Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for granting me free access to the advanced digital copy of this book.

The idea for this book was great, but I think the execution left a little to be desired. Some of the characters’ emotions varied wildly in the same scene and it could be hard to keep up. I did enjoy it though and can recommend it.

On the Edge or Broken Pieces is a sweet coming-of-age Queer story that touches on some tough but important topics.

Thank you to Inkspell Publishing and Netgalley for providing me with a review copy.

Realistic, YA book that covers a lot of difficult topics, like grief and sexuality. I enjoyed this book and reading about our main characters, Xander and Wade.

Xander's trauma responses were spot on, which helped make this story believable. 3.5 stars, rounded up to 4.

On the Edge of Broken Pieces was a really heartwarming book. I enjoyed it a lot, and I would definitely recommend it to others.

The characters were allright, and I personally was able to relate to Xander in a way. That's always a big plus in a book, when you can see a bit of yourself in a character.

The author picked up a lot of hard subjects, including domestic abuse, PTSD, abusive relationships... It's always great to see them being talked about.

The building of the main relationship was just so nice and sweet. Gaining the trust of the other person and slowly taking down the walls they built to hide behind, and still love them was heartwarming to read.

The book did have its flaws, but they weren't anything that made the book unenjoyable.

One thing that was kinda annoying was the name choices for some of the characters. Naming them after celebrities wasn't something I liked and I know a lot of people would dislike that too.

The ending felt a bit rushed, but no book is perfect.

Overall, I greatly enjoyed this book, and rate it a 4/5.

(posted on Goodreads)

I enjoyed this book a lot, thought there were a few things I think could have been done a bit better. It's a solid 3.5 for me, but I'm rounding it up to 4 because I ultimately enjoyed the book.

The romance was sweet, and I enjoyed all the ways that Wade tried to break through Xander's walls to get to see the real him. Xander himself was an interesting character who was filled to the brim with angst and I enjoyed the journey of his arc and the ultimate healing he found. A few of the scenes felt rushed and underdeveloped though, and my biggest complaint when it comes to that is the ending of the book. The ultimate resolution, esepcially that with Wade's parents, felt rushed and undeserved and it took me out of the book slightly.

My biggest complaint is the fact that there were multiple characters named after real life celebrities and every time their name was said in full my brain became scrambled. You just can't name a character Adam Brody and not expect me to picture Seth Cohen from The OC every time he's mentioned.

Overall I enjoyed the book enough to finish it in one sitting, and aside from some qualms about the ultimate end of the book I recommend it to anyone who wants a heartwarming, quick read.

To be honest I didn't love the book as much as I wanted. Good things first! I really liked the therapy group, and that Xander was a quite unconventional protagonist, having anger issues and expressing himself through art. However, I found the romance extremely frustrating. There were too many misunderstandings, and even when things were cleared up, a few chapters later there was again the "oh he just used me, he doesn't like me" trope. There was an ernest attempt to make Xander a multidimensional character, but I think that in the end he lacked cohesiveness.
Thank you netgalley for the ARC

This book is angsty, sad, and gay all in one. The story is about Xander, who suffers from PTSD and internalized homophobia, and Wade, an openly gay man and Olympic Skier. Slowly, they build a relationship and work through some of their challenges. Xander living day by day, haunted by the trauma of his past. The book explores how some children in abusive households go from one unstable environment to the next, never truly able to break free from the cycle of abuse. There is also some discussion on how the justice system targets people with criminal pasts and tries to persecute them over and over again. The author did a good job creating suspense, which kept me hooked on reading. Some of the scenes felt rushed or underdeveloped, though.

a nice coming-of-age story — it did feel a little bland at times, though, but that might be on me, as i feel like i’m too old for this sort of stories anyway.

Xander has anger issues and is told Wade will show him around as he starts at his new school. Xander finds out Wade is an Olympic Gold Medalist in snowboarding, and he’s gay. While Xander feels guilt over his family dying, he struggles with feelings about Wade. He tells himself he’s not attracted to him and tells himself I’m not gay. Eventually, the two begin to hang out more and become friends. At a party, something happens to make Xander feel he’s being used by Wade and Xander leaves with a friend. Soon after, Wade is hurt. Will Xander ever see Wade again?

Thank You Netgalley, Inkspell Publishing & Xpresso Book Tours for the e-Galley.

This was an adrenaline rush from start to finish, just one thing after another. Which I would usually not enjoy but in this it was great, my heart was racing, there was tears and it was one I couldn't put down after I got past the first few chapters. There are also all the tropes and tags you could possibly want in this hurt/comfort, first love, enemies to friends to lovers, found family, the works.

I do wish there was a little more down time between all the thingsas it did seem like there was a lot happening all at once one after another with no breathing room but in life sometimes it does feel like all the things happen at once.