Single Sundays: Until We Break by Jamie Howard

Single Sundays: While this blog may be focused on reviewing book series as a whole, we can’t forget about the good ole’ standalone novel! On Sundays, I will review a novel that is considered to be a standalone novel. Here is this week’s offering:

Synopsis for Until We Break (from Goodreads):
When Sloane Avery stops to help a stranded driver, she finds more than a broken down car on the side of the road. Luke Evans is faster and sexier than her Maserati, but with her heart still on the mend, she’s not interested in taking him for a test drive. Despite their initial disdain for each other, emotion and passion simmer, complicating their fragile friendship. But when a tragic loss and devastating betrayal send them spiraling, their growing love isn’t enough to save them.

That was five years ago, practically a different lifetime and definitely a different Sloane. Before she’s been hardened by booze, sex, and as much distance as she could get from the past. Now, called home on a family emergency, she’s determined to hold onto her heart the next time she sees Luke.

Except Sloane’s not the only one who’s changed. Luke’s turned his life around. Only the reappearance of Sloane and the reminder of his biggest mistake can put a dent in his plans. Luke is set on fixing what he’s broken. But with her emotions boiling to the surface, Sloane needs to decide if falling in love is life’s greatest gift or its cruelest joke.

SERIESous’ Top Picks: New Must Watch Author
Author: Jamie Howard
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary, Romance, Second Chance, Drama
Heat Rating: warm
Point of View: First Person, Alternating
Publication Date: November 10, 2015
Source & Format: Read It Review It (Author)–eBook | Thank you Jamie Howard!

Note: This book has a follow-up titled Until It’s Right. Read my review of it here.

Why I Picked it Up / My Expectations:

I did things a little out of order and actually read the follow-up novel, Until It’s Right, before I read this one. By doing that, I was really intrigued to see what exactly happened with this cast of characters and why.

Until It’s Right has a fun plot line so I knew Until We Break was going to be a little “darker” and have more jaded characters. I was looking forward to a second chance romance and figuring out what on earth happened to Sloane to make her into the character we see in Until It’s Right.

The Plot:

I really liked that the book is split into two parts: before and present. By having everything laid out for you in terms of what happened 5 years ago, you are able to bond with the characters and get the full story before you jump ahead. At first, I thought I wanted alternating flashback chapters but having a clear divide was the best execution for this story.

There is a lot of drama and secrets so it really pushes you to read forward. Even though you get both Luke and Sloane’s POV, you still are kept in the dark about a few things and I appreciated that. These secrets make the story darker than Until It’s Right so don’t expect a fully light-hearted read with this one.

That being said, I thought there could have been a lot more drama than there was. A few minor things seemed unresolved to me when I finished the book but not enough to dampen my reading experience. It’s more of me being picky as a reader 😛

The Characters:

Because I read the previous book, I already had a preconceived idea of Sloane and Luke–but Sloane specifically. Given how she is presented there, I wasn’t sure if I could be empathetic to her story while I read Until It Breaks. But I think having the full backstory (the 5 years before part), I was able to see why she acts the way she does later on.

I thought the character development was adequate, I just wanted it to go that little bit further. Again, comparing it to Until It’s Right, I know that Howard can deliver great characters and I wanted to see more of that here.

The Romance:

Normally, I don’t enjoy second chance romances that much but this one had enough secrets that I didn’t feel like I knew how everything was going to go down from day 1. I thought these two had a great match but, again, I think I wanted it elaborated a little more. But given the concept of the story, how the romance is executed is very well done and all readers will be satisfied.

My Rating: 4/5

While I didn’t enjoy this one as much as its follow-up, this is a solid New Adult debut! It has intriguing characters, the foundation for great character development and enough secrets and drama to keep you reading! I’m definitely keeping my eye out for future Jamie Howard releases!

Read if You Like: second chance romances, drama, secrets
Avoid if You: dislike drama, jaded characters