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Book Info
Patch Up by
Stephanie Witter
Genre: Contemporary New Adult novel with a slow building
romance.
Date of Publication: 16 Sep, 2013
ISBN: 9780989707336
Number of pages: 260 pages
Length: over 85 000 words.
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Due to some shocking scenes,
this novel is not intended for readers under 18.
Blurb
Skye followed her long time
boyfriend to Seattle for their first year of college, but he dumped her after
only a week. The relationship brought only pain and destruction in Skye's life,
and yet, she can't bring herself to open up and live her life.
"What if I am already broken
into pieces?"
She hates to be touched, hiding
under her oversized shirts and behind her wild frizzy hair. Even her bubbly
roommate can't reach her. And yet ...
"I'm the guy who knows how
you can hurt so much that your insides feel like they're cut and
bleeding."
The tall, handsome, and tattooed
TA in her psychology class changes everything when he literally collides with
her and confronts her. For the first time in a long time, she wants to try and
open up to this guy whose dark, intense eyes can't hide his own pain despite
his dazzling smile getting to her.
However, just when she's starting
to live again, her ex-boyfriend comes back, breaking her time and time again,
making it all the more complicated.
She wants to fight for herself
and for this building thing with the TA, even when he pushes her away, but can
two broken people patch each other up?
"I never thought colliding
with someone could change lives, but it is possible."
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I LOVED THIS BOOK.
Okay, I will admit, I read it a few days ago, and totally stalled on the review. Why? Because I needed some time to wrap my head around this story.
"Of course, love can't conquer everything. Love hurts and that's all I remember. Feeling butterflies in my belly is not worth al this pain because no matter what, those famous butterflies disappear at some point leaving only an empty feeling in their wake."
Skye and Duke have both had heartbreaking pasts. Skye is closed off, while Duke is in the process of healing. So when Duke see's Skye, he sees himself a few years back, and makes it his mission to help her.
"His eyes feel like they could see through my shield, a shield I have perfected throughout the last three years."
Both of them are against the idea of a relationship, with anyone, even a friendship. Their pasts made sure of that. While Skye can barely be touched, Duke has used sex as a tool to move past everything. When you watch how these two interact, it will make you want to scream out loud. Sometimes you want them to just give in and be together, and other times you wonder if it would be just as toxic as their pasts for them to take the next step. So they settle for a friendship, albeit awkward as it is at times.
"He's self destructive enough to bring me down with him."
But when Skye's ex boyfriend comes back with a vengence, Duke and Skye grow closer. Skye even starts opening up to her (aaaamazing) roommate Kate, which is a huge step for her. Seriously, Kate is a godsend for Skye. She is beyond understanding and patient. But to Skye and Duke, growing closer can mean walls being shattered around each of them, no matter how much they want to run away from eachother.
"With you it's like you make me feel again when I don't want to, like you make my heart beat louder and faster just by being there. Nothing is easy and that's why it feels so true, so real."
This book goes beyond your typical "two broken people fall in love" story. While the basis is around two people who have been hurt in some of the worst ways possible, it seriously shows the struggle of it. We watch and notice Skye changing slowly along the course of the book. How she speaks and acts in Chapter one vs. the last chapter is night and day. It happens so subtly, that you almost don't realize it at first. But she is growing, both of them are growing. This is not a "guy swoops in to save the day" story either, because at points while Skye is taking steps forward, Duke is taking steps backwards. They, in all aspects, save each other.
Stephanie Witter completely delivers with Patch Up. There is heartbreak, humor, major twists, and a seriously amazing/beautiful/shocking/sad/happy ending.
Read this. Read this now.
Quote that gave me chills:
" 'With you and me, I don't know what anything means. We're pushing each other away and yet I don't seem to be able to let you go.'
'What if I tell you that I don't want you to let me go?' "
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Excerpt
(The first meeting)
Without paying attention to my
surroundings, I turn to my left to walk toward the row closer to the door where
a seat is available. I take a step and collide with a hard body, almost
toppling me over on the ground for the second time in less than an hour. A
strong hand grips me firmly by the forearm. My body stiffens and my breath
catches in my throat. It’s as if I can’t move besides yanking my arm free
without looking up to see who I collided with.
“Are you all right?” he asks me
in a deep and calm voice.
My eyes wander from my red
Converse to his dark boots. I have to calm down. I’m being ridiculous. Calm
down. I take a deep breath and look up slowly. Long, muscled legs in beat up
dark blue jeans, an old black leather jacket open over a dark grey V-neck
sweater that showcases an impressive tall body with broad shoulders and
finally, longish and messy black hair, perfect straight nose, full lips, high
cheekbones and expressive soft dark eyes that lock with my bluish-greyish ones.
He looks older with his goatee perfectly trimmed. A perfect hot mess many girls
would say. I’m just intimidated by this stranger, though.
“I’m fine,” I reply, my voice
even. I push away some of my untamed locks and curse my auburn frizzy hair that
is always all over the place.
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About The
Author
Stephanie Witter is a French dreamer. She started English at three and
fell in love with the language. Always with a book - or two - close by, she
soon started reading in English when she couldn't wait to see Harry Potter
translated in French. After a while, reading wasn't enough and she started
writing young adult and new adult contemporary novels always filled with drama.
Now she hopes to translate English novels in her mother tongue as her everyday
job. By My Side is her debut novel.
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