ARC given in exchange for an honest review. Trigger warning for emotional and physical abuse. 

I never really knew much about abuse/abusive relationships. I never knew anyone who dealt with this issue nor have I had an abusive relationship myself but I felt as if this book really opened my eyes to the fact that abusive relationships can happen and I suppose the science behind abusive relationships and how they can start and also and more importantly how to deal with them and how to support someone if they are going through this.

Basically, the book is about this girl named Betts who falls in love with this guy called Aiden at the candy store where she works. Betts immediately falls head over heels in love with him knowing that the two of them are infinite and destined to be together forever. Betts’s best friend Jo doesn’t see that thinking of Aiden as needy, controlling and possessive. Despite what everyone around her thinks, Betts denies everyone’s claims strongly believing in “us” because to Betts, Aiden is her whole world.

I think that there were things done well and not so well in this book. A good thing that this book did really well was showing the progression of the relationship and how they went from loving each other (infatuation) to him abusing her. I also loved the whole friendship and support thing with how Jo supported Betts during this whole ordeal.

“Our friendships define who we are. This friendship defines who I am. Being best friends with you brings out all the best and stupidest, most creative and interesting and worthwhile sides of me, and it challenges me to be better and makes it okay that I’m flawed, and I hope I do that for you, too. I am ten million times better and stronger because of it, because of us. So yes, this friendship defines me, and because of it, who and what I am is more.” 

I honestly think that Jo was my favourite character in the whole novel. She was witty and I found that we had a lot in common especially with the baking hobby. I hated the main character Betts and obviously I hated Aiden but their whole relationship even before the whole abuse started made me want to tear my eyeballs out. She was SO INFATUATED that it became infuriating and I was groaning at almost every page. Mind you this was going on for over 150 pages non-stop on every page. She refused to believe that Aiden was not perfect and it made me furious. Picture this, you are in a relationship with your girlfriend/boyfriend and introduce them to your parents and then your mum/dad (who works with them) tells you “I don’t think you should be going out with him for logical reasons: A, B, C, D” then OBVIOUSLY you would become more cautious around your significant other because there must have been a reason your parents said that to you. Betts didn’t do this and she dismissed everyone around her. Look I understand why the author, Anica Mrose Rissi did this and I know that by doing it she continued on the storyline but it still annoyed me nevertheless.

Anyway it was because of the whole relationship/puppy love that I rated it low but because of the portrayal of the abusive relationship and the last 60 pages I just read I bumped it up a little bit to 2.4 stars. Look this is my own personal opinion but feel free to share your own thoughts.

ACTUAL RATING: 2.4 STARS