THE FIRST BOOK IN A HEART-CONSUMING TRILOGY “And the saint fell in love with the sociopath … but it’s anyone’s guess who is who in this story.” From Amazon’s #1 bestselling author in Gothic Romance comes a breathtaking and unforgettable love story that will keep you guessing who the real villains are. In a desperate final attempt to save nineteen-year-old Mia from herself, she gets transferred …
In a desperate final attempt to save nineteen-year-old Mia from herself, she gets transferred to Dolor University, a reformatory college in the UK that housed deranged and dangerous young adults who viewed the private institution as their own personal playground. Mia didn’t care. She needed feelings to care. She’d keep her head down, ignore everyone, and make it through the next two years effortlessly.
Though Mia never anticipated Ollie Masters.
With green eyes, tattoos, and the voice of a poet, she is quickly drawn to him. But because of her sociopath tendencies, she knows it could only end in one of two ways. Either he will be the one to free her from her past, or she will be the one to destroy him.
WARNING: Mature content, adult language, graphic sexual content, and disturbing matters may trigger an emotional response. Read at your own risk.
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Real talk, HOW is this her debut novel!? Seriously I have become UNDONE by this book, I am so happy I stumbled upon it and now Nicole has me because anyone who can pull these types of raw emotions out of me deserves the praise!
“It was not love at first sight. She had always been a part of me. My soul already knew hers, and it was now, in this fucking moment, when we were finally reunited. And there she stood, the girl I belonged to. I was no longer homesick. I was complete.
I don’t know how I’m going to recover from this one and now I’m sitting here at 12:40 am with a full on flu, body aches, chills and fever with snot running down my face because this story hit me SO hard, not only did it get me out of a book slump but emotionally I’m f*cking spent and THAT is what I’m looking for in a book that’s just easily become a top read for me this year and if I’m being honest not many have.
“But I embodied truth, and the truth was—I could never change. And if I’d let him continue down this path, he would have eventually suffocated under my truth as he attempted to free a cursed soul.”
I know people say a book gutted them or ruined them but Ollie literally brought me to my knees, his character scooped me hollow and filled me up with too many hard emotions that feel to real, too devastating, too overwhelming.
“I was sober, but he became my drug and dose of medicine wrapped up in one tall and beautiful, tattooed pill.”
And that’s just Ollie because Mia? Mia broke. Me. Down. Dismantled me piece by piece until I was forced to feel every gut wrenching emotion she felt and every heinous memory and act she suffered. She is the definition of a strong, fierce, beautiful soul.
“I was already his and whatever he wanted. His slave. His savior. His anchor.”
When Ollie and Mia are together and it’s just them you can feel every touch, every kiss and every word they breath to each other like they’re right in front of you and the things Ollie says (in his sexy accent no less) will have the most cynical of us floating on a cloud, it’s like looking into the root of pure unfiltered love which is both terrifyiing and absolutely breathtaking. His vulnerability is heart stopping.
“Sometimes even the darkest parts of us can become beautiful when seen through a different set of eyes.”
Listen, if you’ve ever read any of my reviews or heard me rave about a book on my bookstagram page I NEED YOU TO READ THIS IMMEDIATELY! You won’t be sorry, it’ll be your undoing but you’ll thank me later!
“You and I. Those were bullets. Three of them. One to the stomach, one to the heart, and one to the head.”
Wow, this book was not what I was expecting, it had me captivated from the minute Mia stepped foot in the Dolor. There were lots of hard ships and struggles for Mia that I wasn’t sure she would be able to overcome, I understand now how Mia was able to shut of her humanity switch. I’m so thankful for Ollie and I’m glad we got to hear some from his point of view at the end of the book. After the way the story ended if was heart warming to hear all of Ollie‘s instant love. This was such an emotional story with a twist I never saw coming, since I was so wrapped up in the love story. I’m going to be things about this book for awhile to come. I can’t wait for the next book in the series.
I utterly devoured this book like a maniac. I have to admit I NEVER read the blurb and, as the cover junkie that I am, that was exactly what drawn me into this story without apology.
I always pay too much attention to the smallest details and this cover was not the exception. Since the very first week I saw the book debut of this talented author, I told myself that I had to have it and that’s what happened. My only regret was not reading it as soon as I could because you all know, there are so many books out there but just few hours in a day to accomplish that mission. It’s not even fair lol But I can assure you, the cover would make even more sense when you read this book.
Nicole was capable of create an extraordinary story that portrays in an astonished way one of the worst enemies of human beings. Their own heart and brain.
I won’t tell you what the story is about because it’s impossible to say just a little bit without giving too much away about the plot. My only advice is to give it a try and expect the unexpected.
“When it came down to you and me, I’d never thought you’d be the one to slip away”
As soon as I finished to read that line, my poor heart was shattered into a million little pieces. I felt a pain so strong and irreparable that for the slightest moment, I didn’t want to keep reading at all. And that was just the prologue. But I’m happy I did. In order to understand this story, you have to let yourself FEEL. No matter how much it hurts. You HAVE to. Because Nicole will definitely dig a hole in your heart so big that the only way to fill it back in is to keep reading till the end.
Raw, additive, all-consuming, heartbreaking and downright combustible from the very start till the last page. Stay With Me by Nicole Fiorina will leave you at the edge of your seat and will not allow you to put her book down. Not even to go to sleep.
The writing of this author is something you don’t see that often in the book world. I believe, a talent like this only appears a few decades. Nicole pulls you in with her words till the point where you feel like you are RIGHT THERE with the characters. It makes you want to scream, cry, smile and love. As if you were one of them and all at once.
It’s clear the main characters were meticulously developed to give them an unique personality that is crucial for the story to be understood. I don’t think you would find characters like those ones so easily. Partly because they represent most of our insecurities and fears in a symbolic way. But that doesn’t mean they don’t feel as real as we are. Some of the struggles, you will see the characters facing are part of the struggles some people have to deal with in the shadows.
“No one has a right to insult something they can’t understand and tears shouldn’t be wasted on misunderstandings”
There are so many messages this author delivers to all her readers that each word will resonate and wrap around your heart so hard that you won’t have a way to forget them. I value even more that part of the book simply because, if you really are a person who takes the time to read, it will be easy for you to understand what this author wanted to accomplished with this story.
“Some search their entire lives for this single moment. Don’t blink, my love. We’re finally here”
I can not be happier to have found this author and her book. I experienced so many things while reading it that I think I won’t be able to put it out of my head even if I wanted to.
I absolutely adored this story. Even in the toughest moments. Even when I cried like a baby because I felt useless while the characters had to endure so much. However, watching Ollie and Mia’s intense and unapologetic love made all worth it.
With a plot twist that you definitely won’t expect, secondary characters that will surprise you at every moment and an ending that will shock you. Stay With Me will change your life forever.
I can’t wait for book 2 in the series.
“The glow… it’s your soul shining through. Your eyes brighten when we’re together, and that is how I know…”
This book was phenomenal! I went through every emotion with Mia and Ollie! The twists in this book were mind blowing. I literally scared my husband by yelling Holy sh*** so many time he was beginning to worry about me! Nicole did an amazing job! And I can’t wait until the next book!!! The writing was so good you feel like you’re in the story!!
Wow. Wow. Just … wow
What a powerfully emotional story this is !!
I just finished it and I’m stuck for words .
Mia and Ollie both end up in a reform university, Mia believes she is a sociopath – has no feelings and is incapable of feeling anything . EVER.
Ollie is he opposite and has an emotional disorder that makes him FEEL everything too much . Both a result of childhood trauma .
This story is about how in the midst of hopelessness and despair Love Can conquer and heal . But they have many challenges in their way !
The beginning gives you a hint towards the end and I wasn’t sure how it would fit or where it would go and then we are left with a to be continued ending … I honestly CAN NOT wait for the next book !
This book was we’ll written , and drew me in and hooked me from beginning to end ! I HIGHLY revoked it !!
Trigger warning : this story does have sexual assault themes and may be a trigger for some . It’s powerful and it’s raw and it’s emotional, but it’s great.
This book has absolutely had my emotions all over the place but in a good way. It’s a beautiful story of finding yourself in tragedy, finding love in heart ache, and how to overcome fears and step out of comfort zones. This is a story about a girl, Mia, who has no emotions she has switched them off and in an effort to get her help her dad sends her to a college/recovery institute and in this place she finds Ollie. Ollie is such a beautiful soul and his words were just as beautiful as he was inside and out. I loved how he tried and did help Mia. I loved how big his heart was and I felt everything he felt. Mia had a tragic past and although at the beginning I didn’t agree with not like her actions because she did deserve better, yet when makes a turning point in her road to recovery she realizes the things she’s done before Ollie was not right. Ollie brings out the best in her and they have a very one of a kind love. Their story isn’t an easy road and they go through a lot of trials and I have a feeling there is more to come. The story does end in a cliff hanger and I’m dying to know what happens next. This book was a unique story and it does have some triggers for some people but the story is beautiful and I need more Ollie and Mia.
In a last ditch effort to save Mia, she is sent to Dolor- a reformatory of sorts for dangerous and/or troubled youth and young adults. She is dangerous for reasons unknown to her self and most others. Mia it seems is a sociopath. She destroys those around her in her unfeeling tendencies and reads others like an open book.
Ollie, however, isn’t like everyone else. She can’t quite figure him out. She warns him. Do not get in her way. She is a storm most don’t survive. Destruction and devastation lie in her wake.
This. Once I started I couldn’t stop. It is haunting beyond what I imagined. It steals your breath away and makes your run a gauntlet of emotions. You wont know what has hit you but you cannot leave her regardless. Can you survive all that is Mia? I’m not sure I did yet I’m in awe.
Totally Epic. I loved every minute of it
I don’t even know what to say. I loved this book and hated it in a way. The first chapter was a foreshadowing of things to come so it was almost like watching the titanic in a way. I knew what was coming and everything building up to that point was pulling me in and making me feel but I just couldn’t turn away because it was so good.
The story is about Mia who gets sent by have father and Stepmother to an institution in England called Dolor. The place is a cross between a mental health center where people gets therapy and a college where they take classes and get credits, but if they fail or get in trouble they will end up in prison or a mental institution. This is like a last stop. But they are also locked in at night and have rules and some of them are on medications. If they act out they can get sent to solitary confinement or to the mental institution next door.
Mia is there because she believes she is a sociopath, she is unable to feel any emotions or empathy. She meets Ollie who is different from anyone she has ever met before because he makes her feel things. The story not only details the romance between the two, but her recovery, his mental illness, and several other characters that they hang out with.
This reminded me of several other books and movies that take place in hospitals and mental institutions or even at boarding schools in some ways. But the romance between the characters just gives you all the emotions because of the fact that the characters both have issues with their emotions. They are afraid of emotions in different ways and afraid of being hurt and hurting each other and of being left alone.
Of course the book ended with a cliffhanger and I can’t say I am too upset about it, because I was crying and afraid it was just going to end that sadly. So at least I have hope. I just really hope Nicole Fiorina is a fast writer, because I really need to find out how it all ends up. I loved it and recommend it to everyone.
BTW — I was generously provided an ARC for an honest review.
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That’s how I’m currently feeling after this debut book by Nicole Fiorina.
I am so endless happy and I thank the Universe that she ask me to read her first book.
I can’t even believe that’s her first book. She writes like someone with so much experience and the writing is just so flawless and heartbreaking beautiful, I’m really impressed and in love with it
This book is so never-ending emotional and moving, has so boundless many feelings and unbelievable brutal heart pains, it’s break you and let you not go.
I was so emotional involved in the dramatic actions, that I was really feeling the pain and my heart ached for the characters.
This story is so gripping, exciting, unpredictable and terrible sad at the same time, that you can’t stop to read.
This is a story about young people with emotional problems and depressions caused in their childhood. The silence cry for help and how our society deals with it. A heartbreaking struggle and fight for friendship and love no matter what it costs.
Yeah, and that’s just the rough description of the topic of the story. I don’t want to spoil for you the whole experience, that it this book. You will learn the rest when you read this book
And I hope you’ll because it’s
definitely a must read for all the dark (young adult) romance lovers, without a HEA , but maybe next time?
This book ends with a cliffhanger. I hope Nicole gives her protagonists a break and a HEA next time because this book wrecked me! and I need them finally happy
After I read the last words of the epilogue, I went back to the prologue. You see, the book begins with a powerful chapter that you think it’s preparing you for the story you will read next. But the emotion, the impact I felt the first time reading and now reading again are completely different. The first time I read the prologue, I didn’t know I was about to get in a rollercoaster of emotions this high and complex. I didn’t know I was about to read not only a good book, but an AMAZING one.
Do you ever loved a character and also hated in the same proportion? I loved Mia, and felt her sadness, but I hated her sometimes either. She is a unique, different person that can make us feel all kinds of feels in the same chapter. Looking from someone outside I condemned a few of her attitudes a lot while reading, but when I decided to put her shoes on and see the things through her eyes? Yeah, the struggle is real. She is a really interesting character to read. I think the author was really honest with her feelings and real. We see her growing and start to understand her more and more.
Ollie is simply the best male character. I read it hoping several times that he would do something stupid that might make me not like him. But I have nothing to complain about. Ollie is a person who displays his emotions with ease and the only thing left for us to do is to love him.
I was, actually, reading another book, but stumbled into this one in Kindle Unlimited and I was just like “let me see if this one is good” and once I started I was not able to let it go. I was really glued into Mia and Ollie story.
This is a powerful and heartbreaking story, is beautiful but also really hard to read sometimes. It has a lot of triggers so you should go with caution to read it. I didn’t know the author’s work before and she is an amazing writer ( this was her first novel). This is a trilogy and all 3 books is about the Mia and Ollie and I REALLY recommend it.
The Most Touching Love Story
5+ stars!
What we shared shouldn’t and couldn’t be defined by a single word.
Beautiful. Heart warming and gut wrenching. Shocking and soul gripping. The amount of emotions I felt throughout this book is one like no other. Nicole Fiorina completely grabs you whole by the epic love story that is of Ollie and Mia. With beautifully well written words, it’s basically poetry in novel form. I literally could not put this down, and I struggle to find the right amount of words to truly describe how Stay With Me makes me feel.
Oliver Masters. Ollie. The man who owns my complete heart and soul. He’s beautiful. If you don’t fall in love with Ollie the way Mia falls in love with him, then you’re not reading the same book that I am. I love that he loves with his whole being, that he loves Mia so unconditionally. He understands her and pushes her without harm.
Mia Jett. I love her to death. I love that she knows her faults. I understand her inability to lack emotions. You see her go through this journey of self discovery with the help of Ollie, and it’s beautiful to read. This girl struggles with so much, and you feel it.
Now Mia and Ollie as a whole. OH MAN. Ok, how do I explain them without doing them an injustice? I absolutely LOVED how they basically only have one exception: each other. Ollie doesn’t mess around or get with other girls. Except Mia. Mia doesn’t kiss or fall for guys. Except Ollie. They are unbelievably cute together, with their constant little moments. These two completely opposite souls prove that when you meet the right someone at the right time, your life is changed forever. And there was this one moment where Ollie talks about fate with Mia – I don’t want to spoil it – but it makes you really second guess about how fate works in its mysterious ways. Both of their stories are tragic. But that’s what makes them understand one another so well.
Their so-called “friends” really piss me off. I know they are in a reformatory school, but where are their morals? Common sense? I flip flop between who’s the best kind of friend, and it’s hard. I feel like if anyone is better it’s either Jake or Alicia, but even then.
This goes without saying that I wholeheartedly recommend this book. Even the whole series, cause you cannot read book one and just not read the rest. Ollie and Mia are epic and beautiful and I wish I could go on but I would literally never end this review.
Stay with me is about Mia being sent Dolor University a reformatory college for troubled delinquents. Mia suffers from Emotional Detachment Disorder. Immediately upon arrival her troubled actions are in full swing. During assigned weekly therapy sessions Mia unwillingly finds herself soul searching for the reasons as to why she became emotionally detached. It’s not in therapy where Mia learns about her darkness it’s when she finds the light within Ollie.
Ollie was light in Mia’s darkest moments. He has eyes on her at all times. Ollie hangs with a group of four other students who break the rules and draw out each other’s weaknesses. Ollie was unafraid to express his feelings while Mia suppressed hers. For ten years Mia was trapped in her own head until Ollie unlocked the door to her walls.
Overall:
This was a unique twist on the push n’ pull trope with Nicole putting her own spin on Mia’s character. Music was Intricately woven into the story added at just the right moments never crowding the storyline. There was that opposites attract vibe where Nicole created a unique balance between the dark and the light. Instant-love with love at first sight and an unconditional love was another element that Nicole added to the mix. Nicole took forbidden to an entirely different level in this college romance of reformed students. All these combined tropes formulated an emotional read.
When an writer puts words on paper that stirs feelings and has my brain working that’s a true artist. It’s poetry in motion to create character dialogue that is intriguing. I couldn’t shut my mind off. I was constantly thinking about them long after I finished reading. In fact, I couldn’t wait to start the next book.
Nicole sucked me into her emotional web. This book had all the feels. I had attachment issues. The writing is fresh and so damn good. She achieved what she set out out to do which was evoke emotions from her readers. I’m hooked on every word no skimming done here. I held onto each word. I wanted to be present in the story to be apart of the characters lives so I clung onto each emotional word.
Stay with me is written from Mia’s perspective. We get a small glimpse of Oliver’s thoughts before each chapter.
Nicole transported me into the story by bringing these characters to life. I visualized each characters actions like I was watching it play out on a movie screen. Nicole has talent.
When Mia’s mind slipped away with Ollie begging her to Stay With Me I pictured a person suffering from Alzheimer’s. Her situation wasn’t anything like that just similar in the way her mind transports to another place in time.
When Mia retreated within her mind I compared her issues with that of a drug addict. Her relapsing like a drug addict unable to stay strong enough to control the urges of the poisons that want to destroy the mind.
The supporting cast of characters brought the perfect balance between the main characters. For the most part the five students that Mia met seemed normal eventhough they were attending a reform school. They brought some much needed entertainment reminding the reader that these students attended college and behaved as such. The temptations of the other students had me on pins and needles. The uncertainty of these reckless characters had my emotions running on high alert. I had no way of knowing which direction Nicole was taking these characters and my mind started to go in dangerous directions with everything she presented before us.
Nicole illustrated two characters whose past trauma carved them in different ways. Mia’s approach was more destructive while Ollie’s was subtle almost unnoticeable. I do have one unanswered question regarding Ollie’s character. What did he need medication?
I love this quote from Nicole, “Sometimes even the darkest parts of us can become beautiful when seen through a different set of eyes.”
I love when writers hit a debut book out of the park. Nicole Fiorina is a new author that quickly became my new favorite. I took a chance on this series with it’s beautiful cover design, with its title, and its promising premise.
Speechless
I have no words! Well I have a lot but none that will do this book justice! I’m a big mess of feelings right now and I’m not sure how to deal. This book was phenomenal and that’s I can really say right now! READ IT!!!!!!
Oh my heart Mia and Ollie were phenomenal. I loved that in this one it was the woman who was the epically damaged and hateful character and Ollie was the cinnamon roll. His poetry at the beginning of every chapter was beautiful and I found myself highlight almost every passage. While normally I like my men more gruff and rough and tumble in my books, Ollie hit me in my heart. His vulnerability and openness drew me in and held me hostage.
The epic connection and surety he feels about their love is amazing and the way he breaks through to Mia who believes herself to be a sociopath will pull on your heartstrings. High level of angst and a touch of suspense. I did have to suspend a bit of disbelief in the academy set up where they were able sneak about so much but it wasn’t too ridiculous. I’m not a fan of dick solves all my problems but this was definitely not that they both struggled immensely with their demons and it was very relatable.
Highly recommend this series and I cannot believe I waited so long to dive in
The title for this book is perfect not only because of Ollie and Mia but because their story will always Stay With Me! In a world filled with countless love stories, this book gripped my soul and imprinted the characters into my heart. Nicole Fiorina created their love with such poetic depth that it made me feel pure emotional intensity. Their love story is beautiful, raw, and this book is one of my all-time favorites.
A debut novel? Witchcraft! I’m calling HOCUS POCUS!
This book captured me from the very first page, and held me hostage for the entire Mia & Ollie ride.
“You stood before me, a memory, but I was a stranger in your eyes. Did you forget to remember or remember to forget?” Absolutely hooked.
This is approx 1% into the book. I have NEVER highlighted more passages in a book.
The heading of every chapter was an insight to the poetry of Ollie Masters, giving us peeks into his mind.
“I’m bulletproof, yet she’s slowly penetrating every part of me.” Swoon. Sigh. I just wanna wrap Ollie & his emotions up in the biggest hug.
The transition of Mia GAVE ME LIFE! I know I’m yelling at you, but I want to be sure I’m conveying my emotions here. She started off so cold and detached, for good reason, but still. Unfeeling. Given a diagnosis of a disorder.
“Pain, lust, anger, passion, I would take anything at this point. My heart was stiff. Rigor mortis had already set in my soul, if I even had a soul.”
And then sweet Ollie. Her complete, polar opposite.
“It happened instantly, my heart and soul coming to an automatic agreement, promising their all to her, and frankly, I have too much.”
He gave me all the emotions, and it was so refreshing to have a caring hero, one that didn’t spend all his time trying to tear down our heroine, but instead encouraged, and uplifted her, slowed her down if she went too fast, and breathed life into her.
“The problem is, I’m not just a guy, and you’re not just a girl, so the last thing we should do is treat this as such.”
Fiorina hit me back to back to back and I felt all the emotions that Mia didn’t. This was a work of ART, and I can’t wait for book 2.
“Stay with me, even when I’m gone.”
I can’t think straight. My emotions are all over the place and I’m not even sure I can put them into a coherent sentence, but I’ll do my best. This book had me all over the place. Confused at how Mia was feeling and why she was able to block so many emotions from the surface. Happy because of the way Ollie and her were with each other, how he was able to break down her walls and make her feel again. Sad because of what Mia had gone through in the past and even in her present.
When a book leaves you empty you know you’ve hit the jackpot at a good book. This book broke me, emotionally and I’m not sure when I’ll recover from it. Looking forward to reading book 2, as soon as my heart is mended back together.
I don’t even feel like the words that I write about this book will do it justice. It was absolutely breathtaking and intriguing. Dark, romantic, and mind-blowing. I was hooked from the first moment their eyes met. Even before then..I’ve been itching to read a book where the h is the one detached and unfeeling. Something having happened to cause Mia to shut down from life…not caring about anyone around her or what happens. Her only goal is to get through this new challenge of a reformatory college so she can just move on. She didn’t expect what Ollie Masters could make her feel or change in her.
When I tell you that this book has so many twists and turns that it’s hard to keep your head on straight I’m being completely serious! It was so captivating the way that Nicole Fiorina wrote….her words are magnificent and enchanting. They have the power to capture your mind in a way that leaves a lasting memory of what transpired throughout the entire book. It’s almost as if you can see the book actually play out in your mind.
My absolute favorite things about this book are
*The heroine being the unfeeling one…absent of emotions that can form lasting relationships or attachments.
*The twists in this story were brilliant….my head is still reeling from what was revealed.
*The quotes!!!! OH MY WORD!!! The quotes are absolutely amazing and an absolute perfection of who I felt Ollie was and felt during the book.
*The relationship between Ollie and Mia…the rarity of finding it and holding onto it; so momentous. It was hands down my favorite part.
“My empty soul thirsted for something, and he quenched every gap- filled every piece.”
Mia, Stay With Me.
This quote was an absolute perfect representation of how Mia felt…
Now I’m off to read Even When I’m Gone which is the continuation of this story.
“I want to be found by you across the room, I want your lips on mine whenever I want, and I want to feel myself inside you. I need it.”
I didn’t know where to start, I knew this book existed because I had heard about it before, but I also heard that it is very emotional and not ready to read it.
But in the end I did it and I don’t regret it WOW
Nicole Fiorina has written an amazing book her writing style is wonderful and this story is Epic
I can safely say it was my book of the year. There was so much emotion and drama in it
And it’s psychological the author makes readers feel the feelings of these two characters
I read a lot of drama books but never read anything like that
This book kept me excited from start to finish
Never did I feel that I wanted to finish this story though
That end of the book was so emotional
I just didn’t want that kind of bookending it was cruel as if it were all a repeat but they switched sides
Thank you!
This book had my emotions running the gambit. There were times I would be on this roller coaster ride and I wanted to scream! It wreaked me emotionally and left me on the edge. I cannot wait to read the next book!