Broken Beautiful Hearts by Kami Garcia

Summary:
When star soccer player Peyton Rios receives an offer from her first-choice college, her senior year starts off exactly as planned…until she uncovers her boyfriend’s dark secret. Peyton confronts him and finds herself falling down a flight of stairs. Her knee-and possibly her dream of going pro-is shattered. Everyone at school is talking: Was she pushed, or did she fall? Peyton knows the truth, even if no one believes her.
With her future on the line, Peyton goes to stay with her uncle in a small Tennessee town to focus on her recovery. That’s where she meets Owen.
A year ago, Owen Law’s life changed and he doesn’t want anyone to know why-until he meets the new girl in town. But dating is off the table for Peyton, even for a guy as sweet and sexy as Owen. He tries to chip away at her walls, but Peyton senses that he’s hiding something and she’s afraid to trust her own heart. When their secrets are finally exposed, Peyton has to decide if love is worth fighting for.
Review:
I loved this book. I wish that I could just say that and be done with this review because really, I loved it and I just want everyone to read it. This was a compelling story filled with so many different things that I like. We follow our main character as she’s dealing with potentially losing everything she’s worked toward her whole life. Also dealing with her crazy ass ex-boyfriend, moving across the country, adjusting to a new school, and grieving for her father.
There were so many different things going on in this story, but it wasn’t too much. All the different aspects of the story were brought together so well that it just worked out.
Peyton was a fierce and fiery character that didn’t back down, even when it would have been the easy thing to do. She stands up to all sorts of bullies, from snotty cheerleaders to MMA fighters on steroids, she’s brave and stubborn. I really loved Peyton. I don’t know that I related to her so much as I just really respected her as a person. She’s someone I could be friends with in real life for sure.
The twins, Peyton’s cousins, Cameron and Christian were a great part of this story. They come off as big dumb jocks at first, but you learn that there more than that. They’re loyal and quick to defend those they care about. They do say some dumb things but don’t have an issue being corrected and learning why they were wrong. They just made me laugh and I loved them.
I liked Grace too. She was sweet and I’m so happy with how her story ended. She was a good friend to Peyton when she needed one and I loved seeing the girls get to know one another.
Tessa really pissed me off, but I understood (to a point) where she was coming from. She’s another character that I was happy with how things turned out. I’m happy with how she and Peyton figured things out, though we didn’t get a whole lot of closure on her after that.
I hated Peyton’s ex-boyfriend and I’m not going to name him so the thing that happens, in the beginning, doesn’t get spoiled but I hated him. He was a giant jerk and I knew things were just going to get worse. The whole situation at the beginning of the book made me so mad. I think because this is something that happens all the time in the real world, it just made me so mad.
Now, my favorite character, Owen. I loved him. He stood up for the little guy. He was nice even when he was supposed to be portrayed as a jerk. He’s big and tough and exactly what Peyton needed at the time. I love that they pushed each other’s buttons. They made me laugh the whole book.
I just really loved everything about this story. It was real and hard to read in some parts. It talked about real things that happen every day in real life and it doesn’t shy away from anything. I definitely think this should be a more widely read and talked about story because it is an important one for sure.

“I used to believe that everyone gets one perfect day sometime in their lives-if they were lucky. But I had it all wrong. We don’t get one perfect day. We get a lifetime of imperfect days, and it’s up to decide what we want to do with them.”

Keep on reading lovelies, Amanda.

*Want to buy this book? Click on the book cover! It’s an affiliate link so we will make a small percentage from your purchase, feel free to support us!