Tough Love | Recovered by Jay Crownover [Book Review]

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[book-info]

 

Don’t want to read the whole review?  Click to jump to the Skinny Review.

 

“Some souls were never meant to be saved. They might end up on the right path, but without fail, they will veer off. It’s all they know how to do. No matter how badly they might be hurting other people, they still lose their way. Honestly, the hurt they cause will never compare to how much hurt they inflict upon themselves.”

-Cable, Recovered

 

There are a number of reasons why I picked up Recovered by Jay Crownover but I don’t know why it took me this long to actually read it. This book is everything to me. Perhaps because I see a lot of parallels to my life? Maybe. I think so. Recovered is emotional and deals with tough issues – real issues. This book broke me.

 

Trigger warning: this book deals with drug addiction.

 

Recovered is a hate to love romance between two young and broken people. And of course, opposites attract. This book basically ticked off all the right boxes for me because I love this trope. But then again, the topic really touched something in me.

Affton and Cable are two young broken people. While Affton is the straight-A, serious student, she also experienced sadness and hurt in her life from someone she loved. Cable, on the other hand, is even more broken and damaged. As the only son of one of the wealthiest families in Loveless, Texas, he was the golden boy who never seemed to do any wrong. Affton saw through his veneer and started an intervention. Unfortunately, this started a chain of events that ultimately ended with Cable in jail.

The bulk of the book focuses on that summer after high school graduation when Affton is hired to be Cable’s sober companion. This is when Cable and Affton’s relationship changes.

I have to say that based on my personal experience, this book really hit me where it hurt. And while some of the things that happened in this book are too over-the-top, I love that Jay Crownover did not shy away from the darkness of addiction. I also loved that the focus was on trying to get over the addiction and the struggles a recovering addict faces every day.

Another thing that I loved about this book was that it wasn’t all sunshine and rainbows, especially in the romance department. There were no grand gestures of love at the start and I even liked that Affton and Cable separated for a bit. It felt believable. And yes, the grand gesture of love in the end was awesome and really fit the story.

While Recovered seems like a Young Adult romance, it feels like a New Adult and there are hot sexy times! And seriously, there are some disturbing things mentioned, too. So please go in with an open mind.

Ultimately, Recovered was an awesome read and I can’t recommend this book enough. Keep tissues on hand, though!

 

A Personal Note

I also fell in love with my own version of Cable. While he didn’t do as much damage as the Cable in Recovered did, at one point, he reached rock bottom. It never did occur to me to stay away even though our relationship at that time wasn’t so cut and dry, I was there for him. I’d like to think that I saved him, but I also know that he saved me. HEA does happen in the most difficult of situations and despite everyone trying to keep us apart, we triumphed. I love you, Pierre. (And yes, he is the reason why I am a sucker for bad boys in romance). Also, I find it VERY eerie that this book was published on our 10th wedding anniversary.

 

[rating-report]

 

 

 

Do you love reading books that deal with tough situations?

Have you ever read a book that is a little bit similar to your own life?

 

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