Book 35 of 130 - Saffron Kent, The Unrequited

You have read 35 books of 130 books."

Book Info: Saffron Kent, The Unrequited
Dates read: March 27, 2019 - March 29, 2019
Your rating: ⭐⭐⭐

Recommendation level: Eh... I didn't love it

I didn't like it. I hate when that happens because I love books. Let me say, it was FULL of lust and sex and it was extremely descriptive and graphic - but that's not what I didn't like about it! If you're into that whole 'broken man is terrible and mean to female protagonist just because he's broken so that makes it OK' - than by all means.

I'm not a prude, I'm not against lust filled novels with graphic descriptions. HOWEVER - the guy was awful.

Thomas is a poet gone professor because of personal circumstances. He's brooding and rude and just unhappy most of the time. Layla, our protagonist, is young SO YOUNG. She's inexperienced and quite frankly, not very bright. I didn't enjoy their story. I didn't enjoy the fact that she has zero backbone, even when 'she did,' it was like, 'eh, not really.'

I wish I would have loved it more but I really just didn't. That's all I got folks!

Book 34 of 130 - Tarryn Fisher, Atheists Who Kneel and Pray

You have read 34 books of 130 books."

Book Info: Tarryn Fisher, Atheists Who Kneel and Pray
Dates read: March 26, 2019 - March 27, 2019
Your rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Recommendation level: I loved it but it took me some time but I loved it, I can see how someone may not love it but I still recommend it... Wow, that was a lot...

This book may not be everyone's cup of tea. In fact, when I started it and kept digging deeper, I wondered if it was even my cup of tea. Yet, at some point, can't even tell you when, I thought, 'Whoa, I totally could've been Yara.'

So, Yara is our protagonist. She is a person who'd prefer move around than stay grounded to avoid closeness, love, and eventual hurt. So she disappears. Yara meets David, a musician in need of a muse. He is insistent of Yara needing to play that role in his life. He is awestruck by her since day one. This seems to be Yara's MO - meet an artist, have said artist fall in love with her, and then dip out before the going gets tough. She LITERALLY dips out - like to another country.

Yara is damaged, she makes David damaged. She does a whole lot of damaging throughout the book (it's exhausting). I realized while reading that had I not been grounded by love or maybe other circumstances in my own life, in my mid-20's (the age of Yara), I totally could have been just like her. Even in my mid-20's I had preferred avoidance instead of argument or feelings or drama. I'm not near being Yara anymore in the least bit but I did start to really feel for her and relate to her.

David is addicted to Yara. Addiction is probably more powerful than love. You never get cured from an addition, it's a disease. Even when an addict isn't using, they are still an addict. David just couldn't move past this addiction, he couldn't put it to bed.

This ended up being a beautiful read but it took a rough patch to get there.

Who's playing the characters? I pick Dove Cameron for Yara and let's give her her real-life guy for David, Thomas Doherty

What was I drinking? Starbucks double-shot espresso with cream...this book made me sad sometimes, this drink makes me happy!

What was I listening to? Tarryn Fisher (the amazing author) made an AMAZING playlist on Spotify called" Yara's Yesterday" and like hello, an author after my heart! Full immersion!!

Favorite quotes (there's more but...spoilers):

"I'm obsessed with you. I'm fascinated by the fact that I'm obsessed with you. This has never happened to me before."

"Once I'd set my mind to something I stuck with it. A determined loyalist even when it hurt my pride."

"When there's chemistry you can't stop the reaction."

"There is no moving on when you're truly in love. You try and you keep trying, but that love is a stain on your life."

"There was just something. I looked and I knew. That's not happened to me before, so I decided to explore it."

"This is the most beautiful my life has ever been."