Paper Hearts (Hearts, #2)

by Claire Contreras

[Cocktails and Books]

I knew going into Mia and Jensen's story that this wasn't going to be easy. It wasn't, but Claire Contreras made me believe that love truly does win, with a little bit of work and understanding to get there.

Mia and Jensen have a very complicated past. They loved each other passionately, but didn't fully commit to each other while they were on opposite sides of the country. And then the unthinkable happens. Jensen's action destroy Mia's trust in him and their relationship, which in turn breaks each of them. And several years later, they are both still carrying the scars from that time.

Claire Contreras always does a great job of reeling the reader in. Immediately I was immersed in Mia's emotions and thoughts as she made her temporary move to NYC. Her feelings about Jensen and how she would deal with him when they finally ran into each other were almost another secondary character. They were strong, overwhelming at times and heartbreaking at others. At her core, Mia was truly decimated by Jensen's actions. She understood how their relationship was back then, that they were on a "break", but Jensen picking the way he did broke her, more than she ever let on to anyone else. As a reader, I never questioned how Mia felt about Jensen. I knew she still loved him deeply.

The problem came down to trust. Could the Jensen now, undo the damage that Jensen then did.

It was a tough battle for Jensen. Through he weekly column (which the author ingeniously sprinkled throughout the book) we knew exactly what Jensen's feelings were about all sorts of things Mia. How much he still loved her and though of her as the sweetheart of his life. How much he was sorry for what happened and prayed he could get her passed all of it. But he was never sorry for his daughter. He just needed to figure out how to get his two loves to meld together. Jensen never gave up. He never let an opportunity go by to make sure Mia understood how he felt. And when he knew she needed space to figure things out, he gave it to her. But he also vowed to fight....which was the one thing he didn't do before.

I loved this book. As heartbreaking (and sometimes frustrating) as it was, I was a little bit in awe of true love winning. Of finding a way, no matter how messy, for Mia and Jensen to spend the rest of their lives together. It took an army of their best friends and Mia's parents, but when it mattered Mia trusted her gut, Jensen and love to see them through.