The story ended up being a little different than I thought it would be, based on the synopsis. There was still angst for days, but it wasn’t all romantic, love-triangle stuff.

Together We Caught Fire is unfortunately not for me. I had tried this book and set it down in hopes of one day coming back to it, but now it is time to mark as DNF.

I wish I could say I loved this book, but I just couldn't get into the story. I think my teen nieces would LOOOVE this, but I'm just too old for this I guess.

Very quick angsty teen read. Really enjoyed it. It's like a softer scandalous take on the step brother romance that romance authors like to write. But you know...more YA friendly?

I am unable to read and review this book as it was somehow not transferred to my new Kindle, and I’d been archived.

Together We Caught Fire was a delightfully surprising read for me. When I requested the novel, I expected there to be some aspects of forbidden love, even a possible love triangle, of which I am not particularly. However, what I found was an exquisitely written novel about the effect profound trauma has on deeply flawed characters, written in gorgeous prose. It is a fully immersive read and you don't find that very often.
However, please, if you have certain triggers, do head the warnings at the beginning of the novel. The mental illness rep is strong but it doesn't pull any punches.

Elaine "Lane" Jamison, our protagonist, is a complex and talented young woman in her senior year of high school Her father marries the mother of her long-time crush, Grey McIntyre. They are now forced to grapple with their attraction in the intimate space of their homes. This are further complicated by the fact that Greyson is dating her close friend, Sadie Hall. As she struggles with having her love interest under her roof, the narrative introduces Connor Hall, Sadie's brother, a misunderstood artist who seems to be able to do what no one else in this story can do - see Lane for who she really is.

Lane is intense. She is independent, smart and full of heart. But she can also be a bit abrasive and she is not sure who she is. She has to come to terms with so many things - her impending adulthood, her depression, and her confusion over who, ultimately, she should love.

I really loved this story. Gibson's writing is lyrical and gorgeous, the beautiful prose enhancing the reading experience for me. This novel is also excellent for learning the find art of writing round, complex characters. There are no throwaways in this novel - craft-wise, everything is absolutely precise and well done. Based on the sheer brilliance of the writing, I'm going to be keeping my eye on this author

ARC provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Originally posted at https://serataino.com/bookshelf-together-we-caught-fire-by-eva-v-gibson

I received a complimentary copy of this title from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed are my own.

I...am not entirely sure why I requested this in the first place? Other than maybe I was nostalgic for the beginning of The Fosters. Idk.

This book is heavy with angst and purple prose. I'm sure there are people out there who enjoy that sort of thing, but I am not one of them.

I kept hoping for MORE from this one and never got it.

*I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for my review. All opinions are my own*


Okay, so, this book topic was certainly a choice. Looking at the reviews I can see that I'm one of the few who was NOT impressed with it. Here's the gist: Lane has had a crush on Grey forever. But Grey is in a relationship with Sadie. He's also her STEPBROTHER thanks to her dad marrying his mom. Weirdness ensues of course.

So I'm no stranger to the incest trope. I grew up reading V C Andrews books for crying out loud. But this... just fell flat. For one thing, she barely knew the kid, but was in love with him because they dissected a frog together in middle school? Nah bruh. Then there was the fact that Sadie and Grey are in love and going to get married, but they're like sixteen. *eye. roll.* Their relationship wasn't exactly forbidden. It bears repeating that, THEY WEREN'T RELATED. The description tried to play up the "incest" angle, but the book was more like, "I can't have this guy because he's actually in a relationship and in love with someone else that happens to be my friend". If he was single, I don't think this story would have been near as interesting. Bad pornography storyline at most.

The slut shaming that Sadie did toward Lane was a hard pass for me as well. At one point she tells Lane that she needs to "wear more clothes" when she's in her yard gardening, because Grey is around. Okay, and? I get that Sadie was raised in an overly religious household, and her dad was a jerk, but she was kind of awful. Honestly everyone in this book was kind of awful. and not in the fun VC Andrews way.

Thank you for sharing this book. The synopsis looks good but for some reason I can't seem to read YA.. I think I outgrew the genre. Apologies.

Lane has had a secret crush on Grey for years when one day her newly dating father introduces her to his serious girlfriend, who just happens to be Grey’s mother. Overnight, Lane is thrust into a new lifestyle where the guy she thinks she’s in love with is her stepbrother and now he’s going to learn all about her issues.

I wanted to like this, but it was a flop for me. I think it displays bad mental health coping mechanisms and problems are introduced that I don’t ever see unpacked or resolved. A lot of the scenes would move on without feeling finished. I’m still giving it 2 stars instead of 1 because I think the plot line was good enough to keep me entertained and reading quickly, however this could have been a lot better. What it comes down to for me is that I wouldn’t want a teen that I teach to read this book and choose any of these people to model themself after.

I've sat on this review for almost two weeks now. And that's not normal for me. At all. But I kept thinking that as time passed, maybe my thoughts would change. You see, while this story was an emotional powerhouse, I couldn't connect to the majority of the characters. So even though this book didn't work for me, I have a feeling others are going to resonate and feel this story in their soul. I wish I was one of those, but sadly I wasn't.

Lane's father just married her long term crushes mother. Making Lane and her crush, Grey, step-siblings. It could only be a crush though, since Grey was in a long term relationship with Sadie. When Sadie befriended Lane as her new bff, it made life even more complicated for her. And on top of that, Sadie's brother Connor was thrown into the mix. The story started off with the four of them hanging out, and it set the book off on a dark and dangerous tone that seeped through the rest of this story.

I tried my hardest, but I wasn't ever able to connect to Lane. She suffered from depression that cut so deep into her. So Lane's thoughts could be suffocating and I desperately hoped she would find lightness in her life. Usually I can feel empathy towards a character, but I failed again and again to find it with her. But she was also extremely talented and had a lot of love to give. I just couldn't ever click with her.

Grey was a conundrum. At first I thought he was a sweet boy. He was helpful, seemed to try and make the situation with Lane at home work and he was kind about the friendship Lane had with his girlfriend. I completely understood why Lane liked him. But as the story progressed, I got whiplash. Grey would verbally attack Lane. He could be so mean and cruel to her as his words cut at her heart. And he wasn't the only one who did that. His girlfriend, Sadie, did too. She'd call Lane her best friend and then in the next moment she'd talk trash to her face. I didn't know how to handle that at all. Thankfully Sadie did find logic and become the bigger person.

One thing stood out on the pages, and that was the writing felt very unique at times. It gave me Shatter Me vibes. And while sometimes it lost me and I wasn't sure what was happening, other times the writing was beautifully poetic. When I think of this book, I'll always remember the writing style. And Connor.

Connor Hall was rumored to have been kicked out of his house, because he was gay. And we learned a lot about him as the story progressed. Connor was my favorite in this story. That's because he was sweet, thoughtful and had a wild side to him. And he tried to help Lane out, the best he could. Even though he was dealing with his own personal struggles that were huge. And while I loved when Lane hung out with Connor, they were each still drowning in their pain. So I kept hoping that they'd help each other out. And I'm happy with how their friendship proceeded.

So at the end of the day, I'm still lost. This story was emotional and the characters each had huge journeys to take. The way it unfolded kept my interest piqued but I just couldn't connect to the majority of the characters. And I have to able to have that connection, so I can love a book. So if you pick up Together We Caught Fire, I hope that you'll find plenty more than I did to love in the pages!

An angsty read that tackles a lot of tough topics. A pretty solid debut - I'll definitely be checking out this author in the future!

Together We Caught Fire wasn’t exactly what I thought it was going to be based on the description. I thought it was gonna be a step sibling love story. It needed up being something completely different and I did enjoy it. You gotta love a good teen angsty book. I thought the characters were interesting and liked how it all worked out at the end.

This book was different from any other book I've read. I appreciated the backgrounds of the characters and the individual struggles they were all working to overcome. The romance was interesting, and I was happy to see the main character stand up for herself. I think this book is a good choice for YA readers.

This review will take a look at Together We Caught Fire written by Eva V. Gibson. This novel is a contemporary YA romance that includes a blended family. I received an eARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. It was released on February 4, 2020 and begins with a pretty lengthy content trigger warning. Normally, I'm not a fan of them because when I see these warnings it's a page by page rundown of the plot that I want to get to as I get to it, but this warning was well done by giving general warnings of subject matter that occurs throughout the novel. In general, this includes suicide, drug use, and self-harm, among a few others that I can't remember off the top of my head, but I think those were the most graphically described.

Together We Caught Fire focuses on four main teen characters, but it is told from Lane Jamison's perspective. The other three main teens are her secret, longtime crush turned stepbrother Grey McIntyre, his girlfriend Sadie, and her wild older brother Connor Hall.

I was pretty confused for the first 15-20 pages learning who each of these four were to each other as the book opens with Grey driving, Sadie in the front passenger seat, and Connor and Lane in the back. Lane is known as the "bad girl" at school, while Sadie is the typical preacher's daughter. Connor used to be evangelical as well, but now is the quintessential bad boy and is a metal worker. He lives in a shared workshop that houses many methods of art.

He and Lane bond over both being artists and I quickly saw Lane forgetting her interest in Grey. Connor, though he has his own problems and flaws, challenges Lane, while also always being there to support her when her traumas take the front seat.

This was an excellent debut from Gibson, that I thoroughly enjoyed. I bought the romances, and relationships between the characters. I liked that the book wasn't a light fluffy romance, but a gritty real one that highlighted that relationships are work and there will be good and bad in any relationship, whether romantic, familial, or friendship.

I encourage you all to go find a copy and read it. It'll give you all the feels.

Happy reading :)

While Together We Caught Fire is about a) a love triangle and b) a fairly nightmarish situation for a teen, it’s also a complex novel about overcoming tragedy and finding your place in the world.
Lane Jamison has had a major crush on Grey McIntyre since a young age, but now it seems the worst possible thing has happened: Lane’s dad is marrying Grey’s mother. Now with her crush in the same house—and just on the other side of the wall—Lane is in a bit of a tailspin. As if it weren’t bad enough that Grey is now her brother, he’s also the boyfriend of Sadie, a very nice girl who becomes one of Lane’s close friends.
But even with the best of intentions, Lane can’t stop obsessing over Grey and the slow-burn romance is almost too intense to turn away from. Add into the mix Sadie’s artist older brother and the complications in Lane’s life just keep getting greater. The writing is dark and raw, you can feel Lane’s pain and the hollowness left behind by an early trauma. There is a painful culmination of events in which Sadie, Grey, and Connor force Lane to confront her past and address her true feelings.
Together We Caught Fire is a wonderful, healing novel by Eva V. Gibson that shows no matter how far gone you think you are, you can find yourself again.

Look, I know it might sound squicky, to have a case of the feels for your step-brother. But Lane knew (and liked) Grey long before anyone's parents shacked up. I didn't find it squicky in the least. I did, however, find it like the gut-gnawing, all consuming unrequited love that most of us have endured at one time or another. So I was sort of drawn to Lane from the start, because of how much I could relate to what she was going through in that regard. But soon, I became completely invested in her whole story. And kind of loved it, even when it broke my heart.

And it will break your heart. Lane has been through a lot in her life. She's lost her mother, is dealing with her own precarious mental health and physical health (she has extremely severe endometriosis), and is now living with the dude she's been in love with for ages. Oh and did I mention he has a girlfriend (Sadie)? Who even Lane can't help but like? Yeah. The story mainly follows these three, plus Sadie's brother, Connor, who's been shunned from their family by their garbage father.

Speaking of, there are a ton of sideplots, which I think worked well. None of them felt like too much (well, maybe one small one, but that's really not bad), and they all seemed to enhance the story. I liked that each character had some aspects of the plot that felt like their own. Because isn't that how life works? We all have our share of the shit, frankly. And the author does a brilliant job reminding us of that.

The relationships among the four main characters are fabulously well-developed. While the relationship between Grey and Lane is a bit at the forefront, Lane's relationships with each of them (and each of them with each other) are brilliantly showcased and seem so, so authentically messy. I also must add, Lane's relationship with her dad and stepmother are incredibly well-developed as well. And the stepmom? She's awesome, and it's clear that everyone really loves and cares about Lane.

Bottom Line: Very thoughtfully done and so very readable, I would absolutely recommend this one for anyone who can handle the content warnings. It's absolutely worth it!

I think Together We Caught Fire is one of those books that people are either going to love it or hate it with very little middle ground. While I won't go so far as to say I hated it, I landed somewhere on that side of the line. I went into this one expecting a love triangle as the blurb suggested, but this really isn't that. It is a whole lot of teenage angst and drama, and after so much of it, the teenagers in this story started to get on my nerves. The author employs a lot of pretty language for such serious topics. Not that I mind pretty language, but when the subject matter warrants, I feel like speaking plainly would have a more powerful impact. I realize that my opinion is in the minority here, but it is what is. I think it's mostly a matter of this one just not being my cup of tea. The author does have talent, and I would read other books by her, this one just didn't do it for me.

This book did not go the way I was expecting based on the blurb. I was expecting a stepbrother romance between Land and Grey, but that's not at all what this story is about. It's super-angsty, but the main romance ends up between Lane and Grey's girlfriend's brother, Connor.

There is a lot of family drama in this book, and it was hard to keep track of it all at points. While I thought the mental health and reproductive health (Lane has endometriosis) elements were interesting and handled well within the story, I just did not like most of the characters. Lane grew on me, eventually, and Connor was just okay. But I found Sadie to be a hypocrite and a mean girl, and Grey was just a walking disaster of a jerk. After years of having a crush on Grey, Lane was just suddenly over him in the blink of an eye. I don't know what she saw in him to begin with.

Ultimately, I don't know that I would recommend this YA read. I received an advanced copy and voluntarily left a review.

While the plot of Together We Caught Fire won't be for everyone, the emotional, angst filled story will grip your heart and have you til the very end. Raw, heartbreaking, passionate and beautiful...this one has it all and is not to be missed.