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Review

3.5 stars

I feel in mad love with the first book of this series, which introduces us to a group of friends who are survivors of a high school shooting. After not seeing each other for 12 years, the group of four girls all reunited at a memorial for those who were lost, and have since become an integral part of each other’s lives. We’ve watched two of them find love and a happy ever after, and now it’s Taryn’s turn.

Taryn lost not only friends and classmates in the Long Acre shooting, but also her younger sister, and she has lived with the devastating grief and guilt of that for 14 years. And unlike her friends who did their best to move on, Taryn has consumed herself with trying to understand what happened. Not only is she the rock for her mother, who completely fell apart after the shooting, but as a psychology professor, she has dedicated her life to studying similar incidents and developing a school program to prevent it from happening again.

Shaw Miller wasn’t at Long Acre, but his life was destroyed all the same. His younger brother was one of the ones who opened fire at the school, and as well as feeling overwhelming guilt that his baby brother could be capable of such a thing, he lost everything. Hounded by the media, he lost his family, his dream of competing in the Olympics, and any chance of a normal life. He has changed his name, and the way he looks, and has tried to stay out of the public eye as much as possible, but when his best friend asks for help, Shaw returns home for the first time since the shooting, determined to keep out of everybody’s way while he saves money so that he can escape to his life of secrecy once again.

When Taryn and Shaw meet, there is an immediate attraction. Shaw tries his best to keep his distance, but when they keep running into each other over and over again he can’t resist his draw to Taryn, and their slow and tentative flirtation sparks into something more. He knows he can’t jump into anything serious with her until she learns his truth (which I admired the hell out of) and he painfully reveals his secret, paving the way for a rollercoaster of emotions for the two of them.

I love the way Roni Loren deals with the sensitive subject matter of this series, and I love that she’s brought Shaw into the picture so that we can see a different side of the story – the killer’s family’s tragedy no less devastating than those who were targeted that one fateful day. Shaw’s journey is absolutely heartwrenching, and the pain that he lives with almost brought me to tears. I can’t even imagine. Loren does a wonderful job getting us to the heart of him, and I think it was genius to pair him up with a Long Acre survivor.

Taryn and Shaw have more challenges that most, but it shows the depth of their feelings for each other that they are willing to explore all that is happening between them. They talk openly and honestly, and they don’t hold back their feelings, and in addition to an absolutely beautiful, heartfelt love story, there is a journey of healing for these two as they open up completely to each other, and it was gorgeous to watch.

For once, all that mattered was how she felt in this moment. She was happy. This was right. They loved each other. She’d been wrong. Sometimes love was enough.

The drama that comes towards the end of the book is not exactly a surprise, and the way they react brings some angst to the story, but it’s ultimately handled well and leads to a satisfying finish for these two.

As much as I loved the story of this book, I have conflicted feelings. The first book of this series hit me hard and it was a favourite read of 2018 for me. I haven’t felt that kind of love for books 2 or 3, and I can’t really explain why. I’ve loved the characters and the romance, I just haven’t connected with them as strongly. I listened to this one as an audiobook and I have to admit I’m not a fan of the narrator, so perhaps that impacted my overall feelings. The next book is Kincaid’s, and I’m not her hugest fan (she’s just so… much). But I definitely want to read it to finish out the series, perhaps I’ll just avoid the audiobook.

I enjoyed this one, it’s a gorgeously emotional story, just lacking that big impact for me.

3.5 stars.

 

The Ones Who Got Away