More Than Anything (The Broken Pieces, #1)

by Natasha Anders

[stacey_is_sassy]

A wee bit more than broken…

I would love to take the easy route in reviewing More Than Anything and just say it was good, packed with emotions and ended on a happy note. The problem is that it was A LOT more than that. I “enjoyed” the journey but felt a slight disconnection from the main characters. I liked seeing the connection between the heroine and her best friend but couldn’t understand keeping such a big secret for so long. There were times that the hero was one of the best blokes, however, he was also responsible for a horrible betrayal. There were so many lows before we even get a glimpse of the highs. How do I explain my enjoyment without giving it all away? This is the kind of story that you must get the whole picture before you can judge.

I didn’t understand Tina and her self-loathing. No, I take that back, I did understand but it got a wee bit old by the end. She’s very negative about EVERYTHING and I became impatient waiting for her to realise that her family was one of the main causes of her issues. Her parents are snooty and along with Tina’s siblings, spend a lot of time finding fault in her. Her best friend Libby, who always has her back was a better person than all of her family, yet Tina kept her biggest struggle a secret. As I said, I did understand her low self-esteem, but I was impatient to see her get past her issues and confide in the people that matter.

Harris and his twin brother Greyson have a pretty good life but it’s far from perfect. Greyson’s marriage is in shambles and he only has himself to blame. Harris has feelings for Tina but can see that she will never forgive him for his betrayal when she was 18 and he was 20. Harris’s family have been long-time friends with Tina’s family and her brother is one of his best friends. He tried to apologise numerous times, but it’s been ten long years and she still can’t look him in the eye. Harris wants Tina’s forgiveness and he will do whatever it takes to make things right.

I spent most of the book frustrated with the heroine for her lack of communication skills. I get why she closed herself off emotionally and physically, but I really didn’t get why it took so long for her to share her burdens. This is one of those stories where you’re pulling your hair out because YOU wouldn’t do what the heroine does. YOU would communicate. YOU would stand up for yourself. YOU would have taken the steps to get help to move on, get better and find support. But, this is not my story and I haven’t faced the traumatic experience that Tina did. I had to step back and let Tina fight her demons at her own pace.

How do I rate a story that frustrated me, made me sigh, smile and squirm, and left me a little emotionally drained? Well, my first instincts were 4 stars. Then, when I started writing this review it headed into 3-star land. But, I also remembered the high I felt when all the secrets were out, conversations were had, and love won out after all. I’m going to stick with my first instincts.

If you’re looking for a story with a whole lot of emotional bang for your buck, then I highly recommend giving More Than Anything a whirl.

Stacey is Sassy, received an advanced copy of this story. The copy provided is not the final copy and may be subject to edits and changes.