Review: Unbreak Me by Lexi Ryan

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Blurb:

“If you’re broken, I’ll fix you…”

I’m only twenty-one and already damaged goods. A slut. A failure. A disappointment to my picture-perfect family as long as I can remember. I called off my wedding to William Bailey, the only man who thought I was worth fixing. A year later, he’s marrying my sister. Unless I ask him not to…

“If you shatter, I’ll find you…”

But now there’s Asher Logan, a broken man who sees the fractures in my façade and doesn’t want to fix me at all. Asher wants me to stop hiding, to stop pretending. Asher wants to break down my walls. But that means letting him see my ugly secrets and forgiving him for his. 

With my past weighing down on me, do I want the man who holds me together or the man who gives me permission to break?

Elle says:

Before I ever opened this book and began reading, I was drawn to this story. The cover is absolutely stunning and I couldn’t resist the chance to explore what lay beneath that eye-catching image. By page two, I was hooked.

If I had to describe Unbreak Me by Lexi Ryan in three words they would be:

• 1.     Tragedy
• 2.     Captivating
• 3.     Haunting

Tragedy: a dramatic composition, often in verse, dealing with a serious or somber theme, typically that of a great person destined through a flaw of character or conflict with some overpowering force, as fate or society, to downfall or destruction.

After a series of unfortunate events and poor choices, Maggie Thompson is burdened with consequences in the wake of her sordid past. One of those consequences is attending her sister’s wedding to Maggie’s ex-boyfriend, William.

“Girls like me don’t get happily-ever-after.”

Maggie is the kind of character I fell in love with instantly. Deep down, she is a kindhearted, selfless woman. However, these characteristics are buried beneath layers of defense mechanisms, tragedy, and self-loathing.

She is the black sheep in her family as well as in the town where she grew up and still resides. Having never escaped New Hope, Maggie is surrounded by constant reminders of mistakes from her adolescence. Nosy older women make her the focus of their gossip, while her peers continue the harassment that began in high school.

“Maggie’s too busy hating herself to love anyone.”

My heart broke for Maggie. The pain she has endured is enough to shatter a soul, yet she has found a way to cope. In order to push aside the negativity, Maggie has constructed impenetrable walls that no one can break through.

Captivating: to attract and hold the attention or interest of, as by beauty or excellence

“But your beauty? It’s the kind that radiates from your heart Maggie, and it’s so damn bright it shines beyond these walls you’ve erected to protect yourself.”

Enter Asher Logan. The former rock god sought refuge in New Hope to escape his violent past in hopes of building a better future for himself. In order to do this, he must stay out of trouble. His plan is foolproof until Maggie stumbles upon him by chance. The moment he lays eyes on her, any hopes of avoiding trouble are demolished.

“There are plenty of gorgeous women in the world. Maggie is more than that. She’s a study in contradictions and I am an eager student.”

Can Asher break through Maggie’s apathetic exterior and help her cope with her inner turmoil? Once her secrets are unearthed, will their burden be too much for Asher to handle?

“It would feel so nice to have someone on my side. To have a little help carrying the weight of my secrets.”

The story held my attention from the very start. Each of the characters was complex and their stories entwined with one another to form this dynamic web of deception, mystery, and heartbreak.

“Some of us are just too cold inside to be capable of real love.”

Lexi Ryan methodically reveals snippets of background information about the characters, one spoonful at a time. Each taste is a different flavor ranging from gallant to deceit. Ryan gives the reader just enough time to digest each bite before serving another.

Haunting: remaining in the conscience; not quickly forgotten

With each page turned, another layer of Maggie’s damaged psyche is discovered. In true dramatic fashion, I found myself gasping out loud at each skeleton from Maggie’s past. The harder she tries to keep the walls around her heart erected and her past concealed, the deeper the cracks travel, ultimately crumbling her walls and unearthing the secrets she desperately tried to conceal.

Summary:

This story was powerful and consumed my thoughts leaving me with one hell of a book hangover. I agonized over writing this review. Not because I didn’t like the book, but because I loved the story so much I was afraid my words wouldn’t be enough to convey how astounding this novel is.

Unbreak Me is a MUST READ book, so add it to your TBR list and purchase your copy today!

Author Links

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Bio:

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of spunky romance that sizzles, Lexi enjoys reading, sunshine, a good glass of wine, and rare trips to the beach with her husband and children.

Lexi lives in Indiana where she divides her time between her family, her writing, and her job as an English professor.