Allie lost everything the night her boyfriend, Trip, died in a horrible car accident—including her memory of the event. As their small town mourns his death, Allie is afraid to remember because doing so means delving into what she’s kept hidden for so long: the horrible reality of their abusive relationship.
When the police reopen the investigation, it casts suspicion on Allie and her best friend, Blake, especially as their budding romance raises eyebrows around town. Allie knows she must tell the truth. Can she reach deep enough to remember that night so she can finally break free? Debut writer Jennifer Shaw Wolf takes readers on an emotional ride through the murky waters of love, shame, and, ultimately, forgiveness.
Publication Date: April 24, 2012
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Realistic Fiction, Mystery
Source: Thanks so much to the publisher, Walker Children, for making this title available on Netgalley.
Review:
Reading the synopsis of Breaking Beautiful I would have never guessed I would be on the edge of my seat almost the entire time. It's everything I thought it would be, times a million. I can't even say how amazing it is!
Allie's character is coping with the death of her boyfriend, Trip, but not really in the way that everyone around her thinks. She's hiding something about how he died, but she's also hiding something about their entire relationship. I loved how she goes from being almost in denial and just shying away from everything to facing her life head on. The transition was done so great and reading her progress as a character was amazing.
And her Blake...I want Blake to be my childhood friend and protector. He's so sweet and amazing which translates as super hot in the book :) And believe it or not, her dead boyfriend plays such a large part in the book which is amazing because he's dead the entire time. I think that echoes how he still has such a hold on Allie even after he isn't physically around, and I felt that as the reader.
I expected alot of things from Breaking Beautiful but reading furiously to find the answer to 'what happened the night Trip died?' wasn't what I expected at all. The story and characters are all so profound, but there is also this thrilling 'whodunit' element too. Seriously, this one goes on my list of all-time favorite books. So good!
