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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FIVE BREATHLESS STARS for Ava and Knox !!!
I really enjoyed reading this book.
Ilsa absolutely won me with this beautifully written book and I want more books like this one.
“Dear Ava” is a standalone dark high school romance with enemies to lovers and secret admirer tropes.
It’s a book with a lot of emotional moments that will make you cry and feel the character’s pain as it’s your own.
Ava is a female character who doesn’t surrender no matter how bad everything looks like. She is a strong and fighter to prove everyone nothing can break her down.
I loved her so much.
Knox is the male character you will totally fall in love. He seems like a typical football player but he is much more…
I loved Ava and Knox’s chemistry.
If you’re love reading heartbreaking love stories, then this is a book for you!
Highly recommended!!!
Not sure I could have loved this book more!!!! This author, I have loved every single book of hers! She’s fabulous!
Ava & Knox are both students at Camden Prep. You’ve got the smart girl and the jock.
Ava is so incredibly strong, I adored her character! She’s been through what no young woman should ever have to live through.
Knox is way more than your typical high school star player. He loves the ladies but this guy is loyal, strong and I loved him!
I can’t recommend this book enough. So, so many feels. Your heart will go through so many ups and downs but it is so worth it. The author did a tremendous job of very sensitive themes that’s for sure.
Loved this book, highly recommend
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!
~Alexis R.
When I started to read this book, I was disconcerted because I immediately recognized the story, having read it before. So I looked up information and realized that this was a novella featured in Team Player 2, and the author revised it and extended into a full story. And all I want to say is, thank you! As a short story it was beautiful, now in long form, it’s even better.
Even though the story starts with a rape, there’s so much more. It’s the story of a girl who surpasses even the highest obstacles to go where she wants, a girl who has so much fire in her that not even the most horrible moment will defeat her. Ava comes from a Nun’s charity home, she attends school at Camden Prep as a scholarship student. She has stellar grades and a lot of ambition to study, have a career and take care of her little brother Tyler. As in all ritzy schools, there are the popular boys, the mean girls and the invisible ones. Ave tried, but she’s too beautiful and too powerful to be invisible. She intrigued the boys and alienated the girls. After her horrible event, she left for a few months and came back, stronger than ever, intent on winning, revenge, and showing all these a-holes that she was stronger than them and she would prevail.
Her days are horrible, the students are vile, and she only has two friends Wyatt and Piper. However, there’s one guy in the Sharks, the football team, who seems to blow hot and cold, and at times shows his real persona, vulnerable and as broken up as she is. I loved Knox! He was intriguing and intense, passionate and caring. His brother is also having a hard time so he’s torn between wanting to develop something with Ava or giving first priority to his brother who is in a downward spiral. Of course, Ava is poor and came from a drug-addict mother who abandoned her with her baby brother. Knox and his twin Dane are wealthy but equally broken, with a crappy absentee father, more intent on business than his sons. They seem to have it all but inside they are struggling. This author did such a good job in illustrating the agonies and struggles of YA’s during senior year.
Parts of the story are cruel, others are tender and just delightful. I loved Ava and Knox’s story, even though it was fraught with obstacles, an enemy that doesn’t want to be caught, friends who don’t want them together and their siblings who need attention and caring. This author writes such a fantastic story, so full of feelings and feisty girls, intense and brooding boys, and the drama of high school increased with violent intentions. It was delightful and so heartfelt, I loved reading it all over again, and enjoying the extra scenes.
Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills I know I say this often, but this is one of those books you don’t want to miss!! My Review: I have never read an Ilsa Madden-Mills’ book that I didn’t absolutely love… I always always fall hard for her hero’s, but Knox is an undercurrent to Ava! This book shattered me, and brought me back piece by piece… the jagged remains are still a little broken, and wanting so much more. I have related to her characters before especially Z with his mental health issues, but I relate to Ava in more ways than one… It’s refreshing to read a book that so openly discusses topics not many want to broach. It has shown me I am strong for telling my story, and not holding back as well. This is another of her books that will stay with me for the rest of my days. Beautifully poetic to the very last word. Bravo gorgeous!!
This book was everything!!!! It was exquisite and romantic at times, heartbreaking at times, devastating at times, and just absolutely beautiful. The characters were well developed and strong; Ava and Knox – tortured and tormented souls that find each other, but let each other go to do the growing that they need and then find each other again after time has passed. The story line, although dark, was beautifully written and so well executed. It was written as a standalone novel, but I would love to know more about Dane and Chance – what happened to them after the book ends. OMG I just LOVED it!!!!!
Isla Madden-Mills hooked me with the small sample of Dear Ava in the Team Player 2 anthology and the full length version was straight up addictive. To say this story was unputdownable is putting it mildly. I devoured this story from cover to cover completely captivated by Knox and Ava’s story. These two gave more than they took and always put others before themselves, but as they finally gave into each other and their spark it turned into an outright flame and I couldn’t look away. I never wanted to. The epilogues were heaven and hell as they hit me right smack dab in the feels, but I loved every word. Books like Dear Ava is why I love romance. One-click this bish ASAP. 5 stars.
I don’t even know what to say about this book. It was one of the most emotional books I’ve read in a long time. Ilsa is one of my favorite authors and she blew me away with this book. Words can’t even begin to describe how amazing this book is. I’m in love with Knox and Ava. Their love story was nothing but beautiful, heartwarming, emotional and amazing. I’m just at a loss for words on what to say about this book that could make it any better. If I could rate this book more than 5 stars, I would. This book has become my new favorite. A love story that makes you believe in love.
Dear Ilsa,
How I loved this book and these rich and complex characters. You delved deep to tell a story that went far beyond that of love. A story was told that gave a voice to topics that are so often overlooked or told with an unscrupulous approach and you did so with such delicacy and honor.
You managed to make me laugh and smile as both Knox and Ava, and those around them, found their way in this beautiful yet heartbreaking story.
Dear Ilsa, you captured my heart. You made me weep, smile, cheer, cringe, and swoon. Your words ripped me apart and put me back together, Isn’t that what great storytelling is all about?
So, like Knox, this is my love letter to you. Thank you for giving us this tremendous gift. This book will be treasured now and always!
As Always, Happy Reading!
“5/5 Beaming Brains!” – Lit-Up My Mind
Once again Ms. Madden-Mills brings us a really wonderful love story. High school drama, a little mystery, tragedy, and triumph all rolled into one sweet story.
Well edited. A few misses, but overall good.
Ava has had a hard life. And yet, she has found a way to thrive despite begin abandoned with her baby brother. Attending a prep school on scholarship always leads to drama. For Ava, it is escalated when she is assaulted after a party. Who hurt her? Months later she returns to the school, hoping to better her brother’s life and maybe get justice for herself. She faces taunts, bullying, and ridicule. What she doesn’t expect is the love letter in her locker. Or, the quiet support of Knox, one of the most entitled kids at school. Knox has his own issues – after all, his best friend was dating the girl he wanted. Will Ava get justice? Will Knox be able to show his true feelings? Will the ‘In crowd’ conspire to keep Knox away from the ‘charity case’?
The feelings, the angst, the drama, and the triumph – all in one beautiful story. As always, Ms. Madden-Mills delivers. Enjoy!
I am a huge, and I mean HUGE fan of Ilsa Madden-Mills, and once again, she DID NOT disappoint, at all! Y’all, I am still reeling from the impact this book had on me to the point that I haven’t even thought about the next read on my list. And that is SAYING SOMETHING!
Dear Ava is a standalone sports romance that starts dark. And I mean, DARK. I can’t give anything away, but just prepare yourself mentally for the pictures that are about to be thrust into your mind by the opening scene of this book. The way it is written pulls you in immediately and you are right there, experiencing everything.
Like I said earlier, I won’t give anything away. This is a new release and I want every reader to experience it the way it is meant to be experienced. I will say that this book sucker-punched me, strapped me in, and took me for the ride of my life.
The writing was phenomenal. I was on the edge of my seat, breaking down, crying, wanting, smiling, laughing, crying some more. It literally took my feelings and put them into a blender and then poured them out in a cup and offered it back to me. No joke. From the very beginning to the very sweet ending, it was everything I could ever ask for in a book and so much more.
I’m still in shock and I finished the book late last night. So if you are looking for a book that will literally sit you down and make you contemplate it all, this is the book you’re looking for. It is real, raw, intense, and so emotional that you will literally feel empty when you finish it.
Five amazing stars for this book that will probably remain in my head for a while. Seriously, do yourself a favor and go grab it now.
I don’t want to give anything away, and I’m going to try my best not to. I loved this story sooo much!! Ava is a strong, beautiful, and smart leading lady with a jacked up past. Knox is a strong, handsome, and sweet leading guy with a past that’s jacked up too. Putting these together, and their feelings for one another is beautiful. At one point I even found myself in tears because of these two and their love for one another.
I now suffer from a book hangover and need more of them, sooooo much more! I also need a paperback/hard cover version for my home library!!
I loved this book. It was my first by this author, but won’t be my last. I loved Knox. He fell in love with Ava from the first time he saw her. He was loyal and kind. Ava had it rough. She finally sees her future as bright, but one night changes all of it. I loved Tyler. I just smiled every time he was mentioned and cried too. He was talented and kind. This entire book was about finding family and healing. This one hooked me from the beginning.
I could not put this book down. The emotional anguish both Ava and Knox go through is heartbreaking yet beautiful and true. Wanting something you can’t have then realizing you can only to have it pulled away again is a lesson all in itself. Ava is a strong young women who overcomes a horrible situation. Knox is the knight in shinning armor you don’t expect. This is a must read!!
I give this book 5 heartfelt stars, no doubts whatsoever! Have you ever read a book that makes your soul feel hopeful yet heartbroken at the same time? Well, that is exactly how Dear Ava made me feel. This is by far my favorite book from Ilsa Madden-Mills .
Ava and Knox’s love story was one of a kind, theirs was a romance with many obstacles but I truly loved how they became a couple.
Ava Harris is an amazing female character, she was strong, brave, resilient and my god she was fierce. She demonstrated that we can overcome everything if we decide that we are worth it and by not letting others dictating her future, she was able to reach her goals.
Knox Greyson, my god is he the most perfect hero I have read. Don’t get me wrong, I love my alphaholes badly but he was so different from that stereotype, like galaxies away from it and for that, he will always hold a special place in my heart.
I am in book-withdrawal at the moment, like there are not enough words to express how much I loved this wonderful story. I was sobbing my eye out at 1:30 am and woke up late for work but oh my was it worth it!
5.5 Amazing Stars!
I was blown away by Dear Ava, from the very first jaw dropping pages; this Enemies to Lovers YA Romance is heartbreaking, dark, emotional and moving. As an older reader I’ve always been a little hesitant to read this sub-genre and tend to shy away from these stories, feeling I can’t relate to characters in their teens still in high school, but this story changed my mind. The writing is phenomenal; I was so engrossed and swept away by the romance that I had none of my usual concerns. Believe me, if I can rant and rave about this story and the main characters, anyone who has the same issues I have, can and, will love it! I do have to warn readers with certain issues that can cause triggers, please discuss this book with someone who’s read it before you start this book. This is going on my #TopRead2020 list.
“These rich kids are toddlers compared to me.”
I was in awe of Ava, who at seventeen years-old was an old soul; she’d seen and been through so much, yet never abandoning her dreams. I loved how strong she was and in spite of the horror she lived through, Ava figuratively gave everyone a defiant middle-finger salute to all those who tried to belittle and humiliate her. I loved Ava 2.0!
“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.”
Ava Harris returns to Camden Prep, the exclusive private school she attends on a scholastic scholarship, after a ten month absence due to a heinous incident she went through. Ava won’t let that keep her from her dream of attending Vanderbilt University, it’s her senior year and she needs every advantage to apply and be accepted there. Knowing one of her classmates got away with what she went through is just one of the issues she has to deal with. After defiantly cutting and dying her hair, she’s determined to rise like a phoenix from the ashes, and find out who among her elite and wealthy classmates was responsible for that night. The last thing she expected was an anonymous love note in her locker, from one of the Sharks.
“You can’t take a beautiful, soft, flower and crush it under your cleats, not when she’s halfway to broken already.”
Knox Grayson is one of the classmates Ava has been wary and distrustful of, the leader of the Sharks and star quarterback, he and his friends were there that fateful night. Despite the scar that mars his face, everyone thinks he and his twin, Dane, live a charmed life. They’re handsome, popular, and with trust funds, they’ve have had everything handed to them on a silver platter. Chance, his best friend and Ava’s ex-boyfriend, knows the truth, that some people just hide things better than others.
“Sometimes the loneliest place on earth is in the midst of a crowd.”
Ava and Dane, two damaged and seemingly broken people, begin to form an unlikely alliance. Knox is determined to help Ava, without her knowledge, despite her mistrust. As they spend more time together and get to know each other, they realize they have more in common than anyone could imagine, and Ava is surprised to realize how wrong she was about him.
“People die. Life is tenuous, and we get no clue as to when it’s going to be over. Not that it even matters. No one really care.”
After reading a taste of this story in the Team Player 2 Anthology I was salivating for Ava and Knox’s story and Ilsa Madden-Mills honestly out did herself with this one.
The beginning is tough to read and some may find it hard but I think it was brilliantly written, with such raw emotion. Once I started this I couldn’t put it down. Ava was a character I absolutely loved. Her strength considering what she endured was amazing, her vulnerability was so raw and real, it embeded it under my skin.
Knox was the king of the Sharks. He has a persona to play but Ava is changing his outlook on everything, make him question everything. He is determined to get to the bottom of what happened to her.
I was on the edge of my seat the whole way through this book wondering what was going to happen next, who had done it. I was truly captivated from beginning to end and for my this was my favourite book of hers to date. It is one that will stay with me for a long time.
Oh, my word! How do I even begin to describe this book! This book, even days later, I’m having a hard time putting into words exactly how I feel about what I read. I do know that this book will be pretty high up on my best of 2020.
This is an enemies-to-lovers, bully romance that has left me speechless. I don’t want to tell you too much about the book. I think it’s best going in blind on this one. In fact, I didn’t even read the blurb before I started. I just knew it was a book by Ilsa – who is a one-click author for me and that was good enough.
Ava is coming back to a private school after being sexually assaulted the year before. The kids at this school are ruthless. But Ava is strong, courageous and fierce. All she has in one goal. To make a better life for her and her little brother.
Knox is the big man on campus. The typical rich guy with a ton of baggage himself. He’s been secretly in love with Ava since freshman year and he’s full of guilt due to how everything went down last year with Ava.
These two on paper don’t look as if they fit, but the chemistry between them is heartwrenching because you know they are made for each other but life is not dealing with the right cards at the right time for them.
This book will give you all the feels. The characters you latch onto right away and feel all their heartaches and joys.
Read this book. Be ready for some heavy stuff.
Dear Ava is perfection.
I mean, that’s all I really need to say. I won’t, but I could. I hate that I can only give it five stars. It deserves five hundred. This is, without question, a pinnacle of Ilsa Madden-Mills’ career.
Ava Harris is beautiful; from the top of her head to the tips of her toes, she’s beautiful. But it’s her inner beauty that really drew me in. Her strength, her vulnerability, the fierce storm in her eyes and her need to prove to everyone else she isn’t broken. She’s intelligent, tenacious, determined. She’s funny. She cares and she loves with her whole heart. She may have been bent, twisted and chewed up and left behind, but she didn’t break.
Knox Grayson is a Shark, but not just any shark, he’s their leader and their King. But there is so much more going on with our QB1; he’s a loyal brother and friend. He cares, he cares so much it hurts. He’s trying to put out too many fires at once before they turn wild and engulf everything. But oh, his heart. It beats for one girl and her eyes are the color of the ocean. He wasn’t able to protect her once, but he’ll do everything he can to make sure it never, ever happens again.
Knox carries his scars on the outside for all to see, but Ava’s aren’t as visible. That’s the thing about internal scars, just because no one else can see them, doesn’t mean they aren’t there and don’t hurt as much as their counterparts. But only those who carry soul deep pain like these two can recognize it in someone else.
Ava and Knox’s story broke my heart into a million pieces at times, but they put it back together even stronger. I wept for a girl who was taken advantage of, I wept for a little boy who felt could never measure up and took the weight of the world on his shoulders. I laughed for the joy that Wyatt and Piper brought to our favorite girl. And the chemistry, oof. It was off the charts with these two, hanging thick in the air and sparking whenever they were together.
I love Ava, I love Knox, and I LOVE Ava and Knox. I loved their fight, their strength. They are fierce and protective and complement each other perfectly. Dear Ava is a powerful, raw, beautiful book and hands down, one of my top reads of the year. I don’t care that we’re only a month in, it is. When you know, you know.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
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