Review: Breaking Beautiful by Jennifer Shaw Wolf

Title: Breaking Beautiful
Author: Jennifer Shaw Wolf
Series: Stand Alone
Published By: Walker Children's (April 24, 2012)
Source: ARC provided by the publisher
Genre: YA Realistic Fiction
My Rating: 4.5 Stars

Goodreads Description:
 Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.

When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.

My Review:

  When I first started this book I had no idea it was going to be such an emotional story.

Truly, I was a little blindsided by it. I saw the gorgeous cover and had no idea what truly lurked inside such a beautifully deceiving book.

Maybe saying it was deceiving because of the beautiful cover might be a little harsh, in fact, I had a small inkling that a deeper, maybe even darker, story might be hiding inside this one.

I just had no idea how dark and how heartbreaking it was going to be or how intriguing. I honestly wasn't expecting it to read like a good mystery, nor was I expecting the creep factor it managed to give off, needless to say I loved everything about it.

The air of mystery, the creepiness, the plot, the characters, they were all great.

I loved Allie and how her character grew over the course of the story and over the course of her relationship with her friends and family. She really grew up and started to take charge of her life and stand up for herself, it was really nice to see.

I absolutely loved her brother Andrew, he was probably my favorite secondary character besides Blake. I loved their bond, their love for one another and just the situation between the two and all that transpires with them throughout the story.

I just loved so much about this story that it really is hard to put my finger on any one thing and I don't want to give anything away by describing too much, but I think how the plot unfolded and things were revealed so just done very well and added that mystery to the story that made it all the better.

Great novel from a debut author!