REVIEW: From Ashes by Molly McAdams

Title/Series: From Ashes
Author: Molly McAdams
Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks
Published: December 11th 2012
Format: eBook | Pages: 288
Genre: NA, Contemporary, Romance, Drama
Source: Purchase B&N
★★★★✩ (4.5/5) Stars!

Molly McAdams | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Aside from her dad, who passed away when she was six, Cassidy Jameson has only ever trusted one man: her best friend, Tyler. So of course she follows him to Texas when he leaves for college. She just didn't expect to be so drawn to their new roommate, Gage, a gorgeous guy with a husky Southern drawl. The only problem? He's Tyler's cousin.

Gage Carson was excited to share an apartment off campus with his cousin. He didn't mind that Tyler was bringing the mysterious friend he'd heard about since they were kids . . . until the most beautiful girl he's ever seen jumps out of his cousin's Jeep. There's something about Cassi that makes Gage want to give her everything. Too bad Tyler has warned him that she's strictly off-limits.

Despite everything keeping them apart, Cassi and Gage dance dangerously close to the touch they've both been craving. But when disaster sends her running into Tyler's arms, Cassi will have to decide whether to face the demons of her past . . . or to burn her chance at a future with Gage.

I'm writing this at different points of finish. I normally really do wait until I'm completely finished reading a book with next to none or no notes taken. Just kind of write what I feel. But this book has me feeling so much that I'm needing to get it out now. There may be a few tiny spoilers but ones that shouldn't ruin the book for you in any way.

I'll start off by saying I was really surprised, baffled even by the sheer number of negative reviews and star ratings at 2 and below on Goodreads. And most of them stated DNF at the start. I really didn't read the reviews because too many people out there love dropping spoilers without properly hiding it or at the very least warning you like I did. So normally I just browse star ratings but still I really wanted to read this book. Sentence after sentence, paragraph after paragraph, scene after scene, chapter after chapter...I'm still baffled. I'm loving this book. Of course I'm outraged and hate Tyler with a fiery passion and hope that he rots in the deepest darkest spots of hell. But still, what love story doesn't have some dark evil force, *Cough*Tyler*Cough*, working against them. Still I'm loving the book.

 

It gets near 50% and everything is utter bliss. After facing obstacles we have love and passion, ohhh the passion *sigh*, and I'm thinking wow I read this pretty fast and I look down and realize holy crap there's like 53% left of the book still. Now I'm worried. Page after page I'm waiting for the bomb to drop. For the big explosion that will rock this sweet, tender love completely off it's axis.

 

So here I am at this very moment. It's 57-60% in. I say this because the bump starts at 57% and slowly starts ticking away at me until it's 60% and I am ready to explode. I really think I see and understand how so many people could throw their hands up and walk away. It's beyond frustrating and I have now gone from really liking and feeling so horrible for Cassidy and the complete crap her life has been until now to complete shock. Right now...I don't get her at all. I don't get her decision making, her motivation, I just--I wish I could be like the people who gave up. I'm that frustrated. But I can't not finish. It's not in my nature. I guess maybe at this point I'm still in it for Gage? I'm pushing myself because I know in my heart he deserves a HEA. So fingers crossed I hope he gets it and...I'm going back in. 

Now at 68% I'm starting to question my sanity for wanting to go on. I think if Gage winds up with Cassidy in the end it's only going to piss me off. He deserves so much better. So much. And everything is just getting ridiculous. There are too many people in this...this.. thing. Tyler and Gage is one thing. But Jesse? Connor? Do you think this is helping me to liking Cassi any better? NO. I don't care how screwed up her life was. At this point the only person she deserves to be with is Tyler. And I think he's a chump. So, yeah, there ya go.

Done reading now and there are two parts of me. One part wants to erase everything I've written so far and start over, while the other half wants to keep things as they are so someone contemplating reading can see the wide range of feelings I had towards the book at different stages and maybe not give up just like me and possibly like it in the end? You never know. I mean I can't believe this either after reading through everything I wrote at the start to the point I'm at now, because at the end of it all I'm happy I finished. I can't even tell you what just clicked in me to change it, all I know is I went from:

Start:

5 out of 5

57-60%:

3 out of 5

68%:

1 out of 5

72%:

2.5 out of 5

77%:

3.5 out of 5

The End:

4.5 out of 5

(Honestly I would've probably gone 5/5 but I'm taking off half a point for mental anguish :P)

I don't know how the hell it happened either!!! I mean one minute I'm sitting there fuming at all this stuff going on that makes no sense to me and then it's near the end and I'm crying and then I'm just... happy. Molly McAdams is some sort of evil genius! And I look forward to letting her torture me again in the future :)