Until We Break by Jamie Howard

Image and blurb from Goodreads:

When Sloane Avery stops to help a stranded driver, she finds more than a broken down car on the side of the road. Luke Evans is faster and sexier than her Maserati, but with her heart still on the mend, she’s not interested in taking him for a test drive. Despite their initial disdain for each other, emotion and passion simmer, complicating their fragile friendship. But when a tragic loss and devastating betrayal send them spiraling, their growing love isn’t enough to save them.

That was five years ago, practically a different lifetime and definitely a different Sloane. Before she’s been hardened by booze, sex, and as much distance as she could get from the past. Now, called home on a family emergency, she’s determined to hold onto her heart the next time she sees Luke.

Except Sloane’s not the only one who’s changed. Luke’s turned his life around. Only the reappearance of Sloane and the reminder of his biggest mistake can put a dent in his plans. Luke is set on fixing what he’s broken. But with her emotions boiling to the surface, Sloane needs to decide if falling in love is life’s greatest gift or its cruelest joke.

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My thoughts:

4 "It didn't like the characters but it took me me on an emotional ride" STARS!

ARC via NetGalley - THANK YOU, ST. MARTIN'S GRIFFIN
So, here's the deal, if you ask me whether I liked this book or not, the answer will be more no than yes. Then why did I rate it 4 stars? Short answer: Because it made me feel.

Long answer:
See, "feeling" is exactly what I'm looking for when I'm reading. And this author managed to do that -- sad, happy, angry. Mostly angry.

Sure some people will only rate a book 4 or 5 stars if they love the characters, if the story makes them happy and all. But that's not me.

Was this the sexiest book I ever read? No (though that's what I was expecting it to be when I read the blurb). Did it make me laugh? Yes. Did it make me cry? Not really, but I sniffed a few times reading it. Did it make me angry? Yes. And that's where it had me. That's why I read it in one day.

Luke and Sloane are not your conventional MC and LI. Not the cute, sexy couple. They're sexy, but they're so messed up they can't ever be considered cute. 

While Sloane starts off as the nice girl (sure she did get on my nerves a couple of times, but nothing compared to the second half of the book), Luke is the troubled boy to extremes. I think he can be an even bigger douchebag than that guy from Beautiful Disaster (I feel like I've been referencing to BD a lot lately. What's up with that?). Anyway... He has sex with anything that moves. And Sloane isn't taking any of that shit. Good for her. Until, you know, she falls for him. Not a spoiler. Everyone knew that's happen.

But Luke's problems are much bigger than they seem. And I enjoyed how the author worked with his family/personal shit to give us a glimpse of why he's that way.

But when I'm finally on the Luke train, he does the unforgivable. Honestly, I had a hard time swallowing that (pun not intended - you'll get it when you read it). It was pretty awful of him. Not even being on his POV helped me fully accept his motives.

Thats when shit hit the fan and the story took a spin. That's also when I thought: oh, shit, this is going to be one of those stories that will make me so damn angry, but I won't be able to stop reading. Oh, well, I was right.

I didn't stop, and the book managed to surprise me by introducing a much more interesting and messed up version of Sloane. While LUke was the king of the first half, Sloane dominated the second part of the book. She was right up there with some of the most famous unlikable characters of the book world. Girlfriend didn't take shit from anyone. I didn't want to look, but I kept watching and following her every move.

And most of all, I didn't want Luke and Sloane together, but their interactions turned even sexier. It was crazy. My feelings were all over the place, but there were feelings! A lot of them.

So, I guess what I'm saying is: you don't have to make me like your characters to like your book. I can hate your MC and your LI, and I'll still rate it a four or even five star (heck, Gone Girl is one my favorite books of all times). All you have to do is make me feel. And Jamie did that, so you go, girl!!!!