"Life has a funny way of going on. You don't have a choice, really. You wake up, force yourself into some clothes, drag your ass to school, smile and nod as if on cue, do enough work to keep your head above water so as not to raise concern - in short, you deal."
Madeline Becker has found a way to move forward with her life after the death of her parents; as empty as it may seem she is still living. Meeting her best friend in seventh grade, shortly after moving to live with her aunt, Maddy slowly begins to open up. Melanie Crane is bubbly and open and just happy, it's infectious really, allowing Maddy to find just a tad-bit of happiness in her grief-stricken life.
Getting close to people is nearly impossible for Madeline and besides Mel (along with her second mom), Maddy keeps a pretty high wall around her heart. If she doesn't let anyone in, she can't get hurt. She has friends, even a boyfriend who loves her, but never has Maddy had feelings where she can open herself completely up and truly be free to love and be loved by another...it just hurts too much to feel those things, when the number one feeling she carries is pain.
"You deserve love. You are not broken and empty like you think you are...I know losing your parents was difficult and that, in a lot of ways, you're still reeling from it, but it will never get better until you let it get better. You have to let them go and move on with your life. I know that you deserve to be loved...I just hope that one day you realize you deserve it - that one day you'll be able to let love in."
Deciding that with life taking her to new places, namely college (with Mel of course as her roommate), Madeline makes a few promises to herself. Things that only she can do; a way to be happy, appreciate the beauty of life and her surroundings, but mostly, to let love in. Never did she think it would come so quickly...or wrapped up in an extremely hot, dark and mysterious package. Reid Connely.
A chance meeting at a college house party has Maddy reeling. This guy, whom she has just met, pulls her close and sees right.through.her. What is strange, is that she sees right through him too...and they are both terrified of the meaning behind each of the other's painful stares.
"There's some pull, some draw between us, and I just know that he feels it. He has to...I want to dig deeper; I want to know him better. I want to learn what put the pain in his eyes. I want to soothe it. I want to share my pain with him in the hopes that he can help me wash it away, because despite his anger, I have seen compassion in his eyes, too. I've heard the hope in his voice. I've seen him laughing with his friends, and I know there is a good guy in there somewhere."
It's not hard to see that they have each found their missing half, their soul mate. I loved this instant connection between Reid and Maddy. I loved that he fought it, trying to hold onto his "bad boy" ways but not really wanting to. The relationship between them is something movies are made of, especially his sweetness and underlying attention to details. To have a man treat a woman with the utmost care and devotion (especially at their age) is not common. I LOVED that about this story...it reminds me of my husband. <3
The struggles that they face, both as individuals as well as a couple had me laughing one second and sobbing the next. My emotions were all over the place--I loved it. Every. Single. Second. Collins weaves a beautiful love story laced with two very different types of grief (along with a completely heart-wrenching backstory) that each has gone through. I loved the understanding that while the scenarios may be different, they are the same...and ultimately, Maddy & Reid get their happily ever after...oh wait, did I say that? I meant to say, she leaves you hanging like a monkey on a limb with no ground underneath! Seriously!?!? I cried SO HARD as I read the last page and then "THE END". I was like, "That's it?!? Surely, there has to be more?" Thankfully, there is and I cannot wait to see how Maddy and Reid's story ends...or begins in Let Love Stay.
"Leaning into my ear, he whispers, "Goodbye for now, sweet Maddy. I love you. I'll always love you, no matter what, and I will prove it to you." His lips softly graze my cheek, and then he's gone. He's walking past me...His dark silhouette is illuminated by the bright sun shining through the sliding glass doors...Reid, the love of my life, has always been the darkness in search of the light...I hope for his sake, for my sake...that he can finally find it."
**5 Painfully Sweet Stars**
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