Synopsis

I fell for Connor Drake. I didn’t want to; I fought against it, but I fell in love with him anyway. With his words. With his poetry. With him. The gentleness and beauty of his soul that speaks directly to mine. He writes as if he can feel my heart, hear its cadence and compose the exact right lyrics to accompany every beat and flow.I’m in love with Connor…so why do I feel an inexplicable pull to his best friend, Weston? Grouchy, sullen, brooding Weston Turner, who could cut you down with a look. Fiercely intelligent with a razor sharp wit and acid tongue, he’s the exact opposite of Connor in every way, and yet there’s electricity in the air between us. The thorny barbs Weston wraps around himself can’t keep me away.But the more time I spend with these men, the more tangled and confused my emotions become. When they both sign up for the Army Reserves during a time of increasing strife in the Middle East, I fear I’ll never unravel my own heart that sometimes feels as if it will tear straight down the middle…for both of them.

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Bring Down the Stars is an emotional, angst-filled novel of unrequited love by bestselling author, Emma Scott, and is inspired by the classic tale, Cyrano de Bergerac. (Roxanne) It is Book I in the Beautiful Hearts Duet, coming this summer. Book II, Long Live the Beautiful Hearts, to be released a few weeks later. THIS IS NOT YOUR TYPICAL LOVE TRIANGLE #confusedhearts #notamenage

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Review

5,5 “Cyrano retelling” stars

This epic love and friendship story will push you through your limits. It will frustrate you. It will hurt you. It will also fill you with so many beautiful emotions you won’t be able to contain them. Read this with a survival kit composed of: ice cream, alcohol, tissues and punching bag. It is also best to protect your E-reader with the latest and bulkiest case or have a good insurance.

WARNING: disorganized/emotional/rant review ahead!

You’ve been warned this book awoke so many emotions and thoughts that I had a very difficult time writing this review as I want to speak about everything *and I have much to tell* yet don’t spoil anything at all!

Daunting if not impossible task that I am still not sure I mastered…

First part: my emotions and reactions while reading the book

It went like this:

–30% in the book “Emma I HATE love triangle. I can’t do this this is pure torture! I want “him” to get the girl!”

–65% in the book ” I get it now! This is a love story. Love like friendship and love like romance!”

–95% “oh no!, oh no! Don’t do this to me Emma Scott​ please this is inhuman! I curse you but it so beauuuuuutiful…”

–100% in the book and past the sneak peek….”You are killing me! And I am crying on the street now. And weeks is too long to wait for the next one. And….I love you Emma even when you make me hurt and cry and curse you!”

Second part: the character cast

Female MC: Autumn. She is a humanist and in this she reminded me of Isabel, Emma Scott’s daughter. Each time Autumn was passionate about saving the world, supporting a cause, holding her ground even in front of Connor’s dad I couldn’t help but imagine Isabel. Sorry Emma I hope I don’t hurt you here but that’s the honest truth.

Autumn praises honesty above all else. She loves simple things as she’s been brought up on a farm. She is so not impressed by Connor’s wealth and car who’s a chick magnet.

If you want to please Autumn you have to speak to her heart and soul, not her wallet. Better you have to put your money where your mouth is. Don’t “just” tell but show.

That’s why she felt something was amiss with Connor. See “third part: the plot and relationship”.

First male MC * that’s where it gets tricky*: Weston.

We have the story through Autumn and Weston’s POV.

Weston built walls around his heart as he’d been abandoned by his dad who left Weston’s mom alone and in financial difficulties to raise three children.  Wes offers his impassive façade to everyone and does not care to make friends except for Connor. He’s been called the Amherst @hole.

“When your dad leaves you behind like a forgotten sock, a piece of your childhood rots away—the part where you can just be a kid without worrying so much.”

Loving someone just gets you hurt.

“I worried I would grow up to be trash too, and would hurt any woman I might someday love, so I vowed not to love anyone.”

He runs fast, very fast. That’s what got him a scholarship to college.

“I ran a lot. When I got mad, I ran around the old, pitted track at my public school as fast as I could, for as long as I could. I don’t know why; I didn’t particularly like running, but I was fast. I still had dreams about chasing Dad’s car, so maybe that’s why. Maybe I’m still trying to catch him. Stupid. Running on a track, you just go in circles. You always come back to where you start.”

 But Weston is not only a runner he as other talents that I won’t speak here as I don’t want to spoil the story.

Second male MC: Connor

Connor comes from a very wealthy family and has a solar personality. You could say Connor is the sun and Weston is the moon. Polar opposites yet best friends since Wes’s first scholarship day at Connor’s school for the wealthy. Connor is the popular kid. The one you can’t hate as he has a huge smile *with perfect blinding white teeth* an easy personality and is generous with everyone.

But coming from a wealthy and powerful family is not easy as the Drakes put huge expectation and pressure on Connor. His parents want him to join the family firm, go to Harvard like his older brother. But that’s just not Connor! He has other ambition and suffers from disappointing his parents. Like any kids he craves his parent’s approval. He wants to be loved and praised.

Third part: the plot and the relationship

Let’s say this right from the start this is a character driven story. Not an action story, not a thriller but you could see it as a suspense because of the love triangle.

You’ll always wonder what will happen and who will end with the girl.

I won’t touch this with a ten feet pole.

What I will say is that Conner and Weston’s friendship was extraordinary.

“Connor had a strange charisma; as if he were impossible to dislike. His superpower. I was the opposite; I made it really damn easy for people not to like me—I preferred it that way. And yet here I was, hanging with the most popular kid in my grade who’d told Norm the Security Guard that I was his friend.” “For some crazy-ass reason, he liked me. Our friendship was instant, as if we’d known each other in a past life and were just picking up where we left off.”

For all that I ranted against Emma this friendship is as important as the love story. Because they love each other so hard that both would sacrifice their own happiness to see the other one happy. Both would back up from Autumn for the other.

The only problem is that Connor is not aware of Weston’s feeling for Autumn and he won’t have the opportunity to help Weston.

Autumn needs romance. She is not a quick lay. She does not want casual. She wants something deep and meaningful. What better way to win such girl’s heart than pour his feelings on paper? That’s what happen here and that’s why it was so frustrating!

I felt like the one openly flirting with her did not deserve her heart. It felt like he was not invested enough while the second boy would have been such a perfect match for her. So why not go for the girl?

Because they are like brothers and they have each other’s back. Because the one helping his friend has such a ginormous heart and shinning soul that he just wanted Autumn to be happy, even at the expense of his own happiness. And because he loved his friend deeply and wanted to help him achieve his dream.

“You said you wouldn’t help me and then you did. Why?” “I don’t know,” I said. “I couldn’t sleep. I heard your phone. It made you look good and made her happy. Win, win.”

I will stop here with the review but will post another post with a character/dream cast because I loved them so much!

Just know that this story is angsty, this story is difficult for the likes like me but this story is also incredibly beautiful. It shines through the pain. I am happy I trusted Emma Scott and read it even knowing about the love triangle because I would have missed an epic love and friendship story.

Have you read Emma Scott’s stories? Do you like love triangles?

Thanks for reading!

Sophie