Review ~ Thin Love by Eden Butler

Synopsis:

Love isn't supposed to be an addiction. It isn't supposed to leave you bleeding.

Kona pushed, Keira pulled, and in their wake, they left behind destruction.

She sacrificed everything for him.

It wasn't enough.

But the wounds of the past can never be completely forgotten and still the flame remains, slumbers between the pleasure of yesterday and the thought of what might have been.

Now, sixteen years later, Keira returns home to bury the mother who betrayed her, just as Kona tries to hold onto what remains of his NFL career with the New Orleans Steamers. Across the crowded bustle of a busy French Market, their paths collide, conjuring forgotten memories of a consuming touch, skin on skin, and the still smoldering fire that begs to be rekindled.

When Kona realizes the trifecta of betrayal—his, Keira's and those lies told to keep them apart—his life is irrevocably changed and he once again takes Keira down with him into the fire that threatens to ignite them both.

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Review:

Thin Love is a very angsty read.

I liked it for the most part. Like I said, angsty. Kona and Keira's journey to happiness is loaded with a heavy burden. At some point their relationship became very unhealthy for them both, but neither is willing to back down or cool off. They challenge each other in every way. I liked it that Keira didn't let Kona push her around. I do love my female MCs with a backbone.

I have slight problems with the writing style, though. It switches from present to past tense narration, which bothers me to no end. I know I'm not perfect when it comes to the English grammar (or any grammar, for that matter--yes, even my own language), but I can't help but be bothered with the inconsistencies because it's easier to spot them when you're the reader. This is a published book, and I expect it to be in its best form. I learn from these books, so it really bothers me when I spot a lot of, um, mistakes. It makes me confused which is the right way to write.

Anyway, back to the story. The way the book is divided into two parts didn't suit my taste. I think I would have liked it more had their past been revealed in snippets as the story goes along in the present. There were times when Part One felt redundant and dragging, especially when it came to Kona and Keira's love/hate relationship with each other, which dampened my reading enthusiasm. I don't like seeing the same circumstances twice in one story line because it makes me feel like I'm just gong in circles and the characters are not developing.

The second part of the book felt rushed. This is one of the reasons why I prefer had this book been written in the present with snippets from the past as the story progressed. I felt like I watched a marathon of TV drama. The way the books is written made it feel like I read for about ten years.

All in all, this book surprised me with how much I liked it. I didn't know what to expect when I started reading, and I'm always skeptical when it comes to NA romance because I feel like the characters in all the books have the same traits, but I ended up liking Thin Love more than I thought I would.

~ Zee