Review: Before You Break by Christina Lee

Posted February 17, 2014 by Kim in Blog Tour, Reviews / 4 Comments

Review: Before You Break by Christina LeeBefore You Break by Christina Lee
Series: Between Breaths
Genres: Contemporary, New Adult, Romance
Publication date: February 18, 2014
Publisher: Penguin/InterMix
Format: eARC
How I got it: From the publisher
Add it: Goodreads
Buy it: Amazon
My rating:

A sexy, emotional New Adult romance about a bad boy on the edge and a good girl about to lose control…

The star catcher of the college baseball team isn't supposed to have skeletons in his closet. But Daniel Quinn is hiding a guilty past so dark he refuses to let anyone get close. Except there’s something about gorgeous, studious Ella Abrams that goes beyond the electric attraction between them—something that makes him want to open up. 

Ella has suffered enough heartache and guilt to fill one of her psychology textbooks, but she keeps that part of herself hidden behind a bubbly exterior. Until she receives an anonymous call while working the suicide helpline and the voice on the other end touches something inside of her that she can’t ignore.

Soon Ella and Quinn’s physical connection heats up, even as their deep and revealing hotline talks intensify. But by the time Ella realizes that her seductive jock and her sensitive caller are the same guy, it might be too late to save him—or to stop herself from falling too far.

I received a complimentary copy of this book for review consideration.
This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

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My Thoughts

I was expecting lots of feels when I began reading Before You Break, simply because I know the emotional roller coaster Christina Lee put me through in All of You. But oh boy, this had double the feels. Before You Break was sweet and sexy, realistic and romantic.

As a result of her brother’s suicide, Ella feels guilt and despair and wants to save others from feeling the same. Because of this, she volunteers at a suicide hotline as Gabriella. She’s taken something dark from her past and turned it into something hopeful. One night, she receives a call from a broken young man named Daniel. They bond in a very special way and she becomes a great source of comfort for him in time. At the same time this is happening, she discovers her boyfriend’s true colors and starts to grow closer to his frat brother Quinn.

If you’ve read the blurb above, you know Daniel and Quinn are one and the same. Neither Ella nor Quinn realizes this at first, however. The book is told through both Ella and Quinn’s perspectives though, so the reader knows and truly gets to know both characters very well.

Ella and Quinn had something real together. It was wonderful to watch their relationship develop both in real life and over the phone. Both had been through so much in their pasts, both harbored guilt for things that were truly out of their control. Their relationship developed slowly and felt believable and realistic. The feelings they were developing for each other were obvious through their actions, dialogue, and thoughts. It wasn’t instalove and it wasn’t built on lust alone. They had intense chemistry, that’s for sure, but it was more than that.

I loved both of these characters. Ella was strong and smart and sweet. Quinn was something else. He was sexy and swoony and cared about others. The two of them were powerful together. It was easy to connect with both of them and feel the things they were feeling. There were secrets aplenty between the two of them and I just hoped throughout the book that their relationship would be strong enough to withstand them when they were revealed.

This book truly left me breathless. It was powerful. It dealt with the very serious issue of suicide in a way that, while painful and emotional, was still hopeful. The writing was fantastic, just as I’ve come to expect from Christina Lee. The characters were likable and relatable and I found myself falling for both of them. This was a wonderful follow-up to All of You and I can’t wait to see where Christina takes me with Whisper to Me, her next book.

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Kim

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