He was lost and alone. Then he found her.And the future seemed more fragile than ever.
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. ~ Goodreads | Author | Amazon
Source: Purchased
Review: I had no idea what to expect from Breakable. It’s not a sequel – but a prequel – but with dual time lines AND dual identities of the same character. Whew! That’s a lot to pull off, not even taking into consideration that it has to follow in the path of Easy, one of the most popular (& first) NA titles of all time.
I remember enjoying Easy and liking Jacqueline but for some reason it was Lucas that I identified with. I don’t mean in the swoony – he’s hot way either. There was just something I connected to with him more than I identified with Jacqueline.
Reading Landon/Lucas’s before and after story showed me why. Landon tragically lost his mom when he was very young and it left scars – both physically and emotionally. I’ve mentioned this before on my blog but I also lost my mom when I was a teenager. Thankfully, it wasn’t as horrific as Landon’s situation but it puts you in an exclusive club that you don’t want to be in and that no one else wants to join.
It was hard watching the Lucas, before. as Landon making really bad choices, yet I connected to the downward spiral and loneliness he felt. I got why he made so many bad decisions because I made them too. You just want to forget and belong to something after your family falls apart. The scenes with his dad really hit me hard as they struggle to carry on and eventually reconnect.
I wasn’t sure the alternating before/Landon & the after/Lucas pov’s would work for me but Webber does it so well, transitioning smoothly connecting the past with the present as Lucas heals joining both sides of himself as we watch him fall in love with Jacqueline.
We do get to see many of the scenes from Easy from Lucas’s POV. And while the thrill of reading it for the first time is gone, for me, I saw Jacqueline in a new light and I felt I got to know her in a way I didn’t while reading Easy.
I also want to make a point of mentioning how Breakable touches on the subject of sexuality and consent. There is a lot of sex or sexual situations in this book – but not for the purpose of titillation. Webber portrays sex, both consensual and not, and shines the light on boys who joke about rape and victim blame. I really want to see more of this in books. Where the subject is presented thoughtfully and directed more at the boys responsibility rather than a list of things a girl shouldn’t do. Well done.
Breakable is a quiet sort of story and slower paced than Easy but one filled with sadness transitioning to hope that will leave you with a smile on your face.
And to end on a completely silly note – I loved Lucas’s cat Francis. I know it’s weird but showed a lighter side of Lucas and helped break up some of the heavier scenes.
OMG, I totally forgot about Breakable, and it's on my wishlist too! Really need to read it now, fab review, Karen!
ReplyDeleteGet it!! lol
DeleteI am still yet to read Easy, though I bought it when it was getting a lot of hype. I like the point you raised re. sexuality, it is an important topic, especially for YA/NA books
ReplyDeleteMands @ The Bookish Manicurist
It's nice to read it when it's well done and not just as a blanket solution to a problem.
DeleteI have yet to meet a Tammara Webber book that I didn't like, so I'll definitely be reading this as soon as I can fit it in. Easy had some pretty heavy scenes, so I'm not surprised that this one does too. I'm sure I'll have a hard time with back-in-the-day Lucas too, BUT since I already know that past Lucas is vastly different from future Lucas, I hope that will help me get through it, and like you, I'm glad that Webber is tackling some of the often ignored, but very important subjects. Great review!
ReplyDeleteJessica @ Rabid Reads
I love her. Have you read her YA Between the Lines series? I really enjoyed that one too.
DeleteIt was sad to read at times but also interesting to see his journey. She did a good job combining the two. It couldn't have been easy to write.
Sadness transitioning to hope is always good! It's definitely hard to see someone you care about in such a bad way...in the before...but, if written well, it's worth the pain.
ReplyDeleteIt was weird, because we know how it turns out from reading Easy but it was interesting to see how Lucas became the man he is in Easy.
DeleteFrom the tone of your review, it sounds like Tammara Webber does a great job of tackling sensitive subjects such as sexuality and consent, which is a difficult feat in itself. Thanks for introducing me to this new-to-me author!
ReplyDeleteI really love everything she writes - both YA and NA.
DeleteLol, but a good cat is awesome :)
ReplyDeleteHe made me laugh. Reminded me of my Figgy.
DeleteOh I would also love to see more of these kinds of books. Hm... this one I might have to try. And as long as hope is the ending emotion... I can deal! :) I will have to try this book.
ReplyDeleteIt's nice to read a NA like this. Easy is the first one.
Delete"I also want to make a point of mentioning how Breakable touches on the subject of sexuality and consent. There is a lot of sex or sexual situations in this book – but not for the purpose of titillation. Webber portrays sex, both consensual and not, and shines the light on boys who joke about rape and victim blame. I really want to see more of this in books. Where the subject is presented thoughtfully and directed more at the boys responsibility rather than a list of things a girl shouldn’t do. Well done." THIS! I absolutely loved that TW brought light archaic, idiotic mind sets. Great review!
ReplyDeleteYeah - I think she explored sexuality in general well in both Easy and this one. How guys casually joke about rape not understanding what they're really saying. It was also sex positive for girls and showed the difference between sex during lust and love - without shaming.
DeleteFor some reason I didn't realize the before/after format but I can't wait for a chance to read it
ReplyDeleteHave you read Easy? If so - it's before the big even in Luca's (Landon's) life, and the present Jacqueline day from Easy.
DeleteI never wanted to read Easy, but now I would love to see how the author executed both of these books. This one actually sounds a bit more appealing to me.
ReplyDeleteThough won over by the first sentence and Francis the cat I'm really not too sure about prequels and could imagine myself reading this book first.
ReplyDeleteYour reviews always get me excited for no particular reason. I LOVE LUCAS' CAT! Hahaha. He just shows up, sleeps, chunks the deuce, rinse, repeat. I haven't read BREAKABLE yet, but it's on my list. In fact, I think I'll start it this weekend. :)
ReplyDelete