THE WORDS
Author: Ashley Jade
Genre: Contemporary Romance
Release Date: January 20, 2022
From USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling author Ashley Jade comes an edgy, enemies-to-lovers standalone romance about mistakes, forgiveness, and second chances.
He was the talented bad boy everyone wanted.
I was the irrelevant geek everyone hated.
He was the sun…drawing all of us in.
I was a black hole…taking up space.
He was destined to be a star.
I was destined to remain an insignificant no one.
Until he made me believe I was special…
And then he destroyed me.
I never thought I’d see Phoenix Walker again after he broke my heart, but fate had other plans.
One tour. Eight weeks. Forty shows.
Countless opportunities to make him pay.
The world thought he was a God…
But I knew the truth.
Once upon a time, Phoenix Walker made me believe I was special. Then he destroyed me.
For the blur of hours it took me to devour this book, it owned every part of me. This is by far, hands down, my favorite Ashley Jade book to date. I am absolutely ruined. RUINED.
When I tell you I binge read this in one sitting, I mean I stayed up until 4 am reading it. And as I write this review bleary eyed and coffee high the next day, I have zero regrets. Because this book was simply EPIC.
As a reader, I love broken, tortured and imperfect characters, and this story delivered this in spades. My heart bled for these characters and their pain.
When Lennon and Phoenix first meet, they’re in high school. Phoenix is the bad boy from the wrong side of the tracks, and Lennon is the girl with the seemingly perfect life…but who’s constantly bullied for her weight. Theirs is an unlikely friendship that forms when Lennon agrees to tutor Phoenix, that grows into something so much more as they get to know each other. Until the day when he completely shatters her heart.
Four years later, Phoenix is a famous rockstar who’s quickly spiraling out of control in drugs, women, and partying. Desperate to keep him out of the tabloids and on the straight and narrow, his manager reaches out to the one woman that’s not going to fall for his charm. She’s also the one woman that wants nothing to do with him.
Phoenix took everything, and her heart from her. Now given the chance at a huge pay day to play babysitter and to get revenge, Lennon agrees to go on tour with him and his band for 8 weeks.
When I tell you that both of these characters are damaged, I really mean it. There were times where I wanted to scream to the ceiling and shake both of them. They’re as far from perfect as they come, and their decisions show it. I wanted to hate both of them for some of the stupid things that they did. But they’re also authentic, multilayered, and so well developed, that you simply can’t help but fall further under their spell. Phoenix and his tortured soul, and Lennon and her hidden insecurities and broken heart.
Their road to a HEA is full of pain, heart ache, betrayal, mistakes, and angst. And when I say angst, I mean ANGST. If you want faultless characters who don’t make their share of stupid mistakes, this book isn’t for you. I love how the author wasn’t afraid to go there with this story and her characters. Yes, they’re damaged, but I loved them and their imperfections. I loved the tension with Phoenix and Lennon almost as much as I loved the incendiary chemistry when they finally give into the inevitable. And the grovel and grand gesture at the end? OUT OF THIS WORLD GOOD.
I also fell incredibly hard for all of the secondary characters, and already salivating for both Memphis and Storm’s books. This was honestly one of my favorite rockstar romances I’ve read in a long, long while, and I cannot recommend it enough. Just be prepared for a book full of messy emotions, unforgivable betrayals, and a once in a lifetime love. I’m absolutely obsessed!!
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