What's Left of Me

"When someone pushes you away, you need to find the strength to hold on tighter."

 

I've read a lot of books. Hundreds of them, maybe even more. There have been two books that have stood out to me, two books that I still think about today, It Ends With Us by Colleen Hoover and Long Shot by Kennedy Ryan. After today, I'm adding a third to that list. 

Have you ever read a book that just worked it's way into your soul? One that makes you feel so much it's like the author reached inside and pulled something out of you that you didn't even know was there? If you haven't, then you aren't reading the right books. What's Left of Me is a beautiful book. Kristen knocked me off my feet with this one, and I'm still reeling about the things she made me feel. Have you ever read a book and just knew that the author had put their entire heart and soul into the words? I know that's what Kristen did with this book. 

I love reading about people that are so broken, so flawed, but so real. Callie and Cole were just that. They had both endured some unspeakable tragedies, they were both lost, but they were just proof that sometimes you have to endure all the pain to get to the light. This story was about two broken people that first had to find a way to love themselves, before they could even think about loving each other. 

"What do you do if you've already lost yourself?"

"You find your way back."

I connected with this story on a personal level. The things Callie was going through, I've been through myself. The way Callie tried to move blame from everyone and put it on herself, made me feel as if Kristen had a sneak peek inside of my own thoughts. The loss Callie experienced, I've been there too. So many times I was right there saying, "I'll do better." "I'll change this." When it wasn't me that needed to change. To watch Callie grow and learn to love herself was inspiring. 

Cole might be one of my favorite characters I've read in a while. He went through so much pain. He suffered from unimaginable loss, and yet he was still holding on. He might have thought he didn't deserve love, but I didn't see it that way. He had such a big heart, even though the pain he was feeling was putting a wall up around it, it still managed to come through. It came through in his interactions with his family and most of all with Callie. He was so damaged, but he just needed someone to show him that you can be damaged, but also be deserving of love. 

And the remaining pieces of my heart splinter off and wash away with the flood. 

This story was full of heartbreak. It was about two people who had everything in the world stacked against them, but still managed to help each other mend the broken pieces. This was a story about learning to love yourself even when everything is crumbling around you. And most of all, this story was about hope. There were times that it was hard to read, but it was so healing to me. 

"She's sad, and you're sad. But when you're together, you're not sad." 

I messaged Kristen right after I started reading, and told her that I felt like this was her best work yet, and that's not a lie. This was so beautifully written. The words are going to stay with me for a while. This is one of those books that will immediately come to mind when someone asks for a recommendation from me. There isn't even a question that this is a 5 STAR read for me, if I could give it more stars I would, because it's so deserving. I can feel the love that Kristen poured into this story. I can tell that she gave it everything she had, and it shines through.