Book Review: The Beast by J.R. Ward

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The Beast
Black Dagger Brotherhood #14
Author: J.R. Ward
Reading Level: Adult
Genre: Paranormal Romance
Release Date: April 5th 2016
Review Source: NAL

Rhage and Mary return in a new novel of the Black Dagger Brotherhood, a series “so popular, I don’t think there’s a reader today who hasn’t at least heard of [it]” (USA Today).
Nothing is as it used to be for the Black Dagger Brotherhood. After avoiding war with the Shadows, alliances have shifted and lines have been drawn. The slayers of the Lessening Society are stronger than ever, preying on human weakness to acquire more money, more weapons, more power. But as the Brotherhood readies for an all-out attack on them, one of their own fights a battle within himself…

For Rhage, the Brother with the biggest appetites, but also the biggest heart, life was supposed to be perfect—or at the very least, perfectly enjoyable. Mary, his beloved shellan, is by his side and his King and his brothers are thriving. But Rhage can’t understand—or control—the panic and insecurity that plague him…

And that terrifies him—as well as distances him from his mate. After suffering mortal injury in battle, Rhage must reassess his priorities—and the answer, when it comes to him, rocks his world...and Mary’s. But Mary is on a journey of her own, one that will either bring them closer together or cause a split that neither will recover from...

So here we are, another day, another Black Dagger Brotherhood book. I was looking forward to reading The Beast (Black Dagger Brotherhood #14) by J.R. Ward for so long. Not only do I look forward to any BDB book, but I loves me some Rhage, so I was so excited when this was released. I immediately jumped right into it as soon as it arrived on my Nook. As fans of the series know this was Rhage’s second book (J.R. Ward has begun a second round of books in the series about each character) and we were now moving a step up in his relationship with his shellan (term for a vampire’s wife in the series) Mary, and their desire to have a family.

I will admit in the first quarter of the book I was a little underwhelmed, which totally bummed me out because I absolutely love this series. It/Rhage just came across as so melancholy in tone. Rhage who is our usual goofball was being a total downer and we didn’t really know why. The reason is revealed thankfully not too far into the book, but it still gave me cause to feel a little disconnected to the characters and the plot at first. Then we were also introduced to yet another sub-plot. I have to also admit that all the additional sub-plots that have popped up into this series in the last few books have been exhausting and rather annoying. The reason I loved the first go round of this series was because they focused on the brothers so much. Yes, there were the Lessers (the evil army they are fighting a war against), but we got to spend so much time with the brothers in those original books. Then J.R. Ward started adding sub-plots. Okay, I can handle a new sub-plot in each book to keep things new, fresh and interesting, but in this book alone I counted at least four additional sub-plots on top of the Rhage and Mary storyline. The jumping around to different characters and scenarios was giving me whiplash.

With that said I did feel like once I got past the first quarter of the book things really started to get interesting and much, much better. The sub-plot with the character Assail (which at first I couldn’t stand) actually really got good, whereas I could have done without the one with the human girl and the reporter. The story with Layla had its good and bad parts for me. I’m over the whole thing with her and Xcor being dragged out. It has been dragging out over several books now already. It’s like let something happen to bring this thing front and center or just forget about it. I’m slowly getting over it and I don’t want to because I think it could play out to be a really juicy bit.

I don’t want to give away details because that would obviously just ruin it for you. I still think it is a must read book. I love this series and no matter what I will continue with it until the end. This book wasn’t bad at all, like I said it really did pick up and I got super into it after the initial first few chapters, I just wish J.R. Ward would concentrate on the sub-plots she has already started instead of adding new ones with each book and then dragging out the old ones forever. I mean, if she doesn’t start taking care of what is already there while adding new ones, we are going to end up with 100 sub-plots in the upcoming books and the chapters about the actual brothers will be almost nonexistent. This is the Black Dagger Brotherhood series and I would like to focus back more on them.

Overall I give this particular book four stars. Again, I loved the book, I love Rhage, I just wish there had been more about just him and not so much on other characters who aren’t brothers.

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I agree with Pauline 100% when it comes to what she said about The Beast. I was "bored" with the 1st half of the book in a sense. I'm use to so much with these Vampires and Ward took a calm route with the beginning of The Beast. All the sub-plots and secondary characters I could really do without sometimes. I was expecting more about Rhage and his Mary and I didn't get it till sometime after the half way mark of the book. And that's when the magic happened. What I love about Ward and BDB was strong in the second half of the book and at this point I could not put the book down for a second. So this is why I agree with Pauline also in giving the book a 4 star rating. And as always, can't wait for the next installment in this BDB world.

Book Review: Dangerous Lies by Becca Fitzpatrick + Giveaway

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Dangerous Lies
Author: Becca Fitzpatrick
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genre: Contemporary/Thriller
Released: November 10 2015
Review Source: Simon & Schuster

A teen is forced to make a fresh start after witnessing a violent crime—but love and danger find her anyway in this novel from Becca Fitzpatrick, the New York Times bestselling author of the Hush, Hush saga.

Stella Gordon is not her real name. Thunder Basin, Nebraska, is not her real home. This is not her real life.

After witnessing a lethal crime, Stella Gordon is sent to the middle of nowhere for her own safety before she testifies against the man she saw kill her mother’s drug dealer.

But Stella was about to start her senior year with the boyfriend she loves. How can she be pulled away from the only life she knows and expected to start a new one in Nebraska? Stella chafes at her protection and is rude to everyone she meets. She’s not planning on staying long, so why be friendly? Then she meets Chet Falconer and it becomes harder to keep her guard up, even as her guilt about having to lie to him grows.

As Stella starts to feel safer, the real threat to her life increases—because her enemies are actually closer than she thinks…

Estella was a witness to a crime. Estella's life has now been uprooted as she's been placed in witness protection as she deals with testifying against one of the biggest men in the drug cartel ring. Adjusting to a new life she isn't familiar with, and learning to live with the lies she has to feed to those around her, isn't exactly how she wants to be spending her summer before she turns 18.

Becca Fitzpatrick has done it again. She has written a story that had me engrossed from the minute I picked it up. I admit that I feel a soft spot for Becca. When I first started reviewing for Once Upon A Twilight the first book I read that I thoroughly enjoyed was Black Ice by Becca. And since then I have read all of her books and I do love them all - so when I started Dangerous Lies I was worried that I wouldn't enjoy it, but I should've had faith and known that Becca would not let me down!

The premise of the story is great - I have a few qualms with how lenient she is about being in witness protection. I feel like there are certain things that happened in the book that a person really in witness protection would not have done. But who am I to judge - I've never been in witness protection so I can't say for sure if this is the case or not. I loved the fact that she was in witness protection though. For the character, it helped her grow. It forced her to let certain things go and it forced her to grow; she got to Thunder Basin and hated it, hated Carmina who took her in, hated everything. And slowly you see her grow, see her start to get attached. And it's nice to see Stella go from this person who has a hard exterior because of her hard past grow into a teenage girl with a sensitive side who allows people to get close to her.

Yet again Becca has written one of my favorite book boyfriends ever. Patch from her Hush, Hush series still holds my number 1 spot but Chet has now made it onto my top 10 at least. He's a gentleman while being resilient about certain things. He will do anything and everything to make sure that Stella is happy and protected. He understands that people have secrets, whether she can tell him things or not he's fine with that. As long as he gets to be with Stella, he's happy. He has his own tough life to deal with, but he is handling it and helping Stella to handle hers as well.

Every character, except clearly Danny and his men and Trigger, were so easy for me to love. I loved Inny and wish she had been in the story more than she was. She was the friend that Stella needed. From the inside thoughts to her previous friends that she had around, including her boyfriend Reed, I feel like Thunder Basin was a step-up. Of course Stella wasn't seeing it as that when she first got there because she felt ripped away from her life. She didn't want to start from scratch. But starting from scratch helped her to move on, sort things out, and get back on track with her life.

While reading this book I had a wonderful idea for Becca's next book - I really want her to write a story where the main character ends up being the bad guy. There were many times during this book that I almost thought Stella was going to twist into the person who no one would love. But because Becca is a great writer she had made me fall in love with the character of Stella and so I was torn up. But while feeling this way I realized how brilliant Becca was to do this.

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Wow, Dangerous Lies had me like:

And like this too:

And I can't leave out:

But did I mention:

Yes that last one, you experience quite a bit during this book. Becca Fitzpatrick has outdone herself with this novel. My eyes were cemented to the pages from the beginning until the last word. I couldn't put it down, no matter how tired I was. I read it in the car, at my desk, in the shower and in bed. Everyone should read it, doesn't matter if your old, young, female or male. 

Dangerous Lies seals the fact that Fitzpatrick not only can she write paranormal stories but thrillers as well. You have to pick up your own copy to know what happens to Stella Gordon when she is forced into the Witness Protection Program. Lives will be changed forever in more ways that one. 

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Since we loved Dangerous Lies so much, we want to share it with one reader. We are giving away an ARC copy of Dangerous Lies internationally. Enter below!

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Book Review: The Shadows by J.R. Ward

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The Shadows
The Black Dagger Brotherhood #3
Author: J.R. Ward
Reading Level: Adult
Genres: Paranormal Romance | Urban Fantasy
Released: March 31st 2015
Review Source: NAL & Purchased

The #1 New York Times bestselling author returns to the world of the Black Dagger Brotherhood as two brothers bound by more than blood fight to change a brutal destiny.

Sold by his parents to the Queen of the s’Hisbe as a child, Trez escaped the Territory and has been a pimp and an enforcer for years. On the run from a destiny of sexual servitude, he’s never been able to rely on anyone...except for his brother, iAm.

iAm’s sole goal has always been to keep his brother from self-destructing—and he knows he’s failed. It’s not until the Chosen Selena enters Trez’s life that the male begins to turn things around...but by then, it’s too late. The pledge to mate the Queen’s daughter comes due, and there is nowhere to run, nowhere to hide, and no negotiating.

Now Trez must decide whether to endanger himself and others—or abandon the female he loves. When tragedy strikes and changes everything, iAm, in the name of brotherly love, is faced with making the ultimate sacrifice....

The 13th novel in The Black Dagger Brotherhood, The Shadows, which is about previously introduced characters, brothers Trez and iAm, who have worked for Rhevenge in his businesses, hit my Nook on March 31, 2015. Just like with most fans of the series I was ecstatic to see that it was on the longer side page wise. When you read a series in progress, and know you will have to wait for a period of time for the next book to come out, you just want to be able to prolong the experience for as long as you can. I will be completely honest though, after finishing The King, and learning that the next book was about The Shadows, I wasn’t super excited. It’s not that I didn’t like the characters of Trez or iAm in the previous BDB books, it’s just that I am a snob when it comes to the brothers and just want to read all about them. I’m usually that reader who will read fast through the stuff about the Lessers, Band of Bastards, or Assail to get back to what the brothers are doing. So for me, to read a whole book dedicated to characters who weren’t the brothers, it triggered reluctance in me about getting into it. But with that said, when the book arrived in my Nook, I still was excited because I know J.R. Ward always includes supplemental story lines in all her books other than just the main one, so I knew the brothers would still be there in some capacity.

Boy was I blown away! This book was excellent! It really fleshed out the characters of Trez and iAm in a way that made me really care about them and what happened to them in a way that in past books it definitely did not. In the past we just knew them in connection to Rhevenge and Xhex, but didn’t know the personalities and struggles behind them. There is a story between Trez and The Chosen Selena, and a story between iAm and a member of the S’Hisbe, aka someone in their shadow community. This book simply has it all. There is deceit, drama, action, love, sexiness, and…immense sadness. But J.R. Ward leads us on a journey to show us how one comes out on the other side better for what they had experienced. I will admit that I cried like a baby towards the end of this book but that isn’t to say that there aren’t happy endings. Ward showed us that even though the happy ending some characters and readers may want isn’t necessarily the one they get, it still works out the way it should.

There is also the usual side stuff with the Lessers, the Band of Bastards (Xcor and Layla), and we even see a bunch of Rhage’s POV which I believe is Ward’s way of setting up the next book, The Beast, which we can safely assume will be his book (plus she seems to be sticking with her initial order and since The King was second round for Wrath, Rhage would be next). Rhage is definitely struggling with something that we aren’t really clear on in this book, but like I said…she will probably delve into that in the next book.

All in all I would have to give this book a 5 star rating. I went into it not super excited because with the introduction of all these new characters I don’t want to move further and further away from the original brothers, but Ward has done it again. She has managed to incorporate some new blood (pun intended) into the series without taking away what originally made us all fall in love with it in the first place. Just like with the Rhevenge book before them, I welcome Trez and iAm into the family and mansion, and hope they will be part of the story for a long time to come.

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I am 100% on board with everything Pauline said about The Shadows. I also wasn't expecting to be blown away by this novel since I knew it wasn't focused on the Brothers, but sure enough The WARDen has once again cast her magically prose and made us fall just as hard for these non-Brothers.

I'm not sure how many readers are left out there that haven't started this series. If you read adult fiction and love paranormal romance, then your seriously way behind on your reading. This series should be a staple in your reading repertoire. Whatever it cost or how ever many book are printed, this series is worth every second of your reading time. I continue to say that The Black Dagger Brotherhood is my ALL-TIME favorite adult series. It's the series that keeps on giving.

 

Book Review: We All Looked Up by Tommy Wallach

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We All Looked Up
Author: Tommy Wallach
Reading Level: Young Adult
Genres: Science Fiction | Realistic Fiction
Date Release: March 24th 2015
Review Source: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers
 

Four high school seniors put their hopes, hearts, and humanity on the line as an asteroid hurtles toward Earth in this contemporary novel.

They always say that high school is the best time of your life.

Peter, the star basketball player at his school, is worried “they” might actually be right. Meanwhile Eliza can’t wait to escape Seattle—and her reputation—and perfect-on-paper Anita wonders if admission to Princeton is worth the price of abandoning her real dreams. Andy, for his part, doesn’t understand all the fuss about college and career—the future can wait.

Or can it? Because it turns out the future is hurtling through space with the potential to wipe out life on Earth. As these four seniors—along with the rest of the planet—wait to see what damage an asteroid will cause, they must abandon all thoughts of the future and decide how they’re going to spend what remains of the present.

The best books, they don’t talk about the things you never thought about before. They talk about things you’d always thought about, but that you didn’t think anyone else had thought about. You read them, and suddenly you’re a little bit less alone in the world

This story inspired me.

Weirdly enough, I’m not sure what it inspired me to do, but after I finished reading We All Looked Up, I closed the book and I just felt inspired. That, and a little blown away. The novel, the ending, everything just wasn’t as I expected and I’ll admit I loved every second.

I was expecting to read about a group of friends journey as the find out their days are more than likely numbered, but it wasn’t that at all. A group of people—people who’ve probably never had a full conversation with each other previously—are very loosely connected, yet somehow they all begin a journey together. Unlikely friendships form, and they take each other down roads they wouldn’t usually travel, and they all teach each other new things about life. All coming from different backgrounds and social statuses, they all have something new to inspire each other with.

We All Looked Up was real. If an asteroid was heading towards Earth and we had a 60% that it would hit and wipe out humanity, I bet people would react exactly the same as they did here. People quitting their jobs to spend their supposedly last days with their families, laws being broken because, hey, who cares, the world’s ending soon.

Well, a lot of people have just started thinking that they don’t have anything left to lose, and it’s our job to protect you from them. I don’t want to scare you, but history tells us that whenever there’s panic, there’s death. It’s the way of the world.

It was one of those books were I wish I could unread it just so I could feel all those feelings again the first time I read it. It inspired me, made me smile and think of things in a way I wouldn’t have before, broke my heart into little pieces, and it tripped up my mind up at the end. I want this book in paperback, I want it to be one of those books I often re-read, and I know it will always be a story I enjoy.

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Let's begin this reflection with how I received the book. It arrived in my mail box with a rock. Yes a rock! That alone right there grabbed my attention. Why would a book be sent with swag that resembles a rock. Well now after reading the book, I know it suppose to be the Asteroid Audor talked about in the book. Will get to Audor in a bit.

You can see the picture I've included in this review to see what I've been describing. And if your wondering, it's made out of foam, so it's squishy. The nice touch was adding the book title to the asteroid rock swag. Now on to the cover, it's simple yet intriguing. You wouldn't think a cover that mostly all black would capture your interest, but it does. You have the people sitting on the floor looking up to the sky and that leaves you wondering, why? The marketing team did a good job with this cover and swag. Of course I have an advance reader copy, so the cover might be tweaked after this review is posted.

We All Looked Up is a debut novel for author Tommy Wallach.

As you begin reading the book, you notice right away that each chapter is focused on one specific character important to the story. The characters are connected through different avenues. Since we are reading what they are seeing, living and feeling, you feel like your getting several stories at once in one single book. I really enjoyed that. And it's not jumping around back and forth, even though it's different folks, the time line's moving forward as you change characters per chapter. So no confusion whatsoever. Really easy to follow along. And just a great read in general.

Book Review: After Ever Happy by Anna Todd | #Hessa Playlist + Giveaway

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After Ever Happy
After #4
Author: Anna Todd
Reading Level: New Adult
Genres: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: February 24th 2015
Review Source: Gallery Books

Book Four of the After series—now newly revised and expanded, Anna Todd’s After fanfiction racked up 1 billion reads online and captivated readers across the globe. Experience the Internet’s most talked-about book for yourself!

Tessa and Hardin have defied all the odds, but will their fairy tale ending be turned on its head? After Ever Happy…Life will never be the same. #HESSA

It’s never been all rainbows and sunshine for Tessa and Hardin, but each new challenge they’ve faced has only made their passionate bond stronger and stronger. But when a revelation about the past shakes Hardin’s inpenetrable façade to the core—and then Tessa suffers a tragedy—will they stick together again, or be torn apart?

As the shocking truth about each of their families emerges, it’s clear the two lovers are not so different from each other. Tessa is no longer the sweet, simple, good girl she was when she met Hardin—any more than he is the cruel, moody boy she fell so hard for. Tessa understands all the troubling emotions brewing beneath Hardin’s exterior, and she knows she’s the only one who can calm him when he erupts. He needs her.

But the more layers of his past come to light, the darker he grows, and the harder he pushes Tessa—and everyone else in his life—away. Tessa’s not sure if she really can save him—not without sacrificing herself. She refuses to go down without a fight. But who is she fighting for—Hardin or herself?

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Where does one begin when a book brings out so many different emotions? Do I begin with the good ones or the painful ones? Do I tell you how I cried or how I smiled bigger than the sun or do I tell you about the moment I needed to punch someone or when I took a moment just to exhale? Those are just a few moments I felt as I read After Ever Happy. The story and its characters had me experiencing every single one of their emotions as I read (that's writing magic). As far as something negative, not one thing can I point out that I didn't like or disagree with in the book, what one reads from the pages of the After series is something realistic, not the usual cookie-cutter fantasy only found in fairy tales. All these emotions should be part of a story, to experience sadness, anger, pain, happiness, love, forgiveness, betrayal and the list could go on and on. THAT IS WHAT MADE THIS BOOK INCREDIBLE!!! 

After Ever Happy is hands down my favorite in the series followed closely behind by After. I'm not comparing the stories when I bring up the Twilight Saga, what I'm going to compare between the After series and Twilight series is that the After series made me feel the same things I felt when I read all the Twilight books. So I'm not comparing one story to the other, no. What I expressing here is that everything I felt when I fell in love and obsessed with the Twilight books, the After series brought it all back. I didn't want it to end and the withdrawal is brutal because of how much I am invested in the After series. I want to scream from the top of the tallest building that anyone and everyone that is of age to read this series, TO DO SO! Anna finished the series STRONG and I Thank Her for that. 

I will not go into detail of what was contain inside the pages of After Ever Happy, because no matter what I say, I know I will spoil such an important scene or moment. You just have to trust us and believe that you'll will love (and hate, lol) everything that happens in the end. #Hessa for Ever!

Check out our reviews for:

After

After We Collied

After We Fell

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One thing is for sure… when I first started this series I wasn’t a major fan, but then all of a sudden I’m sitting here wanting to get back to Hardin and Tessa, and get back to their roller coaster of a relationship. And just like Hardin had his claws in Tessa, #Hessa had their in claws in me. I hated the characters, I loved the characters, I rooted for them and I cried for them. This series took me for a surprising ride and didn’t hold back on anything. The feels people, the feels are real.

After Ever Happy is definitely my favorite in the series. I would rate it a ten, but we only rate up to a five. Hardin and Tessa go through so much in this book, so much growing together and apart. They grow into the person they were destined to be. Anna doesn’t hold back on us, it’s like taking the band aid off, you ask to count to three and she rips it off right after you say one. The After series may not be for all, heck I didn’t think it was for me at first, but then I was consumed by #Hessa and couldn’t get enough of them. Now three weeks later I’m still hung up on them, thinking about them, wishing I could get more of them. Bravo Anna, Bravo. Now can we have more? Just a novella, I’m not trying to be greedy.

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There are no words...I have this huge hole in my life that is from #Hessa. I am in love with how their story ends, don't get me wrong. I just miss them, I'm not sure I've completely accepted that their story is done. I need more #Hessa. After Ever Happy is the exact way I would've wanted this series to end, even if I didn't realize it until I read the book. It has all the emotions of everything that we're use to when it comes to the After books. There's push and pull between Hardin and Tessa, but now they are both growing -- and that is GREAT!

To see Tessa becoming a stronger character is brilliant, I'm sad it happened towards the end because I would've liked more strong Tessa moments. And to see Hardin continue to grow is amazing. Every cliffhanger that is left open ended in After We Fell is closed up in After Ever Happy. I may be the only one who was worried about the Landon/Hardin relationship after the bombshell that ended After We Fell, and I was thrilled with where that went. All I can say is prepare yourself for the feels. I was a mess halfway through the book, I was literally a puddle of tears. So if you're a crier when it comes to books grab your tissues.

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Guys! Anna Todd is on tour right now, visiting several cities. Below you can see the remaining stops she has on her calendar. 

And don't forget tomorrow is the day!!! We will share the casual conversation podcast we recorded with Anna few weeks ago in celebration of today's release!!! So come on back tomorrow an listen to all the things we talked about regarding your favorite series and #Hessa!!!

And last but not least we created a #Hessa play list we wanted to share with you all. During the reading process, Shannon, Bri and I kept talking about #Hessa and songs that would remind us of Tessa, Hardin and the After series. So we wanted to share with you all and see if you agree these songs are perfect to go along with the series, roller-coaster moments and love-hate characters. Let us know in the comments. Enjoy!!! 

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And since we are celebrating tomorrow's release of After Ever Happy, a giveaway would be perfect to include now. So one lucky reader will win the complete set of the After series written by Anna Todd. This means you get the book that started it all After, then the one that continue our obsession After We Collied  then the book that knock us off our feet After We Fell to finish it up with the book that took our breaths away but then sealed it with a kiss After Ever Happy! All 4 books to one reader! 

If your not familiar with our giveaway policy, please check it out HERE. This giveaway is open to US/CA only. Let us know in the comments what you thought of this review and our play list.

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Book Review: After We Fell by Anna Todd - #HESSA

After We Fell
After Series #3
Author: Anna Todd a.k.a Imaginator1D
Reading Level: New Adult
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Released: December 30th 2014
Review Source: Gallery Books | Purchased
 

Book Three of the After series—now newly revised and expanded, Anna Todd’s After fanfiction racked up 1 billion reads online and captivated readers across the globe. Experience the Internet’s most talked-about book for yourself!

Tessa and Hardin’s love was complicated before. Now it’s more confusing than ever. AFTER WE FELL…Life will never be the same. #HESSA

Just as Tessa makes the biggest decision of her life, everything changes. Revelations about first her family, and then Hardin’s, throw everything they knew before in doubt and makes their hard-won future together more difficult to claim.

Tessa’s life begins to come unglued. Nothing is what she thought it was. Not her friends. Not her family. The one person she should be able to rely on, Hardin, is furious when he discovers the massive secret she’s been keeping. And rather than being understanding, he turns to sabotage.

Tessa knows Hardin loves her and will do anything to protect her, but there’s a difference between loving someone and being able to have them in your life. This cycle of jealousy, unpredictable anger, and forgiveness is exhausting. She’s never felt so intensely for anyone, so exhilarated by someone’s kiss—but is the irrepressible heat between her and Hardin worth all the drama? Love used to be enough to hold them together. But if Tessa follows her heart now, will it be…the end?

 AT FIRST SIGHT:

• Bri: Oh my gosh! I loved the cover, I love all the covers that come with the After series though. I liked this one for the imagery. After We Fell to me, story wise, means someone(Hessa) is on the ground-which is kind of how I take the cover. The grass, we're on the ground but it's time to get back up. I also was happy with how thick the book was, one thing I find myself worrying over with this series is I do not want it to end. So the thicker the book, the happier I am!
• Yara: This is my favorite cover from the series. I love how they use the grass, it really makes the cover stand out. I would definitely be attracted to it if I saw it on a shelf somewhere. And if it says Anna Todd, I WANT IT! LOL! 

STORYLINE:

• Bri: What's not to love? It's what Anna has taught us to love about Hessa. They fight, they get together. There's always that will they stay together finally or not? And this book shows that there's a chance that they may be able to stay together, and they experience other problems which I absolutely loved! Tessa's dad is back in town, Hardin wants to fix his pessimism. It's not just about Tessa and Hardin not getting along, although that's not to say that they don't fight. They do, but we wouldn't love that as much if they didn't, would we?
• Yara: The story in After We Fell is probably the toughest to deal with out of the first 3 books. Its starts off right after After We Collied and doesn't slowdown at all. We continue to live and witness the fight Tessa and Hardin must deal with to see if they even make it as a couple. Sometimes love is not enough and it can even become toxic. An din this edition, Tessa not only has to deal with the decision of Seattle, she also is still handling her father returning into her life. But Tessa will go through something horrible that I still cringe at when I remember it in detail and this isn't something you can just brush under the rug. Now don't think Hardin is in the clear here, oh he has his own moments and they are going to shock you. Just be ready to take a ride with this book and hold on tight. 

HERO/HEROINE:

• Bri: As much as I hate it I think I'd have to say Zed. Zed and Molly actually. They both come in when they're the most needed, and they save the day. Although I can't stand either of them I have to admit that I was completely thankful for their presence during a specific scene...
• Yara: This name might shock you but I am going to say the heroine in this book is Molly. SAY WHAT! Yes you read the correctly. The "Molly" that Tessa would like to run over with her car and gauge her eyes out and feed them to piranhas. Molly gets this title because she basically save the day and when you read the book, you will know why I choose her. But just cause I give her this title doesn't mean I like her. 

FAVORITE SUPPORTING CHARACTER:

• Bri: Lillian! Or Tessa Number Two! I absolutely love her! She is every reader who wants to yell at Hardin, except Hardin actually can hear her and think about what she has to say! Of course he's Hardin so he doesn't completely listen to her, but he listens to her to an extent. And I love her for that, she seems to be able to smack sense into him. Love it! I also love Riley, the girl version of Hardin, who also tries to get him to come to his senses, but because he's so much like her he tries to stay away from her.
• Yara: In this book, Ill pick Kimberley  I love how she is not afraid to tell it like it is and how down to earth she is with Tessa and pretty much everyone. Kimberley really connect with me in this book. 

SOMETHING WE LOVED:

• Bri: Ugh this is hard! There's so many parts that I loved! But I think my all time favorite thing is the turn that Hessa's relationship starts to take. We see it in a state that we haven't seen it in before. It's almost like they're starting over, Tessa moving to Seattle did them good in more than one way! She finally did what she wanted, she didn't do what Hardin wanted-you go girl! But it also brought them to a state in their relationship where they had to talk on the phone about pointless things, and can I just say Hardin talking on the phone about working out, or just meaningless things-swoon worthy! I also loved Hardin making the effort to come and visit Tessa, it showed his growth!  Which is yet another thing that I loved in After We Fell. Hardin's growth, ugh it made me smile so much! If you couldn't tell I completely love Hardin...
• Yara: I LOVE that Tessa held her ground. She moved to Seattle even though every fiber in her body was telling her not to go. She didn't let her dream vanish because of Hardin, her mom or anyone else that had an opinion. 

SOMETHING WE HATED:

• Bri: Ergh....Steph....Zed...Lies! There's not much I can say without ruining some surprises, and well....I hated them.
• Yara: ONE WORD: STEPH

AN EVENT WE NEVER SAW COMING:

• Bri: There are two huge things that I honestly dropped my book into my lap and loudly gasped. I yet again don't want to ruin them, but once you read it (which everyone needs to read it) you will know exactly what two things I never saw coming. Although I had some inklings of one of them, I just wasn't completely sure of my guesses.
• Yara: Well really their are 2 BIG ONES I could mention but since one disturbs me so much, Ill leave it alone and not give it anymore credit than it deserves. The event that left me in SHOCK was towards the end of the book and it wasn't Hardin or Tessa that caused it. So imagine that. When you get to that event, you will remember my review at that moment and think to yourself "Yara was not kidding". 

CLIFFHANGER:

• Bri: UGH!!! I NEED AFTER EVER HAPPY! I just....the cliffhanger....it honestly left me in such a state of distress. Nothing filled the void that I felt after reading After We Fell. I wasn't prepared for this emptiness. It is SO rare for books to leave me feeling like this, so I was unprepared for this to happen. There's just...there's so many things I need closure on, and I need the closure ASAP!!! Is it time for me to read After Ever Happy yet?
• Yara: Yes of course their is a cliffhanger, it's Anna Todd we are talking about here. She has to leave us hanging so that we can't sleep or eat until the next book is in our hands. And people I haven't needed a book this badly since I had to wait on Breaking Dawn. After Ever Happy needs to be in my hands yesterday!!!

WOULD I RECOMMEND IT:

• Bri: YES! A million times over, YES! I have told so many people to read this series and I plan on continuing to push it onto people.
• Yara: ABSOLUTELY, I would recommend it. I have been pimping this series since I read the 1st book After. I was not one of the Wattpad readers, so my recommendations are purely based off these published version of Todd's series. 

FAVORITE QUOTE:

• Bri: "You're my better place, Tess." - Hardin
• Yara: "I never lost hope because Tessa is my hope. She always has been and always will be." - Hardin