I enjoyed their story because I love the characters (especially Silas's grumpy snark), but the trilogy will stick with me because it's a story of survival, friendship, and an enduring first love.
From the Every Mended Heart blurb:
After everything Silas and Ben have fought for, it seems the true battle has only just begun. As rumors spread through the school, Silas's already strained relationship with Ben starts to crack from the added pressure. His personal bully is back and determined to tear Silas down at every turn. And when Ben’s plans send him back to California, it might be the final fracture that shatters them for good.
Silas’s life is spiraling out of control, and the relationships he has come to rely on are put to the ultimate test. When the worst happens and his world completely falls apart, Silas must find the inner strength to not only survive but to forgive. Because love isn't about what we deserve, and being broken doesn't mean we're ruined.
Join Ben and Silas in the heart-wrenching conclusion to their hard-fought love story. Happily-ever-afters are for fairytales, but love is love is love, and it's always worth fighting for.
This is the second edition printing of the Far From Ruined trilogy. While it is the same general story/plot as the original publication (2019), it has been heavily revised and re-edited to better reflect Nik Knight's style, voice, and principles.
GreenwingReads review:
This is the third book of a trilogy and cannot be read as a standalone. As with the previous two books, but even more so with this one, pay attention to the trigger warnings. This story packs a lot of punches.
The first book focused on the development of Silas and Ben as friends, the second book saw the beginning of their romance, and this third one tests the strength of their bond. Nik really puts their characters through the ringer in all three books, but we see a lot more of each boy's individual struggles here. Ben has many more demons than we knew and his own struggles and poor choices put a strain on his relationship with Silas. They boys also struggle with communication.
For his part, Silas goes through just about every horrible thing you can imagine in this story. He was so strong, I could not believe it. Eventually, it did start to feel like too much tragedy for one character and made for a very hefty read. I didn't feel like it was all really necessary to pile so much onto Silas. I'm not one to get too emotional about books and I have very few triggers, but I had to take a step back a couple of times and allow myself to mentally reset.
That's not to say it isn't a beautiful and realistic story, it is. Silas and Ben have moments where they are toxic together, they can be selfish, they can overreact, and they can be impulsive. Yeah, they're teenage boys, seniors in high school, and they are going through things most adults would struggle to handle. Is it still enjoyable from a romance perspective? Yes, in that it makes the payoff that much sweeter.
I struggled with the ending. At first, I wished I had skipped the epilogue. If you want the boys to have an HEA as teens riding off into the sunset never to struggle again a day in their lives, stop there. If you want a more realistic ending, read the epilogue, which jumps ahead to see them after college (I've also been told there is a bonus epilogue in the audio version). After I read it a couple of times and sat with it for a bit, I realized I was ultimately glad for the epilogue. I think things needed to work out the way that they did for Ben and Silas. I did like seeing them as adult men who had fought through their demons and come out stronger on the other side.
Most romances I read leave the ending beautifully polished and trouble free in that idealistic HEA way romances are known for. This trilogy is far more raw and realistic. Problems come and go throughout life and tragedy and setbacks can happen at any time. This trilogy is a reflection of that. I wish no teenager (or anyone) would ever go through what Silas and Ben did, but the reality is that there are people who endure the same and worse. I enjoyed their story because I love the characters (especially Silas's grumpy snark), but the trilogy will stick with me because it's a story of survival, friendship, and an enduring first love.
GreenwingReads review:
This is the third book of a trilogy and cannot be read as a standalone. As with the previous two books, but even more so with this one, pay attention to the trigger warnings. This story packs a lot of punches.
The first book focused on the development of Silas and Ben as friends, the second book saw the beginning of their romance, and this third one tests the strength of their bond. Nik really puts their characters through the ringer in all three books, but we see a lot more of each boy's individual struggles here. Ben has many more demons than we knew and his own struggles and poor choices put a strain on his relationship with Silas. They boys also struggle with communication.
For his part, Silas goes through just about every horrible thing you can imagine in this story. He was so strong, I could not believe it. Eventually, it did start to feel like too much tragedy for one character and made for a very hefty read. I didn't feel like it was all really necessary to pile so much onto Silas. I'm not one to get too emotional about books and I have very few triggers, but I had to take a step back a couple of times and allow myself to mentally reset.
That's not to say it isn't a beautiful and realistic story, it is. Silas and Ben have moments where they are toxic together, they can be selfish, they can overreact, and they can be impulsive. Yeah, they're teenage boys, seniors in high school, and they are going through things most adults would struggle to handle. Is it still enjoyable from a romance perspective? Yes, in that it makes the payoff that much sweeter.
I struggled with the ending. At first, I wished I had skipped the epilogue. If you want the boys to have an HEA as teens riding off into the sunset never to struggle again a day in their lives, stop there. If you want a more realistic ending, read the epilogue, which jumps ahead to see them after college (I've also been told there is a bonus epilogue in the audio version). After I read it a couple of times and sat with it for a bit, I realized I was ultimately glad for the epilogue. I think things needed to work out the way that they did for Ben and Silas. I did like seeing them as adult men who had fought through their demons and come out stronger on the other side.
Most romances I read leave the ending beautifully polished and trouble free in that idealistic HEA way romances are known for. This trilogy is far more raw and realistic. Problems come and go throughout life and tragedy and setbacks can happen at any time. This trilogy is a reflection of that. I wish no teenager (or anyone) would ever go through what Silas and Ben did, but the reality is that there are people who endure the same and worse. I enjoyed their story because I love the characters (especially Silas's grumpy snark), but the trilogy will stick with me because it's a story of survival, friendship, and an enduring first love.
Every Mended Heart is currently available as an audiobook, e-book and can be read as part of your Kindle Unlimited Subscription
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