Flawed by: Kate Avelynn

Synopsis: Sarah O’Brien is alive because of the pact she and her brother made twelve years ago — James will protect her from their violent father if she promises to never leave him. For years, she’s watched James destroy his life to save hers. If all he asks for in return is her affection, she’ll give it freely.

Until, with a tiny kiss and a broken mind, he asks for more than she can give.

Sam Donavon has been James’ best friend — and the boy Sarah’s had a crush on — for as long as she can remember. As their forbidden relationship deepens, Sarah knows she’s in trouble. Quiet, serious Sam has decided he’s going to save her. Neither of them realize James is far more unstable than her father ever was, or that he’s not about to let Sarah forget her half of the pact . . .

Thoughts: This book hurts my heart. It hurts my soul. Shattered me into a million pieces. These words… Like razor blades across my skin. It’s beautiful and intense and earth shattering. Flawed takes love and twists it into something deadly.

When you’re put in an impossible choice, is there really a right answer? I have been there. Stuck between two heartbreaking decisions except there was no right choice. They are both right and they are both wrong… it always comes down to hurting yourself or the other person. But with impossible choices, unfortunately I think you always lose regardless. You always hurt something with in yourself. Sarah sits in that spot. Shes so conflicted through out the whole book… family over love, love over family… love love love. She’s been over protected her entire life, scarred, hurt, yet she still has love in her heart. I felt so deeply for her. And, I don’t envy her.

Then there is James. James is one of those characters that you either see the dark side or you see deeper inside and see that within that darkness is a boy who has been broken. Who’s been strengthened to be overprotective. Who’s had to turn himself into this twisted soul because he thought he was doing what he had to do for Sarah. James is the bad guy in this story, yet I somehow don’t see him that way. He’s good-looking, hard working, and protects the hell out of his sister. Some where along the line he just took it too far… too far to rein all that darkness back in. I still loved him and my heart still broke for him every time he shed a tear. Every time he was afraid to lose something too important to him. I mean, how do you just suddenly stop protecting the thing that means the most to you in the world? I know there is good in James. Unfortunately, he was just too far gone and I would have done anything to save him. He’s that type of boy.

Sam. He tore my world apart. Sam is Sarah’s hero. I could never get enough of Sam. When Sam was filling the pages, my mind was completely attached. He’s sweet. He’s a family guy. He’s smart. He’s sexy as hell. He’s protective. He’s artistic. He’s beautiful… inside and out. He has the type of love that could wrap you up in warmth from the inside out. He would do anything for Sarah… he does do anything for Sarah. “When are you going to get that you are everything?” (Pg 302). Sam was everything to me as the reader. I loved him so much, and his love completely captured my heart and then drug me down into that black hole of hurt with the bittersweet ending. “I figured out pretty quickly that this is a forever thing for me.” (Pg 302)

I could talk about this book forever. It will never leave me. I don’t want it to. I want to look at that gorgeously haunting cover and know the story that lies within that broken weed.

I devoured Flawed. I couldn’t help it. I ate it’s three hundred and some pages like it was fifty. It pulled me in piece by piece until it had all of me and then it blew me wide open shattering every piece of my carefully held in emotion. Yes, I cried. I held everything in. Each tension, each betrayal, each lie, each abuse, each torture, each kiss… Slowly building inside of me until that last chapter. When I found out that there was no going back, I couldn’t hold it back anymore.

Kate outdid herself with this story. It’s heart-achingly beautiful and abusive. I fell in love with it and then it broke my heart. I’ve waited for this book for so long, it was my most anticipated book of this year and I can happily (with a broken heart) say that it did not disappoint me at all. It held up to every standard I put it to. It hit every bar I raised it to. I wanted some sick, twisted, intense book… and I got just that. I wanted to love a book that fit into that dark place in my soul… Flawed is that book.