Reviewer: AnnQueen5

Cover: Mysterious, a little simple.

Review: This story is really, really good. I really enjoyed the aspects of Ashley and Chase's lives. They are both two in depth characters that have a backstory to them. I love how you made Chase a foster child. I think it gives him just that many more layers. There is so much that could be done with the idea of Chase having dead parents, including him suffering from PTSD (Post Traumatic Stress Disorder). This book deals with some very important issues that should be discussed more in contemporary stories. Overall, a solid book, if you are looking for amazingly developed characters.

Suggestions: While the story is amazing character wise, the plot is filled with many holes. First off, the idea of an arranged marriage is sort of seems too medieval to me, don't you think? Plus, dropping the marriage bomb in the second chapter is a little bit surprising. Letting the two main characters develop themselves away from the other before dropping the marriage bomb is probably a better idea, as it shows how they are independent and that the other is not necessarily the cause of their happiness. Here's what I would have done. I would have let the characters develop a friendship and themselves in the first 10 chapters. Next, foreshadow an arranged marriage or another twist. If you end up using the marriage, build it up a little, create a backstory for it. The marriage should be a side-plot, less important to the story than the main plot. It should not be what drives it. Next, I feel like Ashley's family should be abusive, but in a different way. While being physically abusive, verbally as well. Use the abuse scenes scarcely, as you may end up writing the same thing for the scenes, changing only the dialogue a little bit. Lastly, I think the topic of Chase's depression a little differently should be handled a little differently. I have suffered through depression myself and not everyone is like the stereotypical depressed person. I, for one, did not cut or self-harm. That doesn't mean that I wasn't depressed. I didn't stop smiling, but that didn't mean that I didn't feel like I was dying on the inside every time I did. It would be very nice to see a character that embodied the other side of things, not just someone who was the stereotypical depressed kid.

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars