Ava Diaz needs saving.She just doesn’t know it yet.Just like she doesn’t know a thing about the boy she sits next to on the first day of senior year.He thinks she’s a brat.She thinks he’s entitled.Maybe first impressions don’t always last… Because Connor Ledger’s about to save her.He just doesn’t know why.Heartache and Hope is mature young-adult Sports Romance, 80k full-length novel and is the … Romance, 80k full-length novel and is the first book in the Heartache Duet
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Never have I ever read a better prologue than Heartache and Hope’s! Jay Mclean did a great job of setting the stage for this Ya sports romance featuring Ava and Connor. They both have struggles and they have to help each other to overcome them. The balloons were a special and I really liked that sweet gesture. There were also some great quotes in this first book of the duet. “Love is not a noun. Love is something you do…love is a verb”
Do you know, it is so hard for me to write a review for this book. Too many thoughts, feelings, emotions are rolling through me. The disjointed words and phrases all blend together into mush. I had chills up and down my arms while reading the prologue. I felt like I highlighted passages from almost the entire book. This amazing story is heartfelt, real, emotional, insightful, inspirational, life changing. My anticipation for the second half of this duet is feverish. Five stars times #3. Boo!
Jay is MAGIC!!! Omg…this book is everything and more. Be still my heart!!
I love N.A./YA because I realized as I got older… life gets in the way of a lot of emotions… books are my getaway, and Jay took me to a place I longed for and missed… ALL THE FEELINGS!!!!!! she has a gift of her words making its way deep in your soul… I literally felt Ava. I literally felt Connor. And their love is all I felt the whole read. Slow burn,angtsy, loving – all of what makes a heart beat wildly. Jay captured forever in words and I’m so thankful. Don’t snooze, get the book already!
She’s back, she shoots, she scores!!!
So many of us eagerly waited for her next book, and she did not disappoint! Every word, sentence, and page was able to draw emotions from me reminding me why I love her books.
If you are familiar with her, this book has all the funny, pure love, emotions, from her previous books. The characters are so easy to love, and because of it you feel all their emotions with them.
If you have never read her books, Be prepared for all the feelings, but most importantly be prepared to fall in love. Once you finish this we can jump you into the Jaybird gang. *joking bookbub don’t ban me*
And to Jay, Welcome Back Queen!
When this book landed on my kindle, it took me a minute to start it. This was my first book from this author and I didn’t know what to expect, I read the blurb and it caught my eye and let me tell you, this book gripped my heart. Its such a beautiful story of lost, rejection, understanding, it just makes you feel. A roller coaster of emotions right from the start.
I fell in love with the characters, each and everyone of them, they just felt real.
Ava, is such a strong girl, life has thrown so much at her and she is still standing, broken but standing giving it what she’s got. I don’t know where she found the strength to get up and do it all over again, everyday, It broke my heart, she deserves more.
When Connor walks into Ava’s life, she knows nothing good can come out of it because she can’t get involve, she can’t give someone her heart and love knowing of her responsibilities at home. But Connor is not just anyone, he is someone that sees her, feels her and connects with her, they are adorable and funny together. Is a slow burn type of love, one that makes you wish and hope life was full of rainbows and butterflies but reality always sets in and the darkness of it come crashing down. Decisions are gonna be made, but are they always the right ones?
I need more! The cliffy left me speechless. The teenage drama and angst, is just beautifully written, so relatable. This book will captivate you from the beginning, a high school romance like no other, painful, beautiful and full of hope, hope for better days, hope for unconditional love, hope for two beautiful souls to finally get what they deserve. Im officially a fan of Jay McLean, she has a new stalker in me.. lol
I cannot wait for the next book of this duet, I devoured this books. My heart aches, I NEED IT!!
If you’re looking for a read that is gonna give you all the feels… I mean ALL! This one is for you.
5 heartbreaking stars!!
*I read an advance copy and this is my honest opinion
I mean where do I start. First, this title was the perfect title to describe Ava and Connor. Jay McLean knows how to write a story and create characters that grip your heart and make you feel every emotion possible. This first part of the duet introduces us to two extraordinary people that have been through a lot and in some cases still dealing with things for such young people. Ava and Connor are there for each other when they needed it, but the pressure of life is starting to weigh on these two. This is a beautifully written book, left me in tears, but can’t wait to read the second part of the duet to see what happens with Ava and Connor.
The queen of making me feel all the feels is BACK! Everything from page 1 until the end I loved. I FELL hard for the characters and their beautifully broken story. I loved everything about these two and I wasn’t prepared for the cliffhanger at the end. I shouldn’t have been surprised since it is a duet, but I wasn’t prepared. When reading Connor and Ava’s story nothing else matter, sleep, food, sleep… just those two. I couldn’t get enough of them and I didn’t want to put the book down. Their story is SO good. Trying to even find words is hard, because in true Jay wonder, I loved it. There isn’t anything I didn’t love about these two. I can’t wait to see what we get with book.
Prepare to fall in love. Prepare to love everything.
Five beautifully broken stars for Ava and Connor !!!
This is NOT the first book I’ve read by Jay McLean, so there wasn’t doubt that this book will be amazing before I even had started reading it .
Jay is one of my favorite YA and NA authors .
Her writing style is beautiful, emotional and so realistic that in the end, her books are the work of pure magic .
Ava and Connor reminded me why I love so much Jay’s books .
They made me forget own real life and felt every happy and sad moment that they went through .
If you look for a book that will show you, no matter how life can be difficult, we all can find light in the dark times only if we believe in magic and love, this is the book for you !
Highly recommended!!!
This book will give you all the feels. My emotions are all over the place. My heart goes out to both Ava and Connor. I love their banter back and forth, I love their chemistry and I how much they love each other but love isn’t always enough. This book will have you hoping, will have you rooting for Ava and Connor and of course ready-eyed. Ava and Connor are characters that you will never forget. I definitely need the next book because the ending OMG.
Sigh. This book had all the feels and then some. Yes, there was a history of heartache for these two–and I’m not talking exclusively about the romantic kind–especially on Ava’s end, but it’s Connor’s presence in her life that offers up a much needed spark of hope that, if not breathed new life into, could flicker and die. Now, I don’t mean to sound overly morose or somber, but there’s a reason this book is part of a duet, and that ending? Well, it broke my heart, and this was after I foolishly thought I wouldn’t be needing tissues. Ava and Connor’s tale is both hopeful and heartrending; THIS is why I read romance. Nicely done, Jay McLean. Five-plus stars go to Heartache and Hope.
First my english is worst but I try my best to give a review. Cause jay mclean is my most favorite author. And never missed her books!! SHE IS AWESOME AUTHOR WITH SO MANY GREAT WORD BUILDING IN HER BOOKS. This book beyond perfect.Each character in this book was written perfectly. Ava and Connor are perfect character with so much heartache in their life. ALTHOUGH ava and Connor story have so much heartache, is still an easy to read to enjoy because
There wasn’t a moment when I could be free of the so many emotions flooding me like joy, fun, pain, laugh, tears, twisted angst,chemistry between Ava and Connor, each page of this book grasping me into their story. I JUST can’t put it down!!
What a book!! I loved every minute of this one! Connor and Ava found a permanent place in my heart. I can’t wait to find out how their story ends! I laughed, I cried… and I couldn’t put it down!
With Heartache and Hope, Jay McLean delivers a powerful story that will give you butterflies in your stomach and make you hold your breath. You know the feelings you get when you have a crush on someone? The giddiness. The curiosity. The anticipation. There are moments throughout when the emotions are so strong and so raw, so joy-filled and so angsty, I simply could not breathe. Ava and Connor stole my heart with their texts, their honesty, their magic. Prepare to fall in love.
“I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.”
5 and more heartbreaking stars
I will start saying that I LOVE THIS BOOK. This book is one of those that will take you to a hell of roller coaster and you willing will ride it.
The book is spoken in dual POV’s and that helps to understand and get to know Ava & Connor. This make the reading more gripping and make me feel every single emotion that they went through, which I loved. At the end, I finished with a heartache and hope that in the second book the finally get their HEA
I highly recommend this book if you are looking for gripping book + some cry and deep feelings.
this book… wow. i had been in a romance reading rut in a really long time. when i heard Jay McLean was releasing her first book in 2yrs i was STOKED! i picked it up and i could not put it down. the story was true McLean style and once i was done… i couldn’t believe it. the words in this book are magic and everyone should read it. if only to go back in time to teenage love…
What’s that song that goes like “the boys are back ….” well i singing that tune but to the words of Jay’s back, Jay’s back folks!! I know it doesn’t make sense at all but whatever itworks in my head. Connor and Ava’s story was indescribable, it’s that good. I can’t believe i finished i WASN’T ready for the book to end. I need answers. I need to know what comes next for them. And now im left hanging til july 12. Lord help me. Ill be over here just occupying myself with other things til its go time for book 2. I loved this book soooo hard. These characters were amazing. I loved how i began to read this and i just settled in for a great book. No worries at all.
I didn’t think Jay would be able to make me love any characters more than I loved her old ones, but man, oh man. This book sucked me in from the first page and never let go.
I can’t even begin to describe the excitement I felt when Heartache and Hope hit my e-reader. I’ve read almost all of Jay McLean’s stories, and after every book, I’m always left in awe of her ability to infuse the amount and the magnitude of feelings that she does in EVERY. SINGLE. WORD. she uses to tell her characters’ story.
In her latest release, Heartache and Hope, book one in her Heartbreak Duet, McLean gives readers Ava Diaz and Connor Ledger’s story and it’s one that illustrates the imperfections of life – the heartache of life – the hopelessness of life when it gives them more than they can possibly handle. And in those redefining but uncontrollable situations, the fear can be overwhelming, which makes putting their trust and faith in people who have the ability to let them down as well as undo the carefully constructed facades they have meld together.
For all intents and purposes, Ava’s life is not her own, and while she’s accepted that fact, attempting to approach it without feeling the immense pressure that weighs down her shoulders, some days are easier than others…some situations can be handled better than others. It’s clear where her focus needs to be, and she tries not to complain about her circumstances, understanding that the blame doesn’t reside with anyone in her household, but that doesn’t mean she’s not frustrated, overwhelmed, anxious, awkward, or insecure, and Jay McLean expertly illustrates the emotional torment that constantly threatens to unhinge her at any given moment.
While Connor’s situation is nothing like Ava’s, his past absolutely defines his present, just like Ava’s does, and although it seems as if these two characters are following much different paths, the truth is that once they connect and find ‘magic’ together, their ‘end game’ slowly becomes redefined despite the obstacles in their way and the fact that, sometimes, they’re their own worst enemy.
In some ways, Ava and Connor are very much the teenagers that their ages signify, which means that their hormones are running rampant and their emotions have the ability to get the best of them and cause them to hurt the people they love the most. But both of them have already had to endure more heartache and pain than some might feel their entire lives, which means that everything is magnified as they go through the typical teenage angst as well as deal with a set of circumstances and situations that are much different from their peers’ experiences.
Jay McLean clearly has a pulse on the dynamics involved in situations like the ones Ava and Connor go through, and it’s clear that she painstakingly and meticulously researched the parts of the story that required factual information along with a significant emotional impact and because she took the time to understand everything that’s involved in the events that Ava and Connor experience, the feelings she conveyed resonate from the pages of this story and make this journey that readers go on with her and her characters significant and all-consuming.
At the end of Heartache and Hope, readers will absolutely be emotionally drained because while the hope is still hanging on in the final pages of book one, the heartache seems far more overreaching and far more tangible given the fallout of a few extremely pivotal discussions and actions. But I also think that readers will not lose all hope heading into First and Forever, not only because of its title but the fact that Ava and Connor share something real, something worth fighting for, something magical, and while the road ahead will definitely be filled with more zero and negative days, there’s hope that these two characters’ red letter days are coming, offering hope even in the darkness.
5+ Poison Apples
I’m really not sure how to describe the pure Raw Epic Story I have just read without wanting to Rant and Yell it from the Rooftops!!
Ava is the one of the strongest Heroines i have read. A Young girl who gives totally of herself to care for others, who has the burdens no child or young adult should ever have to endure, yet she does without complaint.
Connor is the New Boy at school, Athlete, Gorgeous, Hot and new neighbour to Ava.
Although devoted to achieving his dream of pro basketball, neither Connor nor Ava can fight their attraction to each other. But as we all know, life is cruel, harsh and at times soul crushing. Love isn’t easy either especially first love. The angst, the depth of emotion and navigation life along side.
Jay McLean takes no prisoners where your emotions are concerned. Torn, gutted and hung out to dry! I don’t think there was a page in this book where my heart nor tears weren’t included. There wasn’t a moment when i could be free of the emotions flooding me, each page grasping me into my new reality of living their life right there along side them. I want to fight for this couple and their families, i want to make things right for them. I want to hug this author, because when a book hurts so bad, but is also so darned beautiful, we don’t want to leave it, when you know you have read something so very special you will never let it go…. that is Everything! Connor and Eva’s story will most definitely rate highly in my 2019 Reads!!!!