Review: Unbreak My Heart by Lauren Blakely


Note: An advanced reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author.

There are no messages from him waiting. There will never be another one, and the cut deepens as I read through some of our old texts. Sometimes, it's the little habits that are hardest to say goodbye to. Harder to break. Harder to mourn.

Most of the books I've read by Lauren Blakely are romantic comedies, with a couple of romantic suspense novels that were part of the same series added on. I knew going into Unbreak My Heart that it would be far more serious fare compared to those I've read from Blakely, but funnily enough, there was no trepidation on my part. Somehow, deep in my gut, I had faith I would not be disappointed by what lay between the covers--and it absolutely paid off.

You know that blurb that accompanies this book? Yeah, that barely skims the surface of what's waiting for readers once you get started reading twenty-five-year-old Andrew Peterson's story. This really is essentially HIS story to tell, even if this is told in the dual perspectives of Drew and fellow twenty-five-year-old Holland St. James. She's the woman he's loved for years--the one who broke his heart when she left to pursue her nursing degree in Japan. In turn, he's the man she's loved for so long--the one who broke her heart when he stayed in California to study law.

I'm absolutely itching to go into detail about which parts of the story brought me to tears, but I'm holding off simply because there isn't an inkling of it in the blurb. Yes, this is me basically trying to be good and not spoil it for anyone who has yet to read it, but suffice it to say that there are aspects of the book that, indeed, broke my heart. Do I want said heart unbroken? Surprisingly enough, no. I'll consider my heart--which will heal quite nicely, give or take a re-read or two from the author's rom-com collection--plus the spent tissues and puffy eyes casualties of one of the best reads I've had the distinct privilege of reading this year. This novel is the must-read among must-reads.

Andrew is a man whose life has been in a limbo of sorts for the past four weeks, and it takes the arrival of one letter from Japan to give him a purpose--a kind of mission to figure certain things and one particular person out. His is a story of finding the footing he's lost and it isn't an easy journey. By his side is Holland, the woman who owns his heart. It's a tale of continuing to live amidst loss and knowing that home truly is where the heart is. There were countless memorable moments in this book, but there was one part--when Andrew receives a letter right after the most life-changing of secrets is revealed to him--that stood out. Unbreak My Heart reminded me that life is always at its best when lived at your best and through your worst; it is Lauren Blakely at her best. Five-plus stars. ♥

Release Date: 13 August 2018

Date Read: 08 August 2018

Learn more about Lauren Blakely.

Purchase Unbreak My Heart on Amazon (early live release).

Pre-order Unbreak My Heart on B&N | iBooks | Kobo.

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