Six wasn’t the hero I needed.But he was the man I wanted.And it was my selfish craving, the desire to own him, that would be our undoing. No one tells you that love is a disease. An infection that tears your heart apart, leaving you half the person you were before. A malady that leaves open wounds. An invisible disorder tracing scars in the places you couldn’t see if you weren’t looking for them. you weren’t looking for them.
I was sick, but love didn’t heal me.
Instead, it festered in my marrow, and drove me to unforgivable mistakes.
Six was my first mistake, but he wouldn’t be the last.
—
Six Feet Under is the first book in the Mad Love duet. Its sequel, Pieces of Eight will release May 9, 2018. If you’ve struggled with mental illness, self-harm, alcoholism, or drug use this story may be triggering for you. If you are still recovering or are susceptible to relapsing, please reconsider reading.
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This book swallowed me whole. Mira’s mental illness. Six’s ability to save her over and over. Their story together is a constant spiral of uncertainty; beautiful and painful to watch at times.
4.5 Stars
This the first book in this duet and what a book it was. I have been waiting for Six and Mira book for what seems like ages. However, it well worth the wait.
I found this book such an emotional roller coaster but it is worth my eyes welling up. I really did not know what to expect as I went in blind.
I really like these characters. Every woman needs Six in their life. Although I will say I had a bit of a hard time connecting to Six maybe if we got more inside his head a little we could understand him a bit more.
“You look so beautifully wild,” he said, “like a thunderstorm, right before it unleashes its fury.”
Mira is suffering from mental illness. Mira, I hated at first but as we went along in the book I really loved her even with all her problems and Demons.
I just loved their story and I can not wait for the next book. The writing and story had me hooked from the first chapter.
Haunting. That’s the only way to describe the start of Six Feet Under, book 1 in the Mad Love Duet. Six and Mira meet under less than ideal circumstances. I already like her and feel a twinge of sorrow for the cards she’s been dealt in life. The sorrow I feel for her palpable. I’m pulled in and intrigued by her story anxious to learn more. She’s fighting demons. Six is a mystery. Kind from the start. He comes into Mira’s life and turns it on its side. The story just rolls through the pages. So much sorrow and then tenderness. I love how easy this is to read – the emotions and actions so easily felt. Not to say that the emotions are easy because they aren’t. There’s heartache and turmoil, insecurities and indecision but there’s also deep unconditional love. Six and Mira’s connection is strong but Mira has lived such an unloved life she doesn’t know how to accept it or deal with it. Six has secrets that he doesn’t share. Together it makes it tough to navigate their relationship. My emotions are all over the place. Their secrets and lack of communication is killing me. I want to scream at them to open their mouths. My heart racing right along with my eyes trying to get to the end that I know will break my heart. Pieces of Eight, the conclusion to the Mad Love Duet, can’t come fast enough.
It was dark and depressing. It made me cry like crazy. I had a hard time keeping myself reading it, but then I also didn’t want to put it down. Mira is a VERY troubled young lady. I really feel like Six was pretty good for her in the beginning. There were many things that he did and said that I really thought were not very helpful to their situation. But then he would be so sweet and caring. He is really hard to get a read on. Especially since you are getting everything from Mira’s POV which is slightly off due to her mental illness. I love these characters and the worst part of this story is reading about all the struggles they face. The thoughts that go through her head when she is feeling her worst! Its all very heart breaking! I want to say that I loved this book, but I really cant “love” anything that dark and depressing. So I will honestly say that it is a great story. Absolutely one worth reading! I am very much looking forward to the conclusion of Mira’s story.
SIX FEET UNDER is Book 1 in THE MAD LOVE DUET. Book 2, PIECES OF EIGHT, will be released shortly after on May 9th. Whitney Barbetti has been working on this Duet for 4 years. It is quite the story, and after reading Book 1, I am anxiously awaiting the release of Book 2.
Mira is a very complex character, who admits to being certifiably crazy. The entire book is told from her point of view. I was exhausted from being in her mind and her warped view point. She was raised by a single mother who was bipolar. So if her mental illness was hereditary, or Post Traumatic Stress Disorder or could be both, and who could tell? She heard voices in her head, and they made most of her decisions. Mira thought the voices never steered her wrong, because she always got something: a high, fame, attention, and most of all: a sense of belonging. She was self-destructive, selfish, an alcoholic and drug user. Enter her hero nicknamed Six.
Six or William, was a complete mystery. She couldn’t decide why she found him so different that all the others. Why she was so intent on Six. Cutting was one of her vices, much like alcohol or cocaine, to help her brain numb itself. She needed to cut when forgetting was impossible. She couldn’t figure out why Six was still there. There was nothing wrong with him, and she couldn’t figure out what he wanted. But when he was there the euphoria wasn’t due to anything except Six. He told her if she could live with madness nothing could be weak about that. He gave, and gave, and gave and the question was why? She wondered what he saw in her, and what made him keep coming back. Loving Six wasn’t gradual; it was sudden. The love she had for him was so big she was sure she couldn’t carry it on her own. He loved her too. “You don’t love me because it’s easy. It’s not an easy love, what we have is Mad Love!”
Their love affair would last through a long turbulent ten years. The infinity symbol! Without end! “I never said I was afraid of love. I’m afraid of beginnings.” “Because every beginning has an end.” It does end in a cliffhanger. But Whitney Barbetti gives us a “teaser” at the end of the book from PIECES OF EIGHT. Cannot wait for the release of that book!! Their story continues!!
On a scale of 1-10, I love this book an 11…
Whitney Barbetti is not an author or a person to shy away from difficult truths, her courage in addressing heart wrenching issues and stigmas, mental illness in particular, is inspirational, and Six Feet Under is no different.
I was swept up, heart and soul, even more invested in and caring for Mira and Six, feeling every single emotion they did, crying for their pain, begging Whitney through my kindle to ease their pain, to bring them all the happiness. It’s a raw, unforgiving, unrelenting assault to my soul, an exploration of mental illness, drug use, and all the shamed, unspoken parts of our world. Yet it’s written eloquently, kindly, with a level of empathy that made my heart shatter and heal repetitively.
Mira is real. She’s selfish. She’s an antiheroine. She’s suffered horrors that made me cry to read, she’s made more mistakes than she can count, and her illness makes her doubt so much, makes her cause pain and feel pain, and hate herself. But she’s beautiful, strong, and she has a unique, unconditional capacity to love.
Six is guarded, secretive, quietly dominant. He’s a total badass with a strong moral compass, a gentle, generous heart, and a soul that’s a little bruised and a little battered and still loving.
I have loved Mira since Ten Below Zero, I have loved Six since He Found Me, but after Six Feet Under I know these characters, I understand them, my heart bleeds for their pain, and honestly I want to hug them and make them a cuppa because British solutions to everything.
This is a gripping, emotional, angstathon of a romance, a romance that spans 10 years of pain, 10 years of forgiveness, and 10 years of never ending, all encompassing, passionate love that captured me heart and soul and refused to let go. I’m a willing prisoner to Barbetti’s intricate tapestry of words, her expect storytelling, her endless, beautiful, stubborn creativity.
Six Feet Under is a stunning analysis of life, love and pain that I wanted to live in forever.
OMFG!! WHITNEY BARBETTI BLEW ME AWAY WITH SIX FEET UNDER!!
The Story of Mira & Six is Such an EMOTIONAL Rollercoaster ride of Gut Wrenching Feelings that leaves you BREATHLESS!!! My Review will Not Do It Justice so YOU NEED TO READ THIS BOOK for Yourself to Enjoy the Ride!!
CANNOT WAIT FOR PIECES OF EIGHT!!
A beautiful story not to be missed. This story is absolutely breathtaking. I mean it literally leaves you breathless so many times it’s painful. I don’t usually like overly emotional stories but this one is so beautifully crafted and the author presents a masterclass in superb character creation and development. I laughed and cringed and swooned and teared up several times (I’m not a cryer) and loved every word. Mira is an amazing character in all her brokenness and flawed behavior. Some will not understand Mira’s character but she is all to real to me. As someone who has loved and cared for someone with a mental illness Mira is spot on. I loved her and disliked her. And what to say about Six? If all women were so lucky to have someone like him. He is beyond wonderful in his love for Mira. This story is worth reading just to experience and marvel at the beauty of Six. I hope the next story tells his history and backstory. I wondered why he appeared in Mira’s life when he did and what about her drew him to her from the beginning. This is a new author to me and I loved her writing. I’ll be back for more. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC.
4.5 Stars
Well my goodness what an emotional journey Six Feet Under took me on. This is not a glitter and sparkly rainbows story. It’s one that gives you a wounded young lady who is dealing with mental illness.
Mira has heard voices in her head since a young child. Voices that tell her to do things that you and I know are not what we should do. But to Mira, those voices give her freedom.
Growing older, she found that along with the voices, now you add cocaine and pills to the mix and you get even more freedom…
Now add in self harming and Mira is flying high!!!
One step away from total self-destruction, Six walks into her life. He’s a very mysterious man who doesn’t open up to anyone. What Mira feels when she is around him is something she has never felt before. The voices are telling her it won’t work. The drugs are telling her to be free. The cutting allows all self-doubt to escape.
Six is a very patient man though. He has seen Mira at her worse times, has helped her to feel for others. But something is telling Mira that Six has picked her as a charity case. One that maybe he can save.
This is a very long book!!! One that sucked me in and had me suffering right along with Mira. Was a story that although is fiction, made me understand more about people with a mental illness. I appreciate authors who write about such things and mention about how people who are suffering can get help.
With that being said, I need book two….like stat!!! That ending… **Gasp**
#BookBistroBlogApproved
Six Feet Under is an emotionally raw and tragically poetic story that will captivated your heart and leave you breathless page after page…
Hours have passed since finishing this beautifully wild tale and I am still at a loss for words because this story was unlike anything I have EVER read before. It’s breathtakingly real and holds a strong message surrounding mental health and addiction, something that is too often pushed under the rug. This story will test your limits and you will feel as if your heart has been ripped out of your chest and run over a million times from the abundance of emotions you will surely experience.
The intensity of this story alone will leave you craving more of Six and Mira’s mad love. Their love is toxic, unforgivable and yet tragically beautiful all at the same time. You will love it and you will hate it at times. The pain they feel will become the pain you feel, but that kind of intensity is what makes this such a phenomenal read. Whitney Barbetti has taken a risk with this story and I have to say that the risk will be worth it for those willing to take a leap of faith and intrust their fragile souls with this kind of mad love. This story is not for the weakhearted, but for those open to new experiences.
Six and Mira’s mad love has broken me in more ways then one and it’s not even over yet… I don’t know how my heart is going to make it through Pieces of Eight, but I am ready and willing to dive deep into the blackness right now!
I’m on the fence about this book. The topic of mental health is not something to be taken lightly and Whitney Barbetti does a great job of taking it on. where I have my issue is with Mira. I sadly could not find one redeeming quality, until 75 percent into the book. Before that I would have dropped her like a bad habit. six either is a saint or has a knight on white horse complex.
Mira is a lost soul who doesn’t know how to cope with life. She turns to drugs to take away the mental pain in her life, to shut off the voices. By chance she ends up meeting Six. Her salvation and her down fall. Can she clean up for him? Can he chase a way her demons long enough to get her sober?
Six is a mystery. Mira is his everything. She falls off the wagon and screws up, he cleans her up and loves her. When his work gets in the way things could be compromised. Yet he bares his soul to her and keeps he r @ for 10+ years, cleaning up mess after mess until she stops be selfish and focuses on something else. Will Sixs past come back to haunt them? Or will Mira revert back to her old ways of mucking things up?
His beginning and her end.
Mira is lost. I feel like we don’t have a clear picture of what I s really wrong with her. She has abandonment issues. Voices that tell her what to do. Six, can’t let go of the ghosts from his past.s
**Before I start my review on Six Feet Under……let me just say that if you want to go into Pieces of Eight completely blind, do not read the sneak peak at the end. You will want it now, more than you already do.**
4.5 stars
I’m still trying to process my thoughts and emotions after finishing Six Feet Under. It took me a few days to read the book, as it’s not a light and easy read. It’s dark and emotional, and it covers quite a bit of time. It was a little slow for me at the beginning, but I understand the need to fully develop Mira’s story….and why she was the way she was.
Mira is not an easy heroine to love…….but you will fall in love with her nonetheless. She is selfish, an addict and self-destructive, just trying to calm the voices in her head. And when she meets Six, those voices quiet just a little. He is unlike any other person that she has ever met in her life. Six loves her in a way nobody else has. He takes care of her even when she pushes him away. He sees the good in her that she can’t see for herself. He accepts her for who she is, flaws and all…..but he pushes her to be the person he knows she can be. He shows her that she is worth loving.
Even though I knew where the storyline was going, my heart still broke at the end. I wish I had part 2 of the duet to read now, as I just want to keep going on this ride with these extremely memorable characters.
“But every beginning has an ending”
To be honest, I have no idea how I really feel about this book. Six Feet Under targets a heavy topic. A topic you most likely only truly understand if you walked in the same or at least very similar shoes. And I think Whitney did a tremendous job, creating such a broken character. Mira is so selfish, I couldn’t bring myself to really like her or to see what Six might be seeing in her. But at the same time I felt so sorry, for both of them.
“I don’t embrace the dark; it embraces me.”
At the beginning I thought I might be able to understand Mira. Because mental illness is nothing new to me. But Mira is really a mess. She’s broken in so many pieces, that she seems to be beyond repair. So it’s hard for me to form a connection with her. It was also hard for me to see why Six fell in love with her and why he tolerated her behavior. And as much as it seems that he actual helped her, I don’t think he did.
Mira changed for him. Everything she changed was for him. That’s not healthy. IMO you need to change for no other than yourself. You yourself want to get better, to change for yourself. So no wonder Six and Mira’s story unfolded the way it did.
Throughout the story Six almost morphs into a side-character. At least from my point of view. We almost no nothing about him, except that he selflessly loves Mira and vaguely what he does for a living.
“As long as you’re fighting, you’re living.”
Even though it’s pretty hard to write a story about this tough subject, Whitney did an amazing job creating Mira. She’s very much real and believable. Therefore I pay my fullest respect to the author.
Unfortunately I had some trouble getting into the story and forming a connection with the characters. The story is a slow-burn with almost no action and about the first 30% felt like things are on repeat. However I think this book is not for everyone and either you love it or not. Sadly I’m somewhere in the middle. I’m impressed about what the author created, but I guess it’s just not for me.
“Love was the vehicle for my madness, and Six was in the driver’s seat.”
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Six Feet Under is not a romance for the faint of heart. If you are looking for hearts and flowers with swooning oooo’s and aaaaah’s, this is not the love story for you. The journey of Mira ad Six is honest, heartbreaking and at times downright sad. Along with the bad, there are good, happy moments for Mira and Six. There are times to cherish as they try to navigate the complexities of their new relationship.
Mira suffers from mental illness, life does not come easy to her and every day is a battle. She tries to find some sense of normalcy, but Mira doesn’t know what that entails. She struggles on a daily basis and sometimes in the simplest things in life are daunting for her. I can’t imagine what it would be like to live in Mira’s head for a day. Whitney did a fabulous job of making us understand how lonely Mira was. She was looking for love and acceptance, nothing she’s ever experienced unconditionally in her life. My heart broke for her, but in the next breath I was frustrated with her behavior. I know she couldn’t help herself, I so desperately wanted her to fine the peace she was looking for.
Six enters her life, he’s as mysterious as he is serious. For some reason Mira and Six make sense together and it’s unexpected for them both. He’s patient with Mira, he’s kind and looks out for her like no one ever has. Six is good for Mira, but I need more of him. He’s gentle in a way that Mira needs. I really loved his character, but I want more of him so I can understand better what makes him tick.
I wasn’t sure what to expect with this book. I read the blurb, but that doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of what this story entails. Whitney’s ability to pull us into their tough journey was fabulous. Her writing is raw and real. I was truly engaged from page one. The up’s and downs of their relationship are eye opening and captivating. The connection Mira and Six have doesn’t diminish over the years. The heat between them is sexy and powerful. But is that enough to pull someone out of the darkness they feel perpetually clouded in? To say I’m anxious to continues this journey with them in Pierces of Eight is an understatement. This is a roller coaster of a ride I’m happy I took. There are secrets I’m hoping Whitney reveals. I want answers, I want confessions and honesty, no more secrets. My eyes and fingers are crossed that they can find their own version of HEA.