Escaping... One Book @ a Time: *Review* AnguiSH by Lila Felix + Giveaway

I hope you all give Lila a warm welcome because she is BRILLIANT!!!

This book was enjoyable on so many levels!!

Release Date: June 11, 2013
Length: 264 pages
Review Copy: PDF, provided by author for honest review.

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Anguish was the status quo, until she walked in.

Breaker James Collins is confined in a prison of his own making. Scarred doesn’t begin to define his hell since finding out his girlfriend had cheated, stolen, and lied two years ago. It led to a single event—one that would blacken his days and his nights from then on. Since then, he hasn’t left his house, crippled by fear of people and any social interaction.

Ashland talks too much and has the voice of a meth-laden prairie dog, or so she’s always been told. She’s been called annoying and irritating all of her life and gave up on having friends for a long time. College has given her a new lease on a social life and she’s embraced who she is. But now she’s waiting for the one guy who can take her breath away and put up with her antics.

A simple note pinned to a corkboard will lead Ash right to Breaker’s solitary world and she will learn that just because a guy doesn’t fit her ideal, doesn’t mean she won’t fall head over feet in love.

AnguiSH is the YA/NA crossover read that I have been waiting for. Not that I have not loved many of them before reading AnguiSH but it is the difference in the plots that made the difference in my love. I am so used to the broken girl and the bad/secretly broken and soft boy, that this broken male character made all the difference in the world to me. This was not to say that he was an insufferable whiner but it was his past instead of hers that really defined the tone of the book. Needless to say this simple and unique twist, really changed so much for me.

The plot pulled me in almost right away. At first I wanted to describe the plot as busy but that word didn't really fit. There was a constant movement in the book, both forward and backward. Normally backward would be a bad word to mention but with Breaker it is just a fact of life. Everything that happens feels natural, both the forward and the backward movements. Though Breaker may be the more broken of the two, Ash has had her fair share of crap flung at her. Though I think, Ash and her ups and downs were what made things so wonderful at times. She was a light in the dark in so many different ways and kept the story moving and interesting.

Poor sweet Ash. When I say that Breaker was the broken one I meant it but she has also had to deal with so much in her life. However, the difference is that Ash took in everything and moved forward. I seriously admired her strength and inner drive. There were things that broke her down a little and she was not unbreakable but she also knew that you have to deal with this stuff and move on. She was not the most popular girl around but she is confident in her own way. I loved that she had an open relationship with her father and confided so easily in him, what they had and the biggest talk they had in the book pulled at my heart but also cleared a lot up. Ash does not always have self confidence but she always has it when she needs it the most.

Breaker pulled at my heart. I have dealt with anxiety before but nothing even close to the level in which he lives with daily. He doesn't want to live his life hidden away in his expensive self prison. He does ride a fine line between making me feel bad for him and making me want to smack him but at the same time you will really hope for him. What him and Ash develop may not be perfect but it is something and that is way better than anything he has done in a long time. Ash brings something out in him that makes him want to get better and go out but Breaker is broken and it isn't easy to fix something broken as some people may believe. The saddest part about it was he may act like an ass but he was a sweet guy. Breaker is proof that guys can be hurt just like girls and how that hurt can change a person.

AnguiSH was beautifully written and pulled at my heart in all of the right ways. As far as New Adult goes this is very much on the lighter side and would be a great place for anyone to start. As for those of you that are New Adult fans, keep in mind this is light but extremely original and something that is lighter and a little more quick of a read. I think basically if you are a fan of contemporary reads, you will love this book!

Annoying that was the word used most often to describe me. I've heard the whole gambit: pesky, irritating, vexing, bothersome and my favorite, galling. That one was used on me by the teacher who used to run the S.A.T. class after school. He called me galling and then told us to write that word down and then use it in a sentence. -Ashland

And I felt like half a man when she asked me if I could leave the house to go with her to get something to eat. I really did. She could probably name a hundred guys off the top of her head who could come and go as pleased. But I wasn't one of them and it killed me. -Breaker

God, the girl could talk. But I just loved it.

"Coffee." That was the only word I could form at seven in the morning.

"In the pot, grumpy butt." She bounced off somewhere and I made myself a cup and leaned against the counter.

About the Auhor

Lila Felix made the decision to write a book after being encouraged by friends. She is a stay at home mom to three wild children and three boisterous dogs and her high school sweetheart husband encourages her daily. Between writing books, she loves to read and watch sappy 80's movies. Favorite things: ice cream, anything purple, roller derby and any kind of music she can get her hands on. If you're looking for her, try looking in the swamp, she's probably duct taping something under the shade of a Cypress tree.

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