Steadfast (Sarina Bowen)

steadfast

She’s the only one who ever loved him — and the only one he can never have.

Jude lost everything one spring day when he crashed his car into an apple tree on the side of the road. A man is dead, and there’s no way he can ever right that wrong. He’d steer clear of Colebury, Vermont forever if he could. But an ex-con in recovery for his drug addiction can’t find a job just anywhere.

For Sophie Haines, coming face to face with the man who broke her heart is gut-wrenching. Suddenly, he’s everywhere she turns. It’s hard not to stare at how much he’s changed. The bad boy who used to love her didn’t have big biceps and sun-kissed hair. And he’d never turn up volunteer in the church kitchen.

She knows it’s foolish to yearn for the man who returned all the heartsick letters she wrote him in prison. But the looks he sends her now speak volumes.

No one wants to see Sophie and Jude back together, least of all Sophie’s police chief father. But it’s a small town. And forbidden love is a law unto itself.

GUYS!! Have I told you how fantastic this series is???? I’m pretty sure I did, when I reviewed Bittersweet…

Steadfast has a totally different tone from the first book of the series, it’s way more serious and heartbreaking, and its central theme is addiction and second chances.

I loved this book. Loved it. I was reading it and crying like a baby, and feeling so deeply for Jude and Sophie. I think that people who haven’t dealt with addiction is some way, don’t know how truly hard it all is, and I think Sarina did an amazing job writing it. Well done, you!

The characters’ voices are super distinct, and I loved that we got little glimpses to when Sophie and Jude were younger and together. These snippets gave us a more complete picture of who these 2 were not only as individual people, but also as a couple, and how deep their feelings ran.

I absolutely loved both characters and their struggles. Jude was battling his addiction, his love for Sophie and trying to survive, thinking that he would never be a good choice for her. Sophie just wanted to live, she wanted answers, and she wanted to feel and to have hope. And I loved these 2 so much.

I wish there was just a tiny bit more of teen Sophie and Jude, because while I got the connection and the love between them, I wanted to see more of the falling in love process.

These two were seriously amazing together. He helped her want more for herself, she made him hope. Together they were seriously hot too.

This book totally broke my heart!!!

The issues were powerful and so serious and important. The characters were amazing and complex. The story was heartfelt with a hint of mystery. All my favorite characters were there! And it has an amazing ending.