Review of Sweet Destruction by Paige Weaver

Synopsis: There’s a fine line between love and hate and they were about to cross it.
My name is Samantha Ross and this is my life.

I existed in a world that few know. Rundown trailers and crime-ridden streets were my home. Drugs and alcohol were the norm and happiness was the exception. I lived from day to day never knowing if I would have a roof over my head or food in my stomach. My life sucked. It took from me and gave nothing back.

But there was one certainty in my life. A black smudge on my window of hell.

Cole Walker.

He was a criminal. A thief. He brought hell and damnation with him wherever he went. He hurt and destroyed. He took and gave nothing in return. He was heartache and despair wrapped up in a perfect gorgeous package. Fast cars and fast women were his hobbies. His vices. But he had many.

I was one of them.

I was his addiction and his craving. His enemy on this earth. I feared him. I hated him. I loved him even more.

5 Stars!

Review: I think that Paige Weaver is an underestimated author. I came across Promise Me Darkness and Promise Me Light last year or so (2013), and I could not read them fast enough. I love the tv show, The Walking Dead, primarily because it makes me think about what I would do in similar circumstances. These two previous books were the same for me, as they made me think about what could happen, and really made me wonder what I would do in a similar situation. Sweet Destruction is not the same premise, certainly, but it has that same gritty and raw feel that pulls you in. 

Samantha and her brother, Bentley, have grown up poorer than poor. They live in a trailor that other people seem to look down on, and they have suffered so much abuse and neglect that they are truly survivors. They are also joined by Cole Walker, who becomes Bentley's, or Bent's, best friend, but he becomes Samantha's nemesis. Their attraction and connection with one another is so apparent, but they fight it with every thought and breath because of their tough past and the decisions that were made in that past. 

Walker, raised by an alcoholic and abusive dad, himself, has always taken care of himself, first, and then he takes care of himself, again. The only weak spot that he really has is Samantha - but no one, even her, knows that. When you throw in a drug cartel, dirty cops, and street racing, this book is definitely not your typical NA type book. Please read it and give Sam and Walker their due!

Jessica