Harder (Caroline & West, #2)

by Robin York

[Leah]

If you follow the site regularly and keep up with my reviews, you'll have read my review of a novel called Deeper back in March, which was Robin York's first New Adult novel, and which I LOVED. It was such a wonderful story, and Caroline and West really spoke to me. I was absolutely gutted that I had to wait until July for the sequel, but you guys, July has arrived (well, June has arrived as this is when I'm writing my review) and it's arrived quicker than expected (where has this year gone?!) and I was super excited to be asked to take part in Robin's blog tour for Harder! It wasn't even a question, let's be honest. I did a bit of a happy dance when I received my bound proof and I could not wait to get stuck in!

Harder picks up a little while after Deeper ended, when West left Caroline to go back to Silt, his home-town to take care of his sister, Frankie. It was very heroic, but very devastating for me because I just adored those two as a couple, so it brought me much joy to see Caroline heading to Silt, after a frantic phone call from West informing her of his dad's demise. But, sadly, West keeps Caroline at arms length, and the tension is super high. We're back to Deeper, and me desperately screaming at the two of them to just kiss each other, damn it. But West has gone off the deep end, and doesn't want her there in Silt, and does something awful (my poor eyes) and pushes Caroline away for good, until West realises Caroline takes a helluva lot of sense, and that if he doesn't get himself and Frankie away from Silt, neither will become anything at all, period, so off to Putnam we go and the whole crazy rollercoaster between Caroline & West starts again.

I have to be honest, what West did to push Caroline away when she was in Silt was icky. ICKY. I wish it could be wiped from my mind, and I didn't really know whether they'd come back from that. But West and Caroline are this once-in-a-lifetime couple, perfect for each other, so even though West did a really icky thing, I was quite pleased that Caroline didn't just give up on him for ever, because well, that would be quite a depressing book. Instead, I liked how Caroline wormed her way back into West's life, whether he liked it or not. He was being a jerk, and he needed to see that. I liked how Caroline and West weren't the same people we met in Deeper. They'd grown, hardened, but that spark was always there, and I will always enjoy their easy banter, about anything and everything and nothing. It takes a special kind of writer to write a relationship like that and it's the kind of relationship you dream about - you want someone you can just talk to and listen to and have listen to you, and Caroline and West have that. Sure, they're not the same people on the outside, but on the inside they are and they just melted my heart all over again.

Harder was such a great sequel, and the addition of young Frankie was genius - I adored her in the first book, so to have her literally in the action this time around was ace. I felt so sad for her about everything she'd witnessed and everything she went through and she was such a little fighter and her relationship with Caroline was the sweetest thing I've ever witnessed. I just adore the little bubble that Caroline and West seem to inhabit. No matter how hard West pulled away, Caroline would never give up and I admired her spirit and determination. That's one touch chick. She's my kinda girl. It was a fantastic sequel, and a sequel that more than lived up to its predecessor. I liked that it didn't end on a cliff-hanger and I suspect we are done with the lives of Caroline and West, which I'm surprisingly okay about - I think they've been through the mill, and they have endured tough times and come out the other side.... I'm still hankering after a Bridget/Krishna book so there's definitely reason to stick around Putnam for York's next New Adult adventure, and I'll be there will bells on.