BLURB
Stone Reeves was my neighbour, and I've hated him since sixth grade.
Gorgeous and charismatic, he became the town's football god, while I became the town's invisible girl.
He went to a Division 1 school for football, while my father was fired by his father.
His team won the National Championship, while my mother died the same day.
He was a first round pick for the NFL ...
... while I made the worst decision of my life.
Now I'm in Texas trying to pick up the pieces of my life.
But, Stone is here.
Stone is everywhere.
It doesn't matter that disaster has struck my life again.
It doesn't matter that he's the one trying to console me.
It doesn't matter that he's the nation's newest football obsession.
Because for me, he always has been and always will be my enemy.
REVIEW
I absolutely loved this book. I had to read it twice before writing this review because I just had to wrap my head around the epic-ness of this book.
After reading 'Teardrop Shot' I was completely excited for another Tijan book. I love Tijan (ever since the 'Fallen Crest' series) and I was happy she could keep the momentum going.
From the blurb, I was intrigued. I needed to see how this enemies-to-lovers played out. Dusty and Stone's story was the perfect enemies to lovers romance.
From the first chapter, you knew Dusty was already going through some tough stuff. Her mum has passed, she's basically broke and her roommates are assholes. Then a few chapters in, when she feels she can keep living, something completely devastating happens- and what's worse, the person delivering the news is her nemesis- Stone.
This, of course, causes Dusty to completely lose her shit, but guess who's there to make her feel better- Stone Reeves.
Stone, Stone, STONE. I loved him. You could tell he genuinely cared for Dusty and wanted to help her grieve. He was an asshole at times, but for the most part he held her through her breakdowns and was strong when she couldn't be. He was perfect.
Dusty, however was quite the stubborn heroine. I mean that's understandable considering she hates the guy and wouldn't want anything to do with him. She definitely did not make it easy for Stone when he tried to help her. She fought him tooth and nail even though sometimes she did concede.
The important thing about this love story is that their relationship did not progress too fast. When you're grieving it is very easy to be dependent on the person that is with you and helping you through the process.
Sometimes, and you get so wrapped up in them, you forget about the self healing you need to do.
When Dusty caught herself falling into Stone, rather than falling for him, she took a step back (although she may not have done this in the best way) and allowed herself to self heal. And although she definitely still needed Stone to make her feel better, I still appreciate the intention behind her actions.
This book really highlights the struggle of dealing with grief and the importance of finding strength when all hope seems lost. Yes there were definitely steamy scenes, but it did not take away from what I felt was the important messages behind the novel. It is definitely a personal favourite that I will definitely re-read.
My Rating: 5 STARS
My Recommendations:
Teardrop Shot -Tijan
Ryan's Bed -Tijan
I really hope you guys like this one.
Happy reading! xo
E