Special Release Price!WSJ bestselling author Ilsa Madden-Mills delivers a gripping enemies-to-lovers, secret admirer, high school romance.The rich and popular Sharks rule at prestigious, ivy-covered Camden Prep. Once upon a time, I wanted to be part of their world–until they destroyed me.The last thing I expected was an anonymous love letter from one of them.Please. I hate every one of those … them.
Please. I hate every one of those rich jerks for what they did to me. The question is, which Shark is my secret admirer?
Knox, the scarred quarterback.
Dane, his twin brother.
Or Chance, the ex who dumped me. . .
Dear Ava,
Your eyes are the color of the Caribbean Sea.
Wait. That’s stupid.
What I really mean is, you look at me and I feel something REAL.
It’s been ten months since you were here, but I can’t forget you.
I’ve missed seeing you walk down the hall.
I’ve missed you cheering at my football games.
I’ve missed the smell of your hair.
And then everything fell apart the night of the kegger.
Don’t hate me because I’m a Shark.
I just want to make you mine.
Still.
★★★★★
“A gut punch right in the feels. These characters wreck you. It’s a deep storyline, with such tender, beautiful, unbelievably perfect romance. Gah. I. Am. Wowed. Five Stars!” Angie, Angie’s Dreamy Reads
Not part of any other series. Dark High School Romance. Recommended for 18+.
A short excerpt of Dear Ava appeared in Team Player 2. (No longer available) This all-new, full-length version is 331 pages and 100,000 words.
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5+ ‘Tulip’s Secret Admirer’ Stars!
ARC provided via Social Butterfly PR in exchange for an honest review.
Let me start this by congratulating the amazing Ilsa Madden-Mills for writing such an outstanding love story. It takes a whole lot now for me to rate a book with my special 5+ stars rating but Dear Ava deserves it 100%. I’ve been impatiently waiting for this story ever since reading a sneak peek of it in the Team Player 2 anthology and the wait has been so worth it. Ava and Knox’s story is an emotional roller coaster you don’t want to miss.
So, Dear Ava is a standalone contemporary romance and it tells the story of Ava Tulip Harris, a student who goes through a heartbreaking experience no woman should ever suffer. Ava has changed but the Sharks at Camden Prep have not. They are vicious and do not care about what happened, they don’t believe her. But Ava has a secret admirer, a Shark who says in his love letters that wants to love and protect her. Enter Knox Grayson. He is the lead of the Sharks but he also is Ava’s secret admirer. He is not what everyone thinks of him and he will do anything for Ava. Does this not sound as EPIC love story to you?
P.S. I’m a Shark, but I’d never hurt you.
P.P.S. I’ve tried to fight it with everything I have, but I want you. Still.
WOW, guys. I am overwhelmed by feelings. ALL THE FEELINGS. Such a beautiful love story! An intense, heartbreaking, angsty but also sweet, romantic and sexy enemies to lovers romance. Ilsa has written a unique love story and everything was on point. It’s surely not an easy one to read, it deals with themes such as sexual assault, addiction and even suicide, but it’s so worth it. Ava and Knox (and the people around them), you just have to meet them because they will steal your heart.
“No one wanted them to be together. None of the gods approved. Who’d love the king of the underworld?”
“The right person.”
And of course, what is the best thing about Dear Ava is Ava herself and her SA, Knox. Ava is kick ass heroine, fighting to live again after what happens to her, fighting for her brother Tyler and fighting to trust again when she starts falling for “the enemy”. Knox, obviously, is not the enemy. He is such a swoony hero: protective, romantic and definitely sexy. Even though the main focus is Ava, still the love story was beautiful and the chemistry was explosive. With that, drama, suspense and a beautiful ending, that is what made me devour this book in just a few hours. I literally could not stop reading!
“Dear Ava, today is the beginning of anything you want,” he says in my ear.
I clutch his shoulders. “You. Always you.”
Therefore, my rating for Dear Ava is my special 5+ STARS because it was the perfect romance read for me. It had everything I enjoy experiencing while reading a good romance novel and so much more. Of course, it has some triggering themes as I said earlier but the love story and these characters are so worth it. Ava and Knox are perfect for each other and their HEA was just epic. A love story that makes you think, believe and swoon. Highly recommend!
I originally read the short excerpt version of Dear Ava in the Team Player 2 anthology and I was so incredibly excited to hear that Ilsa would be creating a new book world and writing a full-length version. Let me tell you, she absolutely did not disappoint. Oh holy feelings! Knox and Ava will be on my mind for a while, I think. These two characters are written with so much heart and their individual torments and their struggles to overcome them separately—and together—are everything to this story.
Ava has had to battle her entire life, starting with a desperately negligent upbringing. She steps up in a big way and does everything she can to support her baby brother early on when her own mother abandons them. She works hard to get to Camden Prep, a step in securing a bright future. Heartbreakingly, everything comes crashing down in a horrific way and her struggle to keep thriving is palpable. She is a fighter though, so she does what she must.
Knox Grayson rules the school, along with his twin brother and their close group of jock friends and groupies. He’s hard and secretive and he’s got his own family tragedy that he’s barely surviving, all while taking care of his brother. Deep inside, hidden away from most people, his heart shines. He’s the last person Ava expects to make such a huge impact in her life. And though he tries to stay away, their draw to each other—one that has always been there—can’t be denied.
Trust is tenuous for Ava, and Knox must make the impossible choice of family or love. The tension is high in this story, and your emotions will go through the wringer. It’s a beautifully written book about tragedy and heartbreak, and love and triumph. 5 heartfelt stars for Dear Ava.
What an emotional rollercoaster of a story! Even though I’d read the novella as part of the Team Player 2 anthology, I was still not prepared for the depth, raw emotion and angst in this book, it absolutely blew me away!
The prologue is heartbreaking as we discover the horrific ordeal that Ava experiences. Chapter 1 sees her return to Camden for her senior year with a dramatic new look, ready to go to war with anyone who tries to belittle or hurt her. Beneath the toughened exterior though, is a young girl who’s desperate for the truth and who really just wants someone to SEE her for who she is, and not what they all call her.
Knox is a Shark. Plain and simple. Except it’s anything but. He shouldn’t want her, but he can’t help it. She despises him and everything he stands for, until she doesn’t. They share a connection that at first she doesn’t understand, but gradually becomes to mean everything.
When she finds the ‘Dear Ava’ letter in her locker, it sets their story in motion, and allows her to open herself up to the possibility of finding herself again. Who is SA? And when she finally realises who he is, will she be ready for their journey to begin?
It was the perfect High School romance but with a new, refreshing twist to it. Yes, the bully theme is there, but there’s an undercurrent feeling of suspense throughout the whole book as you try to work out who the guilty party is amid everything else that’s going on.
I can’t recommend this book enough, loved the darker twist and it kept me hooked from beginning to end!
5 stars!
Ten months ago, something unspeakable happened to Ava, something that no one should have to go through. They thought they won, but now she’s back.
Ava isn’t your typical Camden Prep student, she’s not rich like most students, and her parents abandoned her a long time ago. She’s a scholarship student and people remind her of that daily. Camden Prep is run by ‘The Sharks’. The richest boys in school, you’re either in their group or you want to be. One of the Sharks hurt her, and she’s determined to find out who, but she may be surprised to find out she’s not the only one looking.
Knox has it easy. Quarterback of the football team, leader of the Sharks, more money than he knows what to do with, and girls throwing themselves at him. However, there is one girl he wants, but knows he shouldn’t. Something terrible happened to her, and he won’t stop until he finds out who did it. Lucky him because of a class, he gets to spend more time with Ava. However, when the truth of that night is revealed, will Ava and Knox be able to finally be together, or will the truth keep them apart?
Wow. I feel like that pretty much sums up my thoughts on this one. Absolutely AMAZING. Ilsa didn’t pull any punches with this one. This book has a hard hitting, and raw. To read about what happened to Ava and then watch her not stand down is one of the most inspiring things I think I’ve read. Ilsa shed light on something that is probably far to common and handled it delicately but truthfully. This book is mind-blowingly good. Prepare yourself to get lost in this one, and not be able to stop until you have finished it.
4.5 stars
After reading the novella in the Team Player 2 Anthology, I was so excited to get the full story – and what a story it was. It was such an engaging and compelling and emotional story that kept me engaged, right up until the very last page.
Love the strength in Ava – she went back to a place where she was going to be subjected to hate and bullying, but she knew that she couldn’t let the person that harmed her in such a brutal way to get away with what he did. She was a survivor and I admire her for not backing down and giving up until justice had been served.
And Knox – the star athlete who was willing to stand up to his friends and not just stand by the popular kids. My heart hurt for him at times, especially when he knew what he needed to do, but also had someone else he was trying to protect from harm, so it took him some time to get it together. But again, I loved him most for pushing back against those so-called friends, as he knew the difference between right and wrong – and didn’t care what others thought.
This was such a well written and beautiful story – highly recommend it!
Dear Ava is such an amazing book! It really grabs you and takes you on this amazing, eventful, crazy ride.Your gonna fall in love with these characters and their story. So many emotions and feelings in this book.
I wasn’t ready for the FEELS this one brought. I should know better, as a BIG fan of this author, but this one… this one is special.
There’s no avoiding the draw of a well-written high school drama for me. I’m a sucker. Especially when the heroine takes no crap even after being knocked down in a MAJOR way and the hero is a little tortured. Knox and Ava are EVERYTHING. I love them, I love their story and even when I wanted to scream at characters in this book I was totally involved in their happily ever after.
Always a recommend!
* A review copy was provided by the author *
What an AMAZING book!!!
I am new to Ilsa Madden-Mills’s books, but when I read the blurb to this book, I just knew I had to read it. I am so glad I did….This is one of my favorite books of 2020 and tops my favorite Mature YA list.
I loved everything about this book. The subject matter is a tough one, but the raw and real emotion that is written into this story took my breathe away. This is a Mature YA story built around high school aged characters. I label it Mature YA, because there are aspects to the story that I don’t think kids under 16 should read about.
I was completely captivated with this story right from the start and I didn’t put it down until it was over. Although I did keep hitting the next button on my kindle wanting more of this story….I didn’t want to leave Knox and Ava’s world.
This story is a standalone novel and told in Dual POV. Like I said it does cover some tough subjects….if sexual assault, drug use, or bullying are things you have trouble reading about, then this might not be the story for you.
This was so much more than a love story, this was a story about a young girl and her will to overcome something horrible. This was about pain, redemption, and the strength to move on and become what she wanted to be in life. I LOVED Ava’s character so much, I just wanted to hug her throughout this story, but I also wanted to high five her for her determination and strength.
I don’t want to say much about the storyline, I think the blurb really sums this story up and this is a book I think each reader needs to experience for themselves. I would recommend going into this blind, so that you can feel all the emotion that is poured into this story. I know I was crying, yelling, swooning and falling in love, right along with each of these characters.
I can’t rave about this story enough….This is a MUST READ!!! If I could give it more than 5 stars I would. Make sure you add this to your TBR list NOW and 1-click it once it releases on Amazon. Now I get to look forward to reading other books by this author….I can’t wait!!!!
I don’t read YA/NA stories so I was hesitant when I picked up this book. Minutes in, I was hooked. Ilsa Madden-Mills has totally outdone herself in Dear Ava. This is one of the best enemies to lovers stories that I’ve ever read.
Dear Ava deals with so many sensitive topics and is an incredibly well-written book. The author took this to an entirely new level, you can feel EVERY emotion with Ava and Knox. From the heartbreak and despair to determination, friendship, and love, this book will run you through it all. You just cannot help to root for Ava and Knox throughout the entire book.
While this story deals with very sensitive topics, I HIGHLY recommend reading this book!
Ava and Chance are dating and she’s so happy. One night he talks her into going to a party and something horrible happens. Everything changes for them. Everyone turns against her except Knox and a few of her friends. Knox has a crush on Ava but he’s Chance’s friend, will he make a move? What will Ava do?
The latest Ilsa Madden-Mills release is here and people are raving! Grab this emotional enemies-to-lovers romance (with a side of secret admirer) free in KU now.
Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills is the story of Ava. Ava was wronged and now she is out to find out who hurt her and to get revenge. But along that journey she finds she has a secret admire.
Ava is around 18 years old who is trying to fit into a private elite school along with helping her little brother, Tyler. When Ava attended a Shark’s keg party/barn fire she woke up not knowing what happened but that she had been drugged and assaulted. Now months later she is going back to seek to find out who did this to her and to get revenge. Of course everyone hates her and blames her for being a snitch but she has to stay strong. In addition to that mystery, someone has left her a letter letting her know that they care about her…could it be one of the Shark brothers?
This does have the darkness that may cause issues for some so be warned. This was a page turning read for me. I hope to read more books from this author.
Dear is Ava is my favourite Ilsa Madden Mills book to date!
It’s filled with mystery and suspense that made me keep reading and not want to put the book down until I had answers.
This isn’t your typical Ilsa Madden Mills book. Dear Ava is has darker themes that had me hooked.
Ava is so strong, she’s a survivor, she’s back at school after something terrible happened to her and is determined to find the culprit no matter what she endured and who stands in her way.
As well as being dark and gritty, Dear Ava was full of passion and heartbreak and I found myself getting quite emotional reading it.
I absolutely loved this book and I highly recommend reading it.
*4,5 stars*
From the first chapter you already knew this was going to be an emotional read that will get to you in more ways than you can count. It talks about a topic that I’m sure a lot of people have been through in their lifes and is very hard to deal with, especially when you are on your own. I felt deeply for what the lead character, Ava, was going through ‘cuz on some level I can relate and it’s hard to read her story at times. Definitely a must read and if you haven’t read this author yet, I’d really recommend this one to start with!
Ava has been through something that has rippled her to the core and when she goes back to school, it’ll be even harder to endure with everyone talking behind her back about the one thing she is trying to remember as she still doesn’t fully know what happened to her. But she won’t be taking it lying down and keeps her head held high. When a secret admirer leaves a note in her locker, she doesn’t really know what to do with it all. And when she has to sit in class to one of the Shark leaders, things are about to change in a big way. Even though Knox is a hot shot player at school, he has hidden scars that he has never even shown to anyone, except maybe his twin brother but when the one girl that has unraveled everything comes back, alliances are about to change. Their relationship takes a turn and something between them starts to shift. Will Ava finally be able to remember what happened that fateful night and expose the truth? And will she and Knox maybe find what has been right in front of them and be able to move on from the past?…
I loved this as a short story and was even more excited to get the full fledge story of Knox and Ava.
Ava’s story is heartbreaking but you will admire her strength. She has a determination that I envy.
Knox is not like most of the book heroes. He’s handsome but he has a scar that mars that making him seem scary at times. However, he has a heart of gold.
The twists and turns added to this full fledge book will leaving sitting on the edge of your seat. Ilsa Madden Mills has done it again.
4.5 Stars!
I was not prepared for this book, but oh am I glad that I dived in! In the first chapter you are introduced to Ava and the horrific incident that she endured. The story is delivered in bits in pieces but it is enough to know that she endured an horrific incident. The the story is fast forwarded to 9 months later and she is back at the same school forced to live through the torment of no justice for the event she endured. Ava has never had an easy life so she has an determination to make a better life for herself and her brother. I thought that the book was beautifully written. I loved how the book we get a view of the results of when someone goes through a horrific incident and what are the results when authority figures turn a blind eye. Then you throw in two broken souls and how they help each other heal and see past the hurt while in the process of falling in love with each other. I loved Ava’s decision in the end and how it bought their story together so beautifully. This an absolute must read, once I started it I found it hard to put the book down!
***4 “Cold & Evil!!!” stars***
Life shrinks or expands in propotion to one’s courage… {Anaïs Nin}
“No matter the road you take, it doesn’t matter if it’s beautiful or ugly, hard or smooth, paved or pitted with ruts -it’s your road to take. What matters is how it ends.”
Dear Ava,
your story was a story full of tragedy and loss… Loss of your innocence… Loss of yourself…
But your strength and courage was huge and your determination to succeed no matter what they did to you was admirable…
Yes, you lost so many things, and all these shitty things in your life pulled you down, but you took a deep breath and you resurfaced on life…
In a way, your heart wants redemption and even though, its paining you the fact that these darn Sharks are everywhere around you, you are determined to fight back… For your brother and your future!!!
And when the Head Shark will be all around you, you will get him to taste his own medicine. Or not???
“His scarred face.
His deep, stormy eyes.
Something twisted and dark that resides in me yearns for him.
And I don’t even know when it snuck up on me.”
“I want him so much, yet it’s so much more than simple lust or desire; it’s deeper and stronger and crazy and how have I let him scale my fortress?
He wants me, and he fights it.
I don’t want to think about the whys of it.”
Dear Knox,
Man, I love you!!! Even though you were the Head Shark, one of the most hateful creatures in this book, maybe you weren’t???
Yes, you were privileged, but life had handle you shitty cards as well and you have a broken family, and an ugly scar on your face but also so many scars on your soul to prove it…
But you are not as every one was thinking…
Ava was your Achilles heel and even though, you wouldn’t touch that subject, there were moments that you were showing the real you…
The boy that wanted to be loved for him… The boy that was so lost… The boy that could do anything for the ones he cared about…
“Part of me never wants to see her face again, but the other side of me… well, that’s the one I have to worry about…”
“Scars serve as medals of honor, and the strongest hearts have the most. I like your scars. Share them with me.”
Dear, Ilsa,
this story was tragic, but beautiful…
Your heroes were having tortured souls but you forced them to heal each other, even though it took them a while!!!
I loved that you made Ava full of strength and secret passion…
I loved that you appeared Knox as untouchable and you turned him into a sensitive and kind soul…
I loved all the antsy moments and all the doubtful moments between them…
I loved Ava and Knox’s connection, even though they were refusing to really acknowledge it…
And even though the distance pained me, i loved how you turned the things after all at the end…
I loved that first day after so many days apart…
I’m not gonna say anything else…
“He tricked her to eating those seeds so she’d want to be with him. Is that a sign of a good relationship?”
“She was in love with him and she knew it was the only way. Admittedly, he probably scared the bejesus out of her, but she took a chance on her man.”
“Really? No one wanted them to be together. None of the gods approved. Who’d love the king of the underworld?”
“The right person.”
Sincerely yours…
“Dear Ava, today is the beginning of everything you want…”
***I received an Arc in the exchange of an honest review***
The main reason I go back to this author and reread her books is because of the honest emotion and raw passion she pumps her books full of. There is always a sassy, head strong female who connects with a cocky alpha that tends to have a hard edge to him of some kind and that is so much fun to read!
Considering that Dear Ava is set in high school I could forgive any immaturities in the characters but honestly there weren’t any. Ava especially had to grow up fast in her life and but so many of the characters who should be leading charmed lives there were many struggles from the past that haunted the present. Knox and Ava had off the chart’s chemistry from the beginning and as you read more of their history together you understand why they are so perfect together. I loved this book; Dear Ava is currently my favorite book of the year and that is hard because I’ve read some amazing novels so far in 2020. I really enjoyed reading Ava’s struggle and her strength from it. She went through a lot but didn’t let it beat her which is inspiring. And Knox… oh Knox. He’s perfect. I loved how these two started on opposite sides and slowly came together, there connection was always there drawing them in, but this is no insta love story. The trust that needed to be built was real before any kind of love could start. Like a rollercoaster you creep to the top as their connection forms and strengths before you plummet down deep into the angst. Back and forth, up and down this ride doesn’t stop until the very end! Beautiful through and through!
-Mackenzie
5 stars!
“You’re a bright star in this shitty place.”
Ilsa Madden-Mills gives us all the feels in this emotional story of the girl who was abused and the boy who wants nothing more than to make it right. It’s an enemies-to-lovers that brings on the heartache before it heals, and you can’t stop rooting for Ava and Knox. Even though it is set in high school, Ava and Knox’s story deals with mature themes and is not a YA novel.
Ava is strong and brave. She did not let the awful event that happened ten months earlier stop her from fighting for her family and returning to the high school that turned against her. She knows what is best for her brother and she won’t give up. I loved her drive and determination to succeed. I respected her and I hurt for her. What happened was gut-wrenching and she is left with unanswered questions that linger in her mind making things harder, and us questioning everything.
Knox is so much different that Ava originally thought. He may be hot and popular but it’s his heart that keeps you wanting more. He is sweet, vulnerable, and endearing, and has his own demons that he doesn’t let people see. He stands up for what he believes in no matter what people will think and he has more emotions coursing through his body than he lets on. My heart hurt for him as well and I just wanted to take away his burdens.
Ava and Knox have some insane chemistry and though they are enemies, they feel a connection that surprises them. They realize that there is so much more to them than meets the eye and their preconceived notions couldn’t be more wrong. Ava isn’t just the girl from the wrong side of the tracks who is at the school on a scholarship and Knox isn’t just the son of a billionaire who gets everything handed to him. They are complex characters and though that are far from perfect, they are relatable and real.
As they spend more time with each other, Knox and Ava open up in ways that they haven’t before. They learn to trust and believe in each other, and they are so good together no matter the odds that are stacked against them. They fall hard and fast, and I felt their love. They are fierce and protective, and they refuse to break when faced with the challenges ahead of them.
When I read the first part of Ava and Knox’s story in the Team Player 2 Sports Anthology I knew I needed more. The novella just touched on everything Knox and Ava could be and we get so much more of all the good stuff in the completed novel. More healing and growth, more steam and swoon, and so many more feels to consume you. We get the answers we so desperately need and the happily ever after that we crave. I loved the way the story unfolds and I am relieved when there is closure. Add in the heartwarming epilogues (there are two!!) and I couldn’t have been giddier or more in love with Knox and Ava’s love story!
I have to add that I love the secondary characters and everything they add to the story. Tyler is a sweet addition and the reason Ava has so much drive. Piper and Wyatt are there for Ava when she needs the support. And then there is Dane. He is so important to Knox and I felt their love for each other. My heart broke for everything the twins go through, particularly the things that haunt Dane, and I want more of him. I would love to experience his healing and watch him fall in love, especially after the glimpse we get in the second epilogue.
Overall, Dear Ava is an emotional journey of healing, hope, and love, and I loved every part of this original enemies-to-lovers romance.
*ARC generously provided by the author and Social Butterfly PR*
I loved the novella from Team Player 2 and was so happy to hear the Ilsa was writing the whole story of Ava and Knox. This was amazing!!! I don’t even know know how to write a review that will give it justice!!! It’s a must read!!!
It’s senior year and Ava is returning back to school months later after being drugged, abused and left in a field after a football party. She’s stronger and determined! Ava has reasons for returning besides trying to find out who did that to her. On her first day back she finds a note in her locker and boy oh boy I couldn’t wait to find out who sent it. There are so many “sharks” on this campus and I couldn’t put this story down as I keep trying to figure out everyone intentions. Knox is the star quarterback and one of the Sharks, the rich kids who also happen to be at the party that night. He really never bothered with Ava in the past, but as these two get to know one another we learn so much about them. Each have secrets and challenges of their own. Their story had me crying, swooning, and breaking apart. It’s full of emotions and will have you turning pages until the end!