Heart-breaking, jaw-dropping. Impossible choices. Lots of pain. Lots of blood. Dirty thoughts. And death.
937825
Yup. She did it again. DaCosta delivers another light-your-balls-on-fire installment of this incredible sci-fi mash up series. Think Firefly cranked up to darkness level 1001.

Stuck on the nine systems planterary version of Las Vegas, Caleb is trying to make a play. Lots of them, in fact. Win, lose or draw though, time is running out. For him and for the synth who is so much more than a synth. The fallout will be far-reaching and totally unpredictable.

Heart-breaking, jaw-dropping. Impossible choices. Lots of pain. Lots of blood. Dirty thoughts. And death.

What is dying anyway? The loss of life...or the loss of a soul.

You decide.
1377529
I really loved this stories it was filled with so many emotions, sad, heart breaking, infuriating, thrilling, even kind of  sadistic. Romantic, mind bending .ect ect .  the end totally floored me I kept going back to see if missed something. so I jumped in to book #2,WOW,,.
4519563
This was such an emotional book. It was filled with so much pain and regret, Im at a loss for words. Even though its not your typical romance, you cant stop yourself from turning page after page. Endlessly grateful I have book 2 to start immediately.
2747702
Whats hot: JUMP made me laugh, cry and want to hide under the bed. Its beautiful and brutal  a thing of steel wings with killer pinions. It offers more twist and turns than a torturers rack, all held in place by some seriously good writing.
The imagery was stunning, while the apocalyptic setting was brilliantly inventive. (Id love to know what The Book of Blood would sound like if I read from it!) This gut-wrenching story accelerates relentlessly, until it throws you right through the windscreen. This is a seriously bad book. It leaves you impaled on shards of withering philosophy and insightful barbs. A hell of a ride.

Whats not: Did I mention this is a deeply disturbing book? Read it at your own risk. Seriously. If you don't like cussing, or fiction that turns the Word of God on its head then steer clear. This story isn't for you.

Summary: I just wanted to wallow in this book like a hog in alphabet soup. It was a rush in every way. Its not perfect  but epic? Oh yeah.
2731104
Wow I just had my heart ripped out by this book. Sobbing literally. It simply cannot end that way! I'm not even sure what to say - this book is a story of so much pain - and so much love and need and care and confusion. Easily the best book I've read this year, maybe the last couple. It doesn't make sense w/o the others -- so don't read it first. It adds so many layers - so many - that you just wallow in it. This author is one of those who can drag emotions out of me - doesn't matter which types. All types.
4099114
I don't really know how to sum up my feelings here. I truly have never loved and hated a book so much at the same time. You see it coming, but you can't look away. That's a rare quality in a book. Something that takes a hold of your heart so tight that you can't breathe, can't stop reading, can't stop feeling even after it's done.

I was speechless <-- literally. For hours after. I didn't know what to do because I was so touched. It's beautiful, hard, raw, human, and so much more. I can't recommend this book enough.
938600
A friend of mine owned this and let me read it.  It's an unbelievably sad story.  I had a hard time setting this one down - reading it every chance I got.  Often wondering what I would do in the same situation...I have never felt so torn between 2 sides.  It's been a while since I read this - and still remember it very clearly.  I cried like a baby at the very end. Jodi is now one of my favorite authors.
2133615
Dark.  Gritty. Twisted. Wrong on so many different levels.  I'm not sure how to feel right now.  I just got off the heart racing roller coaster ride that is Beast and I'm still quite dizzy. All I know for sure is that I could not stop reading. Lies,  betrayal,  love,  hate, revenge.  My emotions were all over the place. One minute I felt for Javi,  the next I hated him. This  book made me question my own sanity. I loved the writing style and I loved that this book sucked me in and wouldn't let go.
4062016
I am devastated!  I'll admit, I was thrilled when the doctor's met and he agreed to try the surgery.  I was literal jumping up and down cheering.  That feeling don't last long though when he was shot and killed.  I was sobbing, really ugly sobbing.  I hope that Hallie and Bryan Jr. Make an appearance in a future book.  Holly Ward, the way that you concluded this book was brilliant.  I wish that I could give this more then a 5 star review because it deserves a lot more.  Congratulations on another successful book!
2127836
Initial Thoughts: This book almost destroyed me. Heartbreaking.

Full Review:
Forbidden was very thought-provoking and I found myself, at times, both disgusted and sympathetic in equal measure. Having reflected on it for a few days, it is hard to look at the love between Lochan and Maya as wrong even if that is how society categorizes it.

Their family situation is completely dysfunctional. They were quasi-parents to their younger siblings, and they never really had a traditional brother and sister relationship. I couldn't help wondering if they'd had a normal upbringing would they have fallen in love or were they always destined for one another irrespective of their environment and their circumstances? It's an interesting question and one that's had me thinking about this book several days after I finished it.

Modern society has a genuine reason for saying no to incest - proven birth defects in any children born of incestuous relationships. And I get that, but my mind was contemplating all kinds of scenarios whereby it could be permitted - what if it was allowed and both parties agreed to sterilization, then the risk is eliminated. Of course, that wouldn't solve the stigma or the myriad of other issues, and I'm not saying every government should rush out and change their laws because it's a hugely sensitive complex issue, but I would genuinely feel for any couple like Lochie and Maya and believe it's wrong that society says they can't be together.

Characterization was superb in this book, with emotional depth and plenty of substance. I felt both of their pain as they struggled with their feelings for one another - as they tried valiantly to fight their attraction and burning need for one another. The irony is that the family unit was actually stronger when they were together - it made sense.

Their parents should be strung up for their neglect and I wanted to hurl my Kindle a few times, such was my loathing for both mum and dad.

I knew this wasn't going to end well but that finale still KILLED me - I was sobbing my heart out for ages and I felt an actual pain in my heart. It was horrific but compelling.

I applaud the author for her ability to tackle such a complex subject with sensitivity and grit. It was never glorified or ridiculed.

The writing was breathtaking if a little over descriptive at times - I did skim a bit.

In summary, this book had a deep impact on me and I love books that challenge my thinking and challenge social norms. This one will definitely stay with me for a long time.
2353295
Holy darkness. I never expected my heart to get so wrapped up in this book, but it did. I went in knowing it would be dark, but still had no clue what to expect. It was incredibly well writtengrippingaddictiveheartbreakingyet, oddly hopeful. Pennies is the anti-Cinderella story that will blow your mind a million ways sideways. The strength of Pimlico. The hope of innocence still left within her ravaged walls. The stranger who promises he's not the hero, yet he might just be her only hope. I have to say, Elder messed me up a little. I wanted to love him, but I was afraid to love him. He's a tough one to figure out, but I think that's how it's meant to be. Characters are complex. Unpredictable. Ruthless. Everything about this story is 5 stars. I'm aching for the next one.

* warning: graphic violence and sexual abuse
4432643
Absolutely heartbreaking and gut wrenching. This book was beautifully written, no doubt about that. The author portrays these amazing characters and a situation so unusual and believable that the reader becomes invested in their well being. The forbidden/taboo aspect aside, I was wrecked over the lives of these 5 siblings and the unfair burden weighing on both Lochan and Maya's shoulders, but especially Lochan, because he's such a sensitive and tormented soul inside. He would do anything and everything for his family. I can see how Lochan and Maya found both comfort and reprieve in one another, they were each other's rock in a screwed up scenario of neglect. They are teenagers, yet they function like adults out of necessity and nothing is more important to them than family. I admired their perseverance and devotion, how they took their responsibilities so seriously. I just couldn't buy into the actual relationship beyond siblings, but that didn't stop me from wanting to see them happy or to delve into the more philosophical questions about love and boundaries. And that ending, I knew there was no way it could end well and...it doesn't.
2177526
Wow.

I don't even know what to say. I feel like my being was literally just ripped out and shredded to a million pieces. I love Trent. I love Edie. I love their beautiful disaster.

It looks like two wrongs do make a right.

I was reluctant on finishing the book seeing how crass and brutal the characters can be... but that's the beauty of it. I want to be there. Taste the salt air, my toes against the sand, and watch the ocean as the tide rolls in.

I have no words. I just.... I can't. There's a hole in my chest where a heart used to be. I highly recommend reading this.
3602692
I received a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was blown away by this story.  It is told from multiple perspectives, giving this reader a wide range of emotions and leaving my heart wide open for a conclusion that blasted right through me.  It was NOT a feel good novel, by any means.  Child abuse and neglect, substance abuse and recovery, the loss of a child, feelings of guilt and self doubt...  it is all laid bare.  The ending left me reeling, and teats were shed.  There were no good guys or bad guys, just...  a hard life all around.  Ms. Clayton nailed life.  Hard.  Kudos, ma'am. I was drawn in, and I could not stop reading until the tragic end, which left me sleepless and pondering on it all night.  It was a thoughtful novel, and it was a real novel.  It was LIFE.
435130
This book is complex, intense, emotional, heartbreaking... indescribable. I started reading it one night, having just finished 'The Drowning of Arthur Braxton' (another amazing novel by Caroline Smailes), and had to shut off my kindle because I was crying so much I couldn't see to read. Caroline Smailes puts you slam bang into Jude's head. Jude's  words are your words. What Jude feels, you feel. And it's so hideously, horribly tangible - horrific in its weight and banality and revolting realness -  that you can't stop feeling those emotions and seeing those things every waking moment. Superb writing from a truly unique author.
85130
Chapter Thirteen. Remember that chapter. Thats the chapter I read when I was sitting outside my daughters dance studio, bawling my eyes out for all to see. I just couldn't stop it. Thats the drunk chapter, as I call it. Thats the chapter that summed up the entire emotional turmoil and the deepest fall that Abel plunges into. Well, there was a chapter where the plunged even deeper. That chapter scared the crap out of me. However, it was chapter thirteen that really broke me.

Poor Abel. I seriously don't ever want to be in his shoes. Landons death, living through Landons final year, final months, final days, hours, minutes, seconds, really broke the guy. I think he was more traumatized by what Landon went through than his actual death. His nightmares spoke volumes of that. (If I had nightmares like Abel, I wouldnt sleep, either!) Landons death broke him, too; him not being there anymore really messed Abel up. I just cant imagine.

Almost the entire book was a pit of despair, but it was cleansing, too. People were telling Abel to grieve, just finally grieve. Talk about Landon. Think about Landon. Remember all the good times. But Abel cant. He cant grieve because men don't cry (as his father told him). Dont worry, Abel; I cried enough tears for you.

I felt bad for Pearl, too, Landons grandmother. She was all alone, trying to reach out to Abel, but every time Abel came around, he ran. Everything was all too much. He couldn't concentrate in school. He fell asleep at work, and consequently, was fired. His brother was so sick of his crap that he basically walked away. No bills were getting paid. Like, this guy just lost it all, literally. So, so hopeless. Yet, Pearl was there, trying to reach out. And so was someone else. And that person was full of surprises.

Im not going to give anything away, but I have to mention this person. They just knew. They knew how to get to Abel when he was out of everyone elses reach. They knew what to say, when to hold Abels hand, when to back off. This person was the cure-all for Abel. I really like them.

This book and the first, No Regrets, are going to stay with me for a long time to come. They are definitely going into my re-read folders. Recommend everyone read these books, even if you're not into M/Ms. They are definitely books that should be read at least once.
3603464
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This book punched me in the gut, reached in ripped my heart out, stomped on it and left me to pick up the pieces. And I'm still not over it. I finished this book 36 hours ago, and I am only writing the review now because I think if I put it off, I won't ever be able to revisit this to write it. My emotions are still so raw, and thinking about this book still makes me have to swallow the lump in my throat. That being said, I was not at all prepared for the havoc this book would wreak on my life, but I so highly recommend it. I spent yesterday trying to re-read some parts and heal, and I couldn't. I still cannot get over it. Today, I'm at least not crying when I think about it. Yet. But that's why I'm hurrying to get this review out into the world. I need to heal. :)

I want to give no spoilers away, but just tell you to read it. Read it and experience it. And you'll be rocked.

Molly McAdams has balls. Not really. At least I don't think so. But she does because she did what not a lot of other YA/New Adult authors have the gusto to do. She pushed boundaries and made you feel like you were being stabbed - and then she took the story and continued it - and wrapped it up in a neat little package, and at the end you felt somewhat complete and ok, but deep down you know you were forever shaken. Not to say this doesn't have a HEA, it's just a long time coming and after a lot of gut-wrenching heartache. Stuff you can't ever imagine going through in life. And you live it right along with these characters. You're sucked in so completely, there's no hope of getting out. Even when you want to. Even when you finish the book. This had me snotting all over myself, with the ugly cry. It was so unattractive. And again, almost 2 days later, I'm having a hard time getting into the story I'm reading because I keep going back to Harper, Chase and Brandon. CANNOT GET OVER THIS.

This story has the feel of Beautiful Disaster, Thoughtless and even a little Double Clutch in the beginning. For that, I loved it. I loved where it was going, and even when some major twists happened, I loved it and I appreciated it. And then the twist happened, and I was so pissed, I wasn't sure I could continue, but I was hoping I'd come out okay in the end. I wanted to see these guys through. And it was excruciating. There were times I thought I got out of my ugly crying, and was going to be okay, and then she'd hit me with something else again. I was a damn mess, but am thankful for the journey I was taken on. All that being said, don't be scared. I don't want to scare anyone away by this. Although I'm sure I am. It's so wonderfully done, and I appreciate the experience Molly took me on by giving us this story. It is beyond remarkable. She challenges you as a reader, and also as a person to think differently about what you'd like in story, and how to live your life.

I give this book 4.5 stars and recommend to EVERYONE! Yes, there are some more mature scenes and language, but this story is beautiful. I'd say it's one of my favs ever, but I'm honestly not sure I could ever read it again. I think if my vulnerability to this story ever goes away, I'd be too scare to reopen that! I'm a wuss, I guess. I apologize for my lack of plot analysis, character development and everything else I normally address, but this is just one book that needs to be lived through completely. Without any real knowledge or background. It's just a must read.

  "It took a lot for all of us to get here, but I think that's what makes all of us put together, perfect."

Immediate response when finished on 9/7: There are no words right now. Review to come. Later when I can think again. Read this now.