Lovin' los libros

The Secret of Ella and Micha
    by: Jessica Sorensen

Publication Date: Oct. 4, 2012
Publisher: Grand Central Publishing
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: e-copy from NetGalley*
Page Count: 182 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 5/5 stars

                                  -goodreads.com description

Wow, what an amazing book. I held off on reading it because I heard it was an emotional one and I wasn't ready to sit down with a heavy book. However, I sat down with it last night and devoured it. First of all, I love stories about best friends falling in love with each other. By far my favorite part of this book was watching the friendship/relationship between Ella and Micha unfold.

I was pulled in from the very first page and saw just how emotional this book was going to be. We meet both Ella and Micha in a very precarious situation. We really see the extent to which Ella is hurting and see how she is drowning in her despair from this first chapter. We also see just how much Micha cares for her and would do anything to keep her. He is her constant, the one person she can always depend on, and the only one who can drag her back from the depths of hell. He reveals his true feelings for her and the lines of friendship are blurred and crossed.

And then she walks away from it all.

GAH. I was screaming at her at this point. Stupid, stupid girl! You have a guy who knows your soul inside and out, knows all your crap and pain, and yet accepts and loves you anyway. And you freaking walk away from him?! Ella is a very fragile character, who after having gone through as much as she has, needs to be handled with care. So, as much as I hated it, I understood.

After 8 months of silence, Micha finally tracks her down and leaves her a voice mail pouring his heart out to her, which she can't bring herself to listen to. She heads back home after a year at college, where she is no longer the same Ella she once was. In her place, is the same broken girl who can't even look at her own reflection in the mirror, but wears a facade so great, no one would ever notice the person she used to be. No longer rough around the edges, Ella is refined- she watches watch she says, changes her appearance and clothing, and strives to do well in school. Ella travels with her polished, preppy friend Lila back to her home town, not realizing that you can never truly escape your past. It certainly doesn't help matters that Micha lives next door to her and is set on bringing back the girl he used to know.

I loved Micha. He will fight for her, but won't sacrifice his pride in the process. Slowly, but surely he works his way back into her life and her heart. He is constantly trying to convince her of his feelings for her and that he is not going to let her go again. Bit by bit he chips away at her numb exterior and helps her realize that she's worth having and being with. I will say, Ella put up a pretty good fight, but reaches a point where she no longer wants to keep Micha away.

This book really shows us how broken Ella and even Micha's home lives really are. She lost her mother to a drug overdose, her father is an alcoholic, and her brother has fled to start a new life for himself. He, on the other hand, is dealing with a father who had abandoned him as a child, who now wants to speak to him after years of silence.

Both characters have to work out their issues before they can truly give themselves to one another, and I think Sorensen did an amazing job of creating these two, broken characters and helping them realize that they are stronger together.

*I received a copy of this book in exchange for a fair and honest review*