An Amazing Debut!
Back in late March, I shared the cover for this debut novel. Based on the blurb I knew this would be a special one. I didn't realize just how special. I read it in ONE SITTING. I'm getting ahead of myself. First things first!
The Blurb...
There's a drawer I never open. It holds a picture I never look at. It reminds me of a day I hate to remember, but I'll never forget.I'd give anything to be like the other girls on campus. Going to parties, flirting with boys, planning for a future. But that's not me. And hasn't been since the day my parents died. The only thing that got me through was Griffin. Even though I didn't have my family, I always had him. Only, now I'm not so sure I do.
It's not just the eleven hundred miles separating us now that I'm at college. Or his band finally taking off, and all the gigs and girls suddenly demanding his time. It's as if everything is different-the way we talk, the way we text . . . the way he looks at me and the way those looks make me feel.
Griffin has been the only good thing in my life since that horrific day. But I can feel our friendship slipping away-and I'm terrified of what will be left in its place . . .
The Excerpt...
Griffin took the last box from my hand and shoved it into the backseat of my car. “I’ll get my bike on the trailer, and then we’ll be ready to hit the road.” He wiped his upper arm across his sweaty forehead.
I looked into his dark eyes and smiled. “Thanks,” I sighed.
“For what?” With a toss of his head, he pushed a few errant curls out of his eyes.
“For putting up with me.” He could have easily gotten a plane ticket home, but he knew how much I hated airplanes. The thought of him getting on a plane made me physically ill.
He swung his arm around my neck, squeezing me with his strong arm. “Put up with you? I’d like to see you try and get rid of me.”
With my head trapped in his viselike grip and my face pressed to his chest, I couldn’t escape his intoxicating scent. Even though it was too hot for his beloved leather riding jacket, the faint smell still clung to him. That, coupled with the heady musk clinging to his sweat-dampened t-shirt, made my head swim with thoughts that were well beyond the realm of friendship.
I needed to refocus my thoughts, and I couldn’t do that pressed up against him. I shivered and pulled away. Taking a step back, I cleared my throat. “I’m going to tell Jennifer we’re leaving.” I thumbed toward the house.
He scrutinized my face for a minute, then smirked. “Enjoy that. You’ve earned it.”
I turned on my heel and let out a deep breath, trying desperately to rein in my inappropriate fantasies.
Months ago, our easygoing friendship had morphed into an awkward dance of fleeting glances, lingering touches, and an unspeakable amount of tension. I thought he’d felt it, too. The night of my high school graduation party, I went out on a limb and kissed him. When our lips met, every nerve ending in my body fired at once. Embers of lust burned deep inside me. I’d never felt anything like that before. The thought of being intimate with someone made me want to run to the nearest convent. But not with Griffin. When our bodies connected, I felt whole and alive in a way I’d never felt before.
Then he’d done what I’d least expected…he’d pushed me away. I’d searched his face for an explanation. He, more than anyone, knew what it had taken for me to put myself out there, and he’d pushed me away. Touting some bullshit about our timing being all wrong, that a long distance relationship wouldn’t work, he insisted that I was nothing more than his friend. His rejection hurt worse than any of the cuts I’d inflicted upon myself in past years. But, he was my best friend; I needed him far too much to have our relationship end badly and lose him forever. Regardless of his excuses, in retrospect, I was glad I wouldn’t fall victim to his usual love-’em-and-leave-’em pattern. Griffin was never with one girl for more than a couple of months; then he was on to the next. That would have killed me. So I picked up what was left of my pride, buried my feelings, and vowed not to blur the lines of our friendship again.
The Review...
Some Scars Never Heal…But They Can Be Soothed
I read this book in one sitting.
Is it the smooth writing that did it for me? Maybe. Maybe it's the way the characters interact and talk — their natural chemistry? Possibly. Is it because it’s fundamentally a story of second chances? That’s definitely there. What about the fact that it’s about two best friends, who are so good together, to each other, and for each other that you want and hope they’ll realize that they are better together than apart? Yes, that’s there too. Is it because Marie Meyer expertly ties all these elements together with a sub-plot of a tragic loss that is relatable on a visceral level? Absolutely.
Jillian, our protagonist, deserves a shot at happiness. Her scars are not only skin deep, but also soul deep. This is not another book that works in 9-11 just to get emotional points. This is a book whose emotions are so relatable that anyone whose lost loved ones to a tragedy, or understands that sometimes the smallest decisions have life-long implications, will want this young woman to find a path to happiness. And he’s right there — always has been -- her best friend, Griffin.
This is a beautifully written book, with a deep story line, set in a world that’s real…sometimes too real. Brilliant work, by a talented writer. I look forward to more books by Marie Meyer. The future of NA is bright! I highly recommend it.
FIVE STARS!
Buy the Book...
The Giveaway...
The Author...
Marie Meyer was a Language Arts teacher for fourteen years. She spends her days in the classroom and her nights writing heartfelt new adult romances that will leave readers clamoring for more. She is a member of RWA and the St. Louis Writers Guild. Marie's short fiction won honorable mentions from the St. Louis Writers Guild in 2010 and 2011. She is a proud mommy and enjoys helping her oldest daughter train for the Special Olympics, making up silly stories with her youngest daughter, and bingeing on weeks of DVR'd television shows with her husband
Website:http://mariemeyerbooks.com/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/MarieMwrites
You've flaunted about the book so well that even I wish to finish it in one sitting. I'll recommend everyone to enjoy the book just because of this one sentence 'Some Scars Never Heal…But They Can Be Soothed'
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