Nance's Reviews > Like Gravity

***POSSIBLE SPOILERS PRESENT WITHIN REVIEW***

This novel was amazing! I was so disappointed when it was over...it was that good!!! But, for once a stand-alone that ends so perfectly. I just loved the two main characters that Ms. Johnson created along with their loyal and true friends. There were so many profoundly exquisite thoughts and phrases referenced along with beautiful alluring songs mentioned that I found myself highlighting so many sentences within the text of this novel. So, many beautiful expressions conveyed! Ms. Johnson made this book so believable. And, romantic. And, heartaching. And, deeply intricate. I can’t wait to see what her next effort will create.

Brooklyn Turner is a sophomore in college. Her life has been full of ups and downs. And, she was broken. Defeated. Damaged at the young age of six when a degranged pyschopath took away the only person that mattered to her – her mother. Through a horrific act of violence “Bee” decides to withdraw into herself and not trust anyone. With no family to speak of and an unidentified father that has been missing from her life, she is now a ward of the state. Foster homes are her residence until finally being settled in a home with numerous other kids. She’s the mute dumb little girl that everyone makes fun of until a boy, not much older than herself, reaches out to her and helps her to reconnect into a world of fantasy and make-believe. He tells her fairytales and enlightens her knowledge of the constellations within the sky. And, she finds herself trusting the young boy with the sad blue eyes. This is the start of their beautiful friendship right up until the boy is adopted by a family of his own. But, now fourteen years have gone by, and Bee can barely remember anything that occurred around that time other than the harrowing ordeal that claimed the life of her beautiful mother. As, she tries to figure out things with the help of a caring therapist, someone is wrecking havoc on her life. Stalking her with gifts and phone calls. Making their presence known within the apartment that she shares with best friend, Lexie. And, trying to terrify her relentlessly. But, she won’t cave. She’s strong. She’s brave with her confident and often brazen attitude. No one will ever break her again. So, enter Finn Chambers. Hot male. So, arrogant and sure of himself. But, he’s beautiful with that confident swagger and sarcastic mindset. Bee just can’t stand people with that smug persona. But, Lexie swoons when he’s around. As Bee just rolls her eyes with that “please, give me a break” response, she knows that she would never want to be involved with a jerk like him because he’s probably had every girl on campus crawling in his sheets. And, she promises that she will never come in contact with him, that is until a mishap on campus actually has her literally falling at his feet. And, of course, the pompous attitude of the asshat comes out, and she is mortified beyond belief. So, much for keeping a low profile around the idiot. And, thus, begins a romance like none other. The pair try to keep their distance, but it’s undeniable how they are intimately attracted to each other whether as just friends or lovers. Finn is such a great guy. Compassionate. Fun. Protective. Tender. But, he’s keeping a stunning secret. One that could threaten to terminate their relationship totally. He tries to tell Bee numerous times, but she ultimately finds out in a surreal manner, and it devastates her to her core. Will she ever be able to trust him again? Will they find their way back to each other? And, will Bee ever find happiness within herself when a deranged stalker, standing in the shadows, is just waiting for the right time to strike?

The novel full of intrigue, intensity, romance and friendship was outstanding! I loved Bee and Finn. Bee was such a powerful woman. She was just trying to pull herself out of that dark and gloomy hole that had consumed her entire existence. Always trying to keep that low profile. Never letting one into her personal space. But, when her friend Lexie tells her that she, as her best friend for years, really doesn’t even know the real “Bee”, she decides to work on those impenetrable issues. She also knows that if she ever wants to have a relationship with Finn, she has to deal with the ramifications of the past that she has so explicitly kept hidden.

So many heartfelt quotations within the text of this novel...

“I was tired, so tired, of fighting my shadow every miute of the day. My grief had become a living entity, personified by years of self-blame and incarnated by my refusal to confront it. Like Peter, I’d chased my specter for years and repeatedly forced it into submission in a never-ending battle of wills. Too often, though, the grief broke free – and I broke down.” (Chap. 8 ~ Bee describing her dragging her“wrath of misery”around for fourteen years).
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“There’s a song for every feeling, Bee. Every tear, every smile, every heartbreak, and every victory. Music ignites the soul and strips us bare. It’s our very essence. Even if you have no one else to turn to and you feel all alone, remember that you can always find comfort in ballads and melodies, serenades and love songs.” (Chap. 8 ~ Bee’s mother’s voice in her head).
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“Channeling Scarlett O’Hara, my all-time literary lady and clearly a formative influence on my development, I decided I couldn’t think about the Finn situation right now – I’d think about it tomorrow. After all...tomorrow is another day.” (Chap. 8 ~ Bee trying to sort out the “Finn” situation)...one of my most favorite books ever “Gone with the Wind”!!
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“Grief is a kick in the chest. It steals your breath, hits you so hard you think you’ll never stand back up again. And it’s just not because you’re grieving death or heartbreak or loss – you’re grieving change. You’re grieving the life that might have been, if it hadn’t all gotten f**ked up along the way.” (Chap. 10 ~ Finn’s definition of grief).
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“You could spend forever thinking about the things you’ll never experience with your mom – infinity contemplating the memories she won’t ever be a part of. But at some point, you have to let the life you should’ve had go, and start living the one you’ve got,” Finn whispered. (Chap. 10 ~ Finn telling Bee to start living her life the way it is now.
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“Bee, a very smart man named John Lennon once said, ‘Everything will be okay in the end. If it’s not okay, it’s not the end.’” (Chap. 11 ~ Bee reflecting on something her mother often told her as she contemplates telling the boy with the sad blue eyes everything will work out eventually even without mommies or daddies to take care of them).
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“Home.

It’s wherever I’m with you.

It was a strong statement to make to anyone, but it was especially powerful for me – a girl who hadn’t had a true home for most of her life. His choice hadn’t been accidental; he knew better than anyone what my life growing up had been like. The bits and pieces I’d revealed had painted him a pretty good picture of my childhood, even if he was still missing some of the more vital details.

It was a declaration. It was an assurance I’d never before been offered. It was a promise that, even though I didn’t have a traditional home with two loving parents, a white picket fence, and golden retriever in the front yard, it didn’t matter.

He would be my home.

It was in that instant I fell in love with him.” (Chap. 13 ~ Bee falling in love).
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“Of course possessing the will to live is important – vital even. It can make the difference between life and death, between taking one more breath or succumbing to a quick end.” (Chap. 14 ~ Bee deciding whether or not to fight her stalker at Styx).
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“It happened so fast.

Sometimes you see change coming. You might not want it, might not be ready to embrace the new course your life is about to set out on, but at the very least you can prepare for it. Adjust your expectations. Formulate a new plan.

Other times, change is so sudden, so unexpected, it knocks you right on your ass and leaves you wondering how you got to this place – blindsided, with your expectations and hopes and dreams as unsalvageable as an ice cream cone dropped to the ground at the carnival, melting slowly into the dirt road.” (Chap. 16 ~ The truth comes out).
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“It seemed a distant memory now, superficial and fleeting; disappearing with the wind on gossamer wings, so quickly it was as if it had never been real at all.

The truth was, though, a part of me had suspected all along that this, that he, couldn’t possibly be meant for me. Deep down, I’d known I wasn’t meant for good things – for lightness and love. It just wasn’t in the cards for me, and what a fool I’d been, if only for a brief span of time, to think otherwise.” (Chap. 17 ~ Bee realizing that she’s just not meant to be happy).
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“Humans are flawed creatures – selfish and cowardly most of the time. We lie, cheat, and steal better than we do almost anything else. We hurt each other with words, actions, and omissions. There is a one hundred percent guarantee that the people we love most will let us down. That’s the risk you take, when you open up your heart.

But at some point, you have to decide which ones matter more than the pain, and forgive them for their mistakes. So, if you love him, I guess the only real question you have to ask yourself, the only question that matters is, at the end of the day, is he worth the suffering?” (Chap. 18 ~ Dr. Angelini asking Bee if Finn is worth fighting for).
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“When you love someone, truly love them – more than your pride, more than yourself, even – you can forgive them anything, no matter how much they’ve hurt you. And maybe I’m an idiot, but I still love you. I’ve loved you since I was six years old.” (Chap. 18 ~ Bee tells Finn about “love”).
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The epilogue was just beautiful. Magical. Surreal. Bee reminscing about “life”. How we know it. What we expect from it. What you see yourself as. How the people you come intact with during your life affect the way your life evolves. Who matters. Who doesn’t. Where you think you should be. When you should be there. And, I loved how the author said that the story was a “love story”. Not just a love story between a boy and girl, but a love story between the girl and herself.

“It was about me learning to accept the woman I’d become, flaws and all. Because everybody’s a little bit f**ked up – that’s life. And maybe there aren’t any happily ever afters, or white knights who ride in on valiant steeds to save the day. Maybe, in real life, Prince Charming isn’t always perfect – he’s just as flawed as everyone else in the tale.

And that princess, alone in her tower? She’s not perfect either. Birds don’t braid her hair every morning, she can’t serenade wild forest creatures into servidude, and she doesn’t even own a ball gown. But she’s also smart enough to know not to accept poisoned apples from strangers, or prick her finger on deadly spindles.

She doesn’t wait around for a prince to charge in and slay the dragon. Maybe she saves herself and in the end, rides off into her own goddamned sunset.

I don’t know, it’s just a theory.

And thankfully, I don’t have to have it all figured out yet; I’ve got my whole life ahead of me to do that.” (Epilogue ~ Bee summing up her idea of how “life” just might not turn out the way we think it will.

(Me smiling...simply mesmerizing) ~

This was just the most alluring and capitivating story ever. I kind of had an idea of what the biggest bomb-shell was going to be, but I didn’t see the huge explosive climax that was revealed. The author did an exceptional job of hiding it! This was just such a riveting rollercoaster ride filled with intensity and despair. Wow! I was so surprised that this amazing author was so young! Her words just jumped off the page with artistry and curiosity. She definitely has a promising career ahead of her if she keeps writing novels like that! Can’t wait to see what Ms. Johnson has next up her sleeve to deliver to her readers!