Review: Shattered by Elizabeth Lee

Shattered
   by: Elizabeth Lee

Publication Date: April 29, 2014
Publisher: Self-Published
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Group: New Adult
Source: e-ARC provided by InkSlingerPR in exchange for a fair and honest review.
Page Count: 372 pages
Order Links: Amazon | B&N
My Rating: 4/5 stars

Alyssa Boyd had big plans. Big plans that included getting the hell out of the little town she’d grown up in with her two best friends. When she decided it was time to let one of them know her true feelings for him; a change of plans resulted in a tragic turn of events. Now, Alyssa is left alone to find her way out of the darkness that an untimely death has left in its wake.

Jesse Vaughn was never good at letting people in. He’d learned a long time ago that it’s easier that way because people leave, or, unfortunately, die. The one person he wanted to let in doesn’t want him anymore. The only problem is he can’t stop thinking about her. Jesse returns to the childhood home he left behind with one goal in mind… to convince her that they should be together.

When Jesse finds Alyssa she’s not the same girl he left behind. She’s wild, reckless and hell-bent on not giving Jesse a second chance. Lucky for Jesse, his stubborn streak has always been a mile-wide and he’s not about to give up on her.

When your life has been shattered can you really pick up all the pieces and move on?

 

 

I always look forward to reading books by Elizabeth Lee. She has really shown her versatility as an author- she can write emotionally heart-wrenching books such as this one, as well as ones that incorporate humor AND still have a beautiful romance. I really enjoyed reading Shattered. I liked Jesse and Alyssa's story and watching them overcome a very painful, emotional event that completely changed their lives forever.

 

Pacing: Elizabeth is awesome at pacing. I always devour her books in one sitting, as they just flow so quickly and fluidly. Jesse and Alyssa have a complicated relationship- going from best friends to realizing they felt something more, only to have a tragic event put anything that was blooming between them on hold. Their relationship develops slowly as there is a lot of hurt, anger, and loss between them that they will need to tackle before becoming more.

 

Storyline: After losing her best friend Garrett to a tragic accident, Alyssa Boyd's life is completely turned upside down. Not only did she lose her best friend, but she also lost her other best friend and her something more, Jesse Vaughn. The one person who was supposed to stand by her and support her? Gone. Alyssa is barely holding it together, especially with a cold, unfeeling mother and a rather distant father. Nine months ago she watched her best friend lowered into the ground and her other best friend walk away. Now, Alyssa just wants to get through graduation. Being in the gym where Garrett's memorial was once held brings all her feelings rushing back to the surface, to which she begins taking her medication once more. To Alyssa it's better not to feel... than to feel too much. The last person she expected to walk back in her life does and she's not unaffected by his presence. Jesse is the last person Alyssa wants to talk to, even as he begs her to let him explain. Both Jesse and Alyssa are stubborn individuals, but Jesse is determined to get Alyssa back and make her his.

 

Characters: My heart ached for Alyssa. Garrett and Jesse were her best friends and the three were inseparable. Alyssa was the lost, lonely girl that Garrett and Jesse took in as their own, especially after her best friend January became more interested in boys than girl time. Alyssa is young and doesn't handle her grief well. She makes some pretty reckless decisions, which causes Jesse to wonder if that same sweet, loving girl he fell for is even still there. As I said, Alyssa is pretty stubborn. She really makes Jesse work to earn her forgiveness and she's lucky he's one determined guy. He is the one source of comfort she needs to heal and move on. She doesn't have all the facts about why he left that day and I just wanted to yell at her to stop being stubborn and listen to him! I did think she was a little over the top concerning his behavior towards the whole ordeal with Collin. I thought she overreacted and it wasn't fair of her to do that to Jesse after everything they've been through.

 

I loved Jesse. Obviously. He is a good guy who wants to make things right with the girl he loves. Their nine months apart has been difficult on both of them with the pain of losing their best friend and one another all because of a miscommunication. Jesse has never been great with expressing his feelings and letting people in. Why let people in when all they do is leave? First his parents, then Garrett... Still, he tries his best with Alyssa and the way he looks at her, speaks to her... it's so precious! I just wanted to squeeze him! He is also just as stubborn as Alyssa and he makes some hothead decisions himself, but I still didn't think it was drastic enough for Alyssa to act the way she did. Thankfully Alyssa has some great friends in her corner who offer sound advice.

 

January, Alyssa's friend, and Hapley, Jan's boyfriend, are two great examples of said friends. Both of them are protective of Alyssa and I liked that. I also liked they weren't afraid to tell Alyssa when she was being unreasonable and ridiculous. Good friends like that are hard to find. Jesse's sister, Kelly, may not play a huge role in the book, but she is also in Alyssa's corner, telling her that Jesse does love her- more than anything, but she has to be patient with him.

 

Final Thoughts: I could tell this was Elizabeth's first book, as the writing style wasn't as developed as some of her more recent novels, but that doesn't change the emotional depth this book has to offer. I loved the dual POV between Jesse and Alyssa, and I really enjoyed seeing the flashbacks of their past together, and watching Alyssa through Jesse's eyes and vice versa. Shattered is a beautiful story about love, loss, and second chances and is definitely worth reading!