Review: The Midnight Library (Matt Haig)

The Midnight Library
Author: Matt Haig

Narrator: Carey Mulligan
Publication Date: September 29, 2020

Publisher: Penguin Audio
Genre: Fiction, Magical Realism

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Between life and death there is a library, and within that library, the shelves go on forever. Every book provides a chance to try another life you could have lived. To see how things would be if you had made other choices . . . Would you have done anything different, if you had the chance to undo your regrets?”

A dazzling novel about all the choices that go into a life well lived, from the internationally bestselling author of Reasons to Stay Alive and How To Stop Time.

Somewhere out beyond the edge of the universe there is a library that contains an infinite number of books, each one the story of another reality. One tells the story of your life as it is, along with another book for the other life you could have lived if you had made a different choice at any point in your life. While we all wonder how our lives might have been, what if you had the chance to go to the library and see for yourself? Would any of these other lives truly be better?

In The Midnight Library, Matt Haig’s enchanting new novel, Nora Seed finds herself faced with this decision. Faced with the possibility of changing her life for a new one, following a different career, undoing old breakups, realizing her dreams of becoming a glaciologist; she must search within herself as she travels through the Midnight Library to decide what is truly fulfilling in life, and what makes it worth living in the first place.


I am late to the party with The Midnight Library. I’ve seen reviews of it in a lot of places since it was released, but I had kind of forgotten about it until recently. I started listening to it without having read the blurb to remind me what it was about, so I basically went in blind. I don’t think I would have been prepared for this book even if I had read the blurb because it’s a much heavier book than I get from it.

The Midnight Library is the story of Nora Seed. Nora has been through several traumatic events and decides she doesn’t want to live anymore. Her choice has her arriving at the Midnight Library to reflect upon her regrets and find out what might have happened had she made different choices. With each life she tries on, she learns new things about herself and the choices she made in her life.

The despair and depression Nora felt was all encompassing. I understood how she got to where she was in life, but I still hoped things would turn around for her. All of her different lives were really interesting. I loved the insights into her choices and the outcomes. I also loved how philosophy and quotes from philosophers were woven in. The progression of this story was really cool and special. The emotional impact was huge. Haig is a talented writer and storyteller. This may have been my first book by Haig, but it certainly won’t be my last.

CW: Suicide

Review: The Way I Am Now (Amber Smith)

The Way I Am Now
Series: The Way I Used to Be, #2
Author: Amber Smith
Publication Date: November 7, 2023
Publisher: Margaret K. McElderry Books
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary Romance, Fiction
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Eden and Josh decide to give their relationship another chance in this much anticipated sequel to the New York Times bestseller The Way I Used to Be that explores how to move forward after trauma—in life and in love.

Eden and Josh never had a fair shot at a healthy relationship. When they dated in high school, they each had their own problems getting in the way of the deep connection they felt toward one another. Unbeknownst to Josh, Eden was carrying the burden of a devastating sexual assault, while Josh was dealing with his own private struggle of having an alcoholic father.

Months after Eden and two other girls publicly accuse their rapist, Eden is starting college while her case goes to trial. Now when she and Josh reconnect, it seems like it might finally be in the right place at the right time for them to make it work. But is their love strong enough to withstand the challenges and chaos of college and the crushing realities of a trial that will determine whether Eden gets the justice she deserves?


Amber Smith’s The Way I Used to Be was a powerful, tragic, devastating, and haunting debut. The impact that book had on me when I read it… When I saw Smith was going to be releasing a sequel, I was both excited and a little nervous. I wanted to find out how Eden and Josh were doing, while at the same time I was worried about where they would be.

I didn’t need to be nervous. Smith continued Eden’s and Josh’s journey in way that felt true to them and the original book. Nothing felt easy but everything felt right. They had a lot of ups and downs, a lot of wins and some losses. I loved seeing hope and love grow in and between them. This was a tough book to read at times but also a very rewarding one. I’m so happy Smith gave us a chance to find out what came next. It was worth every uncomfortable and sad moment for the happy ones.

Review: The Plus One (Mazey Eddings)

The Plus One
Series: A Brush with Love, #3
Author: Mazey Eddings

Publication Date: April 4, 2023
Publisher: St. Martin’s Griffin
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Synopsis:

What starts out as a fake wedding date turns into something these childhood enemies never expected in The Plus One, a sparkling romantic comedy by Mazey Eddings.

She’s not looking to fix him. She’s looking to love him, if he’ll let her in.

Some facts are indisputable. The sun rises in the east, sets in the west. Gravity exists. Indira doesn’t like Jude. Jude doesn’t like Indira. But what happens when these childhood enemies find the only thing they can rely on is each other?

On paper, Indira has everything together. An amazing job, a boyfriend, and a car. What more could a late twenty-something ask for? But when she walks in on her boyfriend in an amorous embrace with a stranger, that perfect on paper image goes up in flames.

Jude has nothing together. A doctor that’s spent the last three years traveling the world to treat emergencies and humanitarian crises, a quick trip home for his best friend’s wedding has him struggling to readjust.

Thrust into an elaborate (and ridiculously drawn out) wedding event that’s stressing Jude beyond belief and has Indira seeing her ex and his new girlfriend far more frequently than any human should endure, the duo strike a bargain to be each other’s fake dates to this wedding from hell. The only problem is, their forced proximity and fake displays of affection are starting to feel a bit…real, and both are left grappling with the idea that a situation that couldn’t be worse, is made a little better with the other around.


I’m just going to say it. This book was a lot. That’s not a bad thing. There were so many emotions. Indira and Jude were going through some big things and while those things were heavy, Eddings still managed to make this book feel light. That’s impressive.

Despite being a psychiatrist, Indira had baggage to work through. She was fresh off a breakup and being involved in all the things for her brother’s upcoming wedding was not what she wanted because said ex was part of the festivities. I liked Indira. The war she had within herself between being a psychiatrist and not feeling like she had it together herself was interesting. I loved how she “saw” Jude when everyone around them didn’t.

Jude was actually my favorite character. He was dealing with PTSD from a job he thought he could easily step into. The way he fought dealing with his feelings was very emotional and I constantly worried about him while reading. I loved how Indira was his calm in the storm.

Jude and Indira’s relationship started out as childhood enemies not wanting to deal with each other while living together. They quickly found refuge and safety with each other. Their journey from enemies to a fake relationship to a real one was full of so many tender moments. Those were my favorite times, when they were supporting each other. I loved them together.

I know I’ve made this book sound heavy. It was, but there were so many fun moments to lighten it up. Indira’s friendships from the previous books in this series brought levity, as did her brother and his fiancé. There was just enough to keep me smiling and even laughing between the tough times. I don’t really have anything to complain about other than wishing it was written in first person, but the third worked well enough. I enjoyed reading The Plus One.

Review: Ricochet (Krista & Becca Ritchie)

Ricochet
Series: Addicted, #2
Authors: Krista & Becca Ritchie

Publication Date: October 18, 2022 (Original publication date: August 1, 2013)
Publisher: Berkley
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary Romance, Fiction
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis: 

As a sex addict, Lily Calloway must do the impossible. Stay celibate for 90 days.

Cravings and fantasies become her new routine, but while Loren Hale recovers from his alcohol addiction, Lily wonders if he’ll realize what a monster she really is. After all, her sexual compulsions begin to rule her life the longer she stays faithful to him.

Progress. That’s what Lily’s striving for. But by trying to become closer to her family—people who aren’t aware of her addiction—she creates larger obstacles. When she spends time with her youngest sister, she learns more about her than she ever imagined and senses an unsettling connection between Daisy and Ryke Meadows.

With Lily and Lo’s dysfunctional relationship teetering and unbalanced, they will need to find a way to reconnect from miles apart. But the inability to “touch” proves to be one of the hardest tests on their road to recovery. Some love brushes the surface. Some love is deeper than skin.

Lily and Lo have three months to discover just how deep their love really goes.


I’m going to start this review a little backwards since this book was originally self-published in 2013 and is now almost ten years later is going to be traditionally published with bonus content. It’s that bonus content I’m going to start with. If you have already read or own Ricochet and are looking forward to a lot of new bonus content, you’re not going to get it. The bonus content is short collection of letters. It is fun, but just a few pages. I was expecting more. Maybe I shouldn’t have been since this book is really a novella.

Okay. Now here’s my original review for Ricochet. I thought I might need to make some changes from when I originally wrote this review, but it stood up in my reread of this book.

Gosh. This book was a(nother) heartbreaker. Seriously. Poor Lily. She’s dealing with so much in Ricochet. Lo’s left for rehab, and she’s alone with her addiction. His absence is tearing her apart, but she knows his recovery is a matter of life or death. Now she has to believe in herself and lean on Rose, Connor and Ryke when she needs help.

I have to admit Ricochet was stressful to read. I had anxiety right along with Lily. The authors’ portrayal of her addiction and all that went with it was so raw and emotional. I kept having to give myself little breaks to recover from everything I was feeling before I could read more. I just felt so awful for her. I feel weird saying I enjoyed getting this view into Lily’s personality and addiction, but I did. It definitely helped me understand her better.

Ricochet wasn’t all depressing. The few interactions between Lo and Lily were so sweet. And there were so many fun moments between some of the other characters! I loved the tension between the two smarty-pants Rose and Connor. The love-hate thing they had going on was cute. Daisy and Ryke were fun, too. Despite their age difference putting me on edge, I loved their flirty banter. There was also a touching moment when Ryke comes to Lily’s aid.

Overall, Ricochet was the perfect bridge between Addicted to You and Addicted for Now. It strengthened my love for all of the characters, their relationships and made me excited for the next book.

Review: Prodigal Son (Jay Crownover)

Prodigal Son
Series: The Forever Marked, #2
Author: Jay Crownover

Publication Date: January 12, 2022
Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Synopsis:

When she was a little girl, Remy Archer fell in love with Hyde Fuller at first sight. In fact, he was the only thing she could see for a very long time. For Remy, it never mattered to her that Hyde was always too serious and always seemed so sad. To her, he was the very best, and the center of her entire world. She never dreamed he would let her down when she needed him the most.

Now Remy is a semi-reasonable adult, one with a better understanding of why her intense feelings scared Hyde away when she was at her lowest point. She’s moved on, and if anyone asks, she’s perfectly happy with the chaotic and hectic life she’s built. She’s also really proud that she’s still around to experience all the best and worst that surviving something deeply traumatic has to offer. The last thing she needs or wants, is Hyde coming back and taking over her every thought and feeling the way he once did. Unfortunately, they picked the exact same time to come home to search for a little redemption.

When he was a little boy, the instant they met, Hyde Fuller wanted nothing more than to protect Remy Archer from everything, including herself. She gleefully took up every moment of his free time, and every ounce of his patience, as they grew alongside one another. He was so intent on keeping her safe, he didn’t realize how deeply Remy had worked her way into his heart.

Now that Hyde’s facing the biggest challenge and biggest change of his entire life, he deeply regrets walking away from Remy. She was always the one person who always had his back, no matter what. The way Remy loved him used to terrify him, but now, it’s the way he loves her that scares him to death.
Hyde knows he needs Remy in his life, so he can finally figure out how to be the man she always believed him to be. History has a bad habit of repeating itself, and Remy has a knack for turning even the simplest of situations end over end. This time Hyde is determined to stay by her side no matter what, even though his love for Remy is going to change more than his life this time around.


I had SO MANY questions about Remy and Hyde after Fortunate Son and Jay Crownover answered. I wasn’t expecting what Prodigal Son gave me. It was a heavy romance due to the nature of the characters’ lives, but it was also sweet and passionate. Crownover crafted it with love, and I could feel that shining through.

The biggest surprise to me was what both Remy and Hyde were going through at the beginning in just the prologue. It was heavy stuff, and I hated the way it effected their friendship and drove them apart for eight years. I was sad for them, BUT I loved how they both matured over that time to get to the point where we got a best friends second chance romance. There was a lot for Remy and Hyde to work out together and apart. Not only were they starting a new romance, but they had to build back their friendship. Remy had to balance the changes with her mental health and Hyde was a single father with a baby. Those are two big things to be dealing with in one book. I appreciated the way Crownover handled both. 

I loved Remy and Hyde together. Their romance wasn’t easy, but all those bumps just made it sweeter. The support they gave each other and that their families gave them touched me deeply. (Yes, we get to see some old and new favorites!) There was only one thing I wanted more of from this book: time with Remy and Hyde as a couple and family unit. I guess I just wanted to know more about how Remy balanced life within their relationship as it went along and how Hyde (and Hollyn) dealt with it.

So, yeah. I loved reading this book. Jay Crownover took me on emotional journey that brought two new favorite characters to life. I can’t wait to read the books she gives Zowen and Daire. I don’t care which one comes first. I just want to read them!

CW: The author has included a note at the beginning of this book that includes trigger warnings. 

Review: Little Lies (H. Hunting)

Little Lies
Author: H. Hunting (Helena Hunting)
Publication Date: November 16, 2020
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Sports Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ½

Synopsis:

I don’t want you.
You mean nothing to me.
I never loved you.

I turned my words into swords.
And I cut her down. Shoved the blade in and watched her fall.

I said I’d never hurt her, and I did.

Years later, I’m faced with all the little lies, the untruths, the false realities, the damage I inflicted, when all I wanted was to indulge my obsession.

Lavender Waters is the princess in the tower. Even her name is the thing fairy tales are made of.

I used to be the one who saved her.
Over and over again.

But I don’t want to save her anymore.
I just want to pretend the lies are still the truth.

A standalone angsty new adult romance.

Heroine: Lavender Waters (Alex and Violet Waters’ youngest daughter, PUCKED and FOREVER PUCKED couple origin, Pucked Series )

Hero: Kodiak (Kody) Bowman (Rook and Lainey Bowman’s son, A LIE FOR A LIE couple origin, All In Series )


Pucked/All In crossover romance? I know fans of Helena Hunting’s hockey romance series are going to be lining up for this book. I was super excited to read it myself. I’m happy to report that Little Lies didn’t disappoint.

Little Lies wasn’t a romantic comedy like those previous series. It was edgier. There was more angst and a darker vibe. I guess that’s why Hunting felt the need to go with “H. Hunting” instead of “Helena Hunting”. (I’m not sold on this being a great move since this book is combining two of Helena Hunting’s series, but whatever.) It still brought forth a few chuckles, though.  I loved both the writing, the story, and all the children of the couples I have loved over the years.

Lavender Waters was a character I was excited to learn more about. I really liked her character in this book. I could remember a few details from her childhood from the previous books, but I liked getting further into her backstory. It wasn’t exactly a troubled one, but it kind of was. Anxiety was a huge factor in this book, and I liked how it was dealt with.

Kodiak Bowman started out not being my favorite guy, but the more I got to learn about him, the more I understood him. Finding out how intertwined Lavender and Kodiak were as kids helped a lot. I have to admit loving the flashbacks of their childhood and trying to figure out how they got to being enemies the way they were currently. Plus, it made things even sweeter when enemies turned to more. I ended up finding the two of them perfect together and very adorable. I do have to admit that the physical aspect of their relationship sort of shocked me, but considering there’s a relation to both Alex & Violet Waters and Rook & Lainey Bowman maybe I shouldn’t have been?

One of my favorite things about this book were all the sibling/cousin/friend relationships. The Pucked and All In series created a bunch of children to throw into the mix. Seeing how those kids’ relationships morphed throughout the years was so much fun! I loved Lavender and River’s relationships. They all just added an extra layer to the drama that went down between Lavender and Kodiak. Plus, the parents make some cool cameos.

I’m really, really hoping Little Lies is a start to a new series by Hunting. I would LOVE for each and every one of the kids to get a book. There’s great potential for some great romances. I have a feeling I would enjoy them just as much as I enjoyed Lavender and Kodiak’s romance.

Review: My Crazy (Sick) Love (Drica Pinotti)

My Crazy (Sick) Love
Author: Drica Pinotti
Publication Date: March 14, 2019
Publisher: Adriana Da Silva Gomes
Genre: Women’s Fiction, Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ½

Synopsis:

Amanda Loeb is a single, intelligent New York City attorney coming up on the eve of her thirtieth birthday. With a stable job, circle of supportive friends, and close relationships with her mother and sister one detail sets Amanda apart from others – she is a hypochondriac. Her medicine cabinet is home to a stock of medications sourced from an actively managed A-Z list of the best doctors in NYC. When Amanda meets Brian Marshall, a handsome and charismatic restaurant owner, her heart beats in undiagnosable somersaults. As their relationship develops Amanda learns the intricacies and complications love brings may be the cure-all ‘pill’ she needs to free herself from the affliction – for the rest of her life.


My Crazy (Sick) Love exhausted me. One of the reasons I read it was because I was curious about Amanda’s hypochondria. I know I have had moments where I was filled with anxiety and worried that something was wrong with me, so I thought it would be easy to relate to. I was also curious how this mental illness would work in a romance. Unfortunately, it didn’t work all that well for me in this case. Amanda’s suffering was completely overwhelming. Her thoughts took over the whole story and made it hard to focus on any other aspect of it. I didn’t find anything about it humorous.

That’s not to say that writing wasn’t good. I thought it was very good and felt like it was well researched. I also really liked Brian’s character. My Crazy (Sick) Love might just be one of those books that works better for others than it did for me.

Review: The Other Side (Kim Holden)

The Other Side
Author: Kim Holden
Publication Date: June 5, 2019
Publisher: Do Epic LLC
Genre: Young Adult, Fiction, Mental Health, Historical Fiction, Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

Denver, Colorado
1987

There are two sides to every story.
The surface reality that’s presented to the world.
And then there’s the other side.
The real one.
The one that matters.

Seventeen-year-old, self-proclaimed asshole, Toby Page, is alone.
No friends.
No family.
He trades maintenance work in exchange for room and board.
Every day he fights demons no one else can see.
Every day he wants to give up.
But he can’t.
Not yet.

When Alice Eliot moves in downstairs, she offers Toby some light in his dark world.
At a crossroads and barely hanging on, it’s hard to have perspective.
It’s difficult to see your own worth when you’re the villain in your story.
Luckily for Toby, Alice brings things out in him that no one else ever has.

As the two sides of Toby’s story are revealed, and the full reality comes into view, truth is gained.
Improbable alliances prove that kindness is fundamentally human.
Unlikely heroes emerge.

The question is, Will it all be enough to save him?


When I have to answer the dreaded “What’s your favorite book?” question, I always respond with Bright Side by Kim Holden. There hasn’t been a book since I read Bright Side that has affected me as much. I’m telling you this for a couple of reasons. One, so you know how brilliant of a writer Kim Holden is. Two, because while The Other Side wasn’t exactly another Bright Side, it just as impactful and even more important.

The Other Side is a story about a young man living with suicidal thoughts. I am not going to go anymore into the plot because it’s one of those books you have to read for yourself. (There are some amazing surprises in store!) What I will say is that I was impressed with the story Kim Holden told and the way it was delivered. It definitely made me think about my daily actions, the people around me, and the people I come in contact with. It’s truly one of those stories that young adults (and adults) need to read. I loved what this book gave to me, and I want it to give even more to others.

Review: Serious Moonlight (Jenn Bennett)

Serious Moonlight
Author: Jenn Bennett
Publication Date: April 16, 2019
Publisher: Simon Pulse
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Rating: ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

After an awkward first encounter, Birdie and Daniel are forced to work together in a Seattle hotel where a famous author leads a mysterious and secluded life in this romantic contemporary novel from the author of Alex, Approximately.

Mystery-book aficionado Birdie Lindberg has an overactive imagination. Raised in isolation and homeschooled by strict grandparents, she’s cultivated a whimsical fantasy life in which she plays the heroic detective and every stranger is a suspect. But her solitary world expands when she takes a job the summer before college, working the graveyard shift at a historic Seattle hotel.

In her new job, Birdie hopes to blossom from introverted dreamer to brave pioneer, and gregarious Daniel Aoki volunteers to be her guide. The hotel’s charismatic young van driver shares the same nocturnal shift and patronizes the waterfront Moonlight Diner where she waits for the early morning ferry after work. Daniel also shares her appetite for intrigue, and he’s stumbled upon a real-life mystery: a famous reclusive writer—never before seen in public—might be secretly meeting someone at the hotel.

To uncover the writer’s puzzling identity, Birdie must come out of her shell…discovering that the most confounding mystery of all may be her growing feelings for the elusive riddle that is Daniel.


Serious Moonlight is a really hard book for me to review. I wanted to love it, but I didn’t. It started with my having a hard time getting into the story and connecting with the main character, Birdie. I didn’t like her all that much in the beginning. Birdie was big on avoidance and self-centered. Both are understandable teenage traits; it was just hard to for me to read about over and over again. Plus, it took a longer time that I expected for Birdie and Daniel to connect and get the story really going. I didn’t feel connected to Birdie, Daniel, or the story until about halfway through.

Why didn’t connect as quickly as I would have liked? I’m going to blame it on the setting of Seattle. I can tell from both this book and her author’s note that Jenn Bennett has a big love for the city of Seattle. I love that, but Seattle was a character and not a setting in this book. Serious Moonlight felt more like a random tour through Seattle than a story set there. I feel qualified to say this since I have lived in a suburb in between Seattle and Tacoma pretty much my entire life. It’s not that I don’t like reading about the Space Needle, Benaroya Hall, or Safeco Field (which no one in Seattle calls “the Safe” other than the newscasters and is now T-Mobile Park). I do. It just felt like there was a lot of name dropping of sites that took away from what was actually happening. 18-year-old Bridie, who was supposed to be sheltered and lived on Bainbridge Island, knew a lot more about the hidden parts of Seattle than I knew at that age. I also had issue with Birdie referencing something like June Gloom. I don’t ever remember hearing that term before. I had to Google it to make sure it was a thing. Washingtonians don’t talk about June Gloom. We just know that the rain and cloudy weather starts the end of October, and we don’t expect sun until after the Fourth of July. Maybe someone with less Seattle knowledge wouldn’t be as bothered by it all as I was. (I know I am not the only one who has felt this way. I have read reviews by other people who have lived in WA, and they felt the same about some of this stuff.)

I started connecting more with the characters and their story when they started connecting. When Birdie stopped avoiding Daniel and they developed a friendship, I became interested. It’s then that I found the mystery they were on the quest to solve interesting. It was then that I started caring about Birdie and her narcolepsy, Daniel and his secrets, Birdie’s relationships with Mona… I could go on and on. Everything interested me after that. I ended up enjoying the second half of the book rather than wanting to abandon it. I’m happy I stuck with it and kept reading because there were a lot of good things in it.

Would I recommend reading Serious Moonlight? Yes. It wasn’t my favorite Jenn Bennett book, but there is a story worth reading in its pages.

Review: Saving Me (Sadie Allen)

Saving Me
Author: Sadie Allen
Publication Date: February 21, 2018
Genre: Mature YA Romance
Note: This review is for an ARC and is my unbiased opinion.

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Synopsis:

On the outside, Ally has everything any teenager could want. She’s beautiful, popular, and athletic. She has the right friends, an adoring boyfriend, and the picture-perfect family. 

Too bad it’s all a lie.
 
Every day she’s dying a little on the inside, drowning in everyone’s expectations and opinions, the weight of it all pulling her under. 
 
She wants to do the unthinkable … until a boy with shaggy hair, unusual eyes, and a lip ring changes her plans.

Ally has always been the best. She’s popular. She’s the best hurdler on the track team. She has the the boyfriend every girl desires. Life should be easy, but it’s not. Her life is driven by the pressure of her peers and parents — until an injury sidelines her from the track team. The carefully crafted life she was living falls apart in one big swoop. Tired of living a life she doesn’t want; Ally makes some desperate decisions.

I was impressed when I read Sadie Allen’s début novel. I am even more impressed by her second novel, Saving Me. It was beautifully written and packed with emotion. Being a teenager is hard. Sadie Allen showed just how hard it can be. She also showed how the kindness of others can change the course of a life, and how important having supportive friends (and family) is.

The only thing I would have liked to have seen in Saving Me was a greater focus on the feelings Ally felt at the beginning of the book. She was being so drastic, but those feelings seemed to greatly lessen so quickly.

Overall, Saving Me was a great YA novel. It was so much more than just another contemporary romance. I would recommend it to readers who enjoy books by Tijan, Ginger Scott or other authors who tackle deep issues.