For What It's Worth


Saturday, August 10, 2013

Review: Here Without You (Between the Lines #4) by Tammara Webber


17158158Everyone has secrets.
Some are buried so deep, their existence is forgotten.
But a secret never told can turn into a lie.
And in love, a lie is one thing:
Poison.


Reid's in love with Dori, though she hasn't told her parents that she's fallen hard for the guy they'd forbidden her to see. Now she's leaving for college, and Reid's promise not to push her to go public is wearing thin, especially when she can't - or won't - return those three important words he wants to hear.

Five years ago, Brooke and Reid were a Thing. That relationship is long gone, detonated amid allegations of cheating - but they still share a secret that would stun everyone they know and alter public perception of them both if it ever comes out. And it's about to do just that.

Here Without You is the fourth, final installment in the Between the Lines series, which includes: Between the Lines, Where You Are, and Good For You. ~ Goodreads

Spoiler warning: There will be no spoilers for Here Without You but it’s impossible to discuss it without referring to the previous books in the series. I’ll do my best to keep all spoilers to a minimum but you are warned :-)
Also, if you haven’t read this series yet, this review will probably not make any sense lol

Source: Purchased

Review:
I LOVE this series. LOVE. I’ve said this a hundred times before and in all my reviews for her books, Tammara is able to write very complex teenage characters in a totally honest way that makes you want to follow their journey even when they make horrible, heartbreaking decisions.

I hope people who have read Webber’s amazing NA book Easy will give this series a shot now. Two things about the Between the Lines series. 1.) You need to read it form the start. No skipping books. This series follows the same characters on their path to adulthood. Each book develops and furthers their stories.  2.) You will probably hate a few characters at different points in the series. Do NOT give up on them. Keep reading. Like I said, this is a journey and one oh so worth following.

So back to Here Without You, the final book in the Between the Lines series. I could not be happier with how it all ended.

I was terrified going in. At the end of book #3, Good for You, Reid had finally found something worth changing for and was on the road to happiness but then the ending pretty much put that HEA into question.

It also put him on a path with his very manipulative ex, Brooke. I was terrified for Dori, Reid’s current girlfriend. Brooke and Reid have been through a lot together and now share a bond that just can’t be broken. I didn’t trust Brooke.

I expected a lot of conniving and lapses into previous behaviors but instead Webber wrote such a beautiful story about choices, unconditional love and redemption. The characters surprised the hell out of me.

I thought Reid and Dori’s story had been told in book #3 but that just wasn’t the case. It was difficult for them but not in any of the ways I was expecting. I was shocked at how fragile Dori still was with her parents, faith and even her relationship with Reid and I was so proud of how he never let her down.

Reid had come so far and is absolutely amazing in this book but still needed to push himself further and own up to past mistakes.

Brooke. Oh dear Brooke I do not like you. She’s manipulated and plowed through anyone who gets int he way of what she wants. I saw glimpses of goodness at times so I had faith in her but then she did something that I just could not forgive. I couldn’t see how Tammara could ever redeem her in my eyes. I’m not sure she did 100% but this time Brooke’s determination and focus was used for good. It made her question her own motives and left her almost fragile. She put someone else's needs first for once. She came through in way that I never expected from her. I can’t say I like her but I can say that I now admire her.

The other thing that I liked is Reid is still his cocky self, Brooke is still a bull in a china shop, they didn’t lose themselves, But now they are better versions of that.

There is an added POV in this book from someone that I’m not going to spoil. I was unsure of it at first but it’s perfection and left me in tears of joy by the end.

I think I’ve rambled enough already. All I can say is that I loved this series from beginning to end and look forward to anything Tammara Webber writes.

Author: Goodreads | blog | twitter
Buy the book! Here Without You

14 comments:

  1. I just can't deal with NA :/ YA drama in an adult setting

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    1. Do you just not like contemporaries or YA/NA contempts? I like Tammara's because I fell like they're realistic and not just angst for angst sake. There is a solid story behind it.

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  2. I've read Webber's Easy but haven't read anything else by her. I think that I'm already burned out on NA! Is that terrible? It's just that they all seem to be the same. But I did like Easy and Webber's writing so maybe I should give this series a whirl!

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    1. No I hear ya! It seems to be the same stories but with a different, darker scarring event. I'm totally burned out from it. I think I need therapy from reading all these damaged characters. lol

      This series is more mature YA. They start out younger in the first book and t takes place in a Hollywood/acting setting - there are references to sex, drinking etc But not NA explicit.

      The last book shows how they've changed/matured throughout the series. It's really good and not your typical YA/NA angst. Promise :-)

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  3. I haven't picked up Webber's Easy yet, but I do have a copy of the book and I plan to get around to it eventually. If it goes well, I'll give this series a try too. :) I'm really glad to see you enjoyed it! I can get so easily frustrated with characters when there are a lot of immature decisions made, so it's great to hear that you were able to stick with them, despite everything, and that it paid off in the end. Fantastic review, Karen!

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  4. It's really important to stick with the series to see how it plays out. A few of the characters do make really dumb choices at times but it made sense to me considering their environment/age.

    I tend to get annoyed and disappointed with characters easily but I have learned to trust Webber's writing. She also hands down consequences. Things aren't just resolved with sex/love.

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  5. "The other thing that I liked is Reid is still his cocky self, Brooke is still a bull in a china shop, they didn’t lose themselves, But now they are better versions of that." <--- now that is perfect.

    You know how much I love this series (thanks to you!). Thank you for not spoiling the book!

    Beautiful review, Karen!

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    1. I really think you're going to like it Andrea!

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  6. Okay, just for you, I will try this series. I did enjoy Easy, but I haven't found tons of time to squeeze NA into my reading schedule. But I can do it!

    Thanks so much for stopping by! Jen @ YA Romantics

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    1. Let me know what you think if you start it. I would say the series starts out as more Mature YA then transitions to NA - but it's not explicit.

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  7. Well, that's high recommendation indeed, I'm so glad you enjoyed this series so much.

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  8. Hm... if I don't pick up this one I am going to put the author on my wishlist. I really need to check out her writing. You make me want to try her out!

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  9. So many people rave about this series...One of these days I will make the time to check it out! Great review!

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  10. I skipped down to the bottom to see your final thoughts, and apparently I need to dust off my Kindle and read this series pronto. EASY really took me by surprise, so I'm looking forward to them. :)

    Wendy @ The Midnight Garden

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