Heartfelt Lies by Kristy Love Review

3.5 Stars

Loving Cassie was effortless.
She was a thirst I couldn’t quench. 

She was everything I needed, but nothing I deserved.
I failed her more times than I could count.

I lied relentlessly.
And she always forgave me.

Until she couldn’t.

Maybe I deserved to be left behind.

* * * 

Jax swept me off my feet with his disheveled hair and his easy smile. 
I loved him fiercely. 
He made me believe in the fairytale. 

Then the walls crumbled around me.
The lies never ended.
I left him behind. I had no choice.
I mourned the loss of him.

But I moved on.
I created a new life,
Now, I was marrying someone else.

Where do we go now that he’s back?

"I hated all the lies and they were eating me alive. Guilt and lies seemed to be my currency." - Jax

     I struggled with what to rate this book because there are things I love about and there were things that just didn't flow with me. I was with this book for the first 50%. I loved it. I sat here on pins and needles waiting to see how everything would progress and I couldn't wait. And maybe that is where I went wrong. I built it up too high. Because overall, it wasn't bad. It was good. It was just quick. Moments I wanted to be stretched out happened so quickly. Tension I wanted to feel, didn't happen. A lot of the issues had quick resolution. 

   Also, it might be a personal thing, but I hate when a character goes back and forth on a decision. And Cassie just couldn't make up her mind with Jax. I started to feel bad for Jax because I just didn't know what the hell Cassie was doing stringing him along. I would rather have a big moment with a lot of tension that all this flip-flopping. But, I think the author, Kristy Love, did it on purpose. Because Cassie saw it happening. Jax saw it happening. Even Cassie's sister, Roxie, called her out on it. 

" I will not leave you fucking alone. I'm here to stage a stench intervention, Cassie. Your lazy ass is getting out of bed and getting a shower. The, you and I are going to get lunch and you are going to tell me why you are being such a fucking twat." - Roxie

   Let's just take a moment to talk about my love of Roxie. I did love all the characters of this book, but Roxie was hilarious and ballsy. She was an epic supporting character. And I did like all the characters. Cassie was a woman you could enjoy. She wasn't weak and she wasn't a pushover. I think that was why I was so disappointed in her lack of decision making. Then there was Jax. This was really his story. His struggle from his youth and his recovery as an adult. He was a great character and I liked reading his story. 

"There was no end to is. I was in a cycle of fucked up and I couldn't break free." - Jax

   Sometimes there are books that you are reading and you know it is going to change your outlook on how you view something. It is going to give you a better understanding of life in general. I can count on one hand how many books have done that for me. And this one is added to that list. I think to be able to read a book about someone's slow decent into a horrible time, it gives you a better understanding. And that is what we got from this book. We even got a better understanding of being a loved one trying to support someone. From both Jax's and Cassie's situations. It was such an enlightening book. 

   So I left my rating at 3.5 stars. I would still recommend this book to people and it was a book I happy to have read. It was a book I finished after a long line of DNFs, so that alone makes me happy. Make sure to grab your copy now. ENJOY!

Amazon ~ Goodreads