I had a really hard time trying to relate with the h. I thought her behavior was appalling most of the time and even though she was in high school, she seemed really immature. The writing seemed choppy, but overall it flowed well. I absolutely loved H, though he didn't seem too concerned about losing his job.

Wow. This book holds a mostly taboo topic in this day and age. However, Beautifully Broken managed to be really well-written even through all the complex issues in their relationship. I absolutely enjoyed it. :)

*I received the book from the publisher through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

First thing you should probably know about me before you read this review, is that I'm a sucker for student/teacher romance novels. And since I haven't read one in ages, I was so ready for Beautifully Broken. Well, I'd thought I was anyway...

Let me start by saying that, the story was absolutely heartbreaking. Which is something you can probably tell. It definitely intrigued me and I knew I wanted to read this, just by taking a look at the synopsis. And every single chapter was just another jab to my poor heart who was broken so many times throughout the book, I actually lost count.

Kat, our main character, is a very tormented soul who's been through some very horrid things in her life. My heart hurt for her and my mind could not handle even thinking about what she must have endured. I was utterly and completely devastated when the revelations started sneaking up on me, because I was so not ready for them. The author just kept throwing all these horrible things Kat survived in my face, chapter after chapter. And when I'd thought that, it couldn't actually get any worse...Well, guess what?! It DID!

But I really admired her strength and the fact that she survived without giving up. She's such an emotionally strong character, which is something you don't see very often in New Adult novels. Granted, she used sex to cope and was obviously falling apart under the surface but, really, what did you expect? I also felt so much anger at the people that just felt like ruining her life and the fact that she went through all those horrible things alone frustrated me ever more. I was a ball of fire and anger while reading this book, ready to explode and destroy everything around me. Well, I'm kind of exaggerating here but, I really wish I had some of those people around me so that I could give them a piece of my mind.

Kat had no one to confide in and of course, no one she could turn to for help. The person that was supposed to love her unconditionally and protect her from every single harmful thing that came her way, was never there for her. And *drum roll* here's where Gavin comes in. Who, by the way, I fell in love with. Maybe, slightly more than Kat. You cannot possibly doubt the chemistry they had from the very beginning of the book and of course, you cannot help but fall in love with the thought of them as a couple. They found themselves in each other and all that romantic stuff, which I'm totally up for and love reading about. Even though they can be totally cliche sometimes. Yes, I am a hopeless romantic indeed.

Moving on, the writing was great and the flow of the story was something I enjoyed very much as well. I kind of didn't agree with the ending, it was completely unpredictable and definitely caught me off guard but, not in the way that I had expected. Well, I knew it was going to be unpredictable but it felt very rushed and abrupt.

The character development is something that I also found quite satisfying because truth be told, if there's no character development, there's also no progress when it comes to the plot in general. I feel like it makes the reader so much more invested in the characters themselves and the story so much more interesting to read. Plus, for me at least, character development equals connecting with the characters.

Last but not least, I want to talk about why I gave this book a four star rating. Rating has never been the most important thing for me when it comes to books and reading, but I think that it can definitely help and it - partly - represents my thoughts and opinions on a story. In a very non specific way.

Even though Beautifully Broken was a very moving and heartbreaking read but, as I've said above, I found it to be a bit rushed. Also, the ending was very abrupt in my opinion and I would've liked it a lot better if some things didn't leave me hanging and without real closure. It definitely looks like the readers get their closure in the last couple of chapters of the book but, unfortunately, that was not the case for me. I just felt like some events weren't explained thoroughly or answer the questions I had in my mind and I expected to be answered while reading the book.

Overall though, if you love NA forbidden romances, I would definitely recommend this one. It was a very quick and enjoyable read that won't disappoint!

Well, I'm in trouble when it comes to rating this book. I decided to give 4 stars because all in all, I liked the story, even though I rolled my eyes at some points.
When I read a non-fantasy book, I expect it to be realistic. And honestly, it wasn't exactly. Kat lives in a small town, where everyone knows everyone. In a place like that, everyone is aware if someone new moves in town. And everyone knows if a new teacher comes to school. Still, Kat doesn't have any idea about the new guy when she meets Gavin for the first time. And then during the story, no one notices the scandalous troublemaker's car in front of one of her teachers house. They show up in public places together - and never get caught. They interlace their little fingers IN SCHOOL, where anyone could've seen them from the class. Even for a second, but still. Seriously, they were practically screaming for getting caught.
Hailey's pregnancy and the outcome... I've seen that coming from a mile.
I liked the character development in Kat's case, tho - and Dylan's, too.
What can I say... I don't know why but I'm a sucker for student-teacher romances, I've always been. So I quite like to read stories about the subject, and I liked this one, too. Thanks for the ARC!

I liked this book and had hoped to enjoy it more! I'd still recommend it though as I was on the fence about feeling like I wanted more out of it. I'm a huge fan of forbidden romance so try this one out if you are too! Very entertaining and leaves you feeling happy, nothing earth shattering!

Wow this book is absolutely amazing! It covers so many difficult subjects - drugs, abuse, lust, loss & forbidden romance - & I was totally drawn in from the very beginning.

I adored the two main characters as well as the secondary characters too. I thought the story flowed really well & the reader gets a lot of insight into Kat's character with flashbacks to her difficult childhood & adolescent years.

I've never read anything by this author before but I will definitely be looking out for future releases based on my enjoyment of this book

An outstanding book. I loved it so much. Couldn't put it down. I lost sleep over it!

*Received this as an ARC from NetGalley*

The book begins with Kat celebrating her birthday alone, she's had a tough life and just wants to forget her problems. While sitting there she meets Gavin, they have an immediate attraction. They avoid talking about details of who they are so Kat is quite surprised when she finds Gavin is her English teacher.

I'm not a fan of teacher/student relationships and I also didn't love that the novel was making working at a strip club seem very normal and ordinary. The sexual content was unnecessarily high for me.

Page turner for sure!! I'm glad to see how she ended up, wonderful storyline.

Although the plot intrigued me, I was unable to connect with Kat and Gavin's relationship. I found Kat to be a frustrating character, and at times squirmed due to her behavior. I'm not a prude, I love my erotica, but she irked me.

Lovely but typical Student/Teacher novel, although I was pleased that the student was over 18. Enjoyed the story, but was quite formulaic.

This book was provided by Netgally in exchange for a honest review

I knew he would ruin me from the moment we met. Everything about the man screamed confidence. Sensuality. Intelligence. Worldliness. But it was how he saved me that ruined me most.

This book was a pice of art, it was heartfelt, raw, emotional and true to life. At first i was a little skeptical when i saw what kind of trope this book was about.. the romance between a student and a teacher. It isn't something i normally read, but there was something about this book that just wanted me to read it and im really happy i did!

The story begins with Kat celabrathing her birthday in a bar alone, this is were she meets Gavin aka "Sparkles" as Kat named him. It is pretty obvious that Kat had a really hard life. She has been in the foster systeem since she was a kid, she doesn't have a dad that is in the picture and a herion-addicted mother who sells her body and isn't really there for Kat. She takes her birthday as a day to forget al her problems and Gavin is just what she was looking for. Their attraction for eachother is like no other, they both can deny it and it makes Kat a little bit scared because she doesn't open up to people... she just wants sex to make her feel better.

Kat goes home with him and lies about her age and turns every question he asks –like what she does for work – into a game so he barely knows anything about her. Imagine his surprise when a few days later she is sitting in his classroom and Gavin aka Sparkles is also Mr. Cooper her English teacher! They both try to deny their attraction and know their situation is wrong even though he didn’t know she was in high school and she is eighteen, but fighting their feelings is harder than they thought.

Kat was a really amazing character, she was the most real character i have ever read about. She had so much hardship in her life, the rumors that surround her, the lack of parents and jugdement.. but everything that came her way she dealt with it. She was so mature, sometimes even more so than Gavin was at some points. She was broken, but because she let Gavin in and her gave her the love and constant reassurance that she was worthy of love and so much more than she gave herself credit for she became whole again for the first time in her life. It was such a dark and real novel, so much more than i had ever thought when i read the blurb.. and that is a good thing. Their flirty banter was cute and believable and Kat and her friends acted and talked like real eighteen year olds.

I also liked the non-judgemental aspect of stripping in the novel. Kat described most of her coworkers as being college students just trying to earn a quick buck so they can advance in life. We find that some of the girls that have worked there have gone on to be doctors, lawyers, veterinarians etc. Although I think this is not the case for many strip joints, I think it is still a good lesson that you shouldn’t judge someone for where their life leads them. Also the aspect of the rumors that surrounded Kat, she had been through an tramatic experience and people jut believed what they wanted to believe.

The only thing i wasn't a big fan of was the unnecassery sex scenes between them. Yes, it was part of their connection but sometimes it wasn't necassery to write about it.. it didn't have to been written at that moment. Not all the sexscenes were unnecassery but some of them were. I also was a bit frustrated with the ending. I had the feeling it could have been written differently, it still was beautiful but it didn't feel compleet. Also the sort of ending before the 4 year jump at the end, Gavin fell short for me. I could completely understand Kat’s POV and why she chose what she did but Gavin really had no excuse.

Overall this was an amazing read and beautiful book. It was true, heartfelt, heartbreaking and everything more... If you are looking for serious drama but with a HEA then this is the book for you! Thank you Netgaly for giving me the change to read this book and having me write a review.

I absolutely love forbidden romances and this teacher/student doesn't disappoint! Beautifully Broken is so beautifully written! As with any great book, it has some dark moments that tug your heartstrings, however without such, I don't think Kat's character could mature the way she does so quickly. Gavin - *sigh* - he's such a gentle soul who experienced significant loss as a child too, and his love and respect for Kat is so swoon worthy - even in some of their darker moments. I love how Kat's BFFs truly care about her well-being and are interesting to read in their own ways, too. I can't wait to buy this book for my book club and discuss some of the deeper elements. Highly recommend Beautifully Broken.

Kat ist 18 und ihr Leben ist einfach nur schwierig. Ihre Mutter verkauft sich für Geld und nimmt auch ab und zu gerne Drogen, so dass Kat alleine durchs Leben kommen muss. Sie ist fest entschlossen, die Schule erfolgreich zu beenden um aus dem elenden Dorf wegzukommen, in dem sie lebt und alles hinter sich zu lassen.

Doch dann trifft sie IHN. Sie weiß sofort, dass er anders ist und die Macht hat, ihr Herz zu berühren. Der Weg der Selbstzerstörung, auf dem sich Kat befindet, scheint endlich ein Ende zu haben, doch 4 Jahre später sieht Kat Gavin wieder und ihr Herz ist immer noch gebrochen...


"I KNEW HE WOULD RUIN ME FROM THE MOMENT WE MET.
Everything about the man screamed confidence. Sensuality. Intelligence. Worldliness. But it was how he saved me that ruined me most.

Through him, I learned to end my path of self-destruction. I no longer needed to numb the pain with mindless one-night-stands and drunken blackouts. He made me feel worthy. Treasured. Optimistic about my future." (Auszug Klappentext)


Hier könnt ihr auch einen ersten Eindruck sowohl vom Schreibstil als vom Schwierigkeitsgrad des Englisch erhalten. Ich kam gut zurecht und habe ab und zu mal einzelne Wörter nachgeschaut, aber mehr, weil ich meinen Wortschatz erweitern wollte. Viel konnte man auch aus dem Zusammenhang schließen.

Kat ist wie eine kleine Wundertüte: man kann recht schnell feststellen, dass ihr Leben alles andere als schön oder einfach ist und dass sie mit verdammt viel zurecht kommen muss. Auf ihre Mutter ist kein Verlass; im schlimmsten Fall schleppt sie dubiose Kerle mit nach Hause, so dass Kat tatsächlich durchgehend ihr Zimmer absperrt. Auch ihr eigenes Geld muss sie sich selbst verdienen, um irgendwie über die Runden zu kommen. Ihren Kummer und ihre Vergangenheit ertränkt sie teilweise in Alkohol, aber auch viel in One-Night-Stands. Wie viel sie allerdings wirklich durchgemacht hat, enthüllt die Autorin erst nach und nach.

Beautifully broken ist kein "glattgebügelter" New Adult sondern präsentiert vor allem mit Kat einen vielschichtigen Charakter. Gavin, der Mann, der Kats Leben auf den Kopf stellt, setzt alles daran, ihr zu helfen. Aber manchmal ist das Leben einfach Müll und so müssen die beiden mit sehr viel fertig werden und ein happy End rückt in weite Ferne.

Beautifully Broken passt als Titel wirklich gut. Laura Lee präsentiert mit Kat einen vielschichtigen Charakter, der mit jungen Jahren schon verdammt viel durchmachen musste und ein Stück weit die Hoffnung aufgegeben hat. Ob Gavin sie ihr zurückgeben kann, müsst ihr selbst lesen :-)

I'm not sure where to start. When I first started reading I thought same old same old, but as the story and the characters developed I found myself fully immersed in their world. Kat's heartbreak was such a real thing and was dealt with beautifully. When Kat had her second loss it brought out such emotion and the fact that every daughter just wants her mother to love her. She made the best of what she had. An amazing read.

18 year old girl meets guy. Girl and guy hook up, then start falling for each other, then it turns out that guy is girl's new high school teacher. Not sure if this is a common theme in new adult lit, but this is very very similar for the first two thirds to another book I read a few months ago called Unteachable. Kat is a strong female character who has had some awful experiences in her past, and I appreciated her tenacityand willingness to work hard and leave her past behind. That said, I didn't really see how the love interest would be so head over heels for her. I have a hard time seeing what an 18 year old and 26 year old can really have in common, but that's just me. Other than that, this story is very well written and flows well, making it hard to put down. There is quite a bit of sex in this (new adult, duh) but it isn't excessive like it is in other books within this genre.and feels like part of the plot rather than just gratuitous banging. This would be a great read for the beach.

I was all ready to be emotionally torn about the illicit relationship between Gavin and Kat, but I had a hard time understanding why they were so drawn to each other, especially him to her. I understood they met before he discovered she was his student, but I was really turned off by their actions in his classroom. It didn't feel hot, it felt dangerous and icky. Kat's mom's overdose and husband Marcus only seemed to serve as plot devices to make it difficult for Gavin and Kat's relationship. It was unclear why Kat's mom ODed when she had been clean while with Marcus. We hear about Marcus eyeing Kat's body, but nothing ever comes of that and after her mom dies, he disappears completely.

I loved this book.

It had me from Page 1 and didn't disappoint.

The taboo love affair between student/teacher is an old theme but Kat and Gavin's character's and their background stories made it new and interesting.

I found myself drawn in by both of the main characters and rooted for them to make it throughout.

It is well written, the story flows easily and some of the chapters could well be the "50 Shades"for a younger generation.

This was my first Laura Lee novel but I will now be searching out her previous/future works

I was blow away with how great this book was. Kat's life was more realistic then anyone could imagine. From dealing with her family issues to whom she fell in love with. It happens all the time. I really think the author took the time to research her subjects ad nailed them on the head...wtg!!

I haven't read this book as I never requested it. I noticed it on my shelf but didn't feel it was the right fit for my blog anyway.