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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I’ve been in a bit of a reading funk lately and Dear Ava snapped me right out of it. I seem to be leaning towards more high school/late teen MC’s lately with a load of angst and drama. Ilsa Madden-Mills hit it out of the park with this one. Nothing too over the top, phenomenal writing, a great cast of main and side characters and a slow burn steam element that keeps you on the edge of your seat. 5+ stars all the way!
And the two Epilogues in Knox’s POV…LOVED THEM!!!
Flipping Amazing. From the first page to the last I couldn’t put it down. Ava’s story is heartbreaking and uplifting at the same time. I absolutely adored this book, my first from this author. It won’t be the last.
3-3.5 stars.
I really wanted to love this one especially when you look at all the great reviews! Unfortunately I did not love it, I felt kind of “meh” about it which is a big bummer.
I think my biggest issue was the dialogue. It was weak and kind of cheesy (especially for teens, my 9 year old sounds more mature than these kids did at times) and a little repetitive. I am really big on dialogue so I think this is what caused a lot of my disappointment. The story was not bad, another variation of bully romance and it even got a smidge dark and emotional at times and I liked that. The characters were alright, a bit larger than life, but I expect that with a high school bully romance. I think the whole letter aspect got brushed aside real quick when I would have anticipated it being a focal point of the story, especially with the title, but I can forgive that slight plot deviation. I can’t forgive mediocre dialogue though, so this was a miss for me 🙁
I am completely blown away by this book. I thought it could go the way of many other bully romances, entertaining, but often predictable. I was so wrong to underestimate this one.
From the start, this is a story in a class by itself. Raw emotion bleeds from the pages as Ava’s story unfolds. She is one of the most resilient heroines I’ve read in recent years. A survivor, a fighter, a star that refuses to dim. Ilsa Madden-Mills handled her story with care. No sugarcoating, but no sensationalism either.
Knox was a more difficult character to unwrap. On the surface he’s a shark…one of a pack of privileged jocks at the school where Ava attends. But again, Ms Madden-Mills reveals his character bit by bit. There’s more to Knox and his so-called charmed life than anyone could guess.
I loved every gripping moment of this book and consider it one of my top reads of 2020!
5 Tulip and Cold & Evil Stars
“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.”
I don’t even know where to begin because this book pulled so much from me through every word I read. Dear Ava is a gripping, heart-wrenching, emotional read that will have you jaw-dropped page after page, gasping chapter after chapter and begging for so much more at the very end. This book is one that will definitely stay with me, one that will definitely be on my Top Reads for 2020 and one that I will highly recommend!
Oh my heart! Ilsa Madden-Mills ripped me to bits with Dear, Ava. The vice around my heart started on page one and didn’t let go until the very end. Here’s your warning…there are some heavy topics covered here. Addiction, loss and abuse are the constant
I LOVED Ava. Hated what happened to her but man! She has a backbone of steel. A grit and determination unlike anyone I’ve read. The way she sacrificed and battled for what she wanted only made me want goodness for her even more.
That’s not to say Knox wasn’t a gem too. I adored that way he looked out for Ava. Even from afar he did his best to take care of her, make sure the punk kids didn’t torment her. Figure out who was behind everything that happened.
It was a twisted tale that looked at the different way the privileged and under privileged struggle. How you never know someones battle. And at the heart of it was this sweet romance of two people discovering who they were and falling in love for the first time. Dear, Ava was bold and I’m cheering Ilsa Madden-Mills for not holding back. Angsty. Painful. Riddled with hope and setbacks Knox and Ava’s story had me hanging on every word.
FIVE-Fan-effing-tastic STARS!
Can we talk about all the ANGST in this book!
Woahhhh….it should come with a warning saying CAUTION YOU WILL GO THROUGH EVERY SINGLE EMOTION AND YOU MIGHT FEEL LIKE YOU’RE HAVING A HEART-ATTACK!
I cried, I got mad, I fell in love….I got more angry….I fell in more love. Gahhhh….soooooo good!!
Ava and Knox gahhhh…I love them! I love them so much!
BUY THIS BOOK!
BORROW THIS BOOK.
READ THE BOOK!
FEEL THE FEELS!!
Highly recommended!!
Astonishing!! This book gets ALL THE STARS IN THE SKY because it was over the moon amazing!!!! After reading it you just know that Ilsa put her heart and soul into it because of all the emotions that pour out of it, page after page.
I have read a couple of high school bully books that were wonderful and definitely knew I would enjoy reading more and I thought this book would be kind of the same. Boy oh boy was I wrong!! It has a hint of the bullying aspect but this story blows all the others out of the water. It’s more of a hidden love attraction and it turns into so much more.
I don’t want to give too much away because you just have to read it to fully appreciate the story but I will tell you that Ava is hurt and guarded but loving too. Knox is headstrong and loyal but a bit of an asshole. Dane, Knox’s twin is a hot mess but a sweetheart underneath it all. Tyler, Ava’s little brother is just a ball of hilarity. You can’t help but love them all.
The characters just come to life and draw you into the story as if you were there.
This book was beautifully written and the ending is a masterpiece. It does have some aspects to it that may be triggers for some people but Ilsa definitely knows how to write and handles those scenes wonderfully. Thank you Ilsa Madden-Mills from the bottom of my heart for this sensational story you wrote, it is absolutely beautiful!!
This was such an emotional read, so be prepared to have your heart broken (multiple times), and stitched back together. I’m giving it 4.5 out of 5 stars. This review is for an ARC, and reflects my honest opinion.
First, I just wanted to say that this book got dark at times, and there were some triggering things mentioned: sexual assault, substance abuse, depression, suicide, a pretty bad/traumatic childhood, bullying, etc. I don’t want to say more as it would spoil things in the book, but I didn’t want to have readers going into this without a heads up. I originally read this as a novella in the Team Player 2 anthology, but quite a bit had changed since then, so it was basically a brand new story.
I really liked Ava (Tulip). She came from practically nothing, and was so strong. She looked out for her brother, and kept on going no matter what. In addition to loving her, I also adored Tyler, Piper, and Wyatt. One of my favorite scenes from the novella was still in here, so I was pleased about that; seeing Ava happy during prank night was such an amazing moment, and then seeing her life towards the end of the book gave me all the warm fuzzies.
As for the Secret Admirer, I thought he was even better than he’d been in the novella. He tried to do right by Ava, his family, and himself. I loved how he wore his heart on his sleeve once he opened up, and his capacity for love was so vast. The epilogues with these two, and their families/friends, was everything. They finally got their happy ending, and I was so here for it!
This was quite different from other books I’ve read by this author, so don’t expect her usual. But that being said, it was still fantastic. I highly recommend as long as you like YA that’s more like NA with the featured themes/topics, and can handle darker books.
When I read the short excerpt of Dear Ava in the Team Player 2 Anthology, I felt like I was brought back to my very first Ilsa Madden-Mills’ read – Very Bad Things – and I was more than a little excited. Nora and Leo’s story CONSUMED me in that New Adult Romance way, and I couldn’t get enough of the angst, the dramatics, the larger-than-life personas that Madden-Mills’ created at Briarcrest Academy, so to feel some of the same emotions that I felt as I lost myself in that book in her newest release, I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the whole story.
There’s an intense and emotionally driven tone and feel to this book as soon as chapter 1 begins and readers are provided with details of the night that unequivocally changed everything that Ava was and what she believed about herself and about her peers.
Fast forward ten months, and Ava begins her final year at Camden Prep – a prestigious private school where she’s not the typical rich kid on campus; in fact, she’s about as polar opposite to the rich, popular, and untouchable students who run the school and see her as nothing more than a charity case and an unworthy, lost cause. And, as much as Ava version 2.0 is focused on holding her head up eye and refusing to be intimidated by the Sharks and their mean girls, it’s a daunting task given the fact that almost the entire student body thinks she’s trash and undeserving of even walking down the same halls as them.
I’m glad that Ilsa Madden-Mills didn’t make readers wait too long to find out who Ava’s secret admirer was and just how long he’s wanted to claim her as his. There are so many layers to Knox Grayson that the author slowly unravels as Knox stops fighting his attraction to Ava and starts fighting to make her is. But any kind of relationship with Ava is going to have to be painstakingly fought far, not only because of what happened to her all those months ago, or even the fact that Knox hasn’t treated her the best when they did/do interact…what he has to worry about the most is Ava’s inability to trust a Shark and her perception of him and all of his friends/football teammates who not only runt he school but also seem to run/ruin other people’s lives if they so choose.
Dear Ava is an emotionally rich and thought provoking story – one that allows its main characters to bear their souls and realize that the greatest moments in life are those fought for at all costs. The way that Ilsa Madden-Mills transitions these two enemies from worthy adversaries to each other’s safe place doesn’t happen instantaneously, which allows the progression of their feelings and any kind of relationship other than the snarky banter that they seem to dish out to one another to be built on a solid foundation and to expand in a lasting way, despite a bevy of obstacles, drama, and poor choices.
What’s provided with absolute clarity at the end of Ava and Knox’s story is that persevering through loss, through heartache, through unimaginable experiences makes a person stronger and allows them to see just how worthy they are of life, of laugher, and of love.
4.5 Poison Apples
Incredible! Angsty, emotional, relevant, inspirational, sweet…Dear Ava had it all.
I was first introduced to Ava’s story in the Team Player 2 Anthology and I was blown away. Her perseverance to move forward and overcome an awful situation and her strength in dealing with the absurd and despicable behavior and judgement from her peers. It was so inspirational to see her rise above it and show them they would not break her.
I don’t want to delve too much into the story. It’s a remarkable journey to experience. One I highly recommend. The young love and joyful ending is not to be missed.
Loved, loved, loved!
Heartbreaking and romantic all at once, this book is really something special. I’ve read plenty of books by Ilsa Madden-Mills before, but this has got to be the most powerful and moving one yet. It won’t be for everyone – there are WAY too many triggers in it for that – but I absolutely loved it. It’s a story of healing, moving forward, and finding love along the way. With strong writing and characters who are multi-faceted, likable, and spark some incredible chemistry, I wholeheartedly recommend it for those looking for an emotional read.
Here’s where those triggers come into play. They’re a major part of the story so it wouldn’t be fair to leave them out of my review. The story is about Ava, a student returning to her prestigious prep school months after being raped by one of the football players. Her memories of the trauma are foggy at best, so she’s not sure which of the guys she sees every day is the one who hurt her. Attending school while not being sure who she can trust is problematic for Ava, but she finds the strength and moves forward. Crazy as it is to believe, her biggest ally is Knox, the quarterback of the football team and her ex’s best friend, which makes the attraction that sizzles between them oh so troublesome.
I loved this from the start, and it held my attention the whole way through. It’s heart-wrenching at times, light at others, and such a great story. Knox is everything you could ask for in a hero, and Ava makes for one strong, vibrant heroine. Their connection kept me reading late into the night. I’ll acknowledge that the ending will probably be polarizing, but ultimately I think Madden made the right choice for the characters. This was an easy 5-star rating for me, and I hope we get more from this group of characters. I was lucky enough to receive an ARC via Social Butterfly PR and am voluntarily leaving a review of this emotional romance.
So I kind of read this as part of the 2nd Team Player anthologies. But I didn’t remember a lot about it, other than it was really emotional. And as I re-read it for this review, that was definitely the truth. There was a lot that happened to Ava that was really scary, but real. And the story kept me not knowing for sure the exact situation until close to the end, but had me guessing and going back and forth on who was involved really, and who was just there and didn’t do anything. I was definitely glad that some of the people who were possibly suspects turned out to not be. And I liked that they had their own issues, and it was real how they let those issues cause them to not just give her an easy time. That’s how real people are. But also, there was a lot of being able to overlook some things, that in some books becomes such a huge drama and annoys me.
Without spoiling, there was a bit at the end that totally confused me for a minute, but when I figured it out, I smiled and loved that it had happened that way. This is another great story from a favorite author of mine that I look forward to more from in the future!
I loved this book. It may trigger some, but I loved it.
Ava wakes up after football party celebration living every girl’s worst nightmare. She started things off as a cheerleader dating a football player. The scholarship student who seemingly found acceptance among the elite.
Well, that didn’t last long.
She has decided after months away from this private school to come back and finish her senior year.
Despite the fact that everyone hates her.
Calls her slut. Stares. Whispers.
Someone is her attacker.
But she also is so strong. She stands up to those who try to shame or bully her. She fights to bring her baby brother to the school also. She has a secret admirer. She has her best friend Piper and a new friend.
She also has an unwilling attraction to Knox, the hot, scarred quarterback who is always watching.
This is the story of a very strong young woman who survives despite the adversity against her. And in the end…she gets a HEA.
I loved it. It was hard to read at times. But never insensitive.
I received a review copy. I am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
Ummmmm….I’m so amazed at how Ilsa was able to turn such a rough concept (sexual assault/victim shaming) into a beautiful story!!!
I hated watching Ava go through all that, but watching her meet Knox and find someone to trust and love was so absolutely wonderful!
Ilsa is always a one-click author for me & this story just confirmed it forever!!!
Honestly Dear Ava is not a read for the fain of heart, it deals with several social issues that may be triggers for some readers. It’s an emotional and inspiring love story that is at times quite heartbreaking.
Ava is incredibly fierce, independent, strong-willed, brave, and resilient. She’s no wilting wall flower, and after everything this young woman has survived she’s willing to fight for what’s right and determined to find justice.
The hero of this title is enigmatic, brooding, sexy and intriguing.
Both the lead characters are complex, intriguing and flawed. With each chapter more layers are revealed and slowly peeled away and with each layer I fell even more for this endearing and captivating pair.
A completely engaging young adult romance that I highly recommend.
Dear Ava is more than I had expected. I was aware that this story was going to have a strong topic, one that could be a trigger for some readers. Ilsa Madden-Mills has a way with words that had me feeling the emotional pain our heroine endured throughout the story. The main characters had me wanting to protect them and I wanted to punch more than a few of the secondary characters.
Ava Harris is a student who suffers through a nightmare of a night. Honestly, the word nightmare may not be the right word, Ava is forced to live through a tragic night that leaves her with emotional scars. Ava comes back to walk the halls of Camden Prep stronger and in need of answers. I fell in love with Ava, her strength pulls her through some of the toughest school bullies. I felt her pain but I also understood her way of thinking of wanting to get through the senior year not only for herself but for the one person that matters in her life.
Knox Grayson floored me because I had trouble pinning him in the beginning. I wanted to throat punch him but then he has me swooning and wanting to stand up and be the adult that he needed in his life. OMG! Knox is the young adult book boyfriend that truly melted my heart. He’s the quarterback that has to be strong, protective, loyal, and loving. Knox is more than the scar that marks his face. Knox just has to prove that he is just more than one of the rich and popular sharks of Camden.
Dear Ava left me with memorable characters who realize that scars don’t always have to be seen and if you love something set it free … if it’s meant to be, it will be worth the wait. This is an emotional read that pulls at all the heartstrings.
5 Star Must Read!
I loved this book!!!
The prelude was enough to make me wait with baited breath for the full instalment!!
Ava and Knox were perfect.
The push/pull was exactly the perfect balance needed to draw you in as a reader.
I was turning the pages with anticipation…hanging to see what was going to happen!!
The writing was everything I have come to expect and love from this author – succinct, precise and just so easy to devour!!!
I couldn’t recommend Dear Ava more!!!
Awesome!!!
I’m cutting it close on posting this review but I didn’t bulldoze through this ARC the way I usually do books. I had to take a few breaks because it was pretty heavy and I had to be in the right mindset when reading. That being said Ilsa Madden Mills wrote a heavy topic beautifully.
She really handled it with care, I was aware that there was a trigger warning for this book but it’s written in such a respectable way that I think many who are triggered could read this book. There’s one other book I could say that about, I’ve read quiet a few and not everyone can broach hard topics with grace & respect.
I’m glad I took my time and really felt every moment of this book and watched how these two broken people helped to heal each other. This is my first five star of the year.
What an intense and seriously crushing love story! But don’t worry, it’s not all sad and depressing. There are some serious moments of pure joy and tenderness within this dramatic, intense, enemies to lovers romance.
My heart broke for Ava and the trauma she’d been through. The fact that she stood tall, faced her tormentors head on and didn’t let them break her was awe-inspiring. Her strength and perseverance proved that her character was nothing short of unstoppable. It’s no wonder Knox was drawn to her at their first encounter. The fact that Ava never gave up trying to find out who assaulted her and wouldn’t be bullied into submission proved what a fighter and incredibly brave heroine she was. Her list of admirable qualities just kept growing as the book progressed.
The support system the author created for Ava was small but mighty. I loved that she had a few close friends who constantly lifted her up and supported her, believed her when many didn’t. Those characters were a light in an otherwise dim situation. I absolutely adored Wyatt and the friendship he provided.
I’ll be the first to admit, I didn’t want to like Knox. Being the alpha male who ran the school gave him a certain untrustworthy vibe, but something about him felt extremely vulnerable. His self consciousness about his scar and the fact that he never let a woman be truly intimate with him, showed a completely different side to his usual hardness. I loved how open he became with Ava and the connection they shared. All of the little things (and big things) he did behind the scenes for her was so darn sweet! Over the course of the book, I grew to really care for Knox’s character and wanted him to find the true happiness that he didn’t think he deserved.
The struggles around Dane’s mental illness and drug use were some seriously dismal and heavy content for this book. My heart ached for Dane and his constant struggles. It hurt for Knox who had to watch his brother basically self-sabotage. It hurt for the mother they’d lost in the most gut-wrenching way. It seemed as though neither main character could catch a break and was barely keeping their head above water. Maybe this is what made them such an unlikely pair, they had that in common.
One thing I loved about this novel was the relationships that the MCs had with their siblings. Ava and Tyler, Knox and Dane. The amount of love and devotion that was shared between siblings was so incredible to read. They were selfless and put their sibling’s needs first. Even if it meant losing the ones they loved. The bonds in this novel were unbreakable and made the story so realistic and relatable. I truly appreciated the connections the author formed between the main characters and their need to see their sibling succeed. It brought an undeniable element of humility to the book.
I was both shocked and saddened by the final revelation of who sexually assaulted Ava but I was pleased to see justice served. It brought some closure to an open, bleeding wound that carried through the entire story.
I gave the novella 5 stars when I read it and I’d give the full length novel more than 5 stars if I could. It was just THAT good! The author had something great that she just added to and built on, to make it even better. That ending just blew me away!!! I don’t think I could have asked for a better resolution for Ava and Knox.
***TRIGGER WARNING***
Ilsa Madden-Mills did NOT shy away from hitting on some major trigger topics in this book. Sexual assault/rape, mental illness, suicide, bullying, drug abuse and physical assault are just some of the topics addressed in this book. Proceed with caution if these issues bother you as a reader.