Review: The Choice by Ashley Jade

THE CHOICE
Series: Star-crossed Lovers Duet, #1
Genre: Second-Chance/Enemies-to-Lovers/Off Limits/Rockstar Romance
Author: Ashley Jade
Release Date: January 19, 2023

From USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ashley Jade comes a gritty, off-limits standalone romance about mistakes, choices, and love conquering all.

The world thought I belonged to another man…
they were wrong.

He was the mysterious dark knight always swooping in to save me when I needed it most.
I was the troubled girl with scars and a bleeding heart.

He was the gifted guitarist destined for big things.
I was the small-town girl battling her demons.

He was my earth….always keeping me grounded.
And I was his sky…always just out of his reach.

Our love was everything I wished for.
Until I destroyed it.

I never thought I’d see Memphis Payne again after I broke his heart, but the stars had other plans.
Because here he is…needing me to clean up his mess this time.

Only problem is…
Doing so will break both our hearts.

They say only the strongest love can survive an apocalypse.
That if two people are meant to be, they’ll find their way back to each other.

I hope they’re right.

Please note: This duet is an angsty, spicy, dark romance with flawed characters and contains material that may elicit a strong emotional response for sensitive readers.

AMAZON

They say life is a series of choices, and a single one can change the course of your life forever. Last night, I had to make a choice between good and bad. Right and wrong. I chose her.

Well…hell. I knew this cliffhanger would hurt me down to my soul and boy did it. It hurt bad. SO BAD. I have absolutely zero chill until book two. NONE whatsoever. But I digress. Let’s talk about this book.

The Words is hands down one of my top reads of 2022. And I had a love hate relationship with Memphis and Skylar as secondary characters in that book. And if you’re reading this book without having read The Words, I highly recommend you read that first. Yes, this is a standalone duet with a new couple, but it’s the same universe, and The Words really gives you the best intro.

I’ll be honest, I’m not a huge fan of doormat heroines, and I really thought Skylar was on in The Words. How else can she tolerate her man constantly cheating on her. The tension between her and her fiancé’s bandmate, Memphis, was always palpable. This duet takes you deep into the why. The core of what laid the foundation that molded them and their future.

The Choice takes you all the way to the beginning. It introduces you to Josh, Memphis and Skylar when they were just kids and their years together into adulthood. This is the before Memphis hit his fame. This is is the foundation of who they are and what made them that way. And I can say that I now understand Skylar in a way I never thought I would. And she couldn’t be furthest from weak or doormat. This girl is a survivor. My heart absolutely broke for her and what she’s been through. You also get a front row seat to the toxic beginning of her and Josh. And now I really understand how they stayed together all these years. And if possible, I hate Josh even more than I hated him in The Words.

Memphis was…GOD. This man was everything. Quiet intensity. Raw magnetism. Electric. You get to see him and Josh and understand their relationship and connection. You also get the glimpse of Memphis before he hit rockstar fame and this man owned my heart in all the best ways. The pining in this book was on a whole other level and I was so here for it.

I really don’t want to give you any more information because you simply need to experience it blind. But if you had any doubts about Memphis and Skylar in The Words, this book will demolish them. You’l hurt for them. YOu’ll root for them. YOu’ll want to shake them both.

I flipped between hurt and anger so many times, I didn’t know which end was up. Ashley Jade took me on an emotional rollercoaster of wanting to chuck my kindle at the wall and begging for more. I’m ruined. Utterly ruined and completely desperate for the next book.