Eden and Tyler facing each other with intense emotions
Wow! Just wow! What did I just read? I’m still reeling from this book, and honestly, the last third had me in floods of tears. Seriously, actual tears streaming down my face! It was just so…unfair! Everything Tyler and Eden went through felt incredibly unjust, and now I’m desperately waiting to know what happens next. The emotional cliffhanger is real, and I’m completely hooked!
Honestly, in the beginning, I wasn’t entirely sure how I felt about this story. Tyler’s group of friends seemed a bit over the top, wild, and frankly, reckless. They gave me major anxiety! And Tyler himself? Initially, he came across as a complete jerk. Okay, maybe not the worst guy ever written, but definitely high on the asshole-meter! He was aggressive and seemingly angry for no real reason, and it was honestly irritating.
You know me, I usually fall for the bad boy trope, and I was questioning if Tyler could actually make me love him. Well, spoiler alert: he absolutely did! All that initial dislike transformed into full-blown adoration. And Eden? We are totally Team Tyler now!
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Another reason why this book resonated so deeply with me is the relatable family dynamic. Navigating new family relationships is something I understand, that feeling of being an outsider in a family that isn’t really your family yet.
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Eden’s summer in LA with her dad and his new family starts off incredibly awkward and uncomfortable. Then she meets Tyler, her older stepbrother, and things go from awkward to explosive.
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Tyler is rude, angry, and seems to despise Eden from the moment they meet. His behavior is so off-putting that it’s hard for Eden to feel anything but animosity towards him. To make matters worse, his friends insist on including her in their group, forcing her to spend even more time around this infuriating stepbrother.
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But Eden is observant, especially when it comes to Tyler. As time passes, she starts to see through his tough exterior. She realizes that Tyler is putting on an act, hiding something beneath the surface.
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She becomes determined to uncover his secrets, and somewhere along the way, that curiosity morphs into something much deeper… something she wasn’t expecting.
“His walls are a mask. It’s all an act, a role he’s trying to play. The crude comments and leching over Tiffani and the addictions: they’re fake. It’s all fake…Sometimes his facade slips. And sometimes I’ve been there to see beneath it.It’s the way his eyes sometimes soften, offering a true glimpse of what he’s about to anyone who is willing to look. And I don’t know why it hasn’t hit me until this moment. It is so, so obvious. Our irrelevant arguments and pathetic small talk and constant glares seem so…so inevitable, like we couldn’t stop, like we enjoyed the bickering. Somehow. We have sneered at one another since the day I arrived, fighting to try to find each other’s weaknesses. Mine is my insecurity. Tyler’s is the truth.And beneath it all lies attraction.Tyler is attracted to me, and I am attracted to Tyler.”
And the attraction is definitely mutual. Eden is the only one who sees past Tyler’s carefully constructed persona, and that both terrifies and excites him. She makes him feel…alive, something he hasn’t felt in a long time. In his chaotic and messed-up world, Eden becomes his light. And he desperately craves to be with her.
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But here’s the HUGE problem: they are stepsiblings. Can you really consider someone family when you’ve only known them for a few weeks? It’s a question that definitely adds fuel to the forbidden romance fire!
So, what will happen with Tyler and Eden?!
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The obstacles in their way are massive. The “family” connection, Tyler’s complicated relationship with his girlfriend… it all feels insurmountable. Is there any chance for them to have a future together? Or are they destined to suppress their intense feelings? If they try to stay apart, will their love fade away, or will the longing and attraction only grow stronger?
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I really loved Eden as a character. I connected with her feelings about her dad and his new family so much.
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Her close relationship with her mother was heartwarming. Eden is kind and sweet, and I admired her determination to help Tyler, even when she initially disliked him. And when she realized her feelings for him, she knew she should stop it, but the pull was just too strong.
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I also appreciated her strong moral compass. When things between her and Tyler progressed, she couldn’t stand the idea of being a cheater, even though Tiffany was far from a good friend. And even though her decision near the end broke my heart, I respected her strength.
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“I don’t want this to stop. Tyler and I…we shouldn’t be together and we shouldn’t be doing what we’re doing, because the bottom line is that we’re stepsiblings, no matter how much we wish we weren’t. I’m so attracted to everything about him, and I shouldn’t have to feel like I’m doing something wrong because of it. It’s not wrong. Where’s the blood relation? There isn’t one.”
As for Tyler, he initially seems like a total jerk, but there’s so much more to him.
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He’s lost and hurting, hiding his vulnerability behind a mask of anger and recklessness. His past has shaped him, making him self-destructive, and my heart ached for him.
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He uses distractions to cope, until Eden becomes his ultimate distraction, but in the best possible way. When the real Tyler emerges, I completely fell for him. The scene where he makes himself vulnerable broke my heart, and all I wanted to do was hug him and never let go. I couldn’t stop crying!
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And despite the heartbreak, I was happy when he decided to go to New York. It feels like a crucial step for him to confront his demons and heal.
“Don’t you get it? You’re not my distraction. This is me, Eden. This. Right now. You’re making me a goddamn mess, but I don’t care, because it’s me. I’m a mess. And the thing I love about you is that I’m allowed to be a mess around you, because I trust you. You’re the only one who’s cared enough to figure me out. I want to be your mess.”
Seriously, I’m praying that Tyler and Eden find their way back to each other and overcome everything standing in their way. It’s so unfair for them to be caught in this situation. When you love someone so deeply, how can you just stay away?
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Why should they be forced to ignore such powerful feelings? It’s just cruel! I NEED to know what happens next, Estelle Maskame, please deliver! My heart can’t take much more of this emotional turmoil!
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What about the other characters? Tyler’s younger brothers are adorable! And Ella, the stepmother, is genuinely great. But Eden’s father? Still not a fan!
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As for friends, Rachael and Dean are amazing. Jake is just there, and Meghan is okay. Tiffany? Ugh, the worst! She’s manipulative and uses blackmail to get what she wants.
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And honestly, Tyler’s friends are terrible friends in general! When you see someone you care about self-destructing, you should step in and help!
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They were all too self-absorbed to notice Tyler’s pain, which is really disappointing.
Initially, I wasn’t thrilled about the characters being so young, but then I saw the blurb for the next book, and it’s set almost two years later. So, maybe there’s hope for Tyler and Eden! Please, please let there be salvation for them!
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God, I need the next book NOW!
***ARC kindly provided via NetGalley for the exchange of an honest review***
