Synopsis

Bully and victim.
Tormenter and tormented.
Villain and hero.

Ellie McCallum was a bully. No connection to anyone or anything. A sad and lonely existence for a young woman who had come to expect nothing more for herself. Her only happiness coming from making others miserable.

Particularly Freaky Flynn.

Flynn Hendrick lived a life completely disconnected even as he struggled to become something more than that boy with Asperger’s. He was taunted and teased, bearing the brunt of systematic and calculated cruelty, ultimately culminating in a catastrophic turn of events that brought Ellie and Flynn’s worlds crashing down.

But then Flynn and Ellie grew up.

And moved on.

Until years later when their paths unexpectedly cross again and the bully and the freak are face to face once more.

When labels come to define you, finding yourself feels impossible. Particularly for two people disconnected from the world who inexplicably find a connection in each other.

And out of the wreckage of their tragic beginnings, an unlikely love story unfolds.

But a painful past doesn’t always want to let go. And old wounds are never truly healed…and sometimes the further you try to run from yourself the closer you come to who you really are.

Véleményem a könyvről

Ez volt a harmadik autizmussal foglalkozó romantikus könyvem az elmúlt időben, és őszintén örülök, hogy ezt hagytam utoljára, mert olyan hihetetlen mélységei voltak ennek a történetnek, amellyel igencsak magasra tette a mércét bármely másik könyv számára. Csodálatos volt, bár A. Meredith Walters-től nem is vártam kevesebbet. Az írónő ismét olyan témákhoz mert hozzányúlni, amelyek nehezek, fájdalmasak és kibontásuk igazi profizmust igényel, de ő ismét megkérdőjelezhetetlen tehetséggel kezelte őket.

Talán azért is volt másabb ez a kötet, mint az eddigiek, mert igazán nyers és őszinte volt, és közel sem volt egy könnyű olvasmány. Nem szépítette a dolgokat, a főszereplő lány az elején teljesen ellenszenves volt, és őszintén átjött mindaz a harag, düh és fájdalom, amely a lelkében forrott, már hosszú idő óta.

A történet főszereplője Ellie, aki nagyon nehéz gyerekkort tudhat a háta mögött. Gyerekkorában nevelőszülőktől, nevelőszülőkig küldték, amely végül ahhoz vezetett, hogy igazi lázadó vált belőle, színes hajjal és piercingekkel, és végül miután rossz társaságban találta meg a barátságot, a javítóintézet lett a végállomás.

Viszont az egyetlen dolgot, amely egy pici fényt hozott a mindennapjaiba, egy nagyon különleges helyen találja meg, egy nagyon kivételes fiú társaságában, aki a legőszintébb barátjává válik.
Flynn-nek Asperger Szindrómája van, ezért nem teljesen érti az emberek reakcióját, és azt sem érti, hogy Ellie miért olyan gonosz vele. Ellie minden délutánt náluk tölt, és olyankor mindig a barátja, azonban az iskolában, mikor a lány a barátaival van, mindig hagyja, hogy bántsák őt, és még csatlakozik is hozzájuk. Később ugyan mindig bocsánatot kér, de akkor sem érti…

Most Ellie évekkel később még mindig ugyanazokkal a lecsúszott emberekkel barátkozik, azonban elkezdi keresni a lehetőséget arra, hogy hogyan törhetne ki abból a végtelen spirálból, amelybe évekkel ezelőtt bennragadt. Az első lépés efelé, hogy felvesz egy órát a helyi közösségi főiskolán, ahol sok év után először ismét megpillantja Flynn Hendrick -et, és az élete innentől kezdve egy új fordulatot vesz.
Ez a könyv egy nagyon különleges „second chance” történet, ugyanakkor egy lány története is, aki mindent megtesz azért, hogy megtalálja az útját egy új élet felé.

Nagyon-nagyon sok szempontból volt kivételes ez a történet, többek között a felépítésében. A történet váltott szemszögből íródott, Ellie fejezeti a jelenben, míg Flynn fejezetei a múltban játszódnak. Flynn részei igazán különlegesek voltak, és a fejezetek által az írónő gyönyörűen át tudta adni a kontrasztot a karakterek között, hiszen míg Flynn maga volt az őszinteség és nyíltság, addig Ellie egy kifejezetten magába zárkózó személyiség, sok-sok titokkal, mégis az a karakterfejlődés, amit végigkövethettünk Ellie kapcsán, lenyűgöző volt. A múlt és a jelen váltakozásával, igazán szép rétegeket tudott megalkotni az írónő, amelyeket a történet előrehaladtával szép lassan bontogatott ki, Flynn és Ellie szerelme pedig igazán szép és megindító volt.

Ez nem egy könnyű történet. Sokszor őszintén fájdalmas volt olvasni, de gyönyörű és különleges volt. Ez egy történet az újrakezdésről, új perspektívákról, a különbözőségekről és skatulyákról, fájdalomról amelyet elszenvedünk és amelyet mi okozunk, hibákról és megbánásról.

 

My Review in English

This was my third read recently which touched the subject of autism, but I am really glad that I left this book last, because there was so much deepness in this story which put a very high bar for any other book.  It was so amazing, like all of the books written by A. Meredith Walters. In this story once again she dealt with very hard and painful subjects. The unfolding of these topics requires real professionalism, but she dealt with these with unquestionable talent again.

Maybe this book was different from the other ones because it was really raw and honest and it was far from an easy read. It didn’t sugar-coat the things, the heroine of the book was totally unsympathetic at the beginning and all the anger, rage and pain came completely through from the pages that boiled in her soul for a long time.

The main character of the story is Ellie, who had a really difficult childhood. She has been sent to one foster care to another until she became a real rebel, with colored hair and facial piercings. After she found herself in a bad company, the last stop was the juvie. But she founds the one thing that makes her days a little brighter in a really special place, beside a very special boy, who becomes her one true friend.

Flynn has Asperger Syndrome and because of this, he doesn’t understand the reaction of people, and he also doesn’t understand why Ellie is so mean to him. Ellie spends all afternoons with him after school, and when they are alone she is always nice and she always is his friend, but at school her mean friends always bully him and she lets them and sometimes even join for them. Every time she apologizes after, and he always forgives her, but he still doesn’t understand it…

In the present Ellie still has the same lame friends but she starts to look for a way out from this life and from this endless spiral she is stuck for many years now. Her first step in this road is that she takes a class in the local community college. And this is where she catches a glimpse of Flynn Hendrick at the first time after so many years, and her life permanently takes a turn.

This is one of the most unique second chance stories I’ve ever read, but also a story of a girl, who does everything to find her way towards a new life.

This book was outstanding in so many ways, including the structure. The story was written in two POVs, the chapters of Ellie took place in the present, while the parts of Flynn took place in the past. The chapters of Flynn were so unique, and with these chapters the author could perfectly hand over the contrast between the characters, because while Flynn was honesty himself, Ellie was with full of secrets. The character development of Ellie was amazing. The author could give so many beautiful layers for this story with alternation between the past and present, which she unfolded layer by layer with the progress of the story. The love between Ellie and Flynn was also so beautiful and astonishing!

This is not an easy read. Many time it was so painful and hard to read this story, but it was beautiful and really unique. This is a story about resumption, about new perspectives, differences and labels, pains that we suffer through and that we cause, mistakes and redemption.

My Favorite Quotes From the Book

“Flynn Hendrick has taught me how to feel. He had taught me how to live. He had taught me how to love.”

“Then you’d leave. And I’d be there when you felt like coming back”

“There were never two people more ill suited for a relationship than us. We were all wrong. We didn’t stand a chance.
And that made me want to fight for it even harder.”

“Some people came into your life and they changed it completely and then they slipped out of it again before you could grab ahold of them. And their presence motivates you and strengthens you and devastates you all at the same time.”

“You won’t understand me at all. You may feel some sympathy. A shred of sadness for the woman I’ve become. It’s hard not to feel bad for the person who has fallen so far.
But you will love him.
It’s hard not to.
He is everything that I’m not.”

“There were never two people more ill suited for a relationship than us. We were all wrong. We didn’t stand a chance.
And that made me want to fight for it even harder.”

“You will hate me.
You will love him.
I love him.
He has changed my world.”

5- New beginning- Stars

 

About the Author

The New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Contemporary and Paranormal romance including The Find You in the Dark and Bad Rep series as well as the upcoming stand alone romance, Reclaiming the Sand, and a dark new adult series for Gallery Books.

A. Meredith spent ten years as a counselor for at risk teens and children. First working at a Domestic Violence/Sexual Assault program and then later a program for children with severe emotional and mental health issues. Her former clients and their stories continue to influence every aspect of her writing.

When not writing (or being tortured with all manner of beauty products at the hand of her very imaginative and extremely girly daughter), she is eating chocolate, watching reality television that could rot your brain and reading a smutty novel or two.

A. Meredith is represented by Michelle Johnson with the Inklings Literary Agency.

 

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Reclaiming the Sand Series