Breaking Nova

I knew I was in for an emotional journey before I was even halfway through Nova's epilogue. I was shaking and close to tears because I just knew what was coming. I could feel the emotions and the fears coming off the page. I didn't know if I was going to get through the epilogues without being an emotional mess. When I finally finished reading Nova's and Quinton's epilogues all I could think was, "Damn, that was some damn good writing". And that's what is most special about this book, Jessica Sorensen had to really dug deep (I'm sure she had to) to write such an heart-wrenching story with characters dealing with the aftermath of such unfortunate experiences.

When I talk about how much pain these characters seem to be carrying around, I cannot say enough how sad their stories are. If you were reading this review on paper, you would see my tear stains on the paper, just remembering the pain I felt for these characters. And has sad and heartbreaking as this book was I have to say it was refreshing to not just be reading another, "He likes me, he likes me not," story. It was actually good to read something real, something with meaning that makes you feel, think and be grateful (for whatever you feel grateful for).

Nova and Quinton are dealing one of the worst pains everyone at some point has to deal with eventually. The death of a loved one or friend can never be explained but Nova is stuck in probably more than one of the stages of grief. Obviously she's depressed, but Nova is in denial while at the same time trying to understand why. Quinton's depression and anger made me feel that he had too much of a defeatist reaction to his loss. I thought he was definitely too young to feel that he would be betraying Lexi if he moved on and fall in love again. Even though I could see why he would felt that way. That was the only part of his mourning I didn't like or want to believe (other than the drug use). I guess age has no bearing on how a person deals with losing the love of their life but I just didn't like how big a part of his depression this idea was to him.

There are coping mechanisms that people use to deal with loss such as drugs and it was one of the mechanisms used by the characters in this book. There is a lot of drug use in the story, and sex was discussed as a way to cope for some of the characters too. The use of drugs was so real it made their pain more believable, I actually considered the drugs as one of the villains in this story.

Of course recovery and acceptance in not an easy goal to attain for someone in mourning. Nova had her own ways of coping before she met Quinton and although they weren't all healthy I later saw how those coping skills were pushing her towards the mindset of acceptance and later starting the process of recovery and in the end it made her decision to move forward more believable.

I didn't read this book straight through, I had to step away from time to time because, well I just had to. And yet, I can't wait for Quinton's story on his journey to recovery. I know I'm a glutton for tears and sniffles. Sometimes a good cry is just what we need.

Breaking Nova is a tear-jerking and touching piece of writing. The emotions just jump out and draw you into the pages and takes you on an emotional ride with characters you can't help feeling for and hoping they will get the peace they desire.

I am not sure why I keep reading books like this one. I mean, I'm a total angst whore, but these type of books are almost never written well, and this book is not an exception to that rule. So, in the end, all that happens is that the book makes me insanely angry, which is what happened with this one, as well.I think the basic "bones" of the story had some potential. Nova (because girls in these books always have to have a unique name) hasn't been the same since her boyfriend and best friend, Landon, committed suicide and she found him. Since then, her life has been spiraling out of control. She can't move on; she can't examine the past; she can't open up in therapy. She's just existing. Then she meets Quinton, who has just as much baggage as Nova has, if not more. He was driving a car and two people ended up dead. He wasn't drunk or high, but he still feels like the accident is his fault (even though his girlfriend, Lexi, was climbing out of the window, and if that isn't a distraction, I don't know what is). But the story never gelled for me, and I made it about halfway through before I decided to say fuck this shit and just skim over the rest of the book - and I was glad that I did, because the story didn't get any better. Nova got on my last nerve. I understand depression (more of that later), and she wants to help Quinton, which is fine. But she was so fucking focused on Quinton that she didn't even pay attention to what was happening to Delilah, her best friend, right in front of her nose. She wants to save a stranger because he reminds her of Landon, but she idly wonders a few chapters later if she would do anything if Delilah's on-again-off-again boyfriend hit her in front of Nova, because she didn't like getting involved with other people's business (except Quinton's, apparently). WTF. Way to look out for your friend there, especially since Dylan drags Delilah off to have sex (presumably) and Nova doesn't say anything about that either, even though she does think to herself that she can tell that Delilah doesn't want to go. But, whatever, who gives a fuck about your best friend being in an abusive relationship when there's the dreamy mysterious loner stranger Quinton to think about, amirite? There are also some discrepancies in the backstory and the details of the main characters' lives. The one that mostly stuck out to me, for example, was if Quinton's mother was alive or not. Because in one chapter, he talks about how it's just him and his dad and it has always been that way since his mother died in childbirth. Then, a few chapters later, Quinton talks about how responsible and good he was before the accident, and how his mom would brag about him to her friends. To her dead ghost friends? I mean...that doesn't make any sense. There was never any mention of a step-mother, either, and if Quinton was close enough to call her "mom" in his memories, I imagine that there would be, especially since he mentioned his father several times in the book.The misogyny in this book annoyed me to no end, as well. Landon and Quinton (as well as Tristan), although all of them are deeply troubled, feel like they have the right to tell Nova what to do or not to do. They tell her that she's too "good" to mess with pot (oh I'm going to rant about THAT in just a minute, trust me) and that she shouldn't touch it - and they all smoke it in front of her. And there are also two types of girls, according to Quinton - those who are "good" and interest him, and those who want to fuck around and therefore aren't "good" and would never interest him besides for sex. Oh, the lovely "madonna-whore" dichotomy, where you can either enjoy sex and be a slut or be a "good girl" and not enjoy casual(ish) sex. Give me a break.And then there's the pot. This is going to be a rant, as previously hinted in the above paragraph, and probably a pretty hefty one at that, so I'm going to put it beneath a spoiler cut. Before I start on my spiel here, I will disclose that I live in a state where recreational cannabis use is legal (Colorado), I am above the legal age for using recreational marijuana (over 21...by many years), and I use it almost daily to keep my crippling social anxiety and overwhelming depression at bay (and it mostly works - and DEFINITELY works better than the multiple pills I have been prescribed over the years).Any drug, especially when abused, can be a bad time. Teenagers shouldn't be abusing marijuana, much as they shouldn't be abusing alcohol, nicotine, or any other substances, because research has shown that their brains are not yet done developing and heavy drug abuse can affect their brains for the rest of their lives. However, pot being portrayed as absolutely evil is just...what the hell.I really get irritated when it becomes obvious that the author who wants to paint cannabis in such a poor light has either never used it OR has only been smoking some Mississippi ditchweed. Because the author clearly has never tasted a dank sativa that expands your mind beyond all boundaries. Or how about a nice indica that gives you a happy little couch-lock buzz and keeps you from causing harm to yourself? I'd love for her to come to Colorado and share a joint with me, because I would definitely be able to push back all of this "reefer madness" propaganda that she seems determined to (falsely) spread through this book.First off, telling anyone that they are "too good" to use cannabis puts anyone who DOES use it (particularly someone who uses it regularly) as "not good." I don't buy into the bullshit that someone is either a "good" person or a "bad" person - every human being has the capacity to do both good and bad things; it isn't an "either-or" situation - but to try to paint those who use cannabis as "bad" is stupid. A lot of people use cannabis - millions in the United States alone - and we aren't "bad." I, for example, have a good job where I help people on a regular basis. I work hard, pay my taxes, and am saving up for a down payment on a house. I also have severe depression, and if I don't manage it, I can't work hard, I can't help people (including myself), I can't pay my taxes, and I can't pay my rent. Am I "bad" for using the only drug that has helped me? Well, if I am, let me continue to be "bad!" :PThe characters who use pot in this book on the daily are "bad." They are the epitome of lazy stoners who can't do anything except get high and deal drugs. Well, yeah, there are those kinds of people out there. But we're not all like that. Is the person who uses medicinal cannabis for relief of physical pain out there dealing drugs at music festivals? Probably not. And I know that I have never sold any type of drugs to anyone ever. Just because someone uses marijuana regularly does not make them lazy. I'm so tired of that stereotype.Hilariously, when Nova got high for the first time, she forgot her favorite food, favorite song, etc. LOL Dude, I have been tripping out of my gourd before (I also use cannabis for fun), and I can safely say that I have NEVER forgotten my favorite food or favorite song. I mean, I'm high right now since I have been having a pretty bad week mentally speaking, and I feel that this review is relatively coherent. And, for the record, my favorite food is Ben & Jerry's non-dairy Cherry Garcia, and my favorite song is "When You Sleep" by Mary Lambert. Just FYI. ;)Also, when they're talking about Nova "coming down" after using marijuana for the first time and how rough it is going to be - LOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOLOL FOREVER. What the fuck!?! I've smoked a lot of cannabis since moving to Colorado, and yes I have had what I call a "stoner hangover" once in a while, which is when I feel a little sleepy and sluggish. But I have NEVER had a bad experience "coming down." In fact, it's so gradual, like riding an escalator, that I usually don't know that I'm not high anymore until I'm, well, completely not high anymore. It isn't like alcohol, when you wake up with a killer headache. Even if you green out, you usually just pass out and wake up fine in a few hours. I'm pretty sick of the anti-cannabis bent that I am reading in books, especially when alcohol is portrayed as "normal" or even "cool." Alcohol kills around 2,500,000 people a year around the world (from cirrhosis to hepatic cancer to suicide to drunk driving, etc, etc). There aren't any hard facts about how many deaths are related to cannabis use, but there are some. However, the news feels the need to report EVERY time someone who has cannabis in their bloodstream does something bad or dies - and doesn't feel this need when it comes to alcohol, because alcohol use (and downright abuse) is socially acceptable. Let's put it this way - when's the last time you heard someone getting high and beating their kids? Now when's the last time you heard someone getting drunk and beating their kids? I really wish that my biological father had been a stoner instead of a raging alcoholic; I may have felt something for him that way, other than a vague sense of disgust.tl;dr: Choo choo, let's all get on the "pot is evil and anyone who uses it is a bad person" train!This book isn't something that I would recommend to anyone.

Awesome book.

there was too much about drugs in this book. smoking weed is not a healthy way to cope with your problems.

Tedious, teen angst at its finest although it's attached to real life situations

I knew I was in for an emotional journey before I was even halfway through Nova's epilogue. I was shaking and close to tears because I just knew what was coming. I could feel the emotions and the fears coming off the page. I didn't know if I was going to get through the epilogues without being an emotional mess. When I finally finished reading Nova's and Quinton's epilogues all I could think was, "Damn, that was some damn good writing". And that's what is most special about this book, Jessica Sorensen had to really dug deep (I'm sure she had to) to write such an heart-wrenching story with characters dealing with the aftermath of such unfortunate experiences.

When I talk about how much pain these characters seem to be carrying around, I cannot say enough how sad their stories are. If you were reading this review on paper, you would see my tear stains on the paper, just remembering the pain I felt for these characters. And has sad and heartbreaking as this book was I have to say it was refreshing to not just be reading another, "He likes me, he likes me not," story. It was actually good to read something real, something with meaning that makes you feel, think and be grateful (for whatever you feel grateful for).

Nova and Quinton are dealing one of the worst pains everyone at some point has to deal with eventually. The death of a loved one or friend can never be explained but Nova is stuck in probably more than one of the stages of grief. Obviously she's depressed, but Nova is in denial while at the same time trying to understand why. Quinton's depression and anger made me feel that he had too much of a defeatist reaction to his loss. I thought he was definitely too young to feel that he would be betraying Lexi if he moved on and fall in love again. Even though I could see why he would felt that way. That was the only part of his mourning I didn't like or want to believe (other than the drug use). I guess age has no bearing on how a person deals with losing the love of their life but I just didn't like how big a part of his depression this idea was to him.

There are coping mechanisms that people use to deal with loss such as drugs and it was one of the mechanisms used by the characters in this book. There is a lot of drug use in the story, and sex was discussed as a way to cope for some of the characters too. The use of drugs was so real it made their pain more believable, I actually considered the drugs as one of the villains in this story.

Of course recovery and acceptance in not an easy goal to attain for someone in mourning. Nova had her own ways of coping before she met Quinton and although they weren't all healthy I later saw how those coping skills were pushing her towards the mindset of acceptance and later starting the process of recovery and in the end it made her decision to move forward more believable.

I didn't read this book straight through, I had to step away from time to time because, well I just had to. And yet, I can't wait for Quinton's story on his journey to recovery. I know I'm a glutton for tears and sniffles. Sometimes a good cry is just what we need.

Breaking Nova is a tear-jerking and touching piece of writing. The emotions just jump out and draw you into the pages and takes you on an emotional ride with characters you can't help feeling for and hoping they will get the peace they desire.

Dark, sad & poignant.

Honest, sad, look at drug abuse, suicide, accidental death and healing.

Wow let's talking about the ending first- Oh my not what I had except or hoped for. It's wonderful on one hand & extremely sad on the other. I hope we get the second part of happy ending in the next book . Looks like there's going to be 3 books in this series. As for the rest of the book it's basically a sad story of 2 people who have lost so much trying to numb their selfs from all the pain. Nova & Quinton were meant to find each other they both can understand what's it's like to want to be numb. Just when I thought they were going to save each other it doesn't happen. However something wonderful did happen but I won't tell you anymore than that. Very emotional story. Some tender loving moments.

"For anyone who's ever felt lost and struggled to find their way back. "I am going to be honest. This is a painful read. Nova's story is heartbreaking. Suicide, death, guilt, drug abuse all play a strong role in this story. BUT it is real.I felt the pain these characters endure. Maybe something is wrong with me, but I appreciated the emotional pain and despair that Breaking Nova inflicted upon me. Real life if not wrapped up neatly in a some beautiful package. Real life hurts and sometimes pain can work it's self so deeply into your soul, the energy it takes to breath a single breathe can be overwhelming. Both Nova and Quinton are dealing with the aftermath of tragedy, will they be able to help each other find their way back or will they continue to fall together? This is only book one. I cannot wait to see where this story will go.

Not sure why but the cover fooled me on this one. It is a much darker romantic read than I was expecting (& it doesn't end "clean" either - beware of the cliffhanger!)Nova has had a rough life. She lost her father to suicide and her boyfriend too. She is on a journey for closure. She is trying to discover what they were feeling, why they left her...especially her boyfriend since he knew how painful losing her father had been. Quinton understand the pain of loss too. After a car accident he survived but his girlfriend didn't, he is just going for numb. Whether is be through drugs, girls, whatever...he doesn't care. Nova and Quinton both resist but are drawn to each other through their suffering. When they both finally give in a little, can either of them fight through the bad to get to the good...Like I said, very dark NA romance here. I was rooting for them (definitely hooked in the story) but it definitely did not end as I expected/hoped it would. I can't say I really want to read book 2 but I'm not sure I will be able to forget them either. I received this book in exchange for an honest review for Netgalley.

I got lost in Nova's story. It is so powerful emotionally because she has so much pain and heartache and break in her past, and to watch her figure out who she is and how to deal with that pain is such a journey. I think that I also connected with her on a personal level because my dad committed suicide, and she found her boyfriend Landon after he killed himself. That on top of losing her dad, I was so invested in her, and gave me hope to watch her begin to heal and find herself in this huge swirl of emotions and in the scary world where it seems that most people just don't understand. Quinton also brinks a perspective that I haven't read much about, the secrets of his past are just as painful and hard to get past, and it is interesting to see the extremes that depression, guilt and feeling left behind can do to people. There was such chemistry between the two, and they sparked something in the other, a desire to feel again, a reason besides their once beloveds that stirs their heart. I will say though that the constant talk of weed got to me. I understand that it gave them a numbness and a second to forget and not feel, but I understand they are doing something they never once would. I get the need and addiction, but it just felt to me that it was to entwined into everything and that is time that could have been better spent working on the character development or the chemistry. The secondary characters bring things to the table as well. Nova's friend Delilah is quite the character, and I am glad that she accepted Nova. There were some rocky points in the friendship and it was hard to see her hurting but going back for more with her on again off again boyfriend. The ending was nice, but it also didn't really give me the wrap up that I wanted with Quinton. But there was an excerpt from the next book, so I know their story continues and I can't wait to see where that goes. Bottom Line: Powerful story with very hurt characters.

I went into this blind, as I had no clue what this was about. I had also never read anything by Jessica Sorensen. Where have I been?That prologue! I was hoping the story kept pace with it, as I was pulled in right away. I was happy it did. Both Nova and Quinton are dealing with tragic pasts, and trying to move on. The author did a great job incorporating both of their pasts in this story, as both brought so much emotion to the characters and story.This deals with loss and what can come along with it: feeling lost, turning to substance abuse, coping skills, and moving on. I read this in only a few hours, and I am immediately starting book 2.

Review courtesy of Dark Faerie TalesQuick & Dirty: Heartbreaking story filled with love, hope, and new beginnings. It covers some very serious issues and is pretty depressing, but overall this was a really good read.Opening Sentence: Sometimes I wonder if there are some memories the mind doesn’t want to deal with and that if it really wants to, it can block out the images, shut down, numb the pain connected to what we saw–what we didn’t want to see.The Review:Nova Reed use to have such a bright future. She was in love with her best friend and had dreams of becoming a famous drummer. Then one terrible night everything changed and everything about her life seemed like a lie. They say time will heal all wounds but it has been a year since her boyfriend left this life for good and Nova doesn’t feel any better, if anything she’s worse. She is a shell of the person she once was and does things that she would have never considered before. Nova puts on a great front, but inside she has gone numb. Then she meets Quinton Carter, a boy that reminds her way to much of the one she lost with his sad eyes and artistic soul. He might be the only thing that can make her feel again, but he seems just as lost and broken as she is.Quinton doesn’t deserve happiness. He killed the only girl he has ever loved and he made a promise to be with her forever. He plans on keeping that promise until the day he dies. Miserable and alone he turns to the only solace he can get — drugs. The old Quinton would have never touched the stuff, but it seems to be the only way to numb the pain. Then Sweet beautiful Nova walks into his life and she is like a breathe of fresh air. He can breathe again for the first time in so long, but he is broken beyond repair and she deserves better. But he can’t seem to stay away. Can he finally forget the past or will it haunt him for the rest of his life?Nova is a beautiful girl that has been dealt a pretty awful past full of loss. Her father dies when she was young, and then her boyfriend/best friend died when she was 18. Nova doesn’t understand why everyone she cares about keeps leaving her. Nova really pulled at my heartstrings, she was the one left behind to deal with all the pain of trying to move on and that would be so hard. Nova doesn’t do a perfect job but at least she tries and I respect her for that. I loved watching her learn from her mistakes and become a better person. She was an amazing girl and I am excited to read more of her story.Then there is the devastatingly gorgeous Quinton. There were moments I had a hard time connecting with him because he was so depressed and guilt ridden it made it hard to really fall for him as the love interest. But when you see those rare glimpses of who he was before the accident it makes you realize that there really is something there worth saving. He is so broken you can’t help but want to fix him. His story really pulls at your heartstrings and if Sorensen had written him any other way, I don’t think he would have been as realistic. His character has tons of potential and I am intrigued to see where his story will go in the next book.The romance was interesting in this story. It’s basically two broken lost souls that find comfort in each other. In all honesty, I didn’t really feel the love connection between them as much as I did a friendship one, but I actually really liked that. Sorensen has a great setup to make the romance much more meaningful in the next book. They have a connection and they are attracted to each other, but neither of them is really in the right place in their lives to truly fall in love.This was a really heartbreaking story and I’m not going to lie, it actually was pretty depressing. Sorensen covers some very heavy topics and to make it realistic it has to really pull at your emotions, which she did perfectly. This was a difficult read for me because even though I have never experienced what these characters went through, I can understand how painful something like that would be. But I love the message of how hope and forgiveness is what heals pain, not drugs and alcohol. Fair warning — there is a lot of drug and alcohol references in this story so if you aren’t a fan steer clear. The ending of this book was perfect, but it is a little torturous as well since you are left hanging, but I am very eager to see what happens in the sequel. I would highly recommend this to anyone that is looking for a good new adult book that is full of emotion and hope.Notable Scene:“Like the car.” The sound of his voice is familiar, way to familiar, like the world has decided to play a cruel joke on me. when a guy steps out of the hallway, I just about drop dead on the floor as the similarity intensifies and sends my mind spinning. Everything about him screams Landon, and for a second I really believe it’s him.It’s not really the similarities in features as much as something less visible. He’s taller than Landon, with dark brown hair instead of black, and it’s shaven short instead of hanging in his eyes. He also has slightly more muscle tone to him, and there’s an indistinct scar over his top lip. all these things don’t match up, but it’s the little details that push an insanity button in my head. like the charcoal on his hands, or the fact that the laces of his boots are untied, something Landon used to do all the time. the sound of his voice, deep and smooth like melted butter, has a strikingly comparable ring to it. And his eyes. Those goddam honey-brown eyes with so much sorrow in them it nearly swallows any happiness in the room. I’ve only seen that much sadness in one person’s eyes. Ever. And when they lock on me, it’s like I’m drowning in his sorrow–Landon’s sorrow.FTC Advisory: Forever/Hachette Book Group provided me with a copy of Breaking Nova. No goody bags, sponsorships, “material connections,” or bribes were exchanged for my review.