Not everything is as it seems.
Not everyone is as they seem.
Only by letting the sunshine in, do we see the true beauty in things that look broken.
Blake is a broken man. He’s homeless, he’s tortured, he nothing. At least until Livie sees him. Really sees him. Livia isn’t like the others. She doesn’t look past him. She smiles at him every day. He counts her smiles. He remembers every single one of them. This is what he lives for.
Livia has the seemingly perfect life. Then when she finally, really, truly looks at Blake and speaks with him, defends him, does she begin to realize her life isn’t so perfect. She sets out to change things, not only for herself, but for Blake.
Their romance and story is not conventional. It’s not easy. In fact, it gets downright hard and looks like it’s going to be impossible. It looks like everything will fall apart and Blake and Livia will be alone, never together.
This was a truly amazing story about learning to love people as they are, while helping them heal and become a better person. It was about not letting your preconceived notions get in the way of finding true love in the person, who others see as hopeless and lost.
This story brought such joy and warmth to me as I read it. I was unbelievably moved by the characters in this story. I felt everything they felt and wanted only the best for them, even though that are the fringes on of society. It wasn’t brought on by the need to feel compassion for those that are seen as different or not deserving by others, it was brought on by their actions and the motivations for their actions. It was beautiful.
There is another story coming out about Poughkeepsie. It tells another story. Another story about someone who, to others, wouldn’t deserve love or a second chance, but in my mind they do. Simply because of who they are and what they’ve sacrificed.
I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review.