Book: Before We Break by Willa Kay
Reviewed by Maggie Hayes
Rating: 3.5/5
Before We Break by Willa Kay
⭐⭐⭐½ (3.5/5)
I enjoyed Clio and Noah's small-town fake-engagement romance.
Clio is pure sunshine, but not in an obnoxious way. She will give Noah grief (see: every town meeting ever) and isn't naive to the darker side of life, having been a teen single mom and currently being in the throes of grieving her Aunt Penny. A lot of times, I feel like sunny characters are given optimism in place of intelligence or wisdom, but that isn't the case here. I love that Clio is plus-size without it being her entire personality; she still feels sexy and desired, which is important to show. And her relationship with her teen daughter, Lexi, stayed on the right side of being close and growing up together without sacrificing parenting for friendship.
I love me a grumpy, wounded man, and Noah certainly delivers. While he and Clio both had hard upbringings, his experiences hardened him, making him believe that love doesn't exist. I loved watching him change his mind as he slowly fell for Clio, revealing his hidden vulnerability. He supports not only Clio but also Lexi. There are some really beautiful scenes with Noah and Lexi that definitely had me tearing up. He is such a natural caregiver, doing his best for his nephew, Auggie, and helping Clio through flare-ups of her endometriosis.
The real scene-stealer was Auggie. He is the sweetest little preschooler and the heart of the story, bringing Clio and Noah together when Noah becomes his guardian. He is Deaf/HOH with cochlear implants, and while I can't speak to the authenticity of that aspect of his story, I appreciated the discussion around him being able to turn off his "ears" whenever he wants and the importance of learning ASL from a member of the Deaf community.
The heart and heat are balanced well, with some great banter thrown in. The emotional beats hit especially hard for me—be sure to check your trigger warnings!
Thank you to the author for providing an ARC.