LOST BOY (The Lonely #2) by TARA BROWN

Seriously, I love Tara Brown for so many reasons and this series is a huge reason as to why. It started with The Lonely, an intelligent, dark and disturbingly appealing story that was so unique that it shot straight into my heart as a loved favourite.

Well, as much as I loved The Lonely, I loved this companion novel Lost Boy even more. No question, one of the best books I’ve read in a long while, it just messed with my head even more, I loved it even more and I weirdly understood everything even more. However, I also cried more and my heart literally bled as my tears blurred my vision.

“I want you to pick me…”

Does that make me as ‘eccentric’ as its maker (and I mean this lovingly!)? Or does it show what a fantastic and original Author Tara Brown really is? I’m definitely going to go for the latter…though with a hint of the first!

“It’s best to not poke the things that live inside of me with confinement, not when I am already too close to losing it.” – Eli

I’m mindful of dropping spoilers in this review as I really recommend reading The Lonely which is then followed by Lost Boy. They should be on everyone’s to read list if you love the dark and emotional reads. If you love a good clever mind f*uck basically.

It all started with a tragedy. A tragedy that impacted two people whose souls were in that moment bound together forever in the most disturbing yet beautiful way.

“I owe that girl the sun, the moon, and the stars. I owe her everything in the whole world.” – Eli

It puts them on a path which would leave deep scars and affects them to the extreme when their paths cross again. One knowingly, the other in the dark in respect of who and the why’s.

“I want her now. I want her safe now. I want to take her away from it all. I want to save her, the way I promised I would.” – Eli

In The Lonely we had Sarah’s POV and it broke my heart. In Lost Boy we have Eli’s POV and it not only broke my heart…it completely broke my whole being. I love this man….LOVE him, and I will never ever forget him no matter how many books I read or how many broken male characters I come across. He’s so screwed up from what life has offered him so far but seriously….he had me in stitches of laughter one second and in floods of tears the next. He BROKE me and I love him for it!

“The pain was stuck in my seized-up heart. Everything was too big and too scary, and I had to be a man. A man that saved his little sister. A man that saved the day. A hero. Instead, I was a lost boy. I cried out for help like a child.” – Eli

Even though some of this story feature the same scenes as The Lonely they’re from Eli’s POV making them seem somewhat original and different. This companion novel stands on its own in the sense that NO WAY is this a re-write, this is its own story. The story of Eli! I can’t really explain it, but it was as if I was reading with fresh eyes and making new conclusions. We learn so much more and experience things we had no idea happened. So many questions were answered and what I thought was one thing turned out to be completely different.

“She needs me. She’s going to be scared and confused, and the lonely is going to come and take her away…”

“She is me, but a girl. The two of us together would probably cause the apocalypse…”

Well played Tara Brown…truly spectacular! I don’t even know how to accurately explain how reading this book made me feel. What I will say is, please read these books in order as you will be taken on one hell of a journey you will never forget!

“When I was a boy, I met a girl and the worst things imaginable happened to us….”

We knew Eli is a man obsessed….but I won’t say why or how. His outlet is Sarah. His reason is Sarah. His life is Sarah. His breath is Sarah…….Sarah is his redemption….

“The dead look in her eyes came from loss. The loss of her family, safety, and love…”

As for Jane….someone please hand me a pitchfork….!!!

And Stuart….I wanted to hug him!! I’m so glad Eli had him as a ‘brother’!!!

This series is so gritty and the emotion is so raw and ugly it makes for something beautiful and heart-breaking. I cannot recommend this series strongly enough! Tara Brown you ROCK, you astound me and mesmerize me with your words and I love you for it.

“It means that even though you see me differently, I have the same reactions to things as you. I am human, just different than you but no less worthy of love, respect, and justice. I bleed, laugh, and die the same as you, regardless of the differences inside of me. Or outside.” – Eli

Gitte: 5 Stars

Arc provided by author in exchange for an honest review