Dan might be the enemy of my enemy, but I’m not sure that makes him my friend. He’s definitely not my ‘step brother’, no matter what everyone at school says. Honestly, I don’t know what he’s supposed to be to me. Or what he’s becoming…

Fact: for every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction.

In the yearbook, I’ll be Sophia Ramos: Valedictorian. Years of honor roll certificates, AP classes, and lugging around an obnoxiously large cello case are about to finally pay off. If everything goes according to plan, I’ll escape these decaying suburbs for a top university across the country.

The problem? A few years ago, my mom met someone just as broke, just as drunk, and just as impulsive as she is. Approximately five seconds into their relationship, they decided it would be an excellent idea for him—and his son, Dan—to move in with us. (Spoiler alert: it wasn’t).

Now I share a house with none other than Daniel Cole. Even though Dan dropped out two years ago, he’s still the tattooed, bad boy, heartthrob, legend of St. Anthony’s Academy. He and I aren’t supposed to have anything in common.

Living together means war. First, Dan and I were at war with each other. Now, our rivalry is giving way to an unlikely alliance—two opposing sides teaming up against a common enemy: our respective parents.

Which is to say, we’ve been hanging out.

Question: What happens when an unstoppable force meets an immovable object?

Here’s the thing: My brain is a complex organ. One hundred billion neurons, each with an average of seven thousand synaptic connections to other neurons. My brain is my ticket out of here.

My heart, by contrast, is a pump. It moves blood around.

I know Dan is off-limits. I know I shouldn’t do something I’ll regret. And I know how much is at stake (my family, my future).

So why can’t I stop thinking about him? Those inscrutable jade eyes. The smile that can say a thousand different things at once. That tattoo curving across his abs…

Even though I know better, I feel that pounding in my chest. And it’s getting harder to ignore.

But if I follow my heart, I can never go back.

Answer: There is no such thing as an immovable object.

Sophia Ramos is an honor student, part of the orchestra and already working on her valedictorian speech.  Unfortunately, not everything is as good as it seems and her home life is much less than perfect.  Living with an alcoholic mother, her equally alcoholic boyfriend and his brooding son, her home life is stressed to say the least and she can’t wait to get as far as she can from it.

Daniel Cole is the expected product of an abusive household.  With his mother dead, he’s grown up rebelling against his father in every way possible.

This book was an unexpected surprise.  It has a different and intelligent approach to the overtly used subjects of dysfunctional family, abusive parents; the bad boy would-be-stepbrother and a seemingly taboo relationship.

I really liked the characters and understood their plight, the need to take refuge in each other and the way the young love blossoms in the midst of the mud that is their so called family.  I enjoyed their dynamic even before they became a couple and the protectiveness they have for each other.

As for the writing, I found the story had a great flow, it’s tough and real with a good share of sexy scenes and very nicely written.  In a nutshell it’s a great debut for Ms. Torston.

4 Book Corner Stars
*ARC Review* 

 

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