As a child, Landon Lucas Maxfield believed his life was perfect and looked forward to a future filled with promise — until tragedy tore his family apart and made him doubt everything he ever believed.All he wanted was to leave the past behind. When he met Jacqueline Wallace, his desire to be everything she needed came so easy…
As easy as it could be for a man who learned that the soul is breakable and that everything you hoped for could be ripped away in a heartbeat.
*May Contain Spoilers*
Welcome to the other side of the story.
Breakable, by Tammara Webber, is a retelling of the first book in the Contours of the Heart series, Easy, but from a different character's point of view. With Easy we trailed Jacqueline as she was sexually assaulted and dealing with the terrifying ramifications while falling for Lucas. With Breakable, readers follow Landon Lucas. What makes it even more interesting is that the book is split into before and after. Before his mother's death and after his mother's death. The before is labeled with Landon, as he went by his first name back then. The after (or the present) is depicted by Lucas. Readers who have read Easy will be better equipped to understand the importance of this break in character, though new readers will come to comprehend the heaviness of these labels.
The sections that focus on Landon tell the story of a young man who feels he failed to protect his mother and the downward spiral that Landon falls into. He becomes withdrawn and is labeled an outcast. He turns to fighting to escape, tattoos for self-expression, and piercings to keep people at a distance. Landon finds himself using drugs, alcohol, and girls to get away from his guilt. Readers will witness all of this first hand and it's heart breaking. This side of the story will deepen the connection readers already had for Landon if they read the first book, and it will create an incredibly strong foundation for those who haven't.
In the present, readers go through the whole story of Lucas meeting and saving and falling in love with Jacqueline. Though there isn't as much terror on this side of the story (because Landon is not the one being stalked and attacked) the action is still there. Readers see how Landon's childhood influenced his adulthood and the connection with him couldn't be stronger. The language use in this book definitely assigns it to the college age demographic, though the story will undoubtedly reach anyone who reads it. This love story is a bridge that connects the past with the present. A story of believing in yourself to be brave and strong and keep moving even when everything has crashed down around you.
It's inspiring, terrifying, hopeful and heartbreaking.
Rating: 4.5/5 Cups
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