By Colleen Hoover
from goodreads:
At twenty-two years old, Sydney is enjoying a great life: She's in college, working a steady job, in love with her wonderful boyfriend, Hunter, and rooming with her best friend, Tori. But everything changes when she discovers that Hunter is cheating on her; and she's forced to decide what her next move should be.
Soon, Sydney finds herself captivated by her mysterious and attractive neighbor, Ridge. She can't take her eyes off him or stop listening to the passionate way he plays his guitar every evening out on his balcony. And there's something about Sydney that Ridge can't ignore, either. They soon find themselves needing each other in more ways than one.
It’s her birthday, Sydney find out her boyfriend is cheating on her with
her roommate, she loses her job and is now homeless. She’s lost and
heartbroken, she definitely is not expecting Ridge to offer her shelter, after all,
they had only known each other for two weeks. The inevitable happens and they
start developing feelings for each other. But Ridge has a girlfriend, Maggie,
who he loves very, very much.
I was hesitant to pick up this book.
I’ve heard amazing things about
Colleen Hoover but I’ve been so disappointed with New Adult lately, I haven’t
found a book I actually liked in a long time. I was utterly surprised to have
enjoyed this book as much as I did. I read it in one sitting, I couldn’t put it
down and ended up staying awake until 5 a.m. so I could finish it.
The plot itself was something I was not expecting. This is not a cutesy
contemporary, there’s so much hurt, self-doubting and confusion that I’m having
trouble putting it into words. It portraits heartache and love in such a way
that I could feel it like it was me in that situation. I was so emerged in this
story that I was hurting alongside the characters.
Both Sydney and Ridge are confused. They don’t know how to deal with the
feelings they have for one another. Ridge is loyal to his girlfriend and feels
guilty for developing feelings for Sydney. Sydney doesn’t want to be a Tori,
she doesn’t want to hurt other people like Tory hurt her. They soon find themselves
trapped in this bubble of love, confusion, guilt and desire, and this is what
makes these characters so real. Sometimes in books the characters have it all
figured out, there’s no doubt or confusion. They know exactly what they want,
who they want and what they need. Yet, that’s not how it works in real life. In
reality we are all like Sydney and Ridge trying to make sense of something nobody
really understands.
I am making this book sound really depressing. And although it does have
its depressing moments, there are also fun ones. Ridge’s roommates are always
playing pranks at one another and making stupid jokes. I loved Sydney and
Warren’s (Ridge’s best friend and roommate) relationship. Warren was such a
reliable and strong character. He was always there when things went wrong,
supporting whoever needs him.
The only reason I gave it 4/5 stars and not 5 was because of some of the
cheesy moments. I’m not a cheesy person, and there are some moments that are
too cheesy for me. I could never find certain moments that are presented
romantic.
This heartbreaking novel will definitely tear up your heart, make you
cry and laugh and take you into an emotional journey you will never forget. I recommend
this book to everyone who likes contemporary. Although it is considered new
adult, there’s not as much mature content as the NA books I’ve read so far and
I think it is appropriate to anyone who is 16+.
