What a fucking rollercoaster.
I don’t think I have cried so much in a book since reading this fucking tearjerker. Within the first twenty pages I was bawling and although it did not maintain this level of intensity the entire way through, it was a fantastic start.
Seriously, this was me, for the first 50% of this book:
Honestly, for the first 50% of this, I thought that this was a true contender for my first five star review, it affected me that much. But the second half, it lost steam and all the typical NA bullshit started appearing, really tarnishing the entire set up.
When we meet Harper, she can’t stand to be touched, she was abused by her psychopath of an ex boyfriend and is still living with the scars from his abuse. For four years she has lived a pretty much soulless existence, just getting by in life, never putting down roots in case she has to run again. One day she manages to gather the courage to go to Second Circle Tattoos and ask for Trent’s help in covering up the scars she has. Trent prides himself on doing great scar cover up tattoos, and the two of them form a connection that goes beyond tattoo artist and client. Love blossoms and things progress, and then drama unfolds as it always does in NA and things go a bit off the rails.
Reading about Harpers past and what has happened to her is tough. We get trickles of the story, as she opens up more and more to Trent, or as she has flashbacks and breakdowns. Telling her story, whilst getting tattooed, is cathartic for her, and this had me wiping my eyes, but what really made me cry the most was Trent’s reaction to it all.
“I see a woman who made it through whatever she had to do to put him away. I see a woman who created a new life for herself somewhere else so she could feel safe. I see a woman who is getting past this one step at a time, doing the best she can, and who, with each step, reclaims a little bit of herself.”
Trent. Oh my gosh. So careful. So tender. So wonderfully supportive and helpful to Harper, all he wants to do is help her rediscover the woman she once was. I would like a Trent please. That guy, stole my heart.
Harper. My gosh. My heart was breaking with every page I read about what she went through. No one should have to go through what she experienced. But the fact that she makes a conscious decision to do something about her circumstance is what I admire about her the most. And she didn’t stop at covering up her scars, she went and took self defence classes, to give herself more confidence, so that she would never feel as helpless as when she was attacked, ever again.
“Did you know that two out of three acts of violence against women in the United States are by someone they know? I’m a walking statistic.”
So while we had great characters and a fucking moving backstory, the typical NA shit came along, the misunderstandings, the secrets, the omissions, the stalking ex boyfriend sending coded text messages, the random girl at the bar trying to make out with Trent, and then the big finale, it just seemed so, trivial and unnecessary, especially in the face of the trauma of the past. I can see why it is there, to keep the momentum of the story moving along, but I seriously would have preferred to just read about Trent and Harpers blossoming relationship and her getting over her fears. If that makes me boring, so be it.
There was also an entire chapter somewhere in the second half that was dedicated to metal music. I think we now by now how I feel about music in books, no thank you.
The back up characters in this were fun. It really felt like they were there for a reason, not just being intoduced to us so we can read about them in the following novels.
But the best thing this book did was show the progression that Harper made in her life. It took her a freaking long time, but eventually she realised that she was tough, beautiful and deserving of a life filled with love and anything else her heart might desire.
This was a well written debut, that had a powerful start, a fluffy middle and a decent ending, I would have enjoyed a touch less drama, but I will be eagerly awaiting the next installment.
3.5 I-want-to-be-normal-with-you Stars
“You’re made for each other. You’re better people because of each other. It really bothers me that you’re going to fuck up the best thing that could have happened to the two of you.”
*Please note trigger warnings for the following: domestic violence, abuse, self harm.*
Many thanks for the ARC from St. Martins via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review, quotes taken from my ARC, may differ in the final release version.
The Strongest Steel comes out on July 7th!
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