I absolutely loved this book, I couldn't put it down. The plot was unique. The story between the characters is so intense, I loved every minute of it. Normally I try to stay away from the love triangle trope but this was written so well that it didn't bother me in the slightest. Definitely recommend.

“As long as you have breath in you, no one else stands a chance.”

When I first heard that this book was going to be a love triangle I was extremely hesitant. I always fall for one and if it doesn’t end with them being together I’m beyond disappointed however this is like no other love triangle story that I have read and I loved it!!

“I loved you, Ever Lawson. But I want you to know, you’re the worst thing that’s ever fucking happened to me.”

This book is divided into two parts and while I really enjoyed part one I absolutely LOVED part two. I thought I figured out every twist and turn but I had not. Angst, tragedy, humor, heartache, longing and undying love! This book has it all. Of course there were times I wanted to slap the holy hell out of the MCs but that’s when you know you have read a good book and have emotionally invested yourself into the story. And of course I cried multiple times even in public!!! Highly recommend this book!!

“There’s another chapter in our story I want to write.”

You know that saying, "don't judge a book by its cover?" Couldn't be more true for me in this case. When I saw this cover, I was drawn to it. It's so beautiful. Then I read the blurb, and it sounded like something I definitely wanted to read, so I signed up for an advanced copy and got it. I've read several L.J. Shen books that I've loved and I thought this one would be another. I was wrong. This story fell flat for me. It starts when the fmc, Everlynne is 18, so I expected typical teenage behavior, which we got. Then it jumps ahead 6 years and I think, good, a little older will equal a more mature person. I was wrong again. Everlynne is stuck at 18 mentally, likely due to a tradegy, and I get that, but it was hard to reconcile her age and her actions, or lack thereof. Once she starts dating a new guy after a one night fling with Joe, in Spain 6 years earlier, I immediately knew who his brother was. I also knew that as wonderful as the new guy seemed, the author would have to do something to make him not be as wonderful as he appears, because we already know he isn't the Hero of the story. So of course she did, but in a really disappointing way that was obviously meant for shock value. I guess that bothered me because he can't be redeemed, or even give his side of the story. We hear from his brother why he might have been the way he was and did the things he did, but it's just a guess. Then when the all clear is there for Ever and Joe to be together, instead of them being together or giving a credible reason for keeping them apart, she goes with Ever's insecurities as the reason and this back and forth, will I or won't I, can I or can't I nonsense for waaaay too long. They get their happily ever after, but it's only the last few pages of the book. So basically, the book is about Ever and her grieving with a side of indecisiveness for like 92% of the book. I just feel like this story was too long, with unnecessary filler and the insta love, that we really don't know is real or not because they aren't together long enough to know. If I had felt the connection, felt the longing from either or preferably both, I might have been invested, but I didn't and I wasn't. Overall, I did keep reading the book. So it held my attention in that way where you have to know if it gets better and how it ends. Would I recommend it? Probably not, but I wouldn't tell someone not to read it either. Maybe readers in the same age range as the characters would enjoy this, or someone who has experienced something similar to the fmc, but I don't fall into either category and that could be why I didn't connect with the characters. The story line had potential, which is also why I kept reading, but for me, it was hard to care about the couple. I think this is the kind of book that will be hit or miss for most readers, but won't stop them, or myself from picking up another L.J. Shen book in the future.

Bookstagrambrielle

🐚 𝐀𝐑𝐂 𝐑𝐄𝐕𝐈𝐄𝐖 🐚

𝗧𝗿𝗼𝗽𝗲𝘀: second chance, love triangle

𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗴𝗲𝗿𝘀: death of a loved one, grief, cheating

I think you will either love this book or hate it. I loved it. Even from the prologue, I felt that this book would make me feel something. Even though I kind of suspected what would happen, it still made me suffer.

L.J. Shen never stops to amaze me. Beautiful Graves is complicated, surprising, tragic, that takes your breath away and you will understand at some point why the author chose this name for the book.

This is not a typical love story, but a heartbreaking one. The author introduces us to a world with unexpected events, where life hits you hard but which make you grow, make decisions, love, suffer and most important forgive.

Thank you L.J. Shen for the opportunity to read this amazing book in exchange for an honest review.

This ARC was provided via NetGalley.

3.5 Stars

A new full length standalone featuring Everlynne, Joe and Dom. It has been awhile since I read a book by this author as I felt they were following a similar pattern and this definitely has a different feel to it. As a reader I love the emotional torture of a love triangle where all the different aspects of the relationships intersect. Call me a masochist but I long for the big moments when everything is revealed and without giving too much away I wanted more of this aspect, more of the anger and feelings of betrayal. If instant love isn't your thing that is going to be a problem as it is a fundamental part of the storyline. The story has some surprises and twists along the way that keep it interesting. I did find the writing was a little juvenile at times and had trouble immersing myself in the book. Normally with a love triangle I always come down on the side of one person but not this time which is probably because I didn't fall for any one over the other. This is one of those books that is going to split opinion some will love it and others won't.

Beautiful Graves is the kind of book that breaks all the molds of first love and a love triangle. The plot so complex, so well written that I found it nearly impossible to put it down. BG is an emotional ride that hits so many emotions… tragedy, loss, and grief as well as heartbreakingly angsty, yet you’ll find humor too!! Grab your box of tissues, a glass of wine, cause this is one journey that is going to put you through the ringer!!

When Everlynne Lawson, Ever and her BFF, Pippa head to Spain for one last summer jaunt before starting college. It’s here that she meet “cigarette guy” Joe. And though she is attracted to him, it’s her conclusion that he is interested in her friend Pipa. I mean why not; Pippa is all bright and bubbly while Ever is quiet, dark and goth. Needless to say, they leave without further contact with him. It’s not until a few days before they leave to go home that Ever runs into him again one night. Rather Joe rescues Ever when she gets caught in the current after trying to swim out to a sculpture of Neptune in the ocean. The realization that she had found him again … a miracle. So they end up spending the night together talking leading Ever to the stark conclusion that they are meant to be. Of course they consummate their time together with some pretty smokin hot sexy times too. It’s when Joe further confirms that they are a “we” when parting calling her his girlfriend. Plus getting her phone number to stay in touch.

“He is a storm, and I’m lightning, and whenever we meet, there is chaos.”

After getting home Ever life is sucker-punched by a horrible tragedy. One that leaves her overwhelmingly filled with guilt and remorse. So much so, that she takes off for Salem, MA to start a new life. It’s been six years since she left home, cutting of all contact with family and Pippa. Her life is very routine, and she doesn’t have much outside of work going on. Then she meets a guy, Dom after her cat, Loki ran away and turned up at his place. While Dom lifestyle it’s nothing like Evers, there was something about his always up and happy person that began to bring her back to life again. Dom makes her happy, he makes her feel alive again, he pushes her outside of her shell, he showers her with attention, and they also have amazing sex. But is she truly in love with him?

BUT hold on to your seat. Right here is where Beautiful Graves makes the biggest U-turn where everything begins to shift in another direction! I warn you that there will be even more twisty turns to come. Secrets come out. Feelings are hurt. Heartbreak begins.

BUT in spite of knowing what’s going to happen, I just can’t go any further. Beautiful Graves is an amazing book that you have to read to experience the full effect of what LJ has written. Plus, an epilogue that make you heart happy. Absolutely one of the BEST love-triangle books I've read!!

I highly recommend Beautiful Graves to everyone!!
Definitely “One Click” worthy!!

Beautiful graves from @authorljshen is out now and holy shit we did not expect this story !!! Without giving anything away because honestly you need to experience this story and feel all it gives you for yourself!! It really is an experience !! Yes it is a love story and a love triangle but it is so much more.. this is a story full of grief, growth, learning, trials & errors, fate, healing and love 🖤🖤 these characters come together perfectly to bring out every emotion!! They will have you captivated in their story🖤🖤 we absolutely loved this book !!! #ljshen #beautifulgraves #outnow #mustread

1st person/single pov
Spice: 3/5

Every single time LJ releases a new book I fall madly in love with it. But this book is so outside of what her books usually are that it surpassed so many of my favorites! Prepare yourself for the intense, angst-filled emotional rollercoaster that is Beautiful Graves.

The prologue... c'mon I was tearing up in the prologue!! I had no idea what to make of it or where in the story that would come into play but I assure you it kicked off the angst immediately.

Then we meet Everlynne or "Ever" to most people. After graduating she sets off on a trip with her best friend. Two weeks of fun, friendship, exploring, and before it all ends - love. A love that was unexpected and terrifying but worth taking a chance on.
Then tragedy strikes and Ever's life is nothing like it was before. Everything and everyone she cares about - gone. Including her soulmate.

Full of guilt she moves to Salem and lives a quiet life not letting herself find the happiness she feels she no longer deserves. Until Dominic shows up. He's funny, outgoing, and will not let Ever hide away in her apartment wasting her life. He pulls her out of her comfort zone and helps her start to heal, as well as showing her it just may be possible to let herself find happiness again. Maybe even with him.
But old wounds that are not fully healed can sometimes reopen when you least expect them to. And the past doesn't always stay buried.

I knew a love triangle was coming after reading the blurb. The way it happens, however, I did not see coming. At least not quite like this. My heart was bouncing back and forth over what she should do and what path would lead to the least amount of heartache. How do you choose when one man can give you a life full of security, companionship, adventure, and happiness? But the other makes you feel alive and knows you on such a cellular level he knows your every thought before you can finish thinking it. Add in the circumstances surrounding these two men and that choice becomes impossible.
Then I was hit with another plot twist.. and then yet another plot twist that had me attempting to silently scream and not wake up the entire house at midnight lol! I've never questioned my feelings over a character so much in my life. But it doesn't end there... nope. The next part of the story begins and let me just say I fell even more in love with one particular character but also got my heart broken. And I mean BROKEN. LJ made sure that this person in particular was not sugarcoated in the slightest bit. You hurt them and they have no problems hurting you in return just so you can feel a sliver of the pain you've caused. Well, I didn't even do anything and yet I felt the knife to my heart a couple of different times. I just thought the worst part was over already but I put my tissues away too early apparently. I had to get them back out seeing as how I cried off and on the last half of the book.

This is why I said the angst lasts through the epilogue because I didn't feel any relief until the epilogue was halfway over. These characters and this story sure keep you on your toes but it is almost impossible to put it down. I read the last 75% straight through the night and into the early hours of the morning because I could not simply walk away and go to bed. Not feeling the way I did. Who am I kidding even when I finished I was still processing a full day later so I'll be honest sleep evaded me but do I regret it? Not one bit because this book was everything I didn't know I needed to remind me why I love reading so much. To be so excited and passionate over a story that it envelops you while the real world around you fades into the background. Looks like another LJ masterpiece I will own in every format available because I cannot get it out of my head.

This book is LJ Shen at her best. I could sense after the first few chapters that she'd dug deep to bring these characters to life.

Beautiful Graves tackles the intricacies of love,loss,and grief in a way that is both beautiful,and haunting.
Everlynne,our heroine is such a deeply emotional character,and the mental self-flagellation she practices hits so close to home when one has also felt the impact of a monumental loss.
Ever is flawed and floundering for much of the novel,blaming herself for her mother's death, and allowing her self hatred to color every facet of the life she barely leads.
Her humanity is what both repels and draws the reader in,and what ultimately leads to hope for a change in circumstances.

Joe is the hero of our story, but he's also the dark horse. The forgotten younger son,the healthy sibling who bore the burden to live while his brother was tasked with surviving.
His need to be seen,to be chosen in his own right,was so relatable. So refreshing to see depicted from the perspective of a male character. I adored him,I felt for him the entire duration of the book.

I love that reading this book made me take a look at what it means to truly live,and love fully.
The quality of our lives and our experiences may simply come down to our choosing to see them as grand,as special,as worthwhile.

I'll be thinking of Joe and Ever's story for days to come.
It couldn't have been more thought -provoking,or original.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author to review for Stephanie's Book Reports.

They say first loves are oftentimes the end of one's innocence. Those words couldn't ring truer for Everlynne Lawson, whose first brush with romance came with a heartbreak...and the thing that seems to follow her everywhere she goes. Death. After the great tragedy, Everylynne loses all she cares about-her dreams, her family and her soulmate, Joe. Guilt-ridden, Everlynne decides to isolate herself in Salem, Massachusetts. A shell of the woman she once was, she takes her days one at a time, careful not to allow herself the joy she believes others in her life were robbed of. But when the mysterious, handsome Dominic storms into her life, it becomes more difficult to stay in solitude. Dominic is different: adventurous, joyous, with lust for life and a passion to make her his. Everylnne is on the cusp of reinventing herself once again when the old wounds of her past are resurrected, rawer than every. There is nothing worse than being in love with two men. Especially when one of them hates you.

This book is one emotional roller coaster that hooks you from the first page and you are not going to lay this book down until you are done. This is a second chance and a whole lot of oh my gosh come one girl get it together please or I am going to have to jump in this book and shake you. It's the story of Ever who should have been on top of the world and she is when she and her best friend are accepted to the same college and will be living together and are taking the most amazing trip before college when she meets the most amazing man and then he is gone. Just vanished until she sees him again at a party she never expected to see him at and he ends up saving her and they have the best night of their entire life together and vow to be boyfriend and girlfriend. But tragedy strikes and she didn't deal with that one very well at all and cut him off with no explanation and basically becomes a hermit who only eats works and sleeps and she never made it to college with her best friend. She is punishing herself and her now best friend can see that and feels like she has to be there for her even if that mean putting her life one hold too because she is so worried about her. Until one day Dominic walks into her life and she slowly starts to bring her out of her shell. He seems like the perfect guy and totally different from who she is really in love with and she decides to go for it because when you read this book you will see why. However things are about to get even more crazy in her life and I really about lost it for her when the events that happen start happening and this is where you will not be able to put this book down. I can honestly say that I did not for the life of me see what was coming and was shocked!! Like literally floored and had to process before I could move on. I don't want to give anything away that happens in this book. But I will say that it was an amazing book. A frustrating book at times. Like come on Ever get yourself together big time Now is your time girl do it, go for it, but.... well you will see but I honestly loved this book. It is one that I would read over too and not get tired of and probably maybe see things I didn't the first time. If you want to read something with all the feels and will suck you in so hard you forget about everything until you finish this book, then Beautiful Graves is the book for you.

✨ARC Review ✨
***
Thank you to LJ Shen for the ARC to review.
***
Beautiful Graves broke my heart. This book is so emotional and full of grief. There is so much angst in this story. The writing was amazing. My heart was constantly hurting from the emotions of the characters. I loved Dom and Joe. There were so many twists and turns in this story. I was hooked and on the edge of my seat because of the twists. Ever's grief was so real and understandable. Her actions made me want to scream but they also felt very real. I've read a couple books by LJ Shen and I can say this one was definitely different but it was so good!
***
⭐⭐⭐⭐.5
***

It’s been a hot minute since I read and LJ Shen book, but I thought what better way to reintroduce myself than with this book. I’d been hearing really great things and seeing it everywhere, so I decided to take the leap. This book had a lot of potential. There were some decent elements and then some elements that just didn’t work for me.

Unfortunately, one of the elements was insta-love I am not a huge fan, I can be if done correctly and with care and precision. But otherwise, it’s just not a believable construct for me. And because of that and that this book had two instances of it, a huge part of the story just didn’t work for me.

Another issue was that I didn’t really like FMC she was flakey and made a series of poor decisions that affected everyone around her. I understand this in the beginning because she was so young, however she does get older and those same mistakes just aren’t okay anymore. She also, stated multiple times how one MMC was her soulmate, and the other was the love of her life. However, I just didn’t really feel that through her words or her actions. Her inner monologue was contradictory to the story line and not just once but pretty much the entire time. And I think this is why the insta-love part didn’t work. I feel that if the love stories had been built up more and with more depth this aspect of the book would have worked so much better. But as it stands you never really felt the love she had for one of the characters so her saying she loves him just didn’t feel real, it all felt forced and unnatural.

The emotional aspect of the story did hit its mark. You could tell there was a lot going on underneath the layers of this book. Especially with one character specifically, I think LJ did a good job leaving little crumbs that something else was going on with them, and once those plot twists come to light a lot makes more sense. It hits hard and it hits fast.

I know LJ stated she took herself out of her comfort zone for this one, it isn’t like any other book I’ve read by her. While this book just didn’t do it for me there were some good things in it.

This book is a journey through all the emotions. Hands down one of the angsty-ist romances I’ve ever read! Totally raw. Equal parts heartbreaking and beautiful. With plot twists that make you go ohhh and wtf at the same time. It drew me in, and I was feeling all the emotions right alongside Ever.
 
So different from all the other LJ books. I’m not usually drawn to love triangles, but LJ wrote this masterpiece as so much more than that. I am reluctant to say anything more because you just have to read it and experience it firsthand!
 
All the fall vibes, this book is releasing at the perfect time of year.

“Where there is hope, there is life. And where there is life, anything is possible.”

Beautiful Graves is an angsty, emotional story that takes us on a heartbreaking journey of loss and grief and the healing power of love. It’s not a story for the faint of heart and it’s not a typical love story, but it will definitely make you FEEL. Ever’s journey is painful and devastating but so fulfilling and uplifting in the end.

“He is a storm, and I’m lightning, and whenever we meet, there is chaos.”

While this is a love triangle, I really felt that Ever’s choice was obvious from the beginning. One man made her feel everything, but she was terrified of those feelings. I felt she was with the other man due to obligation and safety and fear. Ever needed to work through her feelings of love, loss, grief, and fear in order to be genuinely happy in her life and to fight for the man she truly loved deep in her soul.

“If you want to be happy—you have to take chances. You have to open yourself up to getting hurt.”

I think it’s best to go into Beautiful Graves blind so you can experience the emotional impact of this complicated, angsty, and beautiful story. It will make you look at the choices that you make in your life and the impact they will have on your future happiness. Ever worked hard for her HEA and had to overcome seemingly insurmountable obstacles to fight for the man she was meant to be with. She had to gain the courage and face her fears in order to begin to truly live her life. Don’t miss this heartfelt, emotional story!!

Beautiful Graves by LJ Shen is an absolutely angst filled emotional roller coaster of a story. It grabs you by the heart at the prologue and just never bothers to let you go. This one is billed as a love triangle, but it is a great deal more than that. The characters are deep. Some are broken. There are surprises and tears and laughter and love. I won’t say more as I wouldn’t want to spoil a moment. Clear some time on your calendar for this one folks. Once you pick it up you won’t want to be putting it down until the last word … you might want to hold on to it for a while even after that.

Beautiful Graves was a captivating and unputdownable read. What was once a trope I stayed away from is now something I’m more open to reading thanks to the brilliant writing of Lj Shen. She worked her magic and made me fall… hard and fast for the characters and their journey.

𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙛𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩 𝙜𝙞𝙧𝙡 𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙬𝙧𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙞𝙢𝙚, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙛***𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙥𝙖𝙮𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙞𝙩

Mrs. LJ Shen does it again.
I’m going to start off by saying I was SO NERVOUS to start this one. Love Triangles are not my thing, they scare me and I tend to avoid them at all costs. Leave it to LJ Shen to write this and change my mind completely. I am a mood reader so, with feeling the way I have been feeling and so much change possibly coming my way (don’t worry, all is well) I wanted something heavy, I wanted something that would destroy me and make me feel ALL OF THE THINGS. So, I picked up Beautiful Graves. It consumed me and I did not put it down until it was finished.
It was devastating, heartbreaking, torturous, angst filled and INTENSE.

𝙃𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙖 𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙢, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄’𝙢 𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙬𝙝𝙚𝙣𝙚𝙫𝙚𝙧 𝙬𝙚 𝙢𝙚𝙚𝙩, 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙤𝙨.

I just adore Everlynne Lawson. A girl who falls in love hard. When tragedy strikes, she runs to save everyone from their feelings.
Change is hard, but we have to allow ourselves to feel, to love, to grieve, to let go, to forgive – to LIVE.

𝘼𝙨 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜 𝙖𝙨 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙗𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙩𝙝 𝙞𝙣 𝙮𝙤𝙪, 𝙣𝙤 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙚𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙨 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚.

𝙔𝙤𝙪 𝙠𝙣𝙤𝙬 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙝𝙖𝙥𝙥𝙚𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙤 𝙨𝙥𝙖𝙧𝙠𝙨? 𝙏𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙣 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙡𝙖𝙢𝙚𝙨.

We know that this is a triangle, but I won’t spoil all the little twists that had me gasping! I’m pretty sure I died on the floor a thousand times over. You guys!!! This was the most soul shattering thing I’ve read in awhile and I loved every page of it.
So three things we know for sure, this is a love triangle. It will go down as one of my top reads this year. And lastly, it’s going to hurt, but it’s worth all of it - you NEED to read this one!

𝙏𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙩𝙪𝙧𝙚. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙩𝙪𝙛𝙛 𝙣𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙢𝙖𝙧𝙚𝙨 𝙖𝙧𝙚 𝙢𝙖𝙙𝙚 𝙤𝙛.

Je ne veux rien révéler de l’intrigue ou de l’histoire afin que vous puissiez profiter un maximum de votre lecture et éviter ainsi tout risque de spoiler! Surtout, gardez à l’esprit que l’on se retrouve face à un “triangle amoureux” mais très bien écrit!

Dans ce livre, on suit Everlynne, qui a subi une tragédie dans le passé et a décidé de s’exiler à Salem avec son chat Loki. Elle croit qu’elle ne mérite pas d’être heureuse et se prive de toute relation. Un jour, elle croise la route de Dominic, un homme qui va au fur et à mesure la sortir de son cocon. Mais va-t-elle s’ouvrir au bonheur? Ou est-ce qu’une autre tragédie va encore la frapper? Ou est-ce que quelqu'un pourrait revenir de son passé?

J’ai adoré le personnage d’Everlynne qui est très complexe, solitaire, sarcastique mais qui a tellement souffert qu’elle s’est renfermée sur elle-même pour ne plus être éprouvée. Les personnages masculins sont de parfait héros dignes de L.J Shen qui pourraient clairement remettre en question vos classements de vos héros préférés! J’ai adoré leurs psychologies et leurs personnalités!

J’ai vécu des montagnes russes émotionnelles avec ce livre: j’ai ri, j’ai pleuré, j’ai été choquée. L’intrigue est parfaitement maîtrisée même si l’on peut prévoir un ou deux rebondissements, le plot twist du chapitre 18 me hante encore tellement je ne l’ai pas vu venir : je suis encore sous le choc! Cette histoire est belle, poétique, parfaite pour le mois d’octobre (graves signifie tombe en anglais).

Bref, j’ai eu un coup de coeur pour ce livre, donc si vous lisez en VO, foncez et j’espère vraiment qu’on aura bientôt une traduction française!

——
“𝑰 𝒍𝒐𝒗𝒆𝒅 𝒚𝒐𝒖, 𝑬𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝑳𝒂𝒘𝒔𝒐𝒏. 𝑩𝒖𝒕 𝑰 𝒘𝒂𝒏𝒕 𝒚𝒐𝒖 𝒕𝒐 𝒌𝒏𝒐𝒘, 𝒚𝒐𝒖’𝒓𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕’𝒔 𝒆𝒗𝒆𝒓 𝒇𝒖𝒄𝒌𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒉𝒂𝒑𝒑𝒆𝒏𝒆𝒅 𝒕𝒐 𝒎𝒆.”
——
How do I even start? I'll start by mentioning that you should anticipate your heart to hurt and break because this is a love triangle. I usually stay away from love triangles but as LJ is one of my favorite authors, I knew I had to read it.

Leigh definitely upped the intensity on this one because I totally experienced all the darn feels! This was such an emotional ride. I wasn’t ready to deal with all the angst and the anxiety it gave me. My poor heart was aching and my anxiety was at an all-time high 😂
I laughed, I swooned, I cried, and I was extremely upset towards the end. Everlynne frustrated me so much that I wanted to jump into the book to knock some sense into her lol Now, Joe and Dom, 😍 I easily fell in love with both of them. I won’t say any more because I want y’all to experience everything I did! But just be ready!!

Beautiful Graves by LJ Shen blew me away, dropped me in the middle of the ocean (by Neptune's De Melenara) and had me gasping for air.

Wow. Wow. Wow. What can I say about this book?

It was fun with banter.
It was heartfelt with first loves.
It was It was painful with loss.
It was invigorating with new possibilities.
It was shocking with revelations.
It was maddening with misconceptions.
It was infuriating with deceit.
It was hopeful with forgiveness.

It was epically beautiful with it's conclusion.

LJ Shen has created a love story that will hit you at the core and radiate all emotions from the inside out. It will rip you to pieces and put you back together and you're left begging for more.