From bestselling author Ella Fields comes an all new standalone. An emotional new adult romance that proves love is worth fighting your demons for.Toby Hawthorne was an enigma.One I didn’t factor into my college plans.I wasn’t looking for love.I wasn’t not looking for it either.And in that state of in-between, he found me.Unaware of the battle he fought everyday, I fell fast. By the time I found … fought everyday, I fell fast.
By the time I found out, it was too late.
Because I wanted everything.
Every broken, lost part of him.
I knew I couldn’t fix him.
I could only love him.
But I should’ve known better than to think that was enough.
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** spoiler alert ** This book was much better than the 1st in the series in my opinion. There is mental illness in this book with her father and with Toby himself. I do wish the epilogue was more spread out and didn’t just jump 10 years into the future.
Wonderfully written and poignantly told. It’s not easy to write about such serious topics, but Ella did it in a very captivating way. Toby and Pippa are just… I got no words. Loved it!
DNF….WHY WAS THIS SOOOOOO LOONNNG??? I swear it felt like I was reading this for a year. and I didn’t even finish. Sometimes you just gotta say no.
Heartbreaking. Emotional. Gripping. This book touches on a subject that isn’t widely acknowledged but is very much on the increase. Kudos to this author for tackling such an emotional and heavy subject, one that is very close to me… mental health issues. The unseen illness that is very real. Not only did she tackle the subject with sensitively and empathy but she really hit the nail on the head when she showed the characters as feeling lonely, worthless and isolated and how other people with little to no understanding perceive those suffering as crazy.
Toby was such a great yet troubled character and I totally felt like I was on the journey with him. My heart went out to him when he suffered a breakdown and the fight back to some sort of normalcy. Pippa’s apprehension to allow herself to get close having experienced something similar with her dad was both heartbreaking yet understandable. Ella Fields has created some great down to earth characters that readers can feel akin too.
Told from a dual POV; this was the perfect story to get into the head of someone suffering in the agonising way Toby was. It was great to catch up with Quinn and Daisy too; all the secondary characters had great personalities that make this book a powerful and addictive read.
I knew that Toby and Pippa’s story would be extraordinary. When we were first introduced to these characters in Suddenly Forbidden, I knew that it would be a heartbreaking, gut-wrenching story. This author has a way of making you feel so indebted to her characters. The background stories that came along with this and the previous book were spot on. I loved the side characters, such as Pippa’s boss in the ice cream shop, Callum’s presence from Suddenly Forbidden and in this book as well, and even Renee’s unique storyline. I also love getting an insight into Quinn and Daisyçs story that we didn’t see past Suddenly Forbidden.
BITTERSWEET ALWAYS is not an easy love story. We first met Toby Hawthorne and Pippa James in the book SUDDENLY FORBIDDEN. We didn’t really know what happened to this couple, as they were good friends of Daisy Daniels and Quinn Burnell whose story was what SUDDENLY FORBIDDEN was all about. I’m so glad their story is told in BITTERSWEET ALWAYS. And what a story it is!
When Pippa first met Toby she was not looking for love. There are moments in your life that simply smack you upside the head. Sometimes, it is the universe trying to tell you something. Or maybe you have been hit hard with a dose of knowing when you felt it. A shift in the air that sent a prickle over your skin or electricity dancing inside your gut. It was telling them both something, and that was they both had fallen madly in love. What it didn’t tell Pippa was that Toby fought everyday a battle with mental illness. The same problem her own father had fought with his whole life. But it was too late for her to run. She already loved and wanted every broken and lost part of him.
Darkness can deliver monsters invisible to the naked eye. Love can light up that darkness and suddenly those monsters have a face. A name. A shadow. And a weakness, there’s a chance for victory. But sometimes even the greatest love just isn’t enough. Loving him would always be bittersweet, but she knew then that the sweet would always outweigh the bitter.
As I said in the beginning of my review, this is not an easy love story. Anxiety, depression, or any mental illness affects more then the one person who suffers with the problem.
Bittersweet Always is the perfect title for this book. Caught up in the whirlwind romance of these two, it was easy to fall with them. But love isn’t easy and they certainly had their share of hard.
Bittersweet Always is a beautiful and complicated love story. Every love story has issues but when you are battling the ones in your head, it’s a whole different ball game.
I’m an angst hungry reader. I freaking live for the push and pull that makes a relationship feel alive and this book is swimming in it. I was a mess of tears on multiple occasions and have zero shame in admitting it.
Bittersweet Always is absolutely perfect. Clearly, I need to back track and get Daisy’s story now. It seems she and Quinn had their own angst fest.
Reviewed for Sweet Spot Sisterhood
There goes my mind, body and soul in this read. While Ella Fields always has an ability to capture me during my reading this one was by far the hardest and sweetest read all at the same time for me. She did an excellent job bringing bipolar disorder into light and the roller coaster that goes with it. Bittersweet is an amazing read that will be an emotional ride like no other for you!
Considering this is the fifth book I’ve read by Ella Fields, you would think that my mind and heart would be prepared to be blown away – but you would be wrong. The way that this lady crafts characters and plots is absolutely breathtaking. If I hadn’t already dubbed 2018 the year of great reads, Bittersweet Always would have singlehandedly forced me to. Other than having met Pippa in Suddenly Forbidden, I went into the book blind and I want to preserve that feeling for others (so no spoilers, which is really hard for this book), but brace yourself to be flooded with all the feels. There’s no need for a trigger warning, but be ready to examine life and situations (both real and fictional) in a new light and with added understanding and new sensitivity. And that tidbit of advice is precisely why Ella Fields is consistently a five star earning author for me. 5 out of 5 wine glasses.
4.5/5 STARS
I fell in love with Toby and Pippa in Suddenly Forbidden, and hoped they’d have their own book, so I was exultant when the author announced Bittersweet Always.
I knew this was going to be a hard journey, since one of the major aspects of this story is mental illness, and it was a big challenge for the author.
This could have been cheesy and cliché, but no, Ella Fields delivered an exquisite love story, with great characters, ups and downs, humor, sadness, angst, but also love, passion and hope.
I loved every minute of this journey.
Toby is so intense, in his best and worst days, in the way he feels for Pippa, and she has a so beautiful soul…
The double POV, especially in this book, worked perfectly, so we could feel Toby’s struggle and be in his head, make us an idea of how people with mental illness live in a constant battle every day, in every aspect of their lives.
The supporting characters are consistent and amazing. I loved Toby’s dad and Pippa’s family.
I also appreciate the fact that this story always felt realistic, the title couldn’t be more accurate, more perfect.
Bittersweet Always is another amazing love story by Ella Fields.
I’ve read all her books and she never disappointed me.
And now, I’m really intrigued with the next book, Pretty Venom, so I guess I’ll have to wait and be patient!
***ARC Provided by the Author for an Honest Review***
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“A million oh yeahs” Pippa and Toby’s story was so intimate and raw. The two of them love one another so deeply that no monster can tear them apart. There are so many times I wanted to walk away from this book because it was so intense at times and hit so close to home but I just could not put it down. They had such a strong support group that cared for the both of them. I can see why Toby was so enchanted with our straight shooter Pippa and her intoxicating mint smell. If anyone knows the benefits of mint they will know why Pippa and Toby are soul mates. Toby was always patient with Pippa. Even in his darkest moments he always tried to do what he thought was best for her. Unfortunately, only Pippa knows what is best for Pippa and that it Toby. This story was bitter in the issues it dealt with but it was told with such finesse and sweetness that I will recommend this book always!
Growing up, Pippa James knows it so well how a mental instability can affect a persons life and the people around him.
From the outside, Toby Hawthorne looks like any college jock: handsome and cocky. Inside him is a different story. Beyond his fun and beautiful exterior is a battle that he fights everyday without knowing if one day he’ll ever win.
Ella Fields writes stories that crush and mend you. She creates heroes that you will love but will also hate. And she pens heroines you will look up to because of their strength and kindheartedness. This author has that power to draw out so much emotion in your heart. You won’t even notice she’s breaking you because she does it so slowly and so good!
Bittersweet is a New Adult romance, yes, but the author was able to blend it with a topic that everyone needs some understanding of: mental illness. This book will open your hearts and your minds to the challenges of having a mental illness and loving a person who has it. I thought it was too sweet of a read until I reached the 30% mark. The barricades of my heart weren’t ready when Ella shot emotional missiles one after the other.
But before you become afraid to read this, I’m telling you now… don’t be. This might be an emotional rollecoaster of a book but it has one of the most beautiful HEAs. And Toby, I swear that he will make you love him so much you will forget he’s broken.
Toby and Pippa have my heart! 5 MINT LEAVES!!
ByAlexis Shropshireon May 4, 2018
Format: Kindle Edition
Wow! I’m still swimming in the love that is Toby and Pippa!
This book is the second book in the Gray Springs University Series, where we get the MUCH anticipated story of Toby and Pippa. This couple had my heart from the very beginning! Toby, the chiseled and handsome football player with a few quirks, and Pippa, the green-eyed spitfire who thinks Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream can solve anything. That is until their perfect teenage romance begins to crack at the seams. Toby, has, mental illness issues and stops taking his medicine because he feels he doesn’t like the way they make them feel.. Pippa is very worried and tries to make decisions she thinks will be best for Toby and herself.
This book has been written with so much perfection, and I I think it could help so many people out there. There really are no words to describe how profoundly this book has touched my heart. Ella Fields took a sensitive subject matter and not only wrote with so much grace and respect for her characters, but also done so in a way that felt real and relatable to everyone.
Beautiful, Beautiful, Beautiful!
*** 4.5 stars ***
It is easy to get lost in a good angsty story line filled with high emotional drama because of unrequited feelings and half-truths spread by jealous rivals. However, if that is what you are looking for, it would be best to pick another book to read. Bittersweet Always is a good story filled with angst and the drama that ensues when emotions run high. It is so very much more than that, though.
Bittersweet Always is a story which details what happens when someone brushes aside very real truths by omitting the details and ignoring the facts. It is the story of what happens to friends and loved ones when someone refuses to deal with life-changing issues and pretend that all is well.
I admire and respect any author who chooses to write about tough and very important topics which impact many people on a daily basis. I am in absolute awe of those authors who not only shed light to socially relevant matters, but also bring awareness and understanding to others about said matters. Ella Fields has just moved on to my very short list of Starfleet Authors. Those who boldly go where few authors dare.
She is one of those authors who refuses to write about only what will be easily accepted by the average reader. With Bittersweet Always, Ella Fields tackles the subject of mental illness, its effects on the individual and how dealing or not dealing with the illness effects the relationships those individuals have with others.
I must say, Ella Fields does a spectacular job of unveiling this extremely sensitive topic, showing us how subtle, yet obvious the symptoms are, and how quickly they can spiral into a hellish vortex from which release is hard -fought and hard to win. The idea that unconditional love would dare to be immune to such daunting conditions is staggering. The picture of love surviving the minefield of mental illness is hard to view. The images scar the retinas and the soul. Those who survive are forever marked and changed. However they shine with a beauty which only those conquer this beast can display.
I hope all who read this will grab a copy of Bittersweet Always and immerse themselves I I Toby and Pippa’s journey. The journey is intense, uncomfortable, solemn, painful, but not without humor. It is hopeful, determined, and at times, exquisite with beauty. Ella Fields uses her words to make the reader feel every precarious step. She truly shows us the immeasurable courage it takes for those individuals who choose to fight mental illness and endure each new day.
5 Emotional stars!! My heart bled for Toby in this incredible love story Bittersweet Always by the very talented Ella Fields!! I’ve read all of her books and they just keep blowing me away. Two beautiful troubled souls from complicated childhoods who fall hopelessly in love with each other, but can love be enough? Can Toby find a way to control his strong feelings that are just so intense. He doesn’t trust the medication so he tries to handle things on his own. Not a good idea. Pippa has her own skeletons from her past. A father with mental problems that eventually left them to fend without him. Afraid to ever love anyone that might mirror the life she once had. The characters are so strong, so developed, wonderfully real in so many ways. I fell for them instantly being pulled into their story and unable to put this book down. Grab this book today, you will be carried away on a journey you won’t soon forget. Enjoy this emotional ride!!
Toby Hawthorne. I’m related to someone just like him. Growing up with this person wasn’t always easy. I couldn’t imagine falling in love with someone like Toby. Some days are good, and some are really challenging. I just finished Bittersweet Always and felt like I took a ride on a bi-polar rollercoaster. The ups and downs and unpredictable turns were so real and raw. I don’t have a book hangover; I have a case of emotional whiplash. When you fall in love with someone like Toby, it’s Bittersweet Always.
A powerful, raw and real coming of age story about love, strength and the ability to love yourself despite all your flaws…
Holy guacamole, where do I even start? I’m speechless. My words, my heart, my soul have been ripped away from me. This book completely shattered every single piece of me. I had been waiting for Bittersweet Always from the moment I met Toby and Pippa in Suddenly Forbidden, but I have to be very frank here and say that there is nothing that could’ve prepared me for their story. There is absolutely nothing that anyone could do to fortify my heart. There is no rock, stone or metal that could’ve stood at chance at protecting my heart. This is one of those books that will completely obliterate you emotionally.
This is really one of the most original books I’ve read in so long. The plot, the characters, the flow, just everything is bang on the money with this baby. I was a little bit wary about whole mental health topic, but I have to admit that it was explored brilliantly. Ms. Fields managed to pack a lot of punches without lacking sensitivity on the issue. The way in which she intelligibly interwove the mental illness topic into her plot was flawlessly and heart-wrenchingly done. Not to mention that it never dulled the romance aspect of the story.
I could not put this book down once I started it, and when I had to I couldn’t stop thinking and obsessing over it. Pippa and Toby worked themselves so deep under my skin…to the marrow of my bones that I couldn’t bear the thought of leaving them. I was constantly on the edge of my seat in expectation of what was to come, I didn’t see it coming. I could see that Toby’s demons were going to cause devastation, but I didn’t see the hell that they would rain down on both him and Pippa. Ella completely lulled me into a false sense of security and then it all freaking blew up and I couldn’t even digest it because I was crying so hard that I though I’d surely read wrong. I didn’t. My heart didn’t break or tear—it was obliterated. I felt every single pang of dread, sadness, misery and unrelenting love that flowed within, between and to and from Toby and Pippa.
As characters they were completely and undoubtedly loveable. I was drawn to them from the off, even without knowing them in depth. I personally think that it’s very apparent that Toby has mental health issues. The way in which Ms. Fields develops his character so thoroughly and so accurately to not just portray his demons, but to also show his grit and his passion and his ability to love and care is astounding. It isn’t just credit to her phenomenal writing capabilities, it’s living breathing proof. Every single facet is just so freaking raw, real and honest. That’s what is so brilliant about these characters. They are honest. They hurt and they bleed and they fight. Yes, there were times I just wanted to tie Toby down and force some sense into some of his not so great moments, but saying that, it was those moments that really allowed you to see into his mind. They weren’t easy or pretty, they weren’t the sort that allow you to look past them. You have no choice but to stop and take notice. Take stock. And it’s in those moments that your heart crumples and crumbles, breaks and tears…it’s those moments that make you bleed. Not just for him, but for Pippa. Beautiful, caring, strong Pippa, that wants nothing more than to love him and show him that he is loved and that he is strong and capable of doing anything he wants. That’s what is so special about them as couple. She never pushes him further than he can go, she tries to stand beside him every chance that he’ll let her and she understands that it isn’t about fixing him. If that makes sense. She gets that even though he lives a constant battle with himself, that there is more to him…and that in itself is so special. It makes her a true heroine. It shows her strength and her grit.
I honestly cannot fault Bittersweet Always. Its beauty and power transcend the courageous and flawless writing and the impeccable development of both the characters and the plot itself. This story really is something that will make you feel things, emotions and feelings, that are intense and inescapable. This story will make you take stock and think. I can’t say anything other than this is the best book I’ve read this year. It really got under my skin with its edge, romance and demons. I adored Suddenly Forbidden and getting more of Quinn and Daisy was just amazingly delicious, but the spotlight never once left Pippa and Toby.
I have to say that Ella Fields’ Gray Spring University series has very quickly become one of my favourites of all time. I can’t wait for Callum’s and Renee’s story next. I just know that it’s going to be something special and completely out of this world. This really is a must read series from an amazingly talented and once in lifetime author.
Ella Fields seems to know how to get it right every single time. It reminds me a lot of another author that just knows how to pen a story (Colleen Hoover) every single time. I hope that doesn’t upset either author, but I consider it a grand compliment. This story is so much. All the feels from hot a bothered, to heart wrenching, laughing, crying, squirming…. like I said all the feels. And again, this is a story that brings mental illness to the forefront to help us try to understand it’s intricacies and demands; voluntary and involuntary. Toby and Pippa are a perfect match in every way and this story demonstrates how the right person can change your life or the impact you have on others. As I’m sure you’ll see reviews that run the gamut of describing this story, I’ll just stop here and say this is another story by Ella Fields that you do not want to miss. Another winner on my bookshelf.
Ella Fields is one of my top favorite authors! I’m immediately consumed by everything she writes. We meet Toby and Pippa in Suddenly Forbidden and I couldn’t wait for their story. New adult, college romance that gives you all the feels and is so swoony. I just want a paperback so I can hug it! I love ALL of her characters!!!
We know some of this story as we met Toby and Pippa in book one but we were left with so many questions so I was really happy to find they ere getting a book.
The author did an amazing job humanising Toby’s struggles, I know nothing about mental illness but this story gives the reader a window into his life which at time’s was truly heartbreaking. Getting inside Toby’s head, hearing his inner thoughts made me sad but watching him struggle to become stronger gave me such hope and optimism for his future.
A truly life affirming emotional superbly written story.