Best Kind of Broken by Chelsea Fine Release Date: March 4, 2014
Format: eARC, 336 pages
Publisher: Forever
Series: Finding Fate #1
Source: NetGalley
Buy It: Amazon | B&N
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Synopsis:
SOMETIMES MOVING ON MEANS MOVING IN
Pixie Marshall wishes every day she could turn back time and fix the past. But she can't. And the damage is done. She's hoping that a summer of free room and board working with her aunt at the Willow Inn will help her forget. Except there's a problem: the resident handyman is none other than Levi Andrews. The handsome quarterback was once her friend-and maybe more--until everything changed in a life-shattering instant. She was hoping to avoid him, possibly forever. Now he's right down the hall and stirring up feelings Pixie thought she'd long buried . . .
Levi can't believe he's living with the one person who holds all his painful memories. More than anything he wants to make things right, but a simple "sorry" won't suffice--not when the tragedy that scarred them was his fault. Levi knows Pixie's better off without him, but every part of him screams to touch her, protect her, wrap her in his arms, and kiss away the pain. Yet even though she's so close, Pixie's heart seems more unreachable than ever. Seeing those stunning green eyes again has made one thing perfectly clear--he can't live without her.
I realize how odd that sounds considering I wen through those less than positive stages while reading--like hate and boredom. But it took me going through those to realize just what was happening in this story. I went in expecting a NA contemporary romance. And, I mean, that's what this is. But the romance doesn't drive the story here, and it took me until I was a little bit into the book to realize that and begin to enjoy the beauty of it. So yeah, I loved this book.
Pixie was a protagonist it took me a while to warm up to. I found her amusing from the very beginning, but it took me time to actually like her. But I do now. She's funny, and she's realistic. She also wasn't a doormat, which is always a nice quality to have.
And then there is Levi. Levi, who is the first male MC in a while that I adore for reasons beyond being nice, sweet, and attractive. I mean, he was certainly all of those things. But I think my biggest reason for adding him to my ever-growing list of book boyfriends is because watching him work through his issues...it was so real. He was a very REAL character. I felt so strongly for this poor guy, and I was so glad when he made it through his stuff to a good place again. He also didn't do a crap ton of stuff that made me angry at him while working through his issues. He isn't the usual good guy who turns into a manwhore so he can forget everything. I mean, he's not a saint, either, but he was just a plain ole good guy working through stuff, and I freaking LOVE HIM.
God, I love him.
Plus, his name is Levi. Which put the odds in his favor, yeah, but he had all those good qualities backing him up, and I am so flipping happy that he was a good person, and that he didn't make me mad all the time, and HAVE I MENTIONED THAT I LOVE HIM?
This is one of the most needed dual POV books I've read in a while. There weren't two POVs just because. Both of the characters are trying to learn how to move on after facing something terrible, and that is what the two POVs are for--so we can see them both make it through. Especially since a lot of the struggle is internal. And this is some of the least annoying internal struggle ever. I was so interested, and hoping so hard for these characters to let go of all their bad feelings. They both feel guilty for their own reasons, and both of their reasons make complete and total sense. I absolutely understand why they both were having such trouble--but I also see how they both needed to stop holding on to their guilt. They needed each other, and they needed to move on.
I felt like I was going through this whole emotional journey with Levi and Pixie, and I enjoyed it so much. Even though the romance wasn't as in your face as I tend to prefer, and as most NA books are, I wouldn't want this book any other way. The romance is certainly THERE, of course. Levi and Pixie are so obviously caught up in each other, and they need each other. I rooted so hard for this couple, at the same time rooting for both of them individually to be okay.
Also, I'm pretty sure I've found my favorite quote for 2014 in this book:
My stomach fills with longing, but not the sad kind. The meaningful kind. The kind of longing you feel when you think about your first roller coaster or your first perfect game. The longing that makes you wish you could experience it again, but so grateful that you had it in the first place.
Overall, Best Kind of Broken is beautiful. I loved the experience of reading this book, and definitely teared up at some parts. I adored Levi and Pixie, and their relationship was the absolute best. This book is perfection. Utter perfection. I'm fairly certain that I've found my new favorite New Adult novel in Best Kind of Broken. And now I'm waiting impatiently to get my hands on the next book in the Finding Fate series--which I will read the day I get it, no doubt.
“So,” Jenna says
casually as she goes back to lining her eyes. “How’s the sex thing going with
Matt?”
Oh jeez.
“It’s not,” I say.
She scrunches her
nose. “Was your first time really so bad?”
My sexual
experience is limited to a one-time disaster with a guy named Benji Barker—that
was his name, I kid you not—and it was drunk and sloppy and just…bleh.
I always thought
losing my virginity would be a memorable event with fireworks and theme music
and maybe a parade afterward. But no. It was more like, hey, so thanks for the horribly awkward sex. Let’s never speak again.
“No,” I say,
searching the depths of the black hole that is my makeup bag for my mascara. “I
mean, it was uncomfortable as hell, but it wasn’t bad. I just haven’t been able
to get into it with Matt yet. Or the guy before him. Or the guy before that
guy.” I tried dating a few guys this past school year, before I met Matt, but
none of them really did it for me. I shrug again. “Maybe I’m a lesbian.”
My fingers finally
wrap around a tube of mascara and I pull it out in triumph.
Jenna rolls her
eyes. “You’re not a lesbian—”
“Pixie!” calls
someone from the hallway.
Levi.
I haven’t heard
his voice for three days and all my senses immediately go on alert. My eyes
snap to the mirror just as his reflection enters in the bathroom doorway and my
heart stammers at the sight.
He’s wearing dark
jeans and an untucked shirt that fits his frame perfectly. The top two buttons
of his shirt are undone, showing off the tan skin of his thick throat, and I
suddenly sympathize with vampires everywhere. Who wouldn’t want to take a bite out of that?
WHAT?
Where did that
thought come from?
“Hey, Pixie. Ellen
wanted me too…” Levi’s words trail off as his gaze runs down my body and
lingers on my butt. Desire flashes in his eyes and my insides start to heat and
tighten in response.
Our eyes lock in
the mirror.
Am I blushing?
Crap, I’m blushing.
He clears his
throat and starts again. “Ellen wanted me to give these to you. She says you
lost your own set? These are her backups.” He lays a set of inn keys on the
counter by my hip, his hand so close to my belly I can feel his body heat
seeping in through my leather skirt.
I nod. I swallow.
I try not to pass out.
Or you know, bite
him.
“Oh, right.
Thanks,” I say, my voice all ragged like I just finished running a marathon or
something. I’m so cool.
“I’m Jenna,” Jenna
says loudly, holding out her hand.
Levi and I blink
away from each other and he raises his eyebrows like he hadn’t noticed Jenna
until right that second.
“Oh, hey,” he says
in his smooth-operator voice. He has many voices. “I’m Levi.”
“Levi,” she
repeats with a Cheshire grin as they shake hands. “It’s very nice to meet you.”
I glare at her but
she refuses to acknowledge me.
“Right.” He
glances at me. “Good to meet you, too.” He pauses. “So yeah. Later.” Then he
rigidly moves from the bathroom mirror.
I stare at the empty hallway that replaces him,
suddenly feeling empty myself.
Chelsea lives in Phoenix, Arizona
where she spends most of her time writing stories, painting murals, and
avoiding housework at all costs. She’s ridiculously bad at doing dishes and
claims to be allergic to laundry. Her obsessions include: superheroes, coffee,
sleeping-in, and crazy socks. She lives with her husband and two children, who
graciously tolerate her inability to resist teenage drama on TV and her
complete lack of skill in the kitchen.
Author Links:
Thank you for being part of the BEST KIND OF BROKEN blog tour and for the incredible review! Jessica! You left me speechless. :) It was an honor to be featured on your blog.
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