Tristan: Finding Hope

by Jessica Sorensen

[Suz @ Bookish Revelations]

It's become apparent that [a:Jessica Sorensen|4601855|Jessica Sorensen|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1388093087p2/4601855.jpg] has the power in the sheer brilliance of storytelling, to wreck my so emotions so incredibly with every book she writes in this stunning and gripping New Adult series. I love Tristan as much almost as much as I love Quinton, which is saying A LOT because holy hell QUINTON! That's all I have to say about that. And, I find myself really enjoying Avery's character just a little bit more than Nova, because even as damaged as she is I don't find her always putting her own mental health at risk to save someone. Yes, she carries around her own guilt that eats away at her, and she has her own set of flaws and emotional issues like the rest of the characters in this amazing series does, but there's something about her that makes me really enjoy reading her story and learning about the battle scars she carries around with her.

[b:Tristan: Finding Hope|21494509|Tristan Finding Hope (Nova, #3.5)|Jessica Sorensen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1396489480s/21494509.jpg|40821134], gives us a small glimpse at just how damaged and fucked up Tristan really is. It goes one step further in showing readers the origins of when and why Tristan started doing drugs to not only numb the pain that he felt, but to also draw attention to himself - any attention - whether it was good or bad because he felt so invisible in his own home that it was the only way that he could resort to making himself seen or heard by his parents. Constantly being compared and expected to live up to his sister Ryder's abilities, only continued to break him further. I wanted to reach into the book and hug him so hard, when his mother told him that she wished it was him that had died instead of Ryder and I was so angry with his father for not stepping up and taking more control of the situation, stopping the verbal abuse and vile hatred that spewed from his mother onto his shoulders. Her ability to take Ryder's death and use it to try and emotionally manipulate Tristan and his feelings, really enraged me.

I found myself wanting to fling this tiny book across the room on so many occasions, that it was unreal due to the horrid ways that his parents had treated him. This is a good thing, because I love it when a book can take my emotions and drag them from one extreme to the next and make me feel completely at a loss one second and then so hopeful in the next. [a:Jessica Sorensen|4601855|Jessica Sorensen|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1388093087p2/4601855.jpg] is amazing at doing this.

And, eventually I was so proud of Tristan for not blaming Quinton for his sister's death, for actually seeing what had happened for what it was, an accident that nearly wrecked Quinton's life in more ways than imaginable. As messed up and complicated as his life is, as much as he's dealing with battling his sobriety on a day to day basis, he is so much stronger than he gives himself credit for and he proves it in so many ways when he meets Avery for the first time. It's easy to see how she could have this profound affect on him, just by giving him the choices that she does in the following novel [b:Wreck Me|21949187|Wreck Me (Nova, #4)|Jessica Sorensen|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1397879147s/21949187.jpg|40364405], which is the continuation of their story. She's just as damaged and broken as Tristan is, maybe even a little bit more given what she's had to endure during her young life and with the mistakes that she's made. Both strong and beautiful, she is undoubtedly guarded in so many ways that it's hard to get to know the "real" person she is behind the one she presents to the world.

Avery's past is dark, haunted, and full of so much violence that when her and Tristan meet, they have this instant connection where they each just get the other one without having to say too much about it. Tristan doesn't know what love is and Avery has completely sworn it off, because all it ever gave her was pain and deep emotional and physical scars that she'll never be able to leave behind her completely. Yet, together they are both the makings of a beautiful sorrow filled love story that can and will spark a glimmer of hope in each of their souls, once they figure out exactly what they want and what they deserve in life.

If you enjoyed the first two books in this series, then you will also enjoy this little insight into Tristan and why he is so fucked up and complicated. I would definitely recommend this to you, if you are a fan of gritty, reality based New Adult novels that are unafraid to go there with the ugly, messy, and complicated lessons of life.