If you're looking for a heartwarming story about a girl who falls deeply in love with a troubled boy who changes her life--a sob story with pretty metaphors and a million ways that'll tell you how "broken" she is, STOP. Don't read another word of this.
I'm not that type of girl.
My name is Emerald Anderson and I'm not going to bullshit you: I flunked out of college after my sophomore year, I've been fired from every job I've ever taken, and I've never had a fully functioning relationship in my life.
I wish I could say that I had a cheerleader in my corner, someone who says, "No, Emerald--You're great and you are good at something!" but I don't. My grandparents are completely oblivious to my life, and my mother's dying words to me were "You're going to end up just like me one day. A beautiful nothing."
She was right.
As I decide to start my life over and take two jobs that will forever change me--one from the inside, and one from the outside, I keep my mother's words close to my heart so I can keep the sexy and mysterious Carter Black away.
He's the first man who's ever pursued me, the first man who seems bent on finding out why I am the way I am, but he's wasting his time.
I'm not broken. I don't need to be fixed. I'm perfectly fine being a beautiful failure...
4.5 Stars
Review: I went into this story thinking that I might not like Emerald. The synopsis made me a little hesitant about her because I thought she might end up being one of those tough, no-nonsense, ball-busting girls that can be hard to connect to, for me. That was soooo not the case. Don't get me wrong, I think Emerald tried to come off as a tough girl that didn't need anybody or anything, but it's because she was sold the wrong story from early on in her life. In fact, the person that she looked up to the most actually ended up hurting her the most, as well, and mainly by being a bad example and giving bad advice - that she didn't even believe in. What the heck am I talking about? Well, read on.
Emerald is raised by her mother, Leah, who is a well known escort in New Jersey. Emerald is raised to believe that a pretty face and a tube of mascara can solve anything. She does not realize how surface this outlook is for a very long time. Even after she goes through a major trauma and her mother is no longer around, she still seems to try to hold onto the rules that her mother taught her and stays completely isolated from everything else in life. Emerald lives with her grandparents, who she has always been estranged from, just until she finishes high school, and then she goes to college. College, and specific people there, are not good to Emerald, however, so she ends up back with her grandparents in Blythe, Alabama. Think Bible belt.
For a time, Emerald just seems to survive through life, and, as the reader, you start to feel really bad for her. Life really does seem to be very hard on her, and she can't catch a break. She gets fired from every job because she is rude and distant, and she just has another drink when she is unhappy about something. But then, a car accident and a judge intervene, and Emerald has to enter an outpatient treatment program. She also has a lot of fines to pay, so she gets somewhat desperate to find another job. Enter The Phoenix. One of Emerald's old co-workers, despite Emerald's rudeness and negativity, reaches out to her and tells her about a job opportunity at The Phoenix. Emerald doesn't know much about it, but she interviews for it and gets it. Around the same time, a pesky old customer, who happens to be SUPER HOT!!!!, keeps coming around trying to get her attention.
Carter Black. Hot. Mysterious. Chivalrous. Stalker? Carter keeps showing up where Emerald is, and he slowly chips away at Emerald's rough exterior. She begins to realize that her mother taught her to never give people a chance and to only rely on herself, yet Emerald begins to see that Leah couldn't even live by those rules, so perhaps, she should try something different. She begins to slowly see things differently, and whereas before, she thought that she was not an alcoholic, she begins to see that she does actually have a problem - or several problems. For me, seeing Emerald's inner growth and her development of inner strength was amazing and unexpected. She began to see that her mother's rules and ways of living were completely wrong, and she needed to put herself out there. When she finally begins doing this, she opens herself up to some new friendships and even a better relationship with her grandparents.
I don't want to give the ending away, but I will say this, Emerald makes a big decision to move forward in her life. She is uncertain of who she is and who she wants in her life. This book ended on a cliffhanger, which I just do not like at all. I can't wait to read the next book, but I absolutely hate cliffhangers. I love books in a series, but I like resolution before the next big thing hits, and with Emerald, there will probably always be another "thing" to hit in her life. If you have a soft spot for someone that is an absolute mess, which they don't see, and you like to see their growth process in dealing with real life situations - get this book! Also...the scenes with Emerald and Carter will blow you away!
Jess
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