Book Blurb:
An emotional, angsty, suspenseful, second chance romance from the USA Today bestselling author of Inseparable and When Forever Changes.
Let him who is without sin cast the first stone…
I’m the second-most hated person in Amber Springs.
First place honors go to my twin, Ethan; however, hate isn’t a strong enough word to convey how people feel about him.
Not that I blame anyone—some days, I hate him too. Mostly, I’m just lost and afraid, drowning in a sea of betrayal and guilt, wondering how this happened right under my nose.
There’s no choice but to leave. To move clear across the country in a last-ditch attempt to start over.
Transferring to a new school midway through senior year is hellish for most people. For me, it’s a welcome relief—until someone discovers our secret and now everyone knows.
The pointing, whispering, and scathing looks follow me around again, and I’m back to square one. Except, this time, I’m not alone.
Axel, Skeet, and Heath took me under their wing from the minute I arrived here. I’ve no idea why three of the hottest guys in town took any interest in me or why they continue to have my back, but I’m so grateful to have them in my corner.
Because, right now, they’re the only reason I’m not following my brother into an early grave.
This is an upper YA/NA STANDALONE #whychoose contemporary romance. Due to sensitive content and possible triggers, this book is recommended to readers aged eighteen and older. Please refer to the note at the start of the book. This is a full length novel.
As you may have guessed by now, I’m a fan of the darker spectrum of books, however Surviving Amber Springs took me by surprise. Reading the blurb, I knew something big happened but I was not prepared. Even after finishing it, I’m still having trouble processing everything that happened and all the emotions it evoked. I LOVE when that happens. This book dealt with several triggers including gun violence, sexual and physical abuse, bullying and mental health and suicide. If any of these are triggering to you, I would definitely steer clear of this book. Although it’s a reverse harem, I found it on the tame side as there’s no group scenes. That’s not to say there’s no steam, but it wasn’t the focus.
Blaire and her parents are dealing with the repercussions of a decision Ethan, her twin, made that lead to his death as well as their subsequent need to move to a new town and start over. During her first outing in her new town, she meets Axel, Skeet & Heath. All four of them feel an instant connection and decide fairly early on that she’s going to date all three of them. Skeet comes from a polyamourous household, so all three of the friends are pretty comfortable with the idea. Because Blaire is trying to keep a low profile, not because she's embarrassed to be dating them all, they decide Heath will be her boyfriend in public and the others will show their affection in private. Their choice of public boyfriend creates issues of it’s own because Heath has been pretending to date Cassie, a childhood friend, to appease their parents. Despite the relationship being fake, Cassie has held out hope that they would eventually get married. Needless to say, news of Blaire and Heath dating does not go over well.
News of Blaire’s real identity comes out not too long after arriving and leads to her downward spiral. Despite Axel, Skeet and Heath’s acceptance of her and her truth, things continue to get worse. The bullying that she was dealing with because of being the new girl in school and jealousy escalates to a more dangerous level. Unfortunately for the four of them, something happens that takes Blaire out of their lives for almost 2 years.
When they finally reunite, Blaire is much healthier and in a better position to face what happened to her and begin to heal. Axel, Skeet and, after some soul searching, Heath accompany Blaire on a few trips that allow her to get the closure she needs.
Although some information as to what happened with Ethan and why he did what he did comes to light early in the book, there were still a lot of missing pieces to be discovered to allow Blaire, Heath, Axel and Skeet to find their happily ever after. Once you see the full picture, things begin to make a bit more sense (not to say things are justified).
There are a lot of issues discussed in this book that pushed me out of my comfort zone. Ultimately, I’m happy it did because it made me realize that not all things are black and white and everyone’s perception of a tragedy is very different. I found myself crying several times in this book and was left very affected by it. If you're ready for a tearjerker and topics mentioned above aren't triggers for you, give Surviving Amber Springs a read, you won't regret it.
RATING: 5/5 STARS ✰✰✰✰✰
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Buy this book on Amazon or read for free with Kindle Unlimited: https://www.amazon.com/Surviving-Amber-Springs-Stand-Alone-Contemporary-ebook/dp/B07LC42ZWC
Happy reading!
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