* * Review goes live late in afternoon 6/13 on blog * *

What is your ‘breaking point’? The place where nothing else matters. A darkness that doesn’t seem to have a shining light at the end of the road. For Eli - the torture of his capture during the war was gruesome and full of pain. For 5 years, the only thing that kept him going was the memories from his time with Shelby. Distant memories that fill Eli with hope. Something he desperately needs in the turmoil that his body and mind have experienced.

Then the unexpected happens and Eli finds himself back home in the place he once shared with Shelby. So much has transpired in the years since his absence. Believing Eli was dead, Shelby went on with her life the only way she knew how. Through a tangled web of deception at the hands of her mother. Never in a million years did Shelby believe that Eli would one day come walking back into her life. Now - Shelby is faced with the realization that her two worlds are colliding.

What was Eli thinking waltzing into Shelby’s life without understanding the consequences? It’s a road that is riddled with ‘strings’ that altered so many lives. While Eli tried to learn how to live in the world that he left behind, he desperately realizes that Shelby has paid a price for his abrupt departure into the military. Resulting in crushed dreams and tragedy. Now the two try to find a way to balance the lives they lead now while the memories of the past weigh heavy on their hearts. Will love find a way to overcome time and tragedy?

The Story of Us is an emotional story that pulls you into the turmoil of what our military personnel face when heading to assignments in war torn countries. Eli’s plight certainly pulls at your heart and leaves you desperately hoping that he finds his way back to the love that kept him alive for all of those years. Shelby’s life was certainly no walk in the park. Her resilience and strength shine through all of the heartache that has riddled her doorsteps.

This novel is a culmination of hope, faith, and finding your way back towards the happiness that bleeds over from the past. A true testament to the painful side of life as a soldier and the experiences that some face. Gut wrenching and full of emotion….The Story of Us is a powerful love story that clearly should not be overlooked!!

This story broke me! Okay so I am going to be honest and say I have only previously read Tara's humorous work and I go crazy over those books I love them so much. I know. I know. Where have I been?

The answer is, I don't know, because I absolutely loved this work as much as everything else I have read by Tara. It is sweet, heartbreaking, emotional and utterly stunning! The writing just blew me away and I adore second chance storylines. I definitely need to go back and read some more genres from Tara, because this will definitely be on my reread list. I can't wait to see what Tara brings us next!

Holy crap!! Tara Sivec you have completely out done yourself with this book. I am emotionally exhausted (and blissfully happy) from the journey you just took me on with The Story of Us.  This love story was so gripping that it left me feeling emotional and raw - I absolutely loved it.

More often that not, it felt like everything was against the two main characters in this book.  But then you experience the magic of Shelby and Eli together and everything else just disappears.  All you feel is the love and passion they have for one another.  It is amazing.

At the start of the book, you meet Shelby and from all outside appearances she's a typical southern princess.  Although, you quickly realize how much more there is to this character.  After losing her one true love, Eli, she has spent the last six years heartbroken and becoming a person she herself cannot stand. However, you learn that her behavior and everything she's done was to help the one man who broke her heart.

Eli has spent the last five years as a prisoner of war. Tortured and beaten for years - he has survived the most inhumane behavior that one could possibly imagine. What carried him through were his thoughts about Shelby - memories of her laughter, her smell and her dreams - all the little details that he fell in love allowed him to escape the horrors of his every day life.

When they are finally reunited, they have a quite a few issues that they need to overcome. Not only do they have to overcome all the hurt created by their past but they have to figure out how to share with one another the hard truths about their lives apart.  It's intensity left my heart completely exposed and aching.  I ignored all of my responsibilities so that I could be and Shelby and Eli's world and get to experience their happily ever after.

The Story of Us was one of the most brilliantly written books that I've read in a long time.  I cannot recommend this book enough - you do not want to miss this romance.  It is a must read.

Okay so I always adore Tara Sivec and all her cute romantic comedy stories – fun, light-hearted, a good needed laughter after a long week of work. But I have to say I LOVE the serious side of Tara, and the Story of Us is absolute breathtaking. A heartfelt, emotional love story between a soldier and his childhood friend and their long journey to mend their broken hearts.

Eli and Shelby came from different worlds. Shelby’s family is wealthy – she is a princess, sheltered, flocking around all day taunting Eli. Eli was hired help at Shelby’s family plantation. Their romantic relationship started the night Shelby graduated and went off to college. They shared one unforgeable kiss but sadly that was that! Shelby went off to NY to pursue her dream as a dancer. Four years later, she came back and they had one whirlwind romantic summer but Eli broke her heart again. He let her go and went off to fight war, was captured and presumed dead. Shelby tried to move on with her life but her heart was shattered and she was nothing but an empty shelf, existing but not living life. That is until news came that Eli was rescued, alive, then comes home broken beyond repair. Will they have a second chance at happiness? Fair warning - the plot is not a simple second romance or military romance. The storyline is complicated with twists and turns, as well as lies and deceit from Shelby’s family. Eli was also hiding a big secret – that was a big surprise! I did not expect that plot twist at all. My heart breaks for Eli. I cry thinking about Eli but also the soldiers out there – what they went though, are going through. Their struggles are real and the challenge they continue to face long after their time served. It really saddened me.

The story of us is a poignant, heartbreaking, emotional love story - a tear jerker, so get some tissues ready. The plot grabbed my attention immediately and kept me glued to the kindle from beginning to finish. As I said before there are so many twists and moments I was like “WTF did I just read?” Trust me you will not be able to put it down either. I’ve love Tara’s writing – simply beautiful. It’s easy to connect and fall in love with the characters. I thought the last part about Shelby’s mother and Landry ended rather quickly but there was so much ugliness there that I did not mind their disappearance. I love the heart of the story – Shelby and Eli both broken leaned on each other through dark days and finally find their own happiness. That’s love!

I can’t wait to read Written on the Stars about Everett and Cameron – sounds intriguing and emotional as well. I just dig that sh*t! Love this version of Tara!

4 Stars

Wow! The Story of Us is a heartbreaking and emotional read that wraps up beautifully in the end. It's a story about never giving up.

Eli and Shelby couldn't come from more different background. Shelby grew up with money, but with a mother who is a tyrant and controlling. Status is the only thing Shelby's mother is concerned about it. So when her daughter starts to fall for Eli, the help, she will do whatever (and I mean whatever!) it takes to tear them apart.

Eli has lived through hell the last five years. Literally. What kept him going is the thought of Shelby living her dreams and away from her mother. But when he unexpectly returns home, he's surprised and hurt that Shelby hasn't left town and is still controlled by the Mom.

The Story of Us takes you through the hardship of what these two characters go through and how they fight for each other and overcome all the lies and deceit. Their story is is emotional, but it's a story that works for them to find their HEA.

Wow – what an emotional and powerful story! Heartbreaking and beautiful and oh what a ride right from the first word. I’m definitely a fan of Tara Sivec, but this was a whole new side of her. The FEELS from this book, I’m still a puddle of mush!

The Story of Us is a second chance love story, yes, but it’s also a story about strength and healing and pain. Shelby and Eli definitely did not have the lives they imagined and now once again can hope for, but can they overcome and get back there.

This story puts together the pieces of Shelby and Eli, having met at teenagers and shared a secret romance and young love. But, then Eli is gone, he joined the Marines but he never came back. Shelby believes he’s been killed but he’s been captured and tortured – for years. He’s rescued and eventually gets back home, but what he doesn’t expect is to find Shelby there too. Her life certainly changed after Eli, her dreams squashed and she now lives under her mother’s thumb. These two truly deserve happiness together, but it’s not going to be easy.

Tara Sivec has created something very special with this book, it’s emotional and powerful and it’s one of those books you feel and experience. There are secrets and lies and hurts that run deep in this story, but to them overcome that, made my heart soar! I felt this story, the pain the beauty and the love! A wonderful, touching story that I won’t soon forget!

I have no words! I went into this book expecting an emotional read, but I was not expecting THAT! The Story of Us is a fantatic, second chance romance with a twist...and another twist, and another twist.

From the very beginning I was sucked into this story and was completely captivated by it. It was sweet, funny, and heartbreaking and all those wonderful things that make a story A-MAZ-ING!!! The story was well written and had a good pace. There were several times where my jaw dropped and I thought to myself, "did that just happen?". I wasn't expecting all those twists to the story.

I was a little skeptical about Eli and his situation and how he was handling everything that was thrown at him but by the end of the story, it all made sense. And Shelby, she had her own secrets and story to tell. Throw them both together, it made for one heck of a story!

If you are looking for a story that will take your breath away, THIS IS IT! Read it! I don't think you will be disappointed!

f you are looking for a book with all the feels, look no further! Stop reading now and go get your 1-click on. Eli and Shelby will make you swoon, fan yourself and cry amidst secrets and lies that are just screaming to find their way to the light with a twist I didn’t see coming.

From the very first page, I could tell that The Story of Us was going to be one of those stories that I couldn’t put down. Eli is barely hanging on after being captured with the rest of his unit a little over 5 years ago, and he can just tell that something is different about today. Just when he thinks it is all over, rescue somehow finally arrives and he is freed. The memory of one woman has kept him going all those years, and he will find his way back to her.

Shelby and Eli fell in love over the course of a summer six years ago, but she was the princess in the scenario as the daughter of a wealthy Charleston socialite while he was just the hired help working in the stables on her family’s property. We learn about their history through a series of flashback chapters when Eli has returned stateside and has worked up the nerve to try to find her again. When Eli received notification that he was being deployed, his world had just been rocked by a revelation involving Shelby’s mother and he didn’t handle their breakup well at all. But he had no idea that his harsh words in an attempt to protect her would lead to the loss of all her hopes and dreams.

Some secrets are so big and so pervasive that they threaten to pull everything into their black hole, and the secret at the heart of this story is definitely one of them. Eli may have survived captivity but he is still very broken when he comes back home and it will take Shelby’s love to help him heal. She is a bit broken herself, both physically and mentally, but Eli’s return inspires her to reach deep to find the spirit and backbone her mother has been intent on crushing for years. I don’t want to say more as it will spoil the journey these two must take to find themselves again but The Story of Us is definitely worth reading- just be prepared for the tugs on your heartstrings!

there was more than war keeping shelby eubanks and eli james apart in the story of us, even though the 5 years he was forced to spend in captivity should have been enough. there's also crazy amounts of emotional blackmail. and physical and emotional scars up the wazoo.

honestly shelby and eli are put through a wringer, and then when you think they've already dealt with everything you realize that no, there is more. and here's the thing, i don't want to give away too much about what shelby and eli have to deal with, because there are some surprises worth having in this story. it's emotional and heavy at times, but the romance is sweet and sexy.

both shelby and eli suffer forms of post-traumatic stress, for different reasons. but the thing that makes both these characters worth rooting for is their strength in the face of adversity. they both have to overcome some serious ghosts and fears in order to get their happily ever after. it's not an easy road for them. but what they bring out in each other is their best self. so they can't give up, even when it feels like everything is lost.

ultimately this is a book about grief, loss, and healing. and love, of course, it's about love strong enough to withstand anything and everything.

When Eli left for the Marines he had to break the heart of the only girl he has ever loved and now that he's back Shelby may break his. Eli left to save his family and his parents reputation so when he was given the choice of destroying his family and his sister or breaking up with Shelby he choose Shelby and he has kicked himself ever since.
Shelby had a choice to let Eli go or let his family suffer ruin so she let herself become her mother and host charity balls and give up her dreams. When Eli walks back into her life she nearly fainted but he is not playing by anyone's terms except his own.
This story tore at your heartstrings most of the time and others made you so mad you could split nails. The love between Shelby and Eli is so perfect and they both find out how strong they really are. I just loved it.

The Story of Us by Tara Sivec was such an emotional, sweet (at times) and heart-breaking read and I loved every minute of it, even in the parts that broke me. A second chance at love story that will leave you broken at times and at others filled with love and hope. Though this is my first book by Tara, she has been on my radar for a while. Now I have to go back and devour anything else she has written.

A forbidden story of sorts, this is the story of Shelby, the daughter of a senator and ambitious mother, and Eli, who is beneath them, according to her mother. But Shelby has always felt something for Eli and after a secret affair of sorts; Eli leaves to join the military and never comes back. Heartbroken, Shelby puts her dreams asides and finds herself under her mother’s rule and barely living.

Then Eli comes back and everything changes. But Eli and Shelby are no longer the same people they once were. But what they felt for each other is still there, but now there are many more obstacles in their way. Can they find their way back to each other?

I loved Eli. He was so strong, even when he was broken. He came back determined to get back what he lost. But when he finds Shelby again, she is not the girl he remembered. She was so lost and broken. But he was determined to help her find that girl again.

I loved the emotions this story evoked from me. It was a powerful story of love, loss, hope and second chances. This book makes you feel. It’s a wild roller coaster of emotions, but so worth the read. It will leave you breathless and hopeful.

**3.5 Stars**

In typical Tara Sivec fashion, The Story of Us is an emotional twisty-turny second-chance love story. With a man who has been a prisoner of war for five years, held and tortured along with his best friend, and his family believing he had died, the story starts off with a climactic start. The only thing that kept his body going each day was the thought of Shelby back home and how much he yearned to return to her even when they didn’t part well before he left. Gut-wrenching and emotional, this story is full of secrets, twists, romance, and the angst one would expect between two lovers who have been apart for so long.

Due to the way the relationship was given to us, I had a difficult time really connecting with them as a couple. If it were told in a more linear fashion rather than dropping us in with so much already invested and not showing us what brought and held them together in the beginning, I may have been able to insert myself more with them; instead those little snippets were held off for too long. It certainly didn’t take away the fact that this story was emotionally gripping and full of that stomach dipping sexual and emotional tension, and if I was still able to be affected by their story with those things missing, I could only imagine how powerful it would have been had I connected more. It’s certainly a story well worth reading and experiencing firsthand.

Tara Sivec does an excellent job at tugging on your emotions and putting your through the ringer with them as well. In this book you have Eli who has literally been through hell and survived only because of his love for Shelby. Shelby the girl he left behind. The girl who changes and sacrifices for love. these two went through different emotional turmoil and hell only to come out of it both damaged and crippled in some way. For Shelby she is emotionally crippled and has built walls so she doesn’t feel. She is a shell of herself. For Eli he is stuck in his own world due to what he went through. His story will gut you.

When he goes back he has a hard time adjusting. Understandable but when he sees Shelby his mind relaxes. He also wants the truth and to take down Shalby’s mother. Shelby isn’t the girl he fell in love with but it doesn’t matter she makes him feel peace and love. She lights a fire in him and he fights for her. Eli tries to spark the old Shelby and in the process spark himself. the question is will that spark be enough for both of them. While this is happening and they are rediscovering one another an underlying danger is there. Shelby and Eli still have the ones threatening them to contend with but there is a twist here. I thought the mom was bad especially after her reveals but seriously the puppet master is so much worse.

Eli is a great character. I had no problems being drawn to him and Tara Sivec does a great job dealing with the issues when you come back from war and being a POW as well. He had alot of battles to contend with not only from within but from others as well. So watching him try to bring Shelby back alive with such purpose makes you smile but worry. When does he take care of himself? when shelby finally gives in we get some steamy scenes.

Shelby I had a harder time relating to. She was very hard to get comfortable with and I think this is what Ms. Sivec wanted. She wanted a woman who for love gave up herself and is now stuck trying to claw her way back. With the help of love she begins to.

when all is revealed wow just wow. And Eli here will have you bawling. He is such a great character who just goes through so much only to have one more fight. a fight that just guts you and has you hope he gets his HEA.

The story is emotional, revealing in many ways on human nature, love and loss, and romantic in the love that is everlasting and sacrifices for the other. You have the villains that are just wow. So not what I expected. You have family that is there no matter what and is in pain when Eli is. there is love that knows no boundaries and struggles to find peace, themselves and each other. This is the story of Shelby and Eli. How they struggle and find their way back to not only who they are inside but also to each other and show us love is powerful in so many ways.

A gut wrenching emotional story that just has you hoping Eli makes it out and gets his HEA with the only girl he loves and who kept him alive when he was at his darkest.

I tend to forget that Tara Sivec can write some of the most emotional books that I have read, I always sort of put her in the she is my go to author when I need a laugh. The Story Of Us destroyed my emotions, even typing this review, which I must admit I have put off typing because I knew I would start to cry again and I am. I think this one is especially emotional to me because I was a military wife so stories like this always touch a very special place in my heart. If you love an emotional, at times heart breaking second chance romance that will have your emotions all over the place then you need to read The Story Of Us.
Eli and Shelby’s story is intense, emotionally driven, and one I wanted to take slow and just feel all the emotions that Ms. Sivec intended for us to feel and I did just that. Normally I average a book in a day something two days depending on the length and how many interruptions I have. I purposely read this over a course of days, not to torture myself but to absorb and process the story. I don’t want to spoil the story because this truly is one that you have to experience for yourself and because I know my simple words would never be able to give this story the justice it deserves.
The Story Of Us very well may be one of the best books I have ever read. This is one that will be read again and again and is one I can say must be on your TBR lists and that it will stay with you and steal a piece of your heart in the process.

The Story of Us is a love conquers all, second chance romance read. The leads have been through years of torture. There's lots of manipulation from forces outside of their relationship and also some plain ole crappy luck. Although, they have been around the people equivalent of poisonous snakes, both have good hearts. Both are dealing with physical and mental scars and keeping secrets, and they will do anything to protect each other. Eli and Shelby miss the relationship they once had, but they have to get everything out into the open to salvage what they have. This book is an emotional rollercoaster with some unexpected twists.

What a ride!! This is such a tear jerker, playing at sorts of emotions book and I loved it...I usually tend to stick to less ansty and painful contemporaries but this story caught my attention from the blurb and it didn't let go till the end.

Eli James , a marine has been in a hell hole for the past 1,843 days since his capture after being in a IED explosion by the enemies armed forces. He and his best friend were trapped for years and the only thing that got him through was Shelby and making it back to her. He comes home to find that he had been declared dead for the past 4 years and everything has changed, especially the woman he fell in love with.

Shelby Eubanks has also being living in a hell, a different kind and mostly made out of her own choice. Her decision to protect the person she loves led her to making several choices that have slowly chipped away at the person she was, now all that remains is some hallowed out shell and the sad part Shelby doesn't even really care about herself.

Eli and Shelby has known each other since he was 16 and she was 12 but things changed when Shelby was in high school and later when she came back from college. They fell in love, in a I'm in love with you with every part of my soul, body and heart kind of way. Losing each other was devastating for both of them. For Shelby it led to her losing her dreams of being a dancer and for Eli, losing his identity. Now years later, Shelby and Eli are reunited but everything is difficult. Gone is the woman who used to laugh, smile, love and dance, instead Shelby is just surviving while Eli is struggling with the nightmares of his captivity but he wants nothing than to be with his Shelby and he is not going to stop till the he gets the happy Shelby back.

How much can a man take before he breaks? When do the dreams stop giving him comfort and he has to accept that he’ll never see her again, touch her again or hear her say “I love you” again? ~Eli.

One thing you could never doubt was how much they both loved each other, in a way that they would do anything to make that person happy and fight anything themselves just so the other person doesn't have to. I just really adored both of them, they made choices that they thought would make things better for the other even if it meant they would be hurting and how can you not love these selfless individuals who loved each other so much. They both felt so much guilt, love (dear god the LOVE), pain and grief that as a reader you get immersed in it with no way out. It's a just a very powerful, beautiful and heart wrenching story that leaves you with so many feelings.

I Love you, Shelby. Only You. ALWAYS you ~ Eli

I loved Tara Sivec's writing, it made all their emotions seem very real and human. Also just around 90% when something gets revealed I really wasn't expecting that, I should have but I didn't and took this story to the next level. The letters were a great touch, it allowed us to get to know their story from Eli's side and without the need of flashbacks and I adored those letters. This book is literally like a punch of feels right into your heart!

Their story also reminded me of the line from Veronica Mars: "I thought our story was epic, you know, you and me. Spanning years and continents. Lives ruined, bloodshed. EPIC."
“I’d rather be a complete mess with you than spend another day shattered all over the floor alone.”~ Shelby.

Quibbles: I do wish we had more of actual dialogue between the characters instead of being told certain things that has happened. I'm not a fan of huge chucks of paragraphs. I also thought some aspects of the book could have been better executed like the whole Shelby's mother situation.

Overall, a fantastic tearjerker by Tara Sivec about two individuals who felt damaged, finally found peace and a happily ever after. The prologue for the next book seems great as well so I'll be on the lookout for that one.

I love books that make me feel, the soul-crushing, heart-wrenching kind of books, with characters you can attach yourself to. Right from the start, I was fully invested in Shelby and Eli’s beautiful story. I’m such a sucker for a second chance at love story, with two people finding their way back to each other. I devoured this emotionally intense tale of true love, redemption and forgiveness, I just couldn’t stop reading!

My heart went out to Eli, he is a shadow of the man he used to be, physically and mentally scarred after spending 5 years in captivity in Afghanistan. He went through hell and back. He can never forget the horrors he has seen and endured, but he is ready to fight for his relationship with Shelby. He lied to her and spent years wishing he could go back and make everything right. Earning her trust again will be his path to redemption.

He walked away from her, to join the Military, and his unit was sent to Afghanistan. Shortly before the end of his deployment, he was taken hostage. For five years, he was presumed dead. Shelby could never move on, even if Eli hurt her deeply when he left. He broke her heart, but she doesn’t care, he is back and that is all that matters to her. I felt for her, she experiences feelings of intense despair and she is so lonely. Shelby may be socially privileged but nothing is what it seems in her life. She is overwhelmed by feelings of guilt, and she shouldn’t be because she is the victim of a twisted scheme. But Eli gives her the strength to grow beyond her past and fight to earn their second chance at happiness.

This story was partly told in flashbacks, with different point of views, giving more insight into each character’s personality. Tara Sivec’s writing is flawless, from the amazing character development to the riveting and heart melting storyline. This book has become an instant favorite read of mine and I definitely recommend it.

The Story Of Us by Tara Sivec is an emotional second chance romance about people from two different social classes fighting against the odds, time, and the people who want them apart. Shelby and Eli's story is heart wrenchingly hard and at times devastingly sad. But it also was full of hope and strength.

'I want her to feel the same searing pain that has settled inside my chest, taking root and taking over all of my thoughts and actions. I want her to know what it feels like to be stabbed in the heart and forgotten. I want her to hurt as much as I do right now.'

Tara Sivec delivered a novel full of twists, surprises , the kind of plot that pull on my heart in the best way possible. The one thing I would say is that for me personally there was not enough dialogue, especially amongst the main characters. While the writing was beautiful and the inner dialogue gave us great insight into the depth of feelings these two had for one another, I would have really enjoyed more dialogue specifically among the two leads.

The Story Of Us will take you on a journey from war and back, invoking feelings deep in you sometimes uncomfortable while still showing you to never fully lose hope. Shelby and Eli were clearly meant to be and I really enjoyed watching their struggles and their joys. Grab this one today.
~miranda

I’m going to tell you the story of us, from my point of view, so you know exactly what I was thinking. I’m hoping it will be a better way for you to see that I meant everything I said in my first few letters. I love you, Shelby. Only you. Always you.

Seconds chances can be tricky but for Shelby and Eli, tricky doesn’t come close. As far as social statuses are concerned, Eli and Shelby are on opposite ends of the spectrum but somehow they find each other and keep their romance a secret. In an evil twist of fate, they are ripped from each other’s lives. Eli’s platoon is unexpectedly deployed earlier than anticipated; word soon gets back that Eli has been killed. However, he’s been taken hostage by the enemy and tortured for five long years. The only think that keeps him going is his love for Shelby and someday returning to her. Unfortunately when Eli returns, Shelby is not the same person he left. She’s turned into everything she once despised.

This book was a departure from the other Tara Sivec books I’ve read so I wasn’t really sure what to expect. Needless to say, it’s a winner. It is one of those stories where it’s kind of hard to talk about without giving away too much information.
This is one of those stories where you root for the couple from the first word on the page. Such an emotional read that it drains and powers you up at the same time. Every tear they cry, you cry. Every disappointment they experience, you experience. Every happy moment they share, you share. At one point I started to suspect something but kept saying “no, it can’t be” and when I reached that moment where the character (I won’t say which one) confirms it…it’s kind of heartbreaking; one because I really didn’t want it to be true and two because their reaction was so devastating.

This is definitely one to add to your summer beaching reading list, but be sure to wear your shades and have tissues on hand.

What an emotional ride, this was a beautifully told second chance romance. Have your tissues ready there were many times I cried. This is a story you don’t want to miss, a MUST READ!

This is about a solider who was deployed and years later is now back to pick up where he left off. He never dreamed things would have changed the way they did. Now Eli has to navigate life and try and figure out what went wrong and how to get Shelby back. My heart broke for both of these characters many times.

This is a slow read but it has to be for a reason, just hang in there because there its so worth it in the end. There were twists I didn’t see coming that threw me for a loop. I love Eli and Shelby. Tara Sivec will break your heart and slowly put the pieces back together. It is so worth the heartache once you reach the end. This is has became one of my top reads of 2017.