Well, this was painful. Although I shouldn't be surprised. We're talking about one of Jessie's stories! It wouldn't be her if she didn't make us suffer a little, right? Ok, not just a little bit, but if you've read any of her stories, you know what I mean. If not... welcome to the roller coaster of emotions... fasten your seatbelts and get ready for a heck of a ride!

The problem is that I think it caught me off guard. I don't know why I thought that simply because this was one of the Unlucky 13 it would be less angsty, less painful. And oh my god, I couldn't have been more wrong! About 30% into the book and I was already trying not to cry. And it's something that didn't change until the end of the book. But it was worth every one of those tears! And once again, Jessie knew how to portray addiction and mental issues so accurately that you FELT all they felt. You were there with them.

When you meet Skyler and Nolan, you find yourself with two people broken and on the edge of the abyss, with two totally different personal journeys and at different points in their lives that it's incredible that they could meet in the middle.

Skyler was all alone. His family failed him his entire life. In fact, all adults have failed him in some way, whether through neglect, indifference, or mistreatment. And yet, and despite his internal struggles, not knowing why he lived inside a perpetual storm, his strength, his desire to live grew more and more. Exiled to the resort as a last resort by his parents, and where he believed it would be another useless experience, little by little he realized that there he could find the answers he needed. Meeting Nolan there was totally unexpected for him. From the first time Skyler saw him, it was as if everything had somehow stilled inside him, making him feel a peace he hadn't known, and despite Nolan rudely pushing him away at first, Skyler managed to see past that hard armor, finding another soul as broken as his own. But most of all, Skyler felt "seen" for the first time in his life, and even though Nolan might not understand what it was that caused Skyler'storms, he intuitively knew how to calm him down and bring him back.

Nolan had his own demons to fight. The only thing that kept him on his feet and kept him going was the desire to see his daughter again. He was angry, resentful, and he lashed out at everyone, because he didn't know how to handle the fear of losing what he loved the most. And then he met Skyler, and his whole world was turned upside down. In his own words, Skyler was the hurricane that shook him to his very core, changing him forever.

But sadly, they both needed to go their own way, painful as it was. Skyler until he managed to understand and learn about himself, to be capable to stand on his own feet, and Nolan, to get his daughter back, besides, for him, Skyler was very young, and he needed to live his own life.

But time and distance couldn't keep them apart. Skyler's constancy, that strength that never stopped supporting him, is what finally made them meet again, and this time, Nolan was not willing to walk away from him again, no matter what.

It was a beautiful journey of growth for both of them. And the love the felt for each other was so strong, so deep, that they welcome all the storms that would cross their path, knowing they had each other to fight against them.

I was given an advanced copy and voluntarily wrote a review.