The air is cold, an early winter nipping on the heels of fall. My hair covers my face and I shove it away, my heart speeding up and pounding as my eyes flare open in the dark. I've missed the smell of your hair.Īnd then everything fell apart the night of the kegger.ĭon't hate me because I'm a Shark. I've missed you cheering at my football games. I've missed seeing you walk down the hall. It's been ten months since you were here, but I can't forget you.

What I really mean is, you look at me and I feel something REAL. Your eyes are the color of the Caribbean Sea. The question is, which Shark is my secret admirer? I hate every one of those rich jerks for what they did to me.

The last thing I expected was an anonymous love letter from one of them. Once upon a time, I wanted to be part of their world-until they destroyed me. The rich and popular Sharks rule at prestigious, ivy-covered Camden Prep. It wasn't an easy read, it wasn't some perfect, easy romance.WSJ bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills delivers a gripping enemies-to-lovers, secret admirer, high school romance. Honestly the whole book is filled which such great internal dialogues.Ī trigger warning here, the book does deal with some really difficult trauma experiences and mental health issues!Īt the end of the day, the book feels so raw and real, that's why it stayed with me. The way she walks back into school at the beginning of the book and her thought process as she walks down the hall is one of the best written internal dialogues. The difficulties of facing her peers, bullying and her memories being shared really build her character as strong, independent and struggling with her past trauma. The main character Ava is trying to put on a brave face after tragedy and she is seen as the enemy at school. The book deals with fragmented memories and flashbacks so you only have pieces of the full story and need to wait until the combination is finally revealed to know the whole story. This book is everything at once, it is emotional, maddening, a little scary, high school, dramatic and so real. Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills, is a book that I don't think I can ever forget! I love all kinds of books and usually read as an experience of calm but every once in a while I come across a book that makes such a huge impression it just stays on your soul.

You all know I love to read and it is the most cathartic experience for me.

Dear ava book