UNBREAK ME by LEXI RYAN

Review by Jenny & Gitte

Gitte:  I loved this roller coaster story. It was full of emotion, the characters were great and the writing was almost flawless for a debut Author.  What a refreshing twisted story line, I loved it. It was gritty and fresh. The true and candid emotion was literally dripping off the pages and the twists and dynamics between the characters were pretty unique. I thought this was a really great read, made even more special by the changing POV’s between Maggie, Will and Asher, as we really got to hear and feel the emotion and the passion. Don’t you agree Jenny?

Jenny:  Absolutely agree Gitte and rollercoaster is the perfect way to describe this one! It was a ride and a half and one I was on from start to finish.  Unbreak Me completely intrigued me and enfolded in such a deliciously gradual way that I couldn’t help but become invested in the characters and the story as secrets were revealed and emotions were stripped bare.

“You can be cut open a hundred times, and the slice of the blade still hurts.”

The changing POV’s were done effortlessly and didn’t this just add to the emotion and anticipation to hear from Maggie, Will and Asher. All three voices wereso different and afford so much to the story, allowing the reader to feel their emotions on a whole different level.

Gitte:  I really connected with Maggie our heroine; she’s been through real trauma and has been stigmatized by everyone. Her reputation is clouding her life and how she’s treated and perceived by others. There is so much heart-break in her past which is affecting her present life; I’d go as far as to say she hates herself. She’s a woman standing alone in the line of adversity.  A town full of secrets lies and shame. A town she left to avoid the stares and snipes but has had to return to for her sister’s wedding. Now, how the hell do you watch your sister walking down the aisle with the man you were going to marry? This girl’s coping mechanisms are pretty admirable as is her strength. Unfortunately though her past has affected how she views relationships and sex.  As in she doesn’t have one and she uses it to her own advantage. Forgetting who she really is and her self-worth in the process. Maggie knows she’s broken and is under the firm belief that she cannot be fixed.

“Maggie’s too busy hating herself to love anyone.”

The Author really did a fantastic job getting Maggie’s pain across didn’t she Jenny?

Jenny:  You’re spot on Gitte. The author did a tremendous job of affording the reader the chance to really connect with Maggie. I know that I, like you, absolutely connected with her. This young girl who feels no self worth, who is so broken and  who outwardly appears so strong, so together, whilst underneath suffering so much pain and self loathing.

“Who would want to be involved with someone as broken as me?”

I was drawn immediately in to Maggie and her plight and boy did I want to know what it was that happened in Maggie’s that made her come to this conclusion about herself and I was hanging on for dear life as her past unfolded.

“It’s like he sees something good when he looks at me, and I want to throw my ugliness in his face to prove him wrong.”

One minute this girl had me giggling with her sass and humor, the next she was breaking my heart when she displayed or conveyed the girl beneath the sass. Everything this girl felt, I felt.

Maggie made mistakes and she paid dearly for them.  She was treated so cruelly by those around her and my heart broke for her many times.

Gitte: Now for the two men in Maggie’s life; Will and Asher.

“One man holds me together, the other gives me permission to break”

Will is Maggie’s ex who still harbours some pretty strong feelings for her despite being engaged to her sister. Will wants to fix Maggie. He knows how broken she is and wants to be the one to fix her. Despite some of Will’s later actions I really felt for him and loved his character. He had a huge heart and he was there for Maggie before and after the break-up in ways most men wouldn’t be. He truly loved her; Maggie was his addiction – his drug of choice. I felt so sorry for this guy!

“I would have taken you however I could get you, Maggie.”

Then we have…huge sigh….Asher. Wow did he make an entrance into this story. I LOVED Asher, he was truly lush. A ‘bad boy’ tattooed rock star…yeah I know, we have a lot of these guys…BUT…Asher was different.  He sees straight through Maggie and takes a different route with her than she is expecting and wanting. He never pushes her, nor does he expect anything.

“You don’t need to pretend to be strong with me, Maggie. Just be.”

He doesn’t want to fix her because he does not believe she is broken in the way she does. Instead he wants to break down her walls; break the restraints she has placed upon herself and break down the image she was given, hence portrays.

“I’m not trying to change you Maggie. I’m trying to love you.”

Asher has a past too and his own issues.  Yet ultimately, he is there for Maggie. He wants her. This guy is a mystery and he has such sensuality, passion and intrigue.

“What if no one can fix me?”

“You don’t need fixing,” ….”It’s like your mosaics. The beauty is already there, you just find it. Let go, sweetheart.”

“I’m afraid I’ll shatter.”

“If you shatter, I’ll find you.”

We have a new book boyfriend to add to our never ending list don’t we Jenny?!

Jenny: That list is pretty long, but how could we NOT add Asher to it! “Asher should be the poster child for the sexy bad boy.”  Oh yes he should Maggie!

“I want to hold her, because – whether she’ll admit it or not – that’s what she needs.”

Our beautiful, sexy, tattooed, rock star with a heart really won me over. The way he reached out to Maggie, never judging, always supportive. Maggie has an opinion of men and Asher has to prove that he isn’t like the previous men in Maggie’s life. He has to prove that he is worthy and so is she. She just has to believe it. He could always read her and knew exactly what it was needed.  Maggie fought him all the way but he never gave up on her.

“But if we’re going to keep this up, whatever this is, you need to know my life is a little fucked up. I’m fucked up.”

He sees past the tough exterior, past the sass and past the rumors and innuendo surrounding Maggie and loves the girl beneath.

“But your beauty? It’s the kind that radiates from your heart, Maggie and it’s so damn bright it shines beyond these walls you’ve erected to protect yourself.”

Even though he was dealing with issues of his own, he was there for Maggie and he would be strong for both of them.

“I have you,” he murmurs. “You’re safe with me.”

Now Will. Through Will’s POV we hear how this woman affects him. We experience his confusion in his feelings for Maggie and her sister. His conflict and guilt over some of his actions. How Maggie has this hold on him that he can’t break. I really did feel for Will. This woman is in his soul. Hearing first hand his thought process and feelings enabled me to feel first hand the dilemma he found himself in and this man had the biggest heart you could find. 

“I am an addict and Maggie Thompson is my drug.”

Whilst Asher was always my choice, I really did have a soft spot for Will and his love and loyalty to Maggie was so commendable.

Gitte:  So absolutely no doubt, I LOVED this story. We followed Maggie’s journey of self-discovery and healing.  A journey where she will realise her self-worth and letting go of her past and her pain. Love with all her heart and let herself be loved in return for who she truly is and embrace it.

“No frills, no pretence, no bullshit. Just Maggie.”

“I’m just Maggie.”

This journey had raw emotion and really pulled at my heart while reading. You felt the same didn’t you Jenny?

Jenny:  Gitte I really did! I felt everything and more.  I lived every moment of this book.  The way the author slowly unfolded the secrets in Unbreak Me, the way Maggie evolved, the telling from Will, Maggie and Ashers POV all added up to what was a very raw and emotional read that indeed pull at my heartstrings.  

Such a poignant story of love, redemption, believing in yourself and knowing that mistakes, no matter how big they may seem, can be overcome if you have belief in yourself and the love and support of people who believe in you.  Just wonderful!

Gitte: 4.5 stars
Jenny: 4.5 stars

Arc supplied by author in exchange for an honest review

UNBREAK ME by LEXI RYAN
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