THOUGHTFUL (Thoughtless #1.5) by S C STEPHENS

 ‘I would never be the same after this. We would never be the same after this.’

We’ll start by saying if you haven’t already done so; we strongly suggest reading Thoughtless before reading this book.  Although set in the same timeframe, reading Thoughtful will allow you to experience the shift in this story told from Kellan’s perspective. And secondly……Arrrrggghhh this book! Our hearts! We are exhausted! Emotionally wrung out!

‘I wrapped my fury around me like armor. Let her try to find a crack. I dared her.’

We’ll be honest. We were a bit nervous when we heard Thoughtful was in the works. Kellan was and still is, one of our favourite book boyfriends with the Thoughtless series being forever embedded in our hearts. It goes without saying too much of Kellan is never enough, but still, we had concerns.

Firstly, we knew Kellan’s story would be painful. We felt his pain, loneliness and confusion enough in Thoughtless, hearing it from Kellan first hand was definitely going to be difficult and would add a new dimension to Thoughtless that we weren’t sure we were prepared for.

‘Being in love was so hard. But not being in love was even worse.’

Another concern was this being the same book from a different perspective. It’s been done before and in some cases, it’s worked brilliantly by enhancing the original story, yet in others, it’s damaged the original story beyond repair. We know SC Stephens is a brilliant storyteller who evokes strong emotions in her words and that she fervently loves her characters, but nonetheless, there was a part of us that worried this book could fall in the latter and that would have broken our hearts.

‘It was so hard to see her in pain. It was even harder to know I was the source of it. I was tormenting her, she said so herself.’

But we HAD to delve in and we’re thrilled to say Thoughtful definitely fell into the former, as Kellan’s POV positively enhanced what was already one of our all-time favourite books. It felt fresh, new and gave us insights that had us aching, smiling and falling love with Kellan and this book all over again!  

‘I was not about to give her the satisfaction of seeing my pain. My emotional pain anyway. That was mine, she didn’t have a right to it.’

Told from Kellan’s perspective his words were heartbreaking, passionate and highly emotional. Kellan wears his heart on his sleeve and we felt, lived and breathed everything Kellan went through. The depth of his anger, frustration, confusion and love, his unexpected feelings for Kiera, WE!  FELT! EVERYTHING! deep in our hearts.

‘I knew, without a doubt in my head, that I could fall asleep with her in my arms every night and be completely happy. And that thought, scared the crap out of me because on the flip side, I knew I would be completely miserable without her.’

There’s no doubting this relationship was toxic not only to themselves but those around them and through Kellan’s eyes we really experienced that aspect of the story.

‘The three of us all living together could be an incredible, eye-opening experience. Or it could be a living nightmare. Either way, it was definitely going to be interesting.’

We’ve been asked by readers if this book is merely a rehash?” Our answer is NO, it most certainly didn’t feel that way to us at all. Sure, parts of the dialogue are carried through from Thoughtless but they are brought about in a new light making them feel very new and different in Thoughtful. SC Stephens has also explored and expanded scenes and delved into the dynamics of Kellan’s other relationships besides his and Kiera’s making Thoughtful such an enlightening experience.

The relationships with Kellan and Denny, and Kellan and the band were fleshed out in Thoughtful, and in particular, Kellan’s relationship with Evan was something we really enjoyed. We knew these two had a bond, but the depth of that bond was so heart-warming.

“I can’t let her go, Evan. I tried. I tried to stay away, I tried to forget her.”

The relationship between Denny and Kellan is also one which SC Stephens took to another level in Thoughtful. This time around we really felt the brotherhood between these two men, making the utter betrayal and hurt Kiera and Kellan caused Denny all the more painful to experience.

‘I’d wanted her, so I’d taken her. I was no friend to him, to anyone. ‘

Although we all knew the outcome, the journey to the final destination in Thoughtful felt new and different allowing us to really feel what was going through Kellan’s head throughout this tumultuous and passionate relationship.

‘If she was going to be a bitch, then I would be her bastard.’

We’ve no doubt fans of this series are going to love this book. It really does offer up a new level to the original story and through it all, we felt the gut-wrenching agony, the anger, the hurt, the joy, the loss, the passion and the absolute love experienced by this man upon finding his soulmate.  **WARNING:  Have tissues at the ready!! You’ll need them…we did!!! Prepare to let Kellan Kyle steal your heart all over again. Oh, Kellan….sigh….you have our hearts buddy!

**Reviewed from an ARC copy provided by Grand Central Publishing, with thanks.’