Shattered Memories

Hurtful Love #1

by Vera Hollins

Carter Reese hated me from the moment Mom and I moved into his dad's house. Grief-stricken over the loss of his mother, he never accepted my mom as his dad's new girlfriend. He claimed we were intruders and never missed a chance to insult us. I wanted nothing to do with him.

Neither of us counted on falling for each other.

For a year and a half, he was the guy of my dreams. He was my lover, my best friend, my twinkling star. Everything was perfect.

Until it wasn't.

Memories work in funny ways, depending on the circumstances. One moment, they can be a source of great joy, and the next . . . they're just a painful reminder of happiness lost. Because when Carter was injured in an accident, he woke up missing all of his memories of the last two years, forgetting he ever loved me. Now he refuses to believe we’re no longer enemies. He refuses to let me be close to him. Now those missing memories only cause me pain.

Despite that, I refuse to give up on our love and our memories. I’ve decided to fight for him. No matter how hard he tries to push me away, I'm going to show him we're meant to be.

But I don’t count on the scars his continuous insults create. And when our family dynamic shifts, I'm worried that not only have I irrevocably lost him, but there also might be serious consequences of his hate.

Warning: This series includes sensitive themes and situations that may be triggering for some readers, so caution is advised. Please note that Shattered Memories is part one of a duet within the Hurtful Love series and ends in a cliffhanger. Book two ends in an HEA.

Genres: Enemies To Lovers, Contemporary, Romance, New Adult, Second Chance, Contemporary Romance, High School

367 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 12, 2023

About the author

Vera Hollins writes emotional, dark, and angsty love stories that deal with heartbreak, mental and social issues, and finding light in darkness.

She’s been writing since she was nine, and before she knew it, it became her passion and life. She particularly likes coffee, bunnies, angsty romance, and anti-heroes. When she’s not writing you can find her reading, plotting her next book with as many twists as possible, and watching YouTube.

Keep up with Vera:

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Reviews

[⚔Irunía⚔ · Rating 2 out of 5]

2 stars. I'll cut straight to the chase: this book is so BAD. 💀 It pains me to be the one to point it out because I have been so excited for the story. 😔

I really like Vera's work, and I haven't given a single book by her less than 4 stars previously. It's truly a sad day for me because I don't even have to nitpick or be particularly nasty to tear the story to shreds. Another sad fact of the day: I don't want to.

I'm so disappointed that I don't have the slightest intention to prolong my agony by writing a long, detailed rant so I'll just briefly mention some of the worst shortcomings instead, in the hopes that the author is interested in her readers' feedback and will be able to take away something from it.

Before I proceed: imagine my shock when I realized that the hero's name is Carter and the heroine's is Zoe. 😮 I don't really care whether it's just a bizarre coincidence and all the stars in the sky aligned just to give me wild Vietnamese flashbacks of my OG Carter and Zoey or not, but hearing their names over and over again felt strange and sort of sacrilegious at the same time.

To preface any questions: no, this book has nothing in common with Untouchable.

✨ Firstly, my personal pet peeves and issues✨

╰┈➤- Carter called Zoe's mother a "whore" more times than I cared to count, and this bitch kept pining and fawning over him regardless?

I can justify and understand a lot of questionable behavior and life choices, but lusting after someone who hurts and offends your mother isn't one of them.

I can't imagine any normal person being fine with anyone badmouthing their parent, unless they're orphans who were dumped in a trash bin in infancy or neglected by their parent(s) altogether.

For someone who was such a seemingly "confident" female character that adopted an air of no-shits-given attitude with practiced ease, Zoe cast a bad light on herself by choosing a dick over her own mom. That's another level of pathetic.

I'd rather read about a heroine who lets the hero walk all over her than a heroine ready to suck the dick of a guy who calls her mom a whore. Just saying.

╰┈➤- the hero was petty instead of vicious. I don't know how anyone could take him seriously when he acted like a petulant hurt boi rather than a vicious bully or a tortured young man (in my understanding, the author went for the latter option)

╰┈➤- not another "bitch in heat" heroine that ovulated infallibly in the hero's presence, defying the laws of biology that claim it is only supposed to happen once a month😔😔😔

"heat pooled in my stomach, my core pulsed in response" ... how about you SHUT THE FUCK UP ALREADY?

I kid you not, every fucking time Zoe saw Carter, no matter the circumstances and their surroundings, that bitch got a thick fat BONER and never once did she hesitate to announce how desperately horny she was for him.

We get it. Carter is hot (no, he isn't, actually.) We get it. Zoe loves him. We get it. She's sexually attracted to him. If you love someone, it doesn't mean you have to gather a "pool🤢" in your panties every time your eye catches a sight of a man you like. And even if that's so, 🙄 I don't see why anyone would feel compelled to read or write about that in every damn scene involving the main characters. THAT'S STRAIGHT UP EMBARRASSINGGGGG TO READ.

╰┈➤- There's more cute and unostentatious ways to show a reader the pull and pining between the MCs without throwing a character's perpetually wet panties in a reader's face. 🤢🤢🤢

It wouldn't take anything away from your romance if your heroine has some other thoughts on her mind other than mentally drooling on the hero's abbs or fucking him. I hate how normalised such an obvious and straightforward writing has become in the genre.

Where have all those pretty and innocent telltale signs, which hit ten thousand times harder than your regular porn-romance puddles and woods in the characters' panties, such as blushes, accidental touches and lingering gazes, disappeared? I know for a fact that this author KNOWS how to be subtle. Even in this book, she uses the hero's body language to showcase his true feelings and emotions:

The laughter ended abruptly. Carter’s smirk vanished.

A muscle in his jaw jumped. He studied me for an extended moment, and then, without taking his gaze off me, he hollered, “Everyone, get the fuck out of here!”

To give y'all a bit of the context here: the heroine breaks into a guys' locker room to retrieve her stolen clothes, and the hero agrees to give it back to her on the condition that she shows her tits to him and everyone present in the room. To his astonishment, the heroine agrees to the deal if he is the only one who gets to see them.

I really liked that scene because, damn, you can feel the mans desperation to see those titties even through the screen. 🥺🙏🏻 It's in the way a muscle in his jaw jumps and he fucking HOLLERS to get rid of witnesses. 🥺🙏🏻

I brought myself up on my tiptoes to whisper in his ear. “Tell me, how many times have you imagined this? Seeing my tits. Be honest.”
He let out a quick breath, his fists tightening by his sides. Another win.
“Never.”
“Liar.” My lips almost touched his ear, and he shuddered.
I almost laughed. This was too easy.
“I bet you think about them before you go to sleep.” A low groan formed in his throat before he quickly suppressed it. My lips lingered over his ear, as if in promise of a touch. I could swear he was holding his breath.
I smirked. “But guess what? You’re never going to see them.” Just as I uttered the last word, I kneed him in the balls.

The scene's premise was super cliché, but the execution was very good and cute. See? No need to tell, when you can show how someone feels. I wish the author reserved that energy for the whole book, not just some random interactions between Zoe and Carter.

The devil is in the details, and I wish authors focused more on providing details and narrating a story rather than spoon-feeding us the explanations of the characters' feelings, emotions and behaviour. Give us their reactions, present a story, and let US decide how to interpret them.

✨Cringe-encouraging aspects✨

╰┈➤ sometimes when you have nothing original or smart to add to someone else's statement, the best course of action is just keep your mouth shut.

That's true for authors as well. This book lacks originality, it doesn't bring a new breath to the genre nor does it take an unique stance on same old romance tropes.

Here it comes to the point when one writes the story that had been written ten thousand times before them without adding a sliver of their signature touch to it. What's the point of pure recycling in a CREATIVE profession? 🙄

I could turn a blind eye to the absolute cliché that this book is based on:

Zoe and her mother are your regular broke bitches struggling with their bills, but their lives take a u-turn when the said broke single mom meets the hero's obscenely rich dad. As a result of their whirlwind romance, the mother and daughter move in to live with their newfound family. The hero, who's the same age as the heroine, hates the newcomers with fierce, blind passion (as the immutable law of every stepbrother romance dictates) because he believes the mother and daughter to be ✨ gold-diggers✨, thirsty for his daddy's money. 🤑

The hero insists on them both being gold-digging sluts, but as time passes their angelic, impeccable behaviour proves him wrong, turning his entire worldview on its axis.

Never been there, never done that. Which is a blatant LIE because I think I've read dozens of stepbrother romances that have the exactly same premise. But still the author COULD make it work if she gave her characters a sliver of personality.

Of course, the mom and the daughter turn out to be hard-working and amazing people, with not a single calculating and money-hungry bone in their bodies.

The stepdad is cute, scratch that he abuses his own son and seems to love his stepdaughter more than him. He's still not a bad guy. A bad guy won't buy his stepdaughter a brand new car, won't he? 😍

The heroine's mom is definitely the epitome of goodness, so what she conveniently ignores her stepson's misery, never really questions her boyfriend/future husband's methods of upbringing and always turns a blind eye to her daughter being bullied in that house, hehe? SO WHAT? At least she's not after the guy's money. Otherwise, she wouldn't say no to marrying him for 2 years straight just to prove a point to her stepson. ✨

Forgive me my unladylike snort when I say the following: all these secondary characters are as one-dimensional as a train moving on a straight railway track. There's absolutely no spark of original life in them that would justify them taking space/page time/whatever.

But let's not get carried away and forget the fact that the main characters showed unprecedented amounts of ✨ authenticity ✨ because when the hero stole the heroine's clothes from a locker's room while she was in the shower, absolutely no one said:

"whoa, what a UNIQUE TAKE on the bully trope. 😍"

How old is he? Thirteen??

I guess the amnesia was meant to dilute this mixture of tropey mediocrity with a light touch of bona fide. But don't count too much on it because the way the amnesia trope was handled here gave me one blinger of a headache.

So one day the hero forgets all about his romantic relationship with Zoe and his reformed opinions on her mother, the last 2 years of his existence wiped away from his memory after a tragic accident. As it turns out, along with his memories, the guy has lost quite a few of his brain cells. He starts to act like a 15-year-old boy all over again, whose only purpose in life is hate his stepmother and stepsister as if his life depended on it, despite all the evidence that proves his dynamics with both of them has changed over the years. He childishly refuses to acknowledge that any of it is true or even hear anyone mention his relationship with Zoe. He deletes all the videos and messages on his mobile that have something to do with the heroine, and I REFUSE to sympathize with that kind of immaturity, dumbassery and unreasonably erratic behaviour from the hero. His mom's death doesn't justify his attitude because obviously the heroine and her mother have nothing to do with the fact that his mom died from cancer or that his dad never loved her back. Taking it out on women instead of confronting your own daddy? What a coward. 🌚

It read as if the author was hellbent on writing this hate-to-love-to-hate-to-love-again storyline at any cost, overriding the logic and common sense.

Instead of making the hero sound like a problematic and tortured young man, the author turned him into a petulant child who's too much of a coward to even come face to face with THE FUCKING TRUTH after his memory loss. The hero is the definition of "maybe, he's the problem", not the people around him.

The author seriously expects that readers will sympathize with the hero who is oh so lost and helpless without his memories when just a few days ago he was the one adamantly denying to acknowledge anyone's help?? BITCH, HE REFUSED (for no fucking reason that would make sense in my head) TO EVEN HEAR OUT WHAT ANYONE HAS TO SAY TO HIM. And now the little boi is predictably lost, confused and miserable??



No one saw it coming, didn't they? 😔 When you don't listen to anyone around and outward reject them, you end up all alone. What a revelation.

FUCK HIM. Seriously. FUCK. HIM. Unlike Zoe, I don't feel any pity and compassion to spare for a dumb, immature man-child with an emotional intelligence of a cardboard.

Instead of fixing a problem like a man, he runs away from it like a pussy. You ever see a man like this and you run the other way.

Angst, my ass. 🙄

╰┈➤ telling as opposed to showing takes up roughly 60% of the book, which would have been totally fine if the story was posted on Wattpad and written by a rookie.

Telling indicators are especially evident in the "flashback chapters", but to my utter chagrin, "telling" is omnipresent throughout the whole storyline.

I can't take a book seriously when the author writes something like this: "We met a year and a half ago. The hatred between him and me was burning bright between us. We couldn't get along. But everything changed once we took a hike trip. Finally, the walls between us crumbled." This is appropriate for friends' gatherings when everyone gathers in the forest and starts trading tales and stories around the bonfire, not for published fucking BOOKS. 💀 Your book isn't supposed to summarize anything, even if the couple you're writing about has a HISTORY and you want a reader to know that. Their past could be shown via some telltale fragments that would have communicated everything we need to know instead of writing like it's a highschool summary on a book.

This is not Vera's first book, not by a long short, and I can't come up with any excuse as to why her writing style changed for the worse.

Her last release — The Hate Between Us — is very well written, and it's wild to me that we're even talking about the same author here. 💀

╰┈➤ the way Zoe and Carter's relationship was described in the past left a bogus taste in my mouth.

The scenes where they act all "lovey dovey" with each other were supposed to make a reader swoon but only managed to paint a strained grimace on my face due to how horribly contrived and synthetic they came off. The main characters were so declarative and showy about their "love", so intentionally idyllic and sugary sweet that they sounded like they came straight out of someone's fantasy about how perfect couples would act around each other, not an actually "perfect" couple.

I'm not talking about a relationship where both partners are vocal and open about their feelings here. I'm talking about pointedly showy scenes in which the author put the blood of hundred virgins to make us believe that Carter used to kiss the sand Zoe walked on while Zoe looked at him with the eyes of a loyal fucking dog.

*tries to rein in the gagging*

Their past didn't elicit anything but a deep, cynical, disbelieving chuckle from the depths of my latently romantic soul (not romantic enough to be susceptible to that tasteless cheesiness) , that's why I found it impossible to sympathize with the heroine when the hero lost his memory and went back to hating her.



I was expecting angst to be served on a silver platter to me, but all I got was vicarious embarrassment, eye-rolling and ugly laughs — my psyche's defense mechanism.

Me being excited before any author's book release again? NO. ENOUGH IS ENOUGH. I'm a reformed person now that's gonna act like an old cynical lady looking everyone dead in the eye while sipping her glass of Vega Sicilia and not giving a fuck.

*Incredulous face*

*I did it again. I got carried away and wrote another long and detailed rant review when it was absolutely unnecessary, didn't I? 😔*

*Anyways, to anyone who's still here with me and my lovely companions — misery, sourness and disappointment, thanks for listening to my vent 😔✌🏻*

[Valentina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Misplaced sympathy

This book was great for its angst and drama, its emotional toil and conflict the reader might feel based on the events that transpired. However, I struggled with Carter’s uncalled for treatment and lack of familial support system, especially from his girlfriend and the heroine, Zoe, under his very trying circumstances. This is story of forgotten love (amnesia), forbidden love (step siblings), and internal torment.

With his amnesia, Carter was essentially thrust back into the past and his agonizing feelings when his mother died. His emotional response, given his instincts around his father and new perspective stepmother Erika, for me, felt well-founded. So much so in fact that I harbored nothing but distain for his father, Dominic, and an unease and distrust for Erika (good job by the author). It made all the sense to me Carter's lashing out from his perceived soiling of his mother's memory and her plight by this new family.

Carter was a hot, alpha jerk, star basketball player, son of one of the most influential business owners in town. When he loved, he loved fiercely, but when he hated...it was biting. The story covers Carter and Zoe’s ups and downs in reconnecting their relationship, much like their first tumultuous times, along with their school and family lives.

Zoe’s character was strong, assertive, and adaptive, and bullies beware. She doesn't suffer fools easily. Zoe was also giving and a staunch supporter of those she loved. Flawed, though, like others characters in this book, in my view, she couldn’t see past her mother and their circumstance to properly balance herself around the right cause. It was as if she were taking care of her grown mother out of obligation because her mother had "sacrificed" for years to care for her. I mean, isn't that what is expected of a parent? But more than that, the fact that Zoe stated that her mother had basically made it and didn’t have to work so hard because Erika had found and fallen in love with a rich man was definitely off. This line resonated with me the entire book: “How does it feel to build happiness on someone else’s unhappiness?”

The deceit and misdirected support of someone who was so wrong colored my thoughts about the entire romance.

And so, I couldn't get behind the premises of the plot line, so unbalanced overall, when initially the core issues were a question of emotional trade-off. There was misunderstanding, wrong to be owned on all sides, and in fact, there was not really anyone completely innocent. But ultimately, I was a woman who stood by her man.

In it all, the attraction between Zoe and Dominic was strong and tangible — hot gazes, comforting scents, familiarity — and I could only hope they find their way to each other. Fiery jealousy also abounded in the face of some other person drama. What was not active, though, was the spice. 1/5 Seriously lacking. All the delicious tension and chemistry missed the tie of sexuality, as to highlight their bond, ground their history. Opportunities lost since there were, for instance, a few flashback scenes where spice would have inserted itself integrally, and made this new adult romance read less sexually reticent, less young adult Fade to black scenes and one sentence descriptions telling of the sex that had occurred were a miss for me. Even their most memorable event, their first time together, was not described. I can appreciate the focus on emotion, but not at expense of the richness of the relationship.

The plot contained intrigue and complexity with great character development. There were side characters whose personalities made me want to read their stories, Jackson and Summer, for example, and a sub arc of cross-the-tracks rivalry that I want to learn more about.

Medium burn and progressive pace, the story was in first-person, single point of view and telling versus showing at times. I also couldn't intuit other characters' motives and emotions. It would have been nice to have at least Carter’s perspective, too. Being in Zoe's alone, I felt like a horse wearing blinkers, always in heroine's head.

The crux: I wasn't a fan of how the story eventually played out. Not because it was a cliffhanger, mild as it was, but more because it left me not rooting for the couple and hating a weak heroine. While I was mildly curious how they might arrive to their happy ever after, I was more inclined to wish them their respective adieux. Carter deserved better than a non-supportive Zoe.

A story of the pains of loss, the lure of wants, and how characters act upon them, this book left me stirred and annoyed.

[Raffaella · Rating 1 out of 5]

Not me reading another of those books about angry teenagers that behaves like little nasty chiwuawas. Please, spare me. I have a headache for the number of eye rolls I did. I won a Guinness for it.
Never again.

[NiCoLeTa E. {Addicted To Books} · Rating 4 out of 5]

***4,5 "Irreparably broken!!!" stars***



"We'd strived to make as beautiful memories as we could, but the more beautiful they were, the more they wounded after they fractured."

This was such a heartbreakingly beautiful story, full of intensity, angst and the right level of drama...
Oh, how my heart was aching for Zoe and Carter!!! From the very first chapter, I was sitting on pins and needles and my heart was beating wildly...
These two had suffered greatly and honestly, after everything that took place in here, I don't really know how they will be able to find their way to each other...
Though the angsty levels in here, my anger for almost everyone had past another level... I just need the next part in hopes for an emotional redemption after everything that we had to get through this book!!!

"We belong to each other, and that will never change."

Zoe and Carter didn't have a great beginning...
She was the intruder alongside her mother in Carter's house and it took time for these two to realize that they were having feelings for each other!!!
For one and a half year, they were living their love blissfully, but an unexpected turn of events broke them apart...
Carter lost a big part of his memories and he forgot everything that had to do with Zoe as his girlfriend... He only remembered her with the old hatred and things were about to escalade...
Can these two get over something so trivial??? Can their love find its love through the shards of their memories???

"For a year and a half, I'd had a lover, best friend, my go-to whenever I needed help...
And now I'd lost it all."

Carter lived with shattered memories, but Zoe had to live with a shattered heart...
My heart was breaking for these two... I was in pure agony to see how everything will be played out...
Carter remembered only his hatred and from time to time, he was becoming very cruel and mean... His words were cutting very deeply... Still, Zoe was determined to not give up on him, but from time to time, she was slipping and she was losing hope...
The author built very well the feelings between these two...
I just wanted to jumb inside the book and bring them together cause their love was worthying even though fate had broken them...
But was their love enough when everything around them were falling apart???

"Over and over, he was hurting me, and I hated him for that. I hated how easily he could use his words as weapons and hurt me from deep within."

Well, I loved and hated this story cause it made me feel so much... It pained me so greatly...
I loved Carter, even though he was becoming very cruel from time to time... But I was angry on his behalf...
He had a serious accident and a three year gap memory loss and the ones around them, never supported him as they should have...
His outbrusts were unfair many times, but understandable... These man was broken and he didn't even know himself anymore... and even though, he remembered only his hatred toward Zoe, he was drown to her...
I just wanted to hold him and take away his frustrations and heal his scars...
The only sure thing is that I would love to read his POV!!! It will be so interesting to get into his head!!!

"He was all rough edges of pain and anger, and I worried that would only poison his mind more until there was nothing good left."

Yes, Zoe was a tragic victim too... She saw in a moment her world to get shattered by an ugly reality... She had to swim in uncharted waters along with Carter and she needed to float to the surface if she wanted her love back...
I was feeling so sorry for her, but she had made mistakes too...
I can understand her position, but in the end, she made me very furious too!!!
The situation that they were living was a shitty one, but honestly, she needed to fight a little bit harder, especially when she found out the darn truth!!!

"How had it come to this? All our smiles and perfect moments? How had we reached this disharmony?"

Honestly, I don't know how these two can find their way back to each other after that ending...
Maybe it needs some time to pass by for both of them to heal and then, maybe their love will stand a chance...
The only sure thing is that I am furious with Dominic and his unbelievable behavior toward his son.... and honestly, I don't know how to feel about Zoe's mother... I just need more informations to have a better view....
The only thing I know is that I need more books set into this world and I am craving Jackson and Summer's story like crazy!!!
OMG!!! Hope that the next book will come to us soon, cause this agony inside of me is killing me!!!!

"I wish I could remember us."

**I received an ARC fort eh exchange of an honest review**

[Vera Hollins]

"Memories were like glass—pretty on the outside but could be deadly if everything broke apart."



Shattered Memories is available now and also FREE in Kindle Unlimited!

Amazon US ➜ https://amzn.to/3VUIFtp
Amazon UK ➜ https://amzn.to/3Do757D
Amazon CA ➜ https://amzn.to/3F0aRFo
Amazon AU ➜ https://amzn.to/3z6aANc

[Annie Brewer]

I am at a loss right now. I have no idea what to rate this. Maybe between a 2 and 3. This book was a clusertfuck. I mean, the whole book was very whiplash-y. The heroine really pissed me off with some of her inner monologue and actions. They weren’t justified, or at the least, part of me empathized with the hero. But without his pov, it’s hard to know how his actions are justified.

Honestly, there may have been a couple of scenes I liked but the majority of this book was of Zoe (selfish and annoying heroine) and Carter (the MMC whom was going through a pretty traumatic life changing situation) were fighting and he was insulting her because a good chunk of his memories were gone and he was supposed to hate her. Basically, these two loved each other once and then there was an accident and he had amnesia, which wiped out the last 2 years of his life.

Before the accident, they were enemies, so when he wakes up in the hospital, it’s like he’s back to that time where his dad just moved his girlfriend and her daughter into their house and totally took over Carters life. This happened too soon after his mom died, so he was very bitter and angry about the whole situation (and rightfully so), so his memories where they actually became a couple never happened. And from the beginning, he’s very hateful to Zoe.

At first, I was really appalled by his reaction to her, constantly putting her down and her mom. It was really uncalled for. We got some chapters from the past so we could see how things unfolded. I’d say Carter was a real prick, but overtime, I could see why he was so bitter and full of anger and utter hatred. I mean, things were revealed that made me pissed at his dad and it showed how he didn’t really care about Carter’s feelings. I didn’t even like Zoe’s mom either.

I think most of the characters in this book were fucking douchecanoes. After the ending though, I’m not even sure how they can come back from the events to get to an HEA for the second part. I’m also not sure I can put myself through that torture to see how it turns out. I mean, if I have to hear how Carter makes Zoe wanna fucking blow in her pants just by the sight of him through out the whole book while they’re separated and hating each other, I’m gonna lose my fucking shit. Yes, we know Carter is hot as fuck, blah, blah blah. But he’s not treating you right…

Then again, you’re a total bitch, so maybe you don’t deserve him. Ugh. This book put my head through a lot and I’m just feeling really dissatisfied and pissed. If I’m gonna read the next book, I’ve no fucking clue. But I’ll admit, the writing was good and kept me engaged, so there’s that. Still, this book was a train wreck so I’m not rating it.

[Zeina · Rating 5 out of 5]

A HIGHLY RECOMMENDED BOOK!
Literally THAT GOOD!

*ARC: Advanced Reader's Copy
Provided in exchange of an honest review!

Let me just start by saying that this was my first ever ARC and when Vera was open for ARC applications I wasn't sure I'd be selected so I didn't bother to check my emails. I saw her email two days later about being accepted to her team and it gave me a feeling I can never describe.

My life won't be complete unless I read the future books, so please Vera make it quick <3

I was actually able to finish the book in one day because it's the holidays and I've got nothing better to do (my digital well-being app marked 6 hours and 51 minutes for Kindle app)

IT WAS THAT GOOD!

I was so hooked that I didn't even know where I should start, and I don't think I'll be able to pick up another book for a while.

Thank you Vera for this book

Looking forward to your future works!

[Melissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first book I have read where Parents don’t have any problem with step siblings dating each other 😂😂.. I mean Zoe’s mom was with Carter’s dad and Zoe was with Carter Under the same roof ..wow 😇⭐️⭐️….The second part is not out yet…

[A.BookNerd.Bookseller&Bibliophile.Blog · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was not emotionally prepared for this book to be over when I finished it and to be honest, I still haven’t moved on. This story was full of ups and downs. The story had several twists and turns that I wasn’t anticipating which always makes for a better read.

I think I legitimately felt every emotion while reading Carter and Zoe’s story. There were things that made me angry, and things that made me sad….

And then the story just ended….. it just ended and I’m mad about it, but I cannot wait until the next book comes out.
~Lauren 💜

[Amaka · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received an ARC from the author in exchange for a review
#YA#BullyRomance#

Lovers to Enemies and Back to lovers YA read
Carter had an accident, which resulted in partial memory loss. This impacted negatively on his family life as well as his relationship with Ivy, his step sister, and lover.
While his girlfriend tried to mend their relationship, he turned out to be uncooperative most of the time and even a bully.

I have read everything written by the author since her debut story. Vera is an amazing writer. Although this read isn’t my favourite out of all her works, it definitely has her signature. I like the way she makes up for the shortcomings of her protagonist with a good cover story.

[Tessa · Rating 1 out of 5]

So this is going straight into my "Holy crap, I don't think I've ever hated a herione as much as this one" pile followed shortly by " There is no way in hell I will read book two because this hero deserves so much better" and finally " Fuck the h, Fuck her conniving murderous mom and Fuck the H's cheating POS abusive dad"

That's it. I'm out

[Abstract ♥ Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

ALL MY REVIEWS CAN BE FOUND ON MY BLOG: ABSTRACT BOOKS



Star Rating : 4 / 5 Stars

Cliffhanger : Yes

Pace of the story : Moderate

Angst Rating : 5/10

Heat Rating : 5/10

Triggers Involved : hate Love , Bully , Amnesia

Overall Opinion :
I read this author years ago and Have been hooked ever since. She delivers these anti heroes who make it so hard for you to love them but then they have these small moments that just make you freaking go crazy over them!!! I love those moments lmao.

This book is part one of a duet and I am so not patiently waiting for the next book lol because that ending killed me. It took my soul And I want it back 🤣 if you want to read a book with genres like hate love , friends to enemies to lovers , anti heroes , amnesia and tons of angst , go for this duet.

Definitely recommending this one to all the dark romance loving people out there.

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[Vera Neves (Sinfonia dos Livros) · Rating 4 out of 5]

First of all, I have to thank the author, Vera Hollins, for sending me an advance reading copy of her first book in the Hurtful Love series and for her constant friendliness and availability whenever I emailed her. Thank you :-)

This book took me by surprise, I have to be honest. I know that the author has, by habit, writing books with stories of suffering and enormous traumas, causing the reader serious episodes of anxiety and suffering (I'm just kidding :p)... However, in addition to the story between the main couple, we have the present story that causes us even more frenzy as we are having access to what happened and what, due to a sudden decision, is happening again in the present.
Zoe and Carter are the main characters in this first book. Both are seventeen years old and have a very troubled recent past, full of resentment and hurt towards each other. However, we will find them together and in love as if that past never happened. It turns out that on one moment they were fine, and in the next one, things have completely changed. One moment they are happy and in love and the next, by the quirk of fate, they are again against each other, exactly, or even worse, than they were before they gave in to the love that united them.
Without any memory of what happened in the last two years, Carter finds himself, once again, involved in a bubble of hatred and resentment towards his father and towards Zoe and her mother, now his father's girlfriend and, consequently, his stepmother. When Carter's father decided to move on after his wife's death two years ago, Carter fell into a spiral of grief and rage clashing head-on with everyone who lived in his home. Against Zoe he invested even more hatred because he knew that, in addition to the anger he had for her, he also felt something else. After an accident, Carter loses his memory and with it were the moments and the love he felt for Zoe. Of course, knowing everything that happened, she will fight with all her strength for him to remember everything or, at least, to conquer him again. If he got it once, why wouldn't he get it a second time?
I don't want to dwell on my opinion, even more, but I'm just telling you that her struggle and suffering, and also his, will be so intense that we even feel in our hearts that tightness that we've all felt at some point in time...
The good thing about Vera Hollins' writing? It's light and fluid. It always makes us want to read more and the endings it gives us always leave us wanting more. It's these suspended endings that always leave us full of curiosity and wondering what will happen in the next book. This type of writing is addictive.

I really want to read the next volume and see what happens to Zoe and Carter at the end of it all... Will love or hate win?

Opinião traduzida no Sinfonia dos Livros
https://sinfoniadoslivros.blogspot.co...

[Sana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Vera Hollins has done it again: another brilliant angsty romance that I could not get enough of. She writes sad books so well!

This book will have readers feeling conflicted due to certain events, and raw after the emotional toil due to all the drama and injustice that Carter faces throughout this entire book.

That being said, the reason why this book isn’t 5 stars is because of the unfair treatment Carter had throughout the whole book. Yes, he’s lost his memory and is a complete and utter jerk, but with good reason!!! He received very little emotional support after what happened to him, which just made me so, so angry. I would punch his dad and Zoe in the face, repeatedly because both were total unsympathetic a-holes.

Zoe was a spunky fmc, but I just mostly found her so irritating. Again, girl could’ve been more sympathetic that dude has lost his memories rather than crying about his harsh words, which to me are completely warranted. Girl needs to have one heck of a character development in the next one because so far she ain’t it.

This was a great emotional read that my cold infected self binged in less than 24 hours. A must read for those of you who like their romance books on the sadder side.

Thank you Vera for giving me an arc ♥️

[Bookiemonster · Rating 2 out of 5]

Every single character in this book is selfish as fuck and this did not need a second book. The ending of this one was perfect.

Okay, I wasn't planning on posting a full review of this book but turns out, I have a lot to say about it so here we go.

I actually went searching for a book with an amnesia trope and found it recommended on reddit. I don't typically read anything that isn't a standalone but I gave this book a try.

The FMC (Zoe) and MMC (Carter) met when Zoe's mother moved in with Carter's father who is quite well off. That is important to remember because Carter immediately hates Zoe and her mother and calls them things such as gold diggers.
Carter and Zoe are around the same age and therefore go to the same school. Carter and Zoe share a lot of banter with one another. In one of the flashbacks it's noted that he stole her clothes so she went to the boys locker room only wearing a towel and demanded her clothes back.
In another flashback, she goes to her room and he is reading her diary.
They admit their feelings for one another when they get lost on a school trip while it's snowing and take refuge in a shelter. Since then, they are a couple. (Which is insane because what two adults who are in a romantic relationship just allow their children to go into a relationship like that?)
The book starts off with Carter getting into an accident when he runs into a burning building to save a girl who was stuck in the restrooms. He survives however experiences retrograde amnesia and goes back to hating Zoe and her mother (and his father). This is a stark difference to prior the accident as he and Zoe were madly in love and he had built somewhat of a better relationship with not only his father but Zoe's mother too.
Moving onto Zoe's mother. In the book, she's described as selfless, someone who always put others over herself, especially her daughter Zoe - which is crazy because isn't that what is already expected from a parent anyway? Zoe hates that Cater always degrades her mother but never questions what I questioned since I came across it: why the fuck was his dad moving in a chick and her daughter to live with them a few weeks after he buried his wife and the mother of their child.
Carter is adamant that his dad and Zoe's mother were having an affair. To anyone with a working brain, they were having an affair. To Zoe? No all. She trusted her mum and Dominic (Carters dad) to not do that. Carter's dad and Zoe's mum explicitly deny an affair.
Carter struggles a lot with coming back home with amnesia and instead of being supportive of his condition, what do the people closest to him do? His dad slaps him multiple times for degrading Zoe's mother. Zoe dresses up and tries to seduce him and pushes him to extremes of anger outbursts, and Zoe's mother just kind of disappears into the background, only to hear that she's telling Zoe and Dominic that "we need to be understanding of Carter's situation" while not doing anything about it.
She also never intervenes or acknowledge's when Carter's dad is abusive to him and chooses to turn a blind eye, similar to what Zoe does.
I don't know if this was a piss take of what the author's take on retrograde amnesia is, or if the author actually wrote characters that were meant to be hated.
Moving on, the chick that Carter saved from the building begins to get closer to him, and I hated that no one actually mentioned that she was the reason that he was in the accident in the first place. Nora (the girl he saved) obviously has a crush on Carter. She does her best to get him and she's described as "perfect" even though she is messing up her cheer routine moves, and other things she does in the book, including telling Zoe to stop trying to get Carter back. I hate that at no point, no one addressed that Carter and Zoe did not break up. He experienced amnesia and didn't remember their relationship at all. Nora was the reason this happened to him, and I would have used that to get her to back the fuck off my man.
Now, at some point in the book, Dominic and Zoe's mum announce they are getting married, and I found this quite selfish until I found out they were getting married because Zoe's mum is pregnant.
Since the pregnancy, no one gives any ounce of a fuck about Carter. Carter gets heated and doesn't allow Dominic to physically abuse him anymore and I think he throws a punch or something at Dominic, and Zoe's mum faints, and they all get heated at Carter saying she could possibly lose the baby. This is INSANE to me. Carter has been slapped by Dominic 3 times already in this book and no one defended him. When he chooses to defend himself, and a pregnant woman faints without him even laying a finger on her, he's suddenly being looked at as a potential murderer? WHAT THE ACTUAL FUCK.
Anyway, at the hospital they found out Zoe's mum is anaemic and instead of all these fuckwits apologising to Carter, they still are mad at him, especially Zoe who thinks he should apologise to her mum.
Another thing that happens is when Zoe's mother is choosing where to have the wedding, she decides on a particular place that makes Carter lose his shit and after verbally abusing everyone, he leaves.
Zoe makes him apologise to his mother and eavesdrops when he does and here were kind of understand that the place where Zoe's mother wanted to get married was important to his mother and her mother low-key did it on purpose and she has been stealing things from his mother on purpose. Does Zoe acknowledge this? Of course not, because her and her mother are perfect and the man she claims to love who is not only dealing with amnesia, but other things he should very clearly get help for, is forever and always in the wrong.
The finale to this happens when Carter finally (again) accepts his feelings for Zoe and they become a couple again. The next day is the parents wedding. Her mother is acting off and Zoe just ignores it, only to later go to check up on her mum and find out that everything Carter has been saying is true.
Her mother and Dominic were having an affair. His mother killed herself, but before she did, she reached out to Zoe's mother and asked her to stop the affair so she could get her husband back. Her mother did nothing. This is the same mother that has been portrayed as angel-like through Zoe's eyes the entire book.
Of course, Carter hears everything, confronts and then storms out. The mother falls down the stairs and it's perceived that she's losing the baby and in the mist of all of this, Zoe blames Carter. Again. Like he pushed her down the stairs or something. As if Dominic and her mother's whole relationship wasn't built on the foundation of blood from Carter's mother's corpse.

Oh and BTW, Nora's ex boyfriend was the one who set the building on fire because he wanted Nora to die.

I HATED every single character in this book. The only reason I am giving it two stars is because I did read the entirety of it but no way am I ever picking up the second book. Carter is the only victim in this story. The people who claimed to love him let him down. Multiple times in this book we hear his own father abuse him, as if he should just get over his amnesia. We hear the person who claims to love him (Zoe), feel sorry for her lost lover, but never actually try to understand what he is going through because only her feelings matter. We hear Zoe's mother say we need to give him time and understand him while no one ever does. I'm glad Carter is fictional because I don't even know how one begins to deal with all this toxicity in real life.

[Teena Gonsior · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pace of story was off

The idea of the story was intriguing. The way it unfolded was odd and I couldn’t get invested in the story enough to feel the angst. Initially it was the fact that you are dropped in the middle of the story. The first chapter I though was a prologue present day, would then switch to when the relationship started. Nope, it felt as if the author wasn’t sure how to handle the backstory. At first the present day was mingled with flashbacks. Then there were some full chapters of the past, but for the most part the story is in present day. Another issue for me is single POV, and single POV with a character I don’t think is all that likable (Zoe) is a hard story to get through. I completely understood Carter’s character framework. He was a kid who had a brain injury, but his familial support just expected him to return to his old self because they said to. That is a lot of pressure to live up to. Finally the parents, Zoe’s Mom and Carter’s Dad don’t have a lot of redeeming qualities. Zoe’s blind faith in her mom was very off putting. Sorry - anyone who moves in with her boyfriend and his son a couple weeks after his wife dies can’t be trusted to make great life decisions. I was definitely done with both Erika & Zoe when Zoe demanded he apologize to her mother when he got upset about the location the wedding because of the connection to his mother. He had a valid argument against the insensitive decision about the venue. Finally the cliffhanger, Zoe has no leg to stand on to get so mean like she was the one wronged was irritating. I ended up skimming a ton because being in Zoe’s head was long winded and sometimes shallow. I’m going to skim a little of the next book to see if the story improves.

[Heather Lianne · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have been anxiously waiting to get my hands on this book for so long, and now that I have, I wish I could take a page out of the Carter Reese handbook and lose my memories just so I could have the chance to read this book all over again for the first time! Honestly, it was everything I had hoped for and more!
Thank you Vera Hollins for not only being one of my favorite authors, but also for allowing me the privilege of receiving this ARC in exchange for my honest review. I'm so grateful and have loved corresponding with you! Your books have touched my heart!

So let us begin the dive into this soul-wrenching story, shall we?

❀❀❀

After a sudden accident leaves Carter Reese without two years of his recent memories, he finds himself thrown into a world where everything has changed...but in his mind its like no time has passed at all, any progress he had made in himself or with his family has suddenly been stripped completely away. He's once again struggling to cope with the loss of his mother and accepting the new woman in his fathers life, along with her daughter, Zoe. He only remembers that he has hated them from the moment they moved in, seemingly only weeks after his mothers death.

Zoe was used to being on the receiving end of Carters hate, right from the moment she first moved into his fathers house... but that was all before their 1 and a half years together as a couple, he had changed and proven to her that he could be someone she could trust and rely on. Now, seeing Carter forget all their time together hurts. In fact, being a target of his hate once again after everything they've been through is way more painful than ever before. Not only is Zoe back to square one with Carter, she now has the added burden of remembering what it was like to be loved by him.

"Memories were like glass- pretty on the outside but could be deadly if everything broke apart. It was hard to believe that something that had brought me so much happiness was what fueled my misery now."

My heart ached for Zoe, imagine overcoming all these obstacles to finally be with the person you love, only to have them completely forget ever loving you in return, what a slap in the face. What was once love and adoration in his gaze is now purely hate anytime he lays eyes on her. Zoe definitely struggles with this new reality and it solidifies her pessimistic views on the world.

When Zoe's father unexpectedly passed away when she was 6, she always felt that the world could just take any happiness away from her on nothing more than a whim, thus leaving her with severe trust issues and a bleak outlook on life. Carter had been the one to pull her out of the darkness and bring real joy to her world. however, having Carter ripped away from her now just proves her deposition on life and further hinders her from being happy and allowing herself to have dreams for the future.

Carter doesn't make it easy for anyone, he refuses to accept he ever could have patched his broken relationship with his father or accepted Zoes mother into his family like they all keep claiming. He is a stranger in his own home and cant trust anyone. The more Zoe tells Carter about their past relationship the more he pushes her away and makes it very clear that the old Carter that she loved is long gone.

When Nora, the girl Carter saved from the fire that resulted in his injury, transfers to their school Zoe is filled with absolute dread. The further Carter gets from her, the closer he seems to be getting to Nora. Zoe cant help but ask herself if Carters memories will ever come back or if she just has to accept the fact that he might move on with someone else before they even have a chance to.

This book had me griping the imaginary seatbelt on this emotional rollercoaster, it was the type of ride that leaves you with whiplash for sure. The angst, the tension, the undeniable chemistry between Carter and Zoe was wrecking havoc on my heart. Zoe is such a strong and compelling character, I was so drawn to her and completely fascinated by everything she did. It cant be easy accepting that you might have lost someone you thought you would be with forever, but of course I was super proud of her for deciding enough was enough and not taking his s**t anymore. We love a girl who can stand up for herself!

Though Carter was a compete jerk 99% of the time, my heart still broke for him again and again. His relationship with his dad was so detrimental to his happiness and sense of security, it was devastating watching how poorly his father treated him after the accident, like he just expected Carter to miraculously return to the version himself that best suited his needs, instead of being concerned with what Carter was feeling and going through. Carter is so lost and completely alone, two years really does change so much in a persons life, and to lose that time was like pulling the rug right out from under him. The only one who sees how much he's struggling is Zoe, and despite how horrible he treats her, she keeps trying to help him put the pieces of his memory back together. The question is, will it be enough? Especially when a huge secret is uncovered that leaves both Zoe and Carter totally blindsided.

Obviously I absolutely adored this book. I loved the tension between Carter and Zoe and how no matter how hard he tried to push her away, he couldn't stop himself from thinking about her or continuously watching everything she did. A unseen force pulls these two together, they are so hot and cold with each other, I ate it up! The tropes were fantastic and included everything I could have asked for. The best part is that this is only book 1 in the duet. Spoiler warning, this book does end with a major cliffhanger! I cannot wait for the second book, I've never been left in such a state of suspense as this, but what else can you expect from our lovely Vera Hollins, it seems like plot twists and cliffhangers are her specialty! If you enjoy any of the following tropes and just love a good enemies to lovers that will have you at the edge of your seat, this books is 100% for you! I'm so excited to see where the hurtful love series will go!

Tropes:
❤ Enemies to lovers
❤ Amnesia
❤ Emotional scares
❤ Don't touch her
❤ Injury
❤ Jealousy
❤ Second chance love
❤ Forced proximity

[fay · Rating 2 out of 5]

The amount of time this poor hero got slapped 😭.
The author knows that's physical abuse right rightt 🫠
Fuck their parents ,I hope they rott in hell for a long time.
So it was super mild and boring. I wanted the toxicity that Hayden and Sarah book gave 🤡
Miss the unhinged wattpad stories

[Paige Whitecotton · Rating 5 out of 5]

holy cow.

So much is happening here. Affairs, memory loss, pregnancy, so so much. Carter is so confused and hurt. I do think he and Zoe belong together.

[Aurelia · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book is horrible and I will tell you why! I will start with my least favourite character not Brandon, it's Zoe's mother, Erika...the home wrecker

1) Carter, the hero in the book keeps telling that his father is cheating on his mother with Erik. But like the cunning manipulative b*tch that Erika is, she keeps denying about any affair. Some things you need to know about her:

1) she's a very manipulative selfish greedy bitch

2) **“Dominic and I have been together since a couple of months before Anastacia’s death. At that time, it felt like it was impossible not to fall for him.” She smiled, her eyes unfocused with the memories unfolding in her head. ***
she was a cleaner at Dominic's office. She coincidentally poured detergent or some shit on his pants but he was very kind and told her not to bother about it and always made reasons to visit her whenever she's at work

***“I wish I could say I wanted to stop seeing Dom when I found out about her. But, no, I didn’t leave him. And even worse—I asked him to leave her.”
“Why didn’t he leave her?”
“Because her mental health was declining, and it never felt like a good time to break the news to her.” Moisture appeared in her eyes. “She was suffering because she knew. She knew all along about me and Dominic.”
“But how?”
“She caught us together once.”****
3) Anastacia begged heartless Erika to leave her husband because she loved him very much and even hinted that she would commit suicide if this affair doesn't stop. You all can guess what Erika told her.
4) Anastacia killed herself by crashing into a tree after leaving a suicide note to Dominic which he conveniently destroyed.
5) There is a scene where Erika said "Is it bad to say I already feel as if it’s where I belong?” And the best supporting daughter that Zoe is, she replied
“Not at all. You deserve this. And much more.”

Here belong refers to the classy rich world that Dominic's money offer.

6) while looking for wedding venues, Erika suggested a hill top hotel where they might have had their fu*k sessions which was one of Anastacia's favourite place and this is where Carter rightfully yells at her. Here's a little snippet:

*******"The hilltop hotel, where you took me on our first date. With its breathtaking view of Pine Hills.”
Dominic’s face lighted up with a big smile. “That’s an amazing idea—”
“No fucking way.”
We all whipped our heads toward the voice, and my heart lurched. Carter was gripping the doorjamb, his face twisted into an expression of pure rage.
“You’re not going to get married there.”
Dominic’s forehead creased in a deep frown. “Carter, stay out of this.”
“I didn’t say a word as I watched you go about this wedding as if it’s the most important fucking thing in the world. But I refuse to let your slut steal another thing from my mom.”
“Carter!” Dominic erupted, rushing to his feet. Mom looked as though she wanted to disappear into thin air.
Dominic marched over to Carter. “Apologize right now!”
“I will not apologize! That place was special for my mom.” He snarled at Mom, “It’s where she fell for Dad, and you knew that. And now you’re going to take that away too. What, her husband and house weren’t enough? You want her special places too?”
Mom whimpered, pressing one shaking hand against her stomach and the other against her mouth. “It’s not like that.”******

7)Anastacia committed suicide after begging Erika repeatedly to leave her husband as she loved him.
***And the worst part—the thing I’ll never be able to forgive myself for—is that she came to me after she wrote that note. It was the first time she came directly to me to beg me to leave her husband alone. She said she hadn’t felt stable for a long time and she needed Dominic more than anything. She told me she would kill herself if I didn’t let him go. It was her last attempt to get him back.��
She squeezed her eyes shut, her tears soaking the skin above the neckline of her dress. She was shaking hard.
“You have no idea how I wish I could say I didn’t believe her, that I considered it a bluff out of desperation to get her husband back. But I knew it wasn’t a bluff, and I . . . I didn’t do anything to help her. I refused to leave Dominic.”*****

Coming to Dominic.

1) He abused his son by slapping him infront of his new family instead of approaching him in a gentle manner when he's grieving for his mother.

2) He threatens or abuses to send Carter away to far away places whenever he talks back instead of showering him with love that he needs, Dominic distances himself from his only child but his affection for someone else's daughter is surprising!

3) he forces Carter to work for his architecture company instead of pursuing his goals. To this minute, I still think Carter saying he finally realising his love for architecture stems from his desperate need to please his father who's ghosted him since his mother's death.

4) He's a cheater! We all know how much disgust we reserved for these kind of men.

Coming to the belle, Zoe

1) Three words to describe her
Pathetic, Spineless, as immoral as her mother if not more.

2) she supports her mother even after knowing how she ruined a woman's life.

*******I got up too and sprinted after him, catching up to him in the foyer. I grabbed his arm to stop him. “Insult me all you want, but don’t bring Mom into this.”
“Bring her into this? She’s right at the center of it!”
“Is it so hard for you to believe that we’re good people? That we love both you and your dad and mean you no harm?”
“You think that would matter to the woman whose husband replaced her with another woman? Who never stopped loving him, unlike him, who at the first sign his marriage was in trouble decided to step out on her?”
I’d never doubted Mom was telling the truth when she said she hadn’t had an affair with Dominic, but then why did I get an uncomfortable feeling just now?
I swallowed hard. “Even if what you say is true, even if they were together while your mom was alive, they’re both human. Like all of us. We all make mistakes and selfish choices, but that doesn’t mean we shouldn’t be forgiven.”
With my every word, his eyes filled with more disgust, and I got the feeling this was the absolute worst thing I could’ve said to him.
“Do you even fucking hear yourself?”
“Carter, I—”******** this was before she knew her mother was lying to her bout not having affair now let's see how she supports her after knowing about the affair and suicide

******“Please, Carter, reconsider. You’re making a mistake. This has nothing to do with us. You can’t let their past define us.”
“Nothing to do with us? This has everything to do with us! I can’t look at you and not remember how much my mom suffered because of your mom. How I lost my mom because of her. How fucked up your mother was to want to be with another woman’s man to that extent.”
Mom released a sob behind me as anger that he’d spoken about her so cruelly took me over.
“If my mom’s fucked up, your mom’s even more fucked up to commit suicide.” The moment the words were out, I regretted them, pressing my hand against my mouth as if that would somehow erase them.
He went deadly still. I thought I’d already seen the worst from him—that he would never look at me with a hate that cut through every part of my being—but I was wrong. Because the way he stared at me . . . he stared at me as though he couldn’t bear to look at me a second longer, and I knew that I’d just destroyed whatever hope existed that we could get over this.
“Now I know why I forgot being with you in the first place. Because we’re not meant to be. Because I deserve better than a bitch like you.”
I almost doubled over with pain. No.*****

She seriously told Carter his mother was ficked up to do suicide. Can you blame him for trying to get rid of a bitch like this????

After her mother trips on the stairs and miscarried????? She blamed it on Carter again and asked him to leave his house?????

*****Someone gasped behind me, but I couldn’t care less about the scene I was making. Dominic might’ve said something, but it fell on deaf ears, because all my attention was focused on the guy who had just annihilated my heart. Who had finally made me despise him. I should’ve never gotten back together with him.
“You’re the worst, Carter. You’re vile, cruel, and you have no heart. I can’t stand to look at you a second longer. So, you better leave and stay as far the hell away from us as possible. Because the next time you get near my mom, I’ll rip your eyes out.”******

I hated this book and the characters. Vera perhaps tried to portray Carter as a troubled teen but ended up showing him as a brat sometimes but it's okay because he lost two years worth memories and boys can be dixks in their teens. I would rather Carter have a happy ending with Nora or even Jacob(😏😏😏) because rest other characters are so bad.

Is Vera becoming lazy or am I becoming bitchy??? There is this girl, Summer who is Zoe's best friend. She will be another Jessica(Sara's bestfriend in bullied series.) Summer is very shy and not very pretty and she's not like other girls but she's a very good makeup artist, she doesn't know she looks bomb after applying makeup. Her favourite hobby is watching and stalking Jackson(another Blake) and ohh I forgot to mention, judging girls and their lives because what do useless people do ??? Always bitch about the rich most importantly bring them down if they are confident.

Characters in this book aren't even 18 and start talking about true love and 22 year old me 👁️ 👄 👁️ trying not to judge them because love happens at any age or so readers will tell me in my comments.

[Inked Orca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zoe’s mother started dating Dominic, and he had them move into his house. Carter’s mother had just died, yet his father seemed to have moved on so quickly as to have his new girlfriend move in along with her daughter. He was sure his father had been cheating on his mother. To him, Zoe and her mother were intruders. But as time went on, his hatred for Zoe became something else. And before they knew it, they were in love.

Two years later, a tragic incident happened. Carter can’t remember the last two years of his life. He’s back to hating Zoe and can’t stand her or her mother in his house. Zoe was hopeful that he would remember. He has to. But hope is a cruel thing.

When their love is built on hate and so much darkness, will they have a chance to survive when the past comes back to haunt them?



This book is more enemies to lovers to enemies to lovers to enemies again story. It’s that complex. It ends with a cliffhanger that will make you frustrated, angry and emotional. Fans of The Vow might enjoy reading this one. It has a lot of triggering subjects. It’s kind of a slow burn with so many push/pulls, “I hate you, but that doesn’t feel right, so maybe I like you”, and they are to be step-siblings!

The tone of the book is melancholy. Vera Hollins always weaves an emotional tale filled with so much anguish. All her previous books managed to make me cry, and this one had me questioning a lot. The relationship between Zoe and Carter was intense. I didn’t understand how they were fine with the whole "we're going to be step-siblings" thing, and their parents encouraged them to have a relationship. It’s kind of a dark, sad tale about how history can repeat itself. About how things could come full circle. And how happiness can be hard to achieve.



I love the book cover! It reflects a lot of the story, plus it’s so pretty. The clock, the roses, and the fact that it’s purple. I’m in love with it. I also enjoyed reading from two timelines, to see how they started and glimpses of the past, then what’s happening in the present. But the flashbacks weren't many and didn't really show much of how they came to be so in love with each other (most were flashbacks where they had sex). It was heartbreaking to see Carter struggle to make sense of his new life. To him, everything changed, while to others it was nothing new. They tried to be understanding of his condition, but they were going about it wrong, making it more difficult for him to adjust.



I didn’t understand the dynamics of the relationship. Zoe was dating Carter while her mother was dating his father. I didn’t like his father, and Zoe often got on my nerves when she couldn't see that Carter's amnesia wasn't just about her relationship with him. He didn't really have anyone to help him make sense of what was happening. Everyone was just telling him who he was and what he needed to do, while he was feeling like a stranger in his body. But Carter wasn't a character without flaws too, because he was a jerk most of the time. Still, I can’t wait to read what happens next.



I'd love to see more of Summer and Jackson. They seem to have an interesting story behind their broken friendship. And I'd love to know if they get a book of their own. Along with other side characters I got to read a few glimpses of their backstories throughout this book.

It’s not the book you read to feel happy. It’s a sad one with a lot of ups and downs and it’ll make you question a lot about the plot. I’m still trying to process it and every time I change my mind about something in it. rereading a book always makes you question it.

[Mrs A · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a new author to me and I went into this book a bit blind and wow, this was a fabulous read. I love an angsty romance novel with a roller coasters or emotions. I couldn’t put this down.

Zoe and Carter’s story is full of heartbreak, drama, secrets and challenges. Their chemistry is incredible and it was heartbreaking to see Carter lose his memory. The author does a good job to handle sensitive subjects with care.

Can’t wait to read book 2

[Holly Collins · Rating 5 out of 5]

🫶🏻 Dear heart of mine..I’m sorry. Blame the insanely talented Vera Hollins and her incredible novels! 💔😭

🫶🏻 I absolutely love Vera Hollins! Everything she writes is pure magic!!
So, needless to say, my expectations are always high for any of her novels.

🫶🏻 I love Shattered Memories! It’s such an emotional ride all throughout the book. As with every novel I’ve read by the sensational Vera Hollins, I adore this one!

🫶🏻 The prologue was interesting, so I was captivated from the beginning. The main characters, Zoe and Carter, are very well written and their ups and downs are full of love, anger, hurt, twists, turns, drama, and definitely lust!

🫶🏻 I can’t imagine having amnesia and not remembering the past two years of my life. I couldn’t hate Carter if I wanted to. I actually have sympathy for him from the beginning to the end. Not just because of the tbi that lead to amnesia, but because of how he’s treated by his dad and how he treats himself mentally, plus everything with his mom. As a parent myself, I can’t fathom how anyone can abuse their child. It came in many forms: physically, mentally, and emotionally, plus neglect. The sad thing is, this happens in life and Vera found a creative way to weave such sad treatment into this novel. I don’t think Dom treated him how he does purposely, but I put myself in Carter’s shoes and felt the hurt, anger, and frustration. You know a character is well written when you feel a cycle of emotions!

🫶🏻 Vera writes such strong female characters too! While I love the ladies in the Bullied series, Zoe is such an awesome character and quickly became one of my faves..I think she’s #2 out of all female characters in all the novels. She is so relatable…and I know that sounds cliche. But I’ve been in her shoes. Growing up and expecting back to back up hill battles is hard. But no matter how she lived, she was so sweet (even when she was trying to be mean), loving, charismatic, and just one of those characters I would love to be friends with.

🫶🏻 I loved the steamy scenes!! Oh my goodness! Vera can create the most steamy, magical scenes! Carter and Zoe’s chemistry is off the charts! I would have liked to read about Zoe taking charge though. But it’s still awesome!! The scenes are super sexy, easy to envision, and very well written. We all need a Carter..or a Zoe!

🫶🏻 “You couldn’t build happiness on someone else’s unhappiness. You also couldn’t build beautiful memories on ugly ones.” As always, I love the quotes Vera uses in every single novel. They always are beautifully written and either break my heart or make me smile, sometimes both!

🫶🏻 The end of book one had me feeling so many emotions!! I was shocked! I was sad! I cried! I yelled…“Let them be happy already!!” Then I gasped so loudly and said, “woahhh a step way too freaking far!!” Then the main ending had me looking crazy! I’m vocal when I read, so I spazzed out! I cried because I knew what was happening. It broke my soul!!

🫶🏻 Gosh, the main ending hurt my heart! I didn’t cry as much as I cried in the Bullied Series, but this one did make me cry a lot. If you love emotional novels with twist, turns, shocks, enemies turned lovers turned enemies turned lovers again, then start reading any novels from Vera Hollins!!

🫶🏻 Needless to say, I loved Shattered Memories!! Every one of Vera’s novels I’ve read so far (this is number eight) has mad me feel EVERYTHING! Every emotion! Every tear! Every sad scene! Every happy scene! I said this in my review of the latest novel I read, “Burning Darkness “…Holy emotional roller coaster ride! 😭😭😭

🫶🏻 I highly recommend all of her work: The Bullied Series (5 novels), her latest novel …Burning Darkness, this one…Shattered Memories, and The Hate Between Us, plus Bitter Enemies (I’m reading that next)!

🫶🏻 Vera…why must you break my heart so many times?! Now, I’ve been up all night reading book one. It’s 6am and I MUST begin book two! The cliffhanger was shocking and I can’t wait to begin Bitter Enemies!

🫶🏻 ((Fun Fact)) In every novel she writes, Vera sneaks in the title of it. I found it and it was a great spot to put it too.

🫶🏻 Go add Vera’s novels to your cart, To Be Read list, “want” list, or whatever! They’re all worth reading and I’m sure you will enjoy them as I do! I can add Shattered Memories to my “Faves” list and I plan to read this series over and over again!!

[Catreena · Rating 5 out of 5]

SHATTERED MEMORIES
An Enemies to Lovers High School Romance
Hurtful Love #1
Vera Hollins
Releases 12th Jan '23

#arc #arcreader #amreading #currentlyreading #reader #reviewer #enemiestolovers #drama  #suspence #secrets #highschoolromance #angst #highschooldrama #heartbreaking #emotional #bookhangover #allthefeels #intense

POV:Dual                    Life's unpredictable
Carter & Zoe

Vera, You can't seriously leave me hanging like that!

It was only a matter of weeks after Carter's mothers funeral when his father, Dominic, moved his new girlfriend, Erika, and her daughter, Zoe, into their house. Disgusted by his father's lack of empathy, respect for his mother's memory by bringing in these intruding gold diggers into their home. Carter watched his mother deteriorate, the once lively, loving person turn into a shell of herself. He didn't hold back on the insults, or his hatred for them.

It's just been Zoe and her mum since her father died when she was six. Her mum working whatever job she could get, moving from place to place, not settling down anywhere, saving what they can. They're not interested in Dominic's money in the sense that Carter is implying.
Her life changed when she and her mum move into Dominic and Carter's home. She can't believe how beautiful it is. It's like a dream. But Carter's attitude towards her and her mum is horrible.

With Carter and his friends, Prescott and Jackson being the popular guys at school, they're pretty much gods. Zoe manages to have one best friend, Summer, her family has worked for Jacksons family for a few generations, with that she's there on a scholarship along with her cousin, Jacob, who's on the basketball team. She also has a few friends on the cheer squad that she's captain of.

It doesn't take long for them to get together. But it's short lived, he's injured after saving a girl from a fire. Resulting in Carter suffering from amnesia. He doesn't remember the last 2 years. Doesn't remember his love or memories he has of Zoe. He just remembers the hatred for her and Erika. He's reverted back to his former self.
Zoe tries to help him, trys talking to him, to leaving notes for about his likes, dislikes, what their relationship was like etc. But he just throws it back in her face. To add to it, the girl Carter saved, Nora, from the fire has transferred to their school and got a spot on the cheer squad. Zoe can't hate her, maybe Nora's better suited for Carter than she is. It's hurting her more and more, she's getting to the point of giving up and letting him go. Maybe she is being pathetic thinking she can help him remember her, their memories together, their happiness. To think he was her everything. Now he's back to his old ways. Maybe she should move on. The push and pull between them is beginning to wear on her.

Will Carter come to his senses?
Will he repair his relationship with his father and Erika?
What's Nora up to? Mind you, the evil catty duo from the cheer squad have taken her under their wing, that's not good.
Will Brandon be caught?
Can Zoe turn her back on Carter for good?

The twist and turns, secrets coming to light.
My Kindle nearly landed in the freezer for Carter to have a time-out. The jerk!

This was another intense, push and pull, suspense, drama, rollercoaster of emotions from Miss Vera.
I love Zoe's character, she's fierce, braver than she thinks. Carter, as messed up as he is, I know where he's coming from. You just want to grab him and give him a good shake.
Loving the side characters. I would like more of Summer & Jackson, that'll be intriguing.

Now we wait (Im)patiently for the outcome.

*Arc provided for an honest review

[Renee · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author to review for Stephanie's Book Reports.

Carter Reese hated me from the moment Mom and I moved into his dad's house. Grief-stricken over the lose of his mother, he never accepted my mom as his dad's new girlfriend. He claimed we were intruders and never missed a chance to insult us. I wanted nothing to do with him. Neither of us counted on falling for the other. For a year and a half, he was the guy of my dreams. He was my lover, my best friend, my twinkling star. Everything was perfect. Until it wasn't. Memories work in funny ways, depending on the circumstances. One moment, they can be a source of great joy, and the next....they're just a painful reminder of happiness lost. Because when Carter was injured in an accident, he woke up missing all of his memories of the last two years, forgetting he ever loved me. Now he refuses to believe we are no longer enemies. HE refuses to let me be close to him. Now those memories only cause me pain. Despite that, I refuse to give up on our love and our memories. I've decided to fight for him.No matter how hard he tries to push me away, I'm going to how him we're meant to be. But I don't count on the scars his continuous insults create. And when our family dynamic shifts, I'm worried that not only have i irrevocably lost him, but there also might be serious consequences of his hate.

This book will contain some things that might be triggering for some readers. You will need to heed the warnings in the beginning of the book. This is also the first book in a duet and you are going to want to be prepared for the ending of this book.
Carter and Zoe are step siblings and he hates her and her mother and he is the bully of all bullies and treats them both horribly but especially Zoe. However things changed and these two had a relationship for a year and a half until it ended. However, now Carter has been in an accident and he has lost all his memories of the last two years. Which means he does not remember that he and Zoe had been everything to each other at one point. He is suddenly thrown back into the memories of his mother dying and the injustice he feels his father and Zoe's mom have caused him. There are twist and turns and a lot more to this story that what I am making it seem like too so it's not just as straightforward as I am making it seem. I was so angry for him. Where is his support in all of this? Why is he having to deal with this all one his own. Zoe is right there watching the man she loved basically implode and turn into the jerk he was before and I can't say that you aren't going to feel all the emotions in the world about some of these things. I actually was not the biggest fan of Zoe after Carter lost his memory. Come on girl. The man you think is the love of your life has lost his memory and all you can worry about is how mean he is being a jerk knowing good and well he doesn't have a clue that you once meant the world to him.If I had been through what Carter went through, then I would have some things to say to everyone that were not so nice. It is a sad story for sure and one that I hope takes a serious turn in the next book since this one is the first in a duet.

[The Dragon Den Book Blog · Rating 5 out of 5]

ARC Review of Shattered Memories by Vera Hollins
* * * * *
The beginning of a thrilling, drama-filled, chemistry-bubbling young romance that faces a terrible end...and it's only just the beginning.

Carter was Zoe's everything. When they first knew each other, moving in to his father's house and going to school, Carter made sure to make her life very difficult. He thought she and her mother were gold diggers, wanting nothing more than his father's money. Over time, he revealed his love for Zoe and thus bloomed a healthy and happy relationship.
That all came crashing down when he saves a girl from burning to death and Carter is injured from the rescue.
He has no recollection of the last two years.
Two important years.
Two years of his love for her. Their friendship. Their trust. Their memories. All gone.
Zoe now faces his hatred again, along with other challenges such as wicked and nasty teen girls and a creep who loves crossing boundaries to start a fight. Carter is sure to make sure he not only wants nothing to do with her, but that he hates her somehow even more than ever.
It seems like history is repeating itself.
He is disgusted by her...but he can't get her out of his head. He is jealous and constantly watching. He's talking to her and opening up, but then is guarded and aggressive. It's a whiplash of emotion and Zoe doesn't know how long she can keep on hoping.
Then, two massive twists and surprises - ones of happiness - just seem to make the situation with Carter worse.
Then one secret is revealed...and it threatens to tear everything apart.

I NEED THE NEXT BOOK NOW! Oh God! You cannot leave me hanging like that on that ending! I can't wait to see what Nora does next too after her last conversation with Zoe. I wonder what Carter's actions will lead to!

[Lauren Kapavitch · Rating 1 out of 5]

Can’t root for a whiny little shit stain who repeatedly calls the heroine’s mom a whore!!!!!
Let’s get fucking real here, shall we? What kind of respectable woman would pine and chase after an asshole who dared to call their mother a whore, not just once but several dozen times?
Be honest.
Answer: No woman would.
WTF was this author thinking? Seriously?
If any guy dared to call my mother such a disgusting name, I’d wipe the floor with his ass. Family, friend, love interest, stranger. It wouldn’t matter to me in the slightest. That’s your mom, you idiot. Have some fucking respect. Maybe I could understand if she was abusive or neglectful, but she wasn’t at all.
I have no respect for the ML, the FL, and the author for writing this shit.

I wish I could say this was the only thing wrong with the book. Not even close. This is just the most disgusting.
Well, along with the constant mention of the pathetic FL’s wet panties. She was written like a bitch in heat, all the damn time. So fucking ridiculous.
Newsflash: A woman doesn’t get wet every time she looks at a man. Do you understand how a woman’s reproductive system works? Have you ever taken a basic sex ed class? Read some pamphlets in your gyno office, maybe? Browse online articles written by Doctor’s about women’s sexual and reproductive heath?
Clearly, you haven’t.
It’s shameful really.

And for the love of God, how many times has this same weak ass tired plot been done before? Nothing new has been added to it. Same shit, different day.

What a train wreck.

[Misty (Reds Romance Reviews) · Rating 5 out of 5]

To Carter Reece she was the enemy, the daughter of the woman that took his mother away and then tried replacing her to become the happily little family. He had no interest in making nice, accepting them into his home, or making her feel welcome, she didn't belong and he wanted her gone. But with time and a few tense interactions the two found a comfortable existence, that eventually lead to more... then tragedy took everything away. Now they are at odds again, but their hearts won't let them let go of one another... it's an impossible situation that they don't think they can ever survive.

Shattered Memories is captivating and emotional tale that will do a number on your heart...it's well penned words will tear you up and leave you aching for more! I cannot wait to see what the second installment holds for these characters, their story is an emotional one that really took a toll and I can't imagine it getting any worse... I hope it doesn't anyway. They really need a little happy after that cliffy, it was brutal!

If you love a good intense and passionate enemies to lovers story than I have no doubt you'll love what you find between the pages here!! These two have the intense hate thing down pat, they also have the intense love thing mastered to... it's such a good story! Highly recommend!

I requested an advanced copy of this title from the publisher, and I am voluntarily leaving my honest and unbiased opinion.

[Shonna · Rating 5 out of 5]

Vera Hollins never ceases to amaze me with her fantastic story telling. As soon as she announced “shattered memories” was coming I just knew that I had to have this book. Let me assure you Vera Hollins did not disappoint “Shattered memories” is Vera Hollins best work to date!

Carter and Zoe started out as enemies. Carter had no interest in playing nice with Zoe or her mother as far as Carter is concerned they are taking his mothers rightful place in his home and he hates them for it. Carter and Zoe find themselves drawn to each other they have an undeniable attraction which they both can’t ignore any longer. When a terrible accident occurs they both find their world upside down and everything as they knew it was taken away from them.

I devoured this story. I was completely captivated and spellbound right from the very first page. “Shattered memories” is definitely an intense journey that will leave your stomach in knots. It’s full of twists and turns that you won’t see coming. The chemistry between Carter and Zoe is undeniable and you can’t help but root for these two soul mates. “Shattered Memories” was beautifully written and gives you ALL THE FEELS!! I definitely recommend you go in blind with this story and enjoy Carter and Zoe’s journey.

“Shattered Memories” ends on a cliff hanger and I am now left on tender hooks for the next instalment of their story. If you love enemies to lovers filled with angst then this story is definitely for you. Make sure you one-click this page turner. Vera Hollins blew me away with “shattered Memories” and I need more like I need my next breath!!!

HIGHLY RECOMMEND
FIVE STARS ⭐️ ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Only.ever.books · Rating 5 out of 5]

💔Shattered Memories💔

By Vera Hollins

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Feelings: ❤️5/5 💔4/5 😭4/5


Very deeply emotional


My heart hurt for Carter and Zoe. The question of how deep and real feelings were when you become nothing more than a distant memory.

I think the character of Carter was the one I rooted the most for. After what happened to him he wasn’t given the support he should have gotten. I rooted for him for happiness, love and all good. He suffered the most. The people surrounding him were very difficult to like for me, except Zoe, in a way. She cared for those she loves, but her bond with her mother was not one I think was healthy. Zoe sometimes seemed to have blinders on with her. More like she was the mother, and did not want to see her mistakes.

Sure, Carter stuck in the past that is his reality but his feelings were totally understandable. Everyone is in the here and now, but for him it is the worst time of his life, again. He forgot everything, every progress that was made, every feeling. And that is where I feel very sorry for Zoe, because she hasn’t forgotten what it’s like to be with him. 

I am sad for their lost love, but there was more to them, because of the way Carter saw Zoe throughout the story.