"Love is a lot like water. It can be calm. Raging. Threatening. Soothing. Water will be many things, but even in all its forms, it will always be water. You will always be water. I think I might be yours, too." - Colleen Hoover, Heart Bones
I chose the quote above specifically because the quote alone would remind me of this book, years from now, after I've forgotten smaller details of the story. The reminder of the water/ocean will always make me think of Samson and Beyah from now on. They may be fictional characters, but their stories will be stuck with me for the long haul.
Below is the blurb from this book to give you an idea of what to expect:
Life and a dismal last name are the only two things Beyah Grim's parents ever gave her. After carving her path all on her own, Beyah is well on her way to bigger and better things, thanks to no one but herself. With only two short months separating her from the future she's built and the past she desperately wants to leave behind, an unexpected death leaves Beyah with no place to go during the interim. Forced to reach out to her last resort, Beyah has to spend the remainder of her summer on a peninsula in Texas with a father she barely knows. Beyah's plan is to keep her head down and let the summer slip by seamlessly, but her new neighbor Samson throws a wrench in that plan. Samson and Beyah have nothing in common on the surface. She comes from a life of poverty and neglect; he comes from a family of wealth and privilege. But one thing they do have in common is that they're both drawn to sad things. Which means they're drawn to each other. With an almost immediate connection too intesne for them to continue denying, Beyah and Samson agree to stay in the shallow end of a summer fling. What Beyah doesn't realize is that a rip current is coming, and it's about to drag her heart out to sea.
Now tell me you aren't curious!!
Colleen Hoover is such a genius at reeling you in to the worlds she creates. To be honest, I've now read most of Colleen's books and at this point, I don't even read the blurb before I buy her book. I just get it. Because I know I won't be disappointed. Her ability to truly make you feel like you are a part of this book, a part of this world, that she creates is incredible. I always find myself enamored with her characters. There's always something relatable in every one of her characters, even if they lead a completely different life than I do. Heart Bones is no exception. She's done it again, tearing my heart apart and making me cheer for love more than I have in a book in a long while. I love everything about this story. Usually, my reviews come with at least one thing I wasn't crazy about- I wish the book was longer, there wasn't enough character depth, I didn't feel the connection between the main characters. Nope. Nada. Nothing. There is nothing I would change about this book. It made my heart hurt for these characters. It made me think about others who this is more close to their true reality and my heart hurts for them and feels compassionate about finding ways that maybe I could help relieve a little of that sadness. But this book is so good, written just how it is, I can't imagine anything being any different.
Beyah is a badass. Plain and simple. She has had to take care of herself for a really long time and it has created this fiercely independent person who takes crap from no one and allows her to always say what is on her mind. I am so freaking proud of her by the end of this book because she allows herself to be vulnerable, to open up, to be willing to accept help when it's needed, and man, when she lets herself love. Ahh, chills.
Samson is gorgeous, kind, loving, and mysterious. Throughout the book, you are constantly wondering what he's really thinking, what he's feeling, and what he's not saying. It's rare that you have a character, or person really, like Samson that just puts up boundaries on what they are and are not willing to talk about and discuss. I feel like most of the time, you either answer a question how you truly feel or people lie to make themselves or others more comfortable. For the most part, that's not really the case here. I don't want to get on a tangent about this because I want this review to stay spoiler free, but you'll know when you know what I'm referring to. Regardless, Samson's character just has this energy about him and this force where you just feel...pulled to him for whatever reason.
The side characters in this book are great as usual. I love Sara. I was so happy to watch the relationship with Beyah's dad grow and develop. And the ocean. Oh, the ocean. It is a supporting actor in this story to me as well and bravo to it's role. I love you, you big, beautiful, scary, calming blue sea.
As we come to the end of the review, I want to leave you with another quote that just sums up this book for me and the love between our characters.
"You can fill your life with nice things, but nice things don't fill the holes in your soul."
"What fills the holes in your soul?"
Samson's eyes scroll over my face for a few seconds. "Pieces of someone else's soul."
P.S.- It's free if you have a Kindle Unlimited subscription!!
