All Ricky Martinez knows of life is loss, loyalty, and family. When his father became a quadriplegic after breaking his neck saving a drowning girl, Ricky gave up his dreams of playing football at a big college to stay home and take care of his family. His new dream? Find the girl who caused his father’s injury and get justice.Because of her, his family lost everything.All Aveline Gerard knows of … everything.
All Aveline Gerard knows of life is a quiet, protective love.
Homeschooled ever since her accident eighteen years ago, Aveline’s parents, both deaf, have kept her safe the only way they know how—sheltered, and alone. Aveline’s deepest desire? To experience life in all its loud and messy glory, and the tattooed guy in her first college class is all of those things.
Because of him, her life is finally beginning.
But fate has a wicked sense of justice and when Ricky realizes the sweet, shy girl in his class is the one who wrecked his family, will he be able to walk away? Or will the bitter rage inside cause him to make the biggest mistake of his life?
Because of them, the pain of two families will finally collide.
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I really enjoyed this book and have been waiting on it for a really long time. The writing was really good. I did enjoy the first 3 books more than this one though. I never really felt connected to Jon in the other books so I could have done without his story but I am glad the author wrote this book. I would recommend reading the first 3 too!
Ricky’s story is more gritty than the ones preceding his in the series. His life is extremely difficult. The life and standing of who he falls for is opposite. His internal struggle changes him. The end of the story is beautiful. Loved the psych class too!!
Great read
What a conclusion! Loved this series. Ricky and Aveline are completely opposites but meet by chance. This book is about faith, fate and forgiveness. Loved this book and Laura Ward left us hanging till the end.
I know I’ve said this before, but this book is my FAVE of the series!! This book has ALL the FEELS!!! you will go through every emotion, love, loss, & heartache. You will laugh and cry, but most importantly you will FEEL!!! Ricky goes through so much in his life and carries it all inside. That is untill he meets Aveline in his psych class. Two souls connected together in such a tragic way, weave through their heartache and come out so much stronger together.
I absolutely loved this book!! this author has a way of pulling you in with her words, but keeping you on the edge of your seats by her storytelling!
This has been my favorite book of the series. Ricky is out to get revenge against the girl who caused his father’s injury and in turn caused his family to struggle for so many years. Ricky does eventually find her, but when he does, he learns the truth about that day long ago. The anger that had remained deep down inside of him begins to soften. Can Ricky forgive Aveline for what happened to his father all those years ago? Can Aveline forgive Ricky for the damage he causes when his anger gets the best of him? I definitely recommend this one!
Another fantastic story in this series. Ricky’s story was an emotional journey and Aveline was dragged along for the ride. So glad that I read this emotional series. A fantastic conclusion. Well worth the read!!
I have to be completely honest, I’m not really sure what to say about Because of You. This book totally put me through the wringer and I had so many conflicting emotions throughout it. But don’t take that as a bad thing. It wasn’t at all. I really enjoyed this one, uncomfortable emotions and all.
First, I have to say I really appreciated the set up for this story. “Bad boy” from the wrong side of the tracks with a tragic past meets the “rich girl” who he believes stole everything from him. The friendship (and more) the boy planned to use as a way to get even and get what he felt he and his family deserved ended up changing both of their lives. It could’ve been cliche, but it was far from it. Thanks to Laura’s writing, it had a whole lot of heart and, well, all the feels.
I’m not going to lie, I had a tough time with Ricky for a good portion of this book. I understood why he was hurt and why he wanted to basically get even and have Aveline’s family pay him and his family back for what transpired years ago. But I also didn’t like the idea of him hurting Aveline. I know his family was dealing with a lot. He had a lot of anger issues and that worried me. It’s like he was in constant conflict throughout the book — between the monster that raged inside and the good, caring man he could be without even really trying. I, too, was in a constant state of conflict when it came to him because of this. Just when he’d do something so sweet it made me swoon, he’d turn around and do something hurtful and I’d get mad all over again. It was quite a ride. (I should be very specific here, because triggers, he wasn’t physically or emotionally abusive to Aveline.)
I loved Aveline right from the very start. Something about her innocence and naïveté made me want to protect her. I’m pretty sure that’s why I had a tough time with Ricky. He once described her as a butterfly and that’s a pretty accurate analogy. I was terrified he would crush her. While Ricky thought her home life was perfect because she was rich and had two healthy parents, he didn’t really know the full story there either. He made a lot of assumptions. But even while I feared for what the future would bring for them once all the secrets were revealed, I couldn’t help but ship them. They really were good for each other, despite everything.
I thought Because of You was a beautiful book. Laura has a real knack for writing these gorgeous books that make you stop and think about everything. She certainly did that here with a coming of age tale that touches on guilt and anger and overcoming the past to find true love. Ricky and Aveline’s story alone would’ve been enough, but I couldn’t help but be thrilled by the appearance of some of my favorites from earlier in this series. There were some pretty special scenes with them, too. My bookish heart was totally full after finishing this book.
FAVORITE QUOTES
I was ready to live my life, fully and unafraid. For the first time ever.
“I’m not a good man, but I’ll be good to you.”
Because the monster inside me won. And when it did, a butterfly lost her wings.
The monster was gone. In his place was a man who had won.
I started reading this story and I took an immediate liking to the storyline and characters. It consumed me to the point that I had a difficult time putting it down. This 5 star story made me feel so many emotions.
Ricky is all about wanting revenge for something he thinks has wrong his family and him. He works hard to keep his family afloat. Enters Aveline. All he sees is a rich, spoiled girl. Being on the wrong side of the tracks, he will put a plan in motion in order to have revenge. What he didn’t know is that he can’t help but fall in love with her. Will she forgive him when she learns the truth?
I was more then halfway done reading when I went to bed, I was so focus on these characters that were attached to my heart, body and soul. This is not the kind of story I needed when I suffer from insomnia. I couldn’t let it go and I cried, cried and cried. There were not sad tears, they were about forgiveness. Aveline has been lied and manipulated. She chose to forgive. Some of the events, actions were just so amazing. So I basically suffered from a book hangover.
This story is so addicting that I read it in a few short hours. An enticing and captivating tale of forgiveness and actions that have meaning. Beautifully written with a great storyline. A plot twist that left me smiling. Bottomline this is a must read.
This is the 4th story in the Not Yet series. Rest assured, Because of You can be read as a standalone. Although some of the characters from the previous stories come play a minor role in this story. Story told in a dual POV with an amazing HEA. I strongly recommend this story.
**3.5 Stars**
Your life can literally change in an instant, one split second decision can impact not only your present but also your future and those who love you. This is a lesson Ricky learned at a very young age.
Because of his dad, Pedro’s selfless actions, he saved a little girl’s life, a four-year-old, but essentially lost his at the same time. See, he saw her fall in the shallow water and didn’t hesitate to act, and broke his neck almost immediately, yet he still rescued her. He, however, became paralyzed and life turned into a daily struggle, physically and mentally for him, financially for his family, and emotionally for all of them.
Ricky, in turn, gave up on his dream, rejecting a scholarship and the chance to play professionally in order to help his family. His days are full of work and school, and the burning need for vengeance against the person that caused it all.
Aveline has been sheltered for the past eighteen years, since the accident that almost killed her when she was four. As she’s finally truly living, she can’t help but think about the stranger’s sacrifice and that they never learned his name. Aveline knows even with that tragedy in her past, she has a great life. Parents who love her, who taught her how to handle adversity due to both of them achieving so much with their own handicaps, and money isn’t an issue. Independence, however, is. She yearns for it and starts fighting for it after meeting Ricky, the handsome guy in her Psychology class.
It isn’t long before Ricky learns the connection he and Aveline share and it festers, causing a plan to form, one that will surely make them pay for what their inability to watch their own child caused his family. But, as Ricky begins to know Aveline, he realizes he’s truly falling for her, and yet it all started as a lie, as a way to get revenge.
Aveline falls hard for Ricky, but when her mom tells her who he is, and what he’s been trying to do, Aveline is crushed. She knows now everything was a lie, he was just using her to get money from her parents, and when Ricky finally comes to tell the truth, it’s too late. And Ricky discovers one of his own that shakes the very foundation of his long held hatred for her parents. They weren’t neglecting their daughter that day. They didn’t hear her. They couldn’t. They’re both deaf.
Ricky, knowing he destroyed any chance with the woman he loves, must face the consequences of his actions, and the reality that he may now be losing his father completely.
“Because the monster inside me won. And when it did, a butterfly lost her wings.” – Ricky
Can Aveline forgive Ricky? Can she trust his admission of love and asking for forgiveness are sincere? How will Ricky react to the news about her parents’ disability and that she kept it from him? What will happen to Pedro? Will he ever get the help he needs? Will Aveline’s parents finally get the chance to thank the man who saved their daughter? Is a HEA possible in a situation like this?
One-click now and follow along as two people who’ve been connected for almost two decades by tragedy cross paths again and discover how healing true love and forgiveness can be. This was quite a plot. It had it all. Anger. Betrayal. Coping. Dreams lost. Love. And finally, forgiveness. I think it was all handled quite nicely. Yes, Ricky laying the blame on a four-year-old was a bit hard to take, but when you factor in there is no way to thing logically when you’re so emotionally involved and you get it. As for Aveline, that day shaped her life too, just not in the same way. A tragedy may have united these two families all those years ago, but now it’s love that holds them together. – By Elizabeth
I was so torn about this book. On one hand, I enjoyed the actual story and I loved seeing the characters from previous books. On the other hand, I screamed internally through most of it to Ricky “just tell her!!!” I was annoyed at Aveline’s parents, but thankfully that over the top protectiveness was explained in the end. The ending was satisfying and I appreciated the bonus scenes from the other books at the very end.