โFrom now on, itโs just you and meโEli and Mouse.โ
Eli Wilson was never meant to end up with someone like me.
Mouse. The girl who spoke but wasnโt heardโwho lived in the shadows of her family and spent most of her days being ignored by the town that shaped her.
My love for him bloomed in elementary school and Iโd been forced to watch him fall in love with another girl while our friendship withered away under the weight of jealousy and lies.
But by some strange twist of fate, we were given one night together underneath the stars where I handed him my entire being, only to have him throw it away.
The next morning, I left The Hollow and vowed to never return.
I reinvented who Lyla Scott is. I built a career doing something I love and found people who accept me for who I am.
Seven years later, Iโm standing in front of my childhood home with a churning in my stomach that I havenโt felt since the day I left.
When Eli finds out Iโve returned, he makes a point to show me that he’s not the same carefree boy I once knew. Life has been cruel to him over the years and he has every intention to prove that itโs my fault.
He claims he’ll destroy me, but I wonโt go down without a fight.
Goodreads Review – โThis book has left me with such a wonderful feeling of hope and love, though I may not have been so forgiving of Denise! Such a lovely book. ๐๐๐๐๐โ
Goodreads Review – โOh my word!! I could have finished reading this book in less time if it wasn’t for my constant need to take off my glasses to wipe my eyes.โ
Goodreads Review – โI love these types of romance books – dark, angsty, small town, second chance romance, full of โalmostโ moments and friends to lovers.โ
MY REVIEW:
Oh, the anguish of unrequited young love! Thatโs how this story starts out as young Mouse/Lyla and her family move to small town The Hollow and meet the neighbor boy, Eli. Mouse is immediately smitten but she thinks itโs one sided. That sets up for years of torment as she watches Eli grow into a handsome young man in demand. Soon he leaves behind his childhood friend. Mouse is a quiet, smart girl that just wants out of the small town where she out of place as she writes romance stories to overcome her isolation. Her mother is a nasty piece of work and her sister is a popular girl with little time to spare for her meek sister. Thereโs a lot of emotional abuse and family disfunction in the story. Thatโs the dark part not the romance which comes into play in the last part of the story after a successful Lyla comes back to town and becomes embroiled with Eli in a grown up way. The prologue letโs you know whatโs going in Eliโs head but itโs a little confusing as the story begins and even later in the story when Eliโs anguish is revealed. His reality is sad as he struggles to take care of his mother and overcome his grief. The question is can he get the girl? First he has to try. Thereโs a lot of withholding and secrets and misconceptions among the characters that causes emotional turmoil and hurt. Can they come clean and have quality relationships? This story drew me in from the beginning and kept me turning the pages to see if this dysfunctional family could heal, if Lylaโs dreams come true, and if young love turned into a romance novel with an HEA. I liked this authorโs easy writing style, good storytelling and terrific characters.
ginreads 
Curious.. sounds like a lot of drama but that might work for this.
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