The Broken One, by Christine H. Bailey, is a coming of age novel centered around Farris, who is still reeling from the murder of her best friend, Kelsey. It's been a year and her life is still in pieces. She has abandonment issues, she has pulled away from everyone, her dad is flying through girlfriends and she just can't seem to move forward. But then an old friend, Luke, comes back into Farris' life and won't let her push him away any longer. This novel starts out slow, and includes some flashbacks back to when Kelsey died. You get to know Farris and those around her. But then all of a sudden the novel shifts into super speed and then the novel is over. There's no actual conclusion - you're left to make up the ending on your own - which I really dislike. I liked the emotions that were explored in this novel but wish the pacing was a bit better and I feel the whole romance with Lane could of just been a friendship. It just tackled too much in a short amount of pages.

Wish I could've finished this book, but wasn't able to. Sad read, hope to finish it in the near future.

So I honestly don't remember what drew me in besides the cover and sometimes that works for me, unfortunately this time it didn't. I can't give you a full review of reasons either it was simply that the story did not excite me enough.

This novel is heartbreaking, it takes the reader on a journey alongside the protagonist. This being said, for me it was really lacking something to elevate it from mundane..

Vinspire Publishing and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of The Broken One. This is my honest opinion of the book.

Farris only remembers her Mom from a video taken when she was 2. Now, years later, Farris spends her afternoons with her Dad's personal assistant Lucy. When her best friend Kelsey starts acting strangely, Farris goes to talk with her, only to discover a horrific scene unfolded in front of her.

One year later, the only person who will brave being anywhere near Farris is Jun, the new transfer student in school. That is, until the day that Lane Evans hands Farris a letter that changes everything. Will Farris find the answers she seeks and finally have the courage to move forward with her life?

The biggest issue that I had with The Broken One was its lack of a definitive conclusion. The book just ended and did not leave me with the feeling that every question was satisfactorily answered. The Broken One deals with heavy subjects, such as death, suicide, and grief, as well as handling how different individuals cope with these problems. The book started out strong, but missed the mark with the weak conclusion.