Review: Nearly Broken by Devon Ashley

Title: Nearly Broken
Author: Devon Ashley
Series: Nearly #1
Publication: June 4th 2013
Genre: New Adult
Format: e-book
Purchase: Amazon | B&N | Kobo
Cover Rating: 4/5
Overall Rating: 3/5

e-copy provided by author in exchange for an honest review.

   

We’d both gone missing at one point, but Claire had one thing I didn’t. Someone to notice. So why was I the one still here and she the one still gone?

Nineteen year old Megan Smith has spent the past year working in a small town diner in the middle of nowhere. Life is quiet, simple, safe. Then comes the news that her look-a-like has gone missing.

Claire.

Still damaged both physically and mentally, Megan's not looking to be noticed. Wherever she goes from here, it's a road she needs to take alone. But when Nickolas Ellis takes the job as the new nightshift cook, it scares her how easily her defenses crumble down, down, down for him. But there are secrets she can't bear to share with just anyone, unspeakable acts that continue to haunt, and when the similarities of Claire’s abduction couples with the fear of an unwanted visitor in town, the urge to run before it all happens again intensifies, threatening the only happiness Megan's ever found.

New Adult Romantic Suspense / Dark Realistic Fiction
Recommended for 17+ for mature and disturbing situations, language and sexual content.

~My Thoughts:

The author, Devon Ashley, gave me this book for review month ago. Due to life getting in the way I didn't get to read this until now but I'm glad I finally did read it. Even though most people think three star ratings aren't so great, it doesn't mean this book was bad or anything. Let's just get that clear. It was a great book but not four or five star material. Now that we've got that out of the way...

I definitely liked where the story was going when it started. I really liked Megan and the mystery that surrounded her. It wasn't clear right away what really happened to her. The only thing we know was that according to her she did something awful and was on the run from someone. And then Nick came into the picture. I liked him too. Very much, actually. But what I didn't like when everything got revealed, I can't tell what exactly of course if I don't want to spoil things but I didn't like when all these things got revealed about Megan and who she really is and who Nick is all alone and how he handled it. That just put me off a little bit but other than that he was pretty great and sweet and so understanding.

I couldn't help compare this to another book that also involves human trafficking, although that book was even darker but I didn't like Nearly Broken as much for some reason. Anyway, I think some parts of the storyline just didn't feel right to me. It felt like the story was devided into these parts. The first part where Megan meets Nick, works with him and start their relationship, then the part starts where Megan finds out things and then the part where shit is hitting the fan. And I must admit I lost a little bit of my interest during the part where Megan found out who her family is. Just was a tad boring. But I liked the story overall well enough. I liked most of the characters and not only Megan and Nick, although Megan was definitely my favorite because she was so strong and sometimes snarky and she went through a lot. I really wanted her to be happy. And Nick too.


Overall not my favorite new adult book ever but Nearly Broken by Devon Ashley was a likably read with a bit of darkness that I love in some books. The characters were all great as was most of the story. I also had nothing to bad to say about the writing. I really liked it and Megan's voice. I only wish some things were handled a little different but aside from that I do want to read the next book and see what's going to happen next because the ending was really interesting. I'm sure it's going to have a twist in Nearly Mended. 

Favorite Quotes:

And I hated to admit it, but his smile warmed my heart a little, despite the hardened shell I kept around it for protection.

I no longer liked the night. The darkness was where he lied in wait, waiting for it to swallow me whole each night, suffocating my senses with fear.

After that heart-stopping kiss, my crazy grin was so wide I could've played back-up for the Joker in Batman.