Emery Rose is a master of enthralling angsty stories, and When We Were Reckless is that and more.
One page was all it took for me to become completely enthralled by Quinn. Quinn wasn’t just the youngest and the only girl in the family but she had dealt with health issues, and that meant that her family was beyond protective of her.
Quinn was sunshine, she was optimistic with a side of witty sass. I loved the way she embraced life as the gift that it is, and while she generally lived cautiously, she was also willing to take chances. She knew what she wanted and she wasn’t going to back down from her dreams or the chance at a summer with the only man she’s ever loved.
Jesse had been through a rough time, in his personal life and his career, he was back in his hometown seeming to be a bit lost. He kept most people at arm’s length, never really fully opening up, and while he went from growly to swoon throughout the story I fell more and more in love with him.
Jesse tried to deny the chemistry he and Quinn shared, but I don’t think it was ever a conscious choice, the magnetic pull between them was much too strong, and every look, touch, and whispered conversation made the gravitational pull between them that much stronger.
I wasn’t prepared for this angsty roller coaster ride of unrequited love and the painful blows my heart would take. Quinn’s emotions ever so eloquently infuse into the very depths of your heart bringing with it the heartbreak, pain, and rejection, that feels like lashes to your heart. It was the back and forth of the pull between them, and especially in the moments that Jesse put forth the most effort to sever the connection they shared. He turned into a growly possessive alpha and I will tell you, he upped his book boyfriend game in those moments.
You know the saying, “You can’t have the good without the bad,” the heartbreak is painful, but the moments they are happy feel like seeing a rainbow after a storm. Their playfulness, witty banter, and unyielding support of one another, it’s effortless between them, as natural as breathing.
When We Were Reckless is exceptionally unputdownable, an enthralling blend of magnetic chemistry, a swoony/possessive alpha hero, a sassy/determined heroine, ALL the FEELS, from heartache that you physically feel along with the characters, to butterflies fluttering, and everything in between, steam, and love, so much love, parents, siblings, and friends.
My top angsty read of 2021, Emery Rose put my heart through the wringer, and ever so eloquently wove every painful piece into something profoundly beautiful.