Saturday 28 February 2015

REVIEW; Kill Devil Hills, by Sarah Darlington




Rating: 

Genre: New Adult, Drama, Romance

Recommend: Yes

Summary:
Georgina is 18 years old when she attempts to end her life following the funeral of her brother. Feeling guilty that her last words to him were argumentative, she decides to end her life. 

Noah Clarke is 24 and her older sister's best friend. Drunk and confused, Noah stumbles upon Georgie as she lies bleeding on the bathroom floor and immediately tried to save her. As Georgie is recovering, Noah is haunted every night with a constant yearning for knowing about her well-being. 

Georgie develops feelings for Noah, which she dismisses as just as an attachment after her saved her. Meanwhile Noah can't deny that his want to protect her runs deeper than he believed. After her release, the pair dance around their mutual attraction afraid of what the other thinks. 

After all, can someone who has escaped a life of abuse and mistreatment and finally has their life on track, successfully be with someone extremely unstable and unpredictable?


My Thoughts:
Oh wow wow wow! 

I really loved this book. The initial scene was so powerful and I admired how straight up and strong it was. Suicide is such a current issue and many tip-toe around the subject and reading about Noah's reaction to Georgie's actions were such a powerful opening. 

Ellie is such a lovely character; Georgie's older sister who is a lesbian and Noah's best friend. She had such a lovely caring persona as she was responsible for taking in Noah so he could escape his abusive uncle and she was so supportive of Noah dating her younger sister. 

One can't help but feel for Noah. He witnessed Georgie's suicide attempt and is haunted by that night until her release. He tries to deny his feelings as she is 6 years younger and his best friend's sister, so he believes her to not only be fragile, but also off limits. He respects Georgie enough to give her space but once he realises she reciprocates his feelings and isn't as damaged or naive as he believed, he finally follows his heart for happiness.

Then there's poor feisty Georgie. She comes out of treatment having lost her best friend and boyfriend and has to cope with her family walking on egg-shells around her. Finding solace in Noah, she soon becomes swept up in her fantasies and has to deal with Noah's hot and cold/mixed signal attitude as he works out what the right thing to do is. She is such a strong character after committing an act many perceive as weak. 

The romance development between the two was a gorgeous read. There was an appropriate mix of drama and heartache before the pair united. 

Why 4 Stars?
At times the pace seemed a little wrong and there were some scenes that I didn't feel were realistic. Noah was a bit too much like a lot of book-boyfriends out there - the guy that doesn't do relationships but just falls helplessly in love so quickly and effortlessly. I suppose it's a concept that I just cringe at in novels.

Overall; I loved this and cannot wait to read the next installment. Ultimately it was a beautiful story and I completed it in less than 2 days with a busy schedule. I would definitely recommend to any romance/drama book lover. Definitely up there with the favourites and a great way to (sort of) start off the books of 2015!