Two years ago, Maggie Carleton’s life fell apart when her father murdered her mother. And after she told the police what happened, she stopped speaking and hasn’t spoken since. Even the move to Lawton, Alabama, couldn’t draw Maggie back out. So she stayed quiet, keeping her sorrow and her fractured heart hidden away.
As West’s pain becomes too much to handle, he knows he needs to talk to someone about his father—so in the dark shadows of a post-game party, he opens up to the one girl who he knows won’t tell anyone else.
West expected that talking about his dad would bring some relief, or at least a flood of emotions he couldn’t control. But he never expected the quiet new girl to reply, to reveal a pain even deeper than his own—or for them to form a connection so strong that he couldn’t ever let her go...
The story first introduces the reader to Maggie, a girl that has had her whole world turned upside down by a cruel act of violence that left her without both parents, one murdered and the other, the killer. This beyond terrifying act leaves her feeling lost, broken and alone, struggling to cope with the memories of a home that was built upon pain and lies. She doesn't want to talk about it, worrying that people will question what happened, so that is part of the reason she decides to no longer speak at all. Something her Aunt and Uncle don't fully understand but accept as they know what she has been through and care for her as much as they do their own child, their son Brady. It is only when Maggie meets Brady's friend West, who she senses needs her to speak, not to quell her own loneliness but his, that she does. West's feels as though his world is about to fall apart, he has no idea if he will be able to hold it together, though finds comfort and strength when he starts talking to new girl Maggie. Soon their interactions become more than just trying to help the other heal, they find they have a bond that neither ever wants to let go of.
Abbi has done spectacular job, of creating a great depth to both of the main characters, as well as the storyline. Though the connection between Maggie and West developed quickly (within weeks), their relationship never felt rushed, the story moving at a pace that allowed time to get to know them and understand why they felt the way that they did for one another. All of their hurt, weakness, strength, kindness, honesty and everything else that made up who they were, was laid out before the other.
Maggie looked beyond the sometimes hard exterior that West projected, she saw the broken guy beneath and wanted to do all she could to help him. She witnessed him at his weakest and did all that she could to put him back together, whilst also learning all of the finest things about him, that made it hard not to fall in love. West saw more than just the kindness Maggie showed in being his support, he could see just how truly amazing a heart she had.
When Maggie or West found themselves in a place surrounded by a darkness, the extent of their suffering, so heartbreaking, it seemed almost impossible to come back from, it was gut wrenching to read. However it was also those moments that would prove, later on in the story, just how incredibly strong and truly supportive both these characters, as well as supporting characters, were for one another.
It is hard for me to describe just how much I loved this book. I cried often and I cried hard, though for as many tears as there was, there were also plenty of smiles. There was just so much intoxicating beauty and great amounts of kindness, strength and at times an amusing wittiness in both the characters and the story that made it so easy to fall in love. Like a locket full of photographs and memories, it feels as though Abbi Glines has opened up my heart and engraved her words upon the surface, giving me something to always remember, to feel, when thinking back to this beautiful story.
5/5 ❤️ s
❤️Amanda
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