreak. Of course they are skeptical about this second chance relationship. They knew the grief she went through and want to protect their sister/friend. In the end they have nothing to say about it, it’s the relationship of the H and h, but still don’t act hurt that those people aren’t jumping for joy that you’re back together. What follows in the next 25% is them having sex, meeting her family again and the struggle of past hurt. The H went full speed and wanted to marry within a day. It just wasn’t my cup of tea. I’m so disappointed because I endeavoured the first half of the book. I thought finally the book that got me out of a reading slump. And then the 50% mark happened and I just zoned out.

Safety:
Safe with exception. Hero not a manwhore, celibate during separation. Heroine not celibate during separation, slept with a man once and that was a huge disappointment so she broke it off afterwards. Heroine went on a date in the present (on page) and shares passionate kisses with this guy, even in front of the H. She did him ugly, like cooking him the H’s favorite meal, intending to have sex with him and even kiss him in public (on the street across from H’s house) and this all on the anniversary day of the h and H. Although they were still not on speaking terms and she has every right to date OM, I thought this was a very shitty thing to do. No sex scenes with OP. Besides the kisses with OM, she’s not intimate with him.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well dang!
That’s how you do a grovel!!!
And a book where the H was celibate but the h was not during their separation?!
GOLD!!!
FINALLY!!!
Thanks for giving us a book without a doormat h who was pining away!

[Jena]

self note
- Interracial romance. BW/WM.
- H celibate during 3.5 yr separation.
- lots of groveling.

[H-e-l-e-n-a · Rating 4 out of 5]

Me hubiera gustado que Li lo hiciera esperar más, pero bueno...
Luego, le dice que no confía, pero a los 5 min ya están en la cama jajajaja ¿coherencia?

[RavishedRita · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Characters-

Noah


Julia


Story-

Broken is a second chance story about Noah and Julia and how their relationship is repaired. Julia is healing from a massive break up and finally feeling more like herself after a long bought of depression. Noah is healing and recovering physically and emotionally but is determined to get Julia back. Throughout the story, there are flashbacks of the beautiful relationship they had in college and how it all fell apart. However, reconciliation is on the horizon for No and Li, much to Li’s family chagrin.


My impression-
Sola was able to capture my attention immediately and kept it throughout the whole book. She had me quickly swiping the pages on my E-reader, dying to know what happens next! Noah, a redhead, 😍 evoked powerful emotions inside of me, some good and some bad. Honestly, at times I was not rooting for him to get the girl back. However, I think that is because of the power Sola holds with her words. She made a flawed hero, and I don’t mean physically; Noah made many mistakes, but in the end, he still captured your heart. Each word Noah wrote had me crumbling just like Julia.
Similarly, Julia had my emotions on a rollercoaster; she and I had a difference in opinions 😅 about many things. Mainly because she faltered in moments when I would have stood firm. Yet, that doesn’t take away from the story because Julia is her own character, and much like she told her family, she is the only one who had to forgive Noah. After all, it is her story. Overall, Sola wrote a beautiful story about flawed characters and how love will conquer all.

Ravished Rating: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Noah couldn’t keep his hands off Julia, and he had some sexy dirty talk 😻

Dislikes: There was a lot packed in one book. Side characters had a prominent role, which was overwhelming in moments.

Likes: The flashbacks, Noah’s letters, and Julia’s grandma 😹