Meli Mel's Book Reviews

♥♥♥ 5+++++ Heartbreaking and Amazing Stars ♥♥♥

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"Love is not love
Which alters when alteration finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove:
Oh,no, it is an ever-fixed mark,
that looks on tempests and is never shaken."

--William Shakespeare

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I am in LOVE with this book! It is definitely one of my top favourite books ever. It's been a long while since I've read a book that inspired me and brought so much feelings out of me. It was incredible. Very emotional for sure but so very amazing. A modern take on Beauty and the Beast that I completely loved. So get those tissues ready before diving into this one, because it won't let you go once you start.

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“Ambrose Young! I have waited my whole life for you to want me. If you don’t hold me tight I won’t believe you mean it, and that’s worse than never being held at all. You’d better make me believe you mean it, Ambrose, or you will most definitely break me.”

“I don’t want to hurt you, Fern” he whispered hoarsely.

“Then don’t,” she whispered back, trusting him.

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‘Could you belong to someone who didn’t want you? Fern decided it was possible because her heart was his, and whether or not he wanted it didn’t seem to make much difference.’

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Fern is a redheaded girl with lots of freckles who loves to read, and even write romance novels. She has been in love with Ambrose Young since she was a little girl and he helped her bury a spider. But of course, Ambrose doesn't notice her. She isn't exactly beautiful. Still, her infatuation with him never faded throughout the years, it only got stronger. I was so glad she had someone to confide in and who supported her. That was her two best friends Bailey (who was also her cousin)and Rita (one of the most beautiful girls in school). Rita develops a crush on Ambrose and wants to write him a note to tell him how she feels. So she asks Fern for her help, which Fern does. This is how she gets to know him better, through their letter exchanges. I loved their either/or questions and seeing how different they viewed things and yet how similar they were. Fern was selfless, strong and had an almost childlike innocence at times. She was a charcter that I think anyone can identify with, everyone goes through some insecurties during some point in their lives. So, I loved that I could really connect with Fern and all the other characters in this book.

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"I think that's the worst part. The thought that no one will remember me when I'm gone. Sure, my parents will. Fern will. But how does someone like me live on? When it's all said and done, did I matter?"

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Bailey is Fern's cousin and best friend who has duchenne muscular dystrophy. As the years have gone by his disease has led him to be wheelchair bound. His lifespan is very short because of it. He lives with that knowledge and uses any opportunity to live life to the fullest with no regrets. Fern and Bailey can be brutally honest to one another but so supportive and caring as well. I loved every aspect of their relationship. It was really endearing seeing them interact and just acting like a bunch of goofs together. I loved Bailey's attitude, funny comments and his fighting spirit. I loved him to pieces. All he wanted was to wrestle, be a hero, and have the love of his other very beautiful best friend, Rita. I couldn't believe that despite it all he remained a positive person. He didn't let it make him bitter. He knew he would never have a 'normal' life like the others or share the same experiences. But, that only made him determined to 'live'. It hurt so much to see all he went through. Especially when he got bullied by Becker (Rita's husband). That seriously pissed me off. Bailey didn't deserve that, I cried for the injustice made to him. I just wanted him to be happy.

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"Ambrose knew what it felt like to be whole, to be perfect, to be Hercules. How cruel to suddenly fall from such heights. Life had given Ambrose another face and Fern wondered if he would ever be able to accept it."

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Ambrose pretty much has it all, except for his parents being together. He is handsome, tall, and strong. He loves wrestling and is great at it. When he dates Rita, he even had the beautiful girl on his arm. He soon realizes that the girl in the letters and the girl in person are not the same. Rita tells him the truth and he is stunned that it had been Fern all along. They move on from that and soon he starts to feel the pressure to remain the golden boy or the 'Hercules' (a nickname Bailey gave him) of the community. Then after 9/11 happens and affects him deeply, he decides to enlist in the military. His best friends Grant, Bean, Paulie, and Jesse can't believe it, especially when his future is set. But he convinces them to all follow him anyways, and so they all go to Iraq. Ambrose returns without his friends and with the entire right side of his face disfigured. He wallows in self-pity and guilt. He starts working night shifts at his father's bakery. Fern sees him and starts to leave him messages like the ones from highschool. She hopes to help him accept how he looks like and that it doesn't change who he is inside. Ambrose was another character I enjoyed seein grow. He had a lot to figure out that I totally understood. He was sweet, patient, and loyal, but he was never perfect, and that's okay. I loved him for it.

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♫♪ I wrote my name across your heart
So I would not forget
The way it felt when you were born
Before we’d even met

I wrote your name across my heart
So your heart beats with mine
And when I miss you I trace
Each loop and every line

I wrote your name across my heart
So we could be together
So I could hold you close to me
And keep you there forever ♪♫

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I loved that each character played a role in some way. I felt bad for the life that Rita ended up having with Becker. She may not have been bright but she was a very good person. I even loved Ambrose's four best buds. Each was unique and had their own level of annoying at times, but they really were great friends. It was great to see how all the characters grew up. Fern still felt ugly but that didn't stop her from living a happy life. Or from trying to get Ambrose to really see her. Ambrose now feels like a monster and doesn't think himself deserving of someone like Fern.

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"Maybe everyone represents a piece of the puzzle. We all fit together to create this experience we call life. None of us can see the part we play or the way it all turns out. Maybe the miracles that we see are just the tip of the iceberg. And maybe we just don't recognize the blessings that come as a result of terrible things."

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There were so many inspiring moments in this book. It really had me thinking. A ton of life lessons about what true beauty is, how to accept yourself and others, how to stay strong when you suffer a loss, how to be a TRUE friend, and to live life to the fullest. The writing was superb and had me captivated from the start. I cried "swollen-red-eyes-runny-nose-drenched-cheeks" tears. I hurt deeply, my heart broke, but there was also some comedy relief from all of the heaviness. So I also laughed and smiled big. Reading this book had me feeling like I was going through their experiences, it was written so well. I FELT everything. It's a story that I won't be forgetting anytime soon. I loved these characters so freaking much and was sad when I had to close the book. I didn't want it to end. It was just so freaking perfect. I definitely HIGHLY recommend you read this book. It is just SO good that my review can't do it justice. It will affect you tremendously like it did me, and I am so happy to have gotten to know these characters. It's on my top favourites list, for sure. GO READ IT NOW!! You won't be disappointed.

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“Victory is in the battle.”

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