USA TODAY BESTSELLING LOVE STORY “What do you do when you meet your soul mate? No wait…that’s too easy. What do you do when you meet your soul mate and have to spend a lifetime loving him in secret? I’ll tell you what you do.You lie.” REN Ren was eight when he learned that love doesn’t exist—that the one person who was supposed to adore him only cared how much he was worth.His mother sold him and … doesn’t exist—that the one person who was supposed to adore him only cared how much he was worth.
His mother sold him and for two years, he lived in terror.
But then…he ran.
He thought he’d run on his own. Turned out, he took something of theirs by accident and it became the one thing he never wanted and the only thing he ever needed.
DELLA
I was young when I fell in love with him, when he switched from my world to my everything.
My parents bought him for cheap labour, just like they had with many other kids, and he had the scars to prove it.
At the start, he hated me, and I could understand why.
For years he was my worst enemy, fiercest protector, and dearest friend.
But by the end…he loved me.
The only problem was, he loved me in an entirely different way to the way I loved him.
And slowly, my secret drove us apart.
more
4.75 stars–THE BOY AND HIS RIBBON is the first instalment in Pepper Winters’ dark, contemporary, adult THE RIBBON Duet focusing on the tumultuous life of Della and Ren.
WARNING: Due to the story line content, there may be some triggers for more sensitive readers.
Told from dual first person points of view (Ren and Della) using present day and memories from the past THE BOY AND HIS RIBBON covers close to eighteen years in the life of Ren, a young boy sold into slavery who makes his escape, at the age of ten, unknowingly carrying the most precious cargo anyone could have imagined. Throughout the story we are up close and personal as a young Ren must forage and battle the elements in order to survive; to protect the child that has become the sister of his heart; and to keep his distance as the two battle their attraction and love for one another as the teenage years and adulthood blossom on the horizon.
The reader becomes privy to the emotional and personal fall-out of Della as she struggles to journal her thoughts and memories into a story that reads more like fiction than the truth that is had become.
THE BOY AND HIS RIBBON is a heart breaking journey of mind, body and soul. The horrific beginnings for a boy whose childhood is destroyed by abuse and neglect, and for a young girl who has never known anything other than the life she has shared amongst the forest and the stars.
Pepper Winters writes a dark, emotional and impassioned tale of one boy, one girl, a blue ribbon, and two souls who struggle to survive against the odds. The premise is unique, controversial and consuming. THE BOY AND HIS RIBBON ends on a cliff hanger (of sorts)-you have been warned.
OMG!!! I need more…I need answers!!
This book is one of my favorites of the year thus far. Pepper Winters is one of those authors that will grab hold of you within the first few pages and not let go! She did not disappoint with The Boy and His Ribbon a story of love, finding oneself and heartbreak.
Ren was a young boy sold to a farmer for a life of child slavery and pain. When he is ten he comes up with the perfect plan to escape to live a life of freedom with no one to care for but himself. What he doesn’t count on was taking something from the farmer that didn’t belong to him- his Ribbon.
Della, the only daughter of the farmer that bought Ren is a curly blonde headed little girl with blue eyes. A little girl whose life is changed to a life of constantly moving but wanting to learn everything. A little girl who is dependent on a little boy 10 years older than her.
She becomes Ren’s reason for everything he does, where he goes, his survival and his willingness to teach her all he knows. A little girl who at the age of 1 only has her little blue ribbon and the little boy who is learning what it is to love another.
They quickly become a family; a brother a sister that grow together and take care of each other. Ren makes sacrifice after sacrifice to ensure Della has a better life and future than the boy with 9 fingers who ran for his freedom at the age of ten and unknowingly with his ribbon.
Love helped them grow but, love also broke them apart
“I would die for her. I would live for her. I would kill for her.”
Once again Pepper Winters has captured our hearts and imagination with a harrowing tale of childhood abuse, its aftermath on the survivors and a moral dilemma that tears at your very soul. She does it with a compelling tale of two children, one a mere babe, surviving on their own battling hunger to the point of starvation. These poor lambs are also exposed to the harshest elements with only a tent and sleeping bag for shelter. It is incredible how these two mature having formed a bond between them beyond compare with their quick intelligence, work ethic and an inner moral compass that is amazing despite the harshness and brutality of their early lives.
Ren was sold into slavery by his mother as an eight-year-old boy. He was branded like chattel, endured hellish living conditions and starved along with 16 other children. The Mclarys went so far as to cut off his finger for stealing food to fill his aching belly. He knew he had to run. So, he planned and plotted his escape, and scrounged what he could for his journey placing it all in an old backpack. On the day he left, Ren grabbed his backpack and ran. He thought his backpack felt heavy and it was, because inside was the Mclary’s infant daughter, Della clutching a blue ribbon.
What follows is a recounting of their journeys told through Ren and Della’s POV. Della’s POV is presented as a creative writing assignment which she promises to burn once she finishes her recounting. While the ten-year-old Ren was angry that he had Della to look after and she made things twice as difficult for him, he grows to love her. He discovers the depth of his feelings early on when he tries to leave her with a family who should have offered her all the advantages. He discovers they are going to turn her over to Social Services, so he rescues her and her precious albeit dirty ribbon that this family had thrown away.
They become adept at stealing what they need from small communities and surviving in the woods. Every twist and turn of their journey engrosses the reader. Winters are by far the worst conditions for the two and Ren also wants to give Della more normalcy and a chance to go to school. When he falls seriously ill they hide in a well-tended barn and encounter the kindness of the Wilson family.
This family is most respectful of Ren and Della’s pure relationship. It is here that Ren sacrifices his need to live in solitude in the forest so that he can work for John Wilson. He asks John to keep all his earnings to spend on Della. His Della Ribbon as he calls her affectionately. In turn. he was named Ren Wild by Della. It is here that he meets Cassie Wilson who falls in love with Ren and initiates him into the lovemaking arts. Della becomes both jealous and curious as her love for Ren takes on a new dimension. She desires him as a woman desires a man.
“That was what he did to me, you see? He made my entire life a jewellery box of special, sad, hard, happy, incredible moments that I want to wear each and every day. He always said the truth was ours, no one else’s.”
The narrative from Ren’s POV is agonizing. He loves his Della Ribbon. He needs her. He needs her close. He needs her touch. He needs to hold on to her as she held on to her ribbon for comfort and strength. But he holds himself in check because he does not wish to defile her with his sexuality.
“It wasn’t that I didn’t like being touched; I just became overwhelmed whenever she did. It’d gotten to the point where I was afraid that one day, I wouldn’t be able to breathe unless she touched me all the time. She was my one weakness, and I was determined to stay immune to her for her own protection.
Ren’s goodness and kind heart are never in question. Yet, he is painfully conflicted over the stunning woman the babe and girl he raised, cared for and kept safe has become. It is also at this point that the reader’s emotions are thrust into a tailspin. Ms. Winters writes an amazing genius narrative wherein the emotions of these two characters collide and find no purchase on which to hold. The reader’s heart is cleaved in two over and over again. I can only say at this point that June cannot
come fast enough.
Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team
Avid Reader –
4.5 stars
M/F Coming of Age, Romance
Triggers: Child Abuse
Wow. This is an emotional read. Ren is running from a life he didn’t ask for. After incredible abuse, he finds a way to survive. He is street smart and willing to sacrifice in order to survive. What he didn’t plan on was Della. She was the innocent in all of this and while he, at first, is annoyed with her, what follows is a bond that cannot be broken.
Della is just too naïve for her own good. Living off the land and idolizing Ren is just what she knows. She has a hard way of learning and despite being a bright child, her view of family, love, and life are skewed.
This is a story about sacrifice and family, but underlying, there is a very emotional story about love. Ren and Della make me laugh and cry all within the same chapter. Their love for each other is so pure and yet, because of the way the world works, it’s also tainted.
I can’t wait to see what happens next, because I am waiting on pins and needles.
Mary –
This is one of those stories that after you read it you stare at the screen hoping it will help to write this review, but nothing seems to be right to fit this story.
Ren was sold to a farmer when he was eight years old; he found out the hard way that love from family doesn’t exist all the time. When he was ten, he ran away. And he thought he was alone but found out when he stopped that he had a stowaway in his backpack. Della wasn’t supposed to be with him and he hated her for it.
Della was the only blood daughter of the family that bought Ren; she climbed in his backpack and ran away with him. Not knows what was happening, Ren hated her but knew he had to protect her and keep her safe.
As Della and Ren grow, their love for each other does too. As Ren loves Della as a little sister, Della sees Ren as much more. How does Ren teach her about life and keep her happy? As Della grew, so did her love for Ren and it would be the one thing that would drive him away.
This story was written in dual points of view and I can’t wait for The Girl and Her Ren. I need to know what happens next. Pepper Winters stepped out of her usual genre with this one and it was great. So check it out and enjoy the ride that is Ren and Della.
Reviewers received a free copy of this book to read and review for Wicked Reads.
The Boy & His Ribbon is unlike any romance story that I’ve read. It’s definitely a coming of age story, but it’s so much more than that…
It’s about a boy’s journey to freedom from a life of abuse and slavery…about a young man’s attempt to teach and to protect someone who never should have been his responsibility but who comes to be his everything…about a man who works diligently to not cross a line even when his heart and his body yearn to let go…
BUT, it’s also about a baby girl’s chance to not be raised by monsters…about a toddler’s growth and education by a boy who wants more for her than he ever had…about a young girl developing into a young woman and all that that entails…about a teenage girl who does all she can to keep her secrets hidden and her longing suppressed regardless of the damage it does to her heart and her body…
FURTHERMORE, it’s about feeling more at home in the wild than in civilization…about the complications that arise from a connection that can’t be broken even when it’s altered…about the truth beneath the lies…about ‘fallen dreams and impossible fantasies.’
Part One of Ren & Della’s story spans over 18 years, and readers get the details of everything that occurred through Ren’s present time account and through an 18 year old Della who sits down to write a story based on reality, putting words to paper that she promised never to speak of but finds cathartic nonetheless.
I have to admit that it took me a bit to wrap my head around where Pepper Winters’ characters were taking me, but once I understood the path that I was to journey with Ren and Della, everything fell into place and I couldn’t read fast enough, and then as they led me to their fourth separation, the one I knew would ultimately destroy them and me, I couldn’t believe there were no more pages to read; I wasn’t ready to leave Ren and his Ribbon because, in my mind, there was not one without the other and I didn’t know how to leave them where they were without knowing what was to come for them and for me.
But what I did know was that their story wasn’t over; they had more to say to Pepper Winters and through their conversations, I would get my conclusion…I just needed to wait until June…
4.5 Poison Apples
It’s not a story, it’s a Fascination! ….Amazement!……wonder! The story doesn’t need adjectives because it’s a living, breathing entity, hence a noun. A perfect combination of grief and bliss. Making you float on pink cloud of love or be lashed by biting rain, all at the same time. LOVE changes like weather in this book, unpredictable and unexpected. Exactly like on a mountain, snow gives way to warmth and leaves that change colour.
I’m afraid my words won’t do justice to this astounding journey . I took a hike through Ren & Della’s life, running away from McLary’s farm, to the mountains, to Polcart farm, to Cherry River farm. Its soul changing pilgrimage watching a couple of kids clinging on to each other, battling elements and civilisation.
They’re running from fate, authorities, and their own turbulent emotions. First of all, it’s not a “-regular” Pepper book, it’s not the typical dark BDSM stuff,sexual slavery trope. But a good writer is a good writer at the end of the day, the words she pens, glow golden, no matter the setting. Dark dungeons, an MC club, a shipwrecked island, a Phantom ship on sea or snow covered mountains, in this case. The surroundings maybe hopeless and dismal but her stories are like treasure chests of sparkly, shining, multi-faceted gems. There’s pure, intense love, the kind that breaks fortified walls, crosses boundries( oh! Does it cross boundries!!!) and restores faith in humanity, there’s a solid lesson in loyalty and allegiance, and a whole tutorial on mature responsibility.
I dived in blind, having not read any blurb or watched a teaser or trailer. What’s the point, Pepper book is guaranteed exceptional, a sneak peek would’ve ruined my surprise. So I dived, headlong,and what a wonderful surprise it was.
“I’d lived my life with one existence: where parents were cruel and beat their children, branded them with hot cattle irons, and fed them by trough and pail.”
Ren is running from his slave-labour camp -McLary farm. Having been sold into bonded labour by his own mom, endured two years of torture & starvation, he finds an opening and he escapes. With a backpack full of survival gear ……….and a stowaway, with a Blue Ribbon clenched in her tiny fist.!!!!. A beautiful package he doesn’t want, but he needs, because she will be his path to salvation
Now, I’ve read some reviews and I’ve my own views on how does a 10 year old boy take care of a 1 year old toddler, in the mountains, in the snow, in freezing temperatures and altitudes!! He’s just a kid FFS! How much common sense or say survival skills did we have when we were 10…i’d say, we were barely aware of our surroundings.
my first step toward a future that would mean a life of struggle, hardship, unpredictability, uncertainty, and an unbelievable consequences.
BUT We were never raised and forced to work back-breaking manual labour on a farm, being one with the earth, living in its soil, filling our lungs with fresh air 24/7/365. Nature treats you like an adult the moment you’re exposed to it, so I do believe that Ren was more capable of enduring exile and a baby, and the scenario, though implausible, is not impossible.
And we follow them both, away from this cruel world, high up in the mountains, they find their idyllic heaven. No monsterous men, no prying eyes, no judgemental questions, why are you with this baby, who is she, where are your parents, let’s call the CPS?
No one..so they bloom like wild flowers, toughening up and conquering their hidden world , rather than just surviving. Triumph of human spirit when battling their environment, by blending in, rather than standing out….Fantastic stroke of genius pepper
BUT this reclusive existence gives birth to a whole new set of problems. Since they’re ONLY two in a symbiosis, it’s natural progression that they become each others world exclusively, and they would fall in love.
“You see, there was never a day in my life when I haven’t loved Ren Wild. Every memory, he’s there. Every experience, he’s with me. And for that… I almost hate him. There is no me without him,”
Which begs for an answer to the morality question. I’ll tell you this, society defines rules as a framework for moral attitudes of a society, and since I’m one of the society members, I say each situation demands different hallmarks. It’s not one rule fits all!!.
They are NOT blood
They are NOT family
They are NOT brother and sister
“I know you’re probably thinking… eww, how could you fall in love with your brother who is technically your father and definitely your uncle or some other untouchable life figure?
……How could you not fall in love with a boy who puts you first in everything, protects you at all costs, worships the ground you walk on, gives you things you didn’t know you wanted, who can hear your thoughts and see your fears? A boy who sacrificed so much without even telling you, leaving you heartbroken when you’re old enough to figure it out for yourself?”
They’re two separate individuals who have an affinity and family “LIKE” ties, just by the virtue of fellowship. I see them as Fellow travellers in the journey of life, let’s put it this way!!
And who are we to define ANY parameters or boundaries of ANY relationship, for that matter, if the basic sentiment is LOVE !
I have to mention one very important things. All the authors need to take note especially
The most often used, or I should say abused word in novel, books after moist, is MINE!
The clichéd “you’re MINE” is overused and oft repeated, yet hollow ringed.
The REAL meaning of “MINE” is what is explained in this book. It should be used as a yardstick to actually define what the word MINE means in true sense
“She was mine. She was every hope and dream I’d ever had and the fabrication of every future I’d hoped for,I knew, without a shadow of doubt, she was the one I’d been searching for. She was the one born for me. She was the one I needed to find before I lost everything.”
Read this and learn what it means to BELONG to somebody, what it means to OWN somebody, body & soul !. Brilliant!!
Mine to love, but keep safe, servicing her needs, before she knows them herself. To totally sacrifice your heart’s calling just so she could find some semblance of order and stability in life .
I just loved that complex sentiment, explained so simply in this book.
Phew!! I’ve ranted, haven’t I. But it’s easy when this story has completely consumed and enveloped my mind. A story of forgiving, all encompassing love, the kind that makes you walk on egg shells, but be free with the other. Piercing your heart and making you giggle, giddy & untainted love of relationships so pure, so unpolluted, I cringed every time they came in contact with people and townsfolk. I was afraid it would get sullied and contaminated. But it doesn’t! THAT’S the masterstroke of Pepper .
This is her BEST BOOK WRITTEN! …..yet!
Written so perfectly, not a single flaw visible in the plot, in narrative, in execution. Simply flawless perfection ! I’m so blessed, i got to read this book, met Ran and his Ribbon, met the gracious, generous Wilsons.theres still a lot of good in the world left.
I’m in a daze, like utter heavenly bliss, I so need book 2 like yesterday!!
5 ” Wild & Ribbon” stars
Such a captivating story!
I totally enjoyed this side of Author Pepper Winter’s writing.
Ren & Della are characters that will grip you and make you go on soo many emotional levels.
You will not be able to resist loving these two hard.
I was a wreck while reading this because this story about Ren & Della was soo moving to me. Such an intense love story that had me wanting to hug and take care of them both.
Go grab this book and be ready to grip your reader hard with the intensity that flies off the pages.
All I’m gonna say about this book is holy cow! I don’t think I’ve ever read a book that touched my heart as much as this one. It’s not a typical romance story. The love between Ren and Della, is a different kind of love. This story was heartbreaking, emotional, full of love and more. Pepper has written such an amazing story that I haven’t read in a long time. I loved the relationship between Ren and Della and how important they were too each other. There’s just no words to express how great this book was and how lucky I was to be able to read it early. I cannot wait for the next one. I’m sure it will be nothing more than just as fantastic as this one. Amazing job Pepper.
This is quite simply an INCREDIBLE read. and deserves more than the 5 stars! You know how sometimes you start a book expecting something exceptionally good but at the same time not sure what that will be? This book will surpass all that and more !!! I can say without a doubt that this book will be right up at the top of your 2018 reads.
As a ten year old boy, Ren escapes a horrendous cruel life, but unknown to him, during his escape he had a little stowaway. This story takes us on an intimate 18 year journey with these two incredible characters. Told in both Pov’s it clutches at your heart right from the beginning. It’s a story of survival, against the odds, its a story of the horrible rotten cruel side of people and life, its a story of unconditional love, its harsh yet beautiful. Ren’s devotion to Della just blew me away, when someone can suffer so much yet have that strength to overcome it. My heart is in shatters, my soul hurts, and i don’t even have words to describe the emotional turmoil and pain i feel for these two beautiful souls. Rarely does a book capture your soul as this one will, we live through their life with them, from childhood, to teenage, to adult and their struggle not only with life, but with their own personalities and emotions developing. This isn’t a simple story, and yet Pepper Winters has written it flawlessly. You will be captivated, from beginning to end and i’m not sure your life will be the same, because every moral compass you have will be tested to its limit. Personally i know without a doubt i have just read a book that will NEVER leave me, and I’m more that good with that !!!
You know how something is so intense that all you have is silence for a while before finally exploding? That’s exactly how I felt after reading The Boy and His Ribbon by Pepper Winters. I was struck completely silent; my mouth agape, searching for any method to sweep myself up off the floor where Ms. Winters so painstakingly caused me to melt.
What an unbelievably moving, heart wrenching, and deep, so very deep, plot line. I am reeling in the aftermath of a love so pure, so rare, so raw that I can taste it and breathe it. I almost feel consumed by such depth and intensity.
What did you do to me, Ms. Winters? Where do you pull these magnificent story lines from? And how in the world do you keep going deeper and deeper and deeper? One would think there is nothing left, yet Pepper Winters continue to shatter all preconceived notions that depth has a limit. This author is teaching me: depth is only relative and must surely be limitless.
I am absolutely stunned into speechlessness by The Boy and His Ribbon by Pepper Winters who has, once again, sent me into a stupor and made me eat my own words that Ms. Winters simply cannot outdo her last published work.
Oh, but she did. Again. This is the single most intense love story I’ve yet to read. Well done, Ms. Winters! Well done!
Tiffany Landers, Have You Heard? Book Blog
Having finished this book, I immediately had to write my review. I had to do it immediately after because I wanted to make sure I wrote down everything this author made me feel, from the moment I started, up until I read the very last word.
I have so many emotions going through me right now. I am stunned. I am in awe. My heart is so heavy because it is filled with both love and sorrow to the point where if I experience just one more emotion, my heart might shatter and I may never recover……all because of The Boy And His Ribbon.
This book only reaffirms my belief that Pepper Winters is one of the most talented, mesmerizing authors in the book world today. Her ability to create unique storylines and spin tales that are absolutely addictive, paired with characters that are memorable and heart clutching, truly gives new meaning to the joy of reading.
The Boy And His Ribbon is the perfect example of why I love to read, why I’m excited to read and what will keep me reading for as long as life will allow me.
I don’t want to give one single detail away about this book’s plot, but I suppose I have to write something down, what with this being a review and all. So here is my attempt to give you something with nothing at all, because I feel you should read this story as blind as you could possibly be. Start with a clean canvas and let this story paint it with the colorful emotions that bleed from its pages.
This is the story of Ren and Della. Their story is filled with darkness and light, the forest and a cement jungle. Their story has struggle and sacrifice, conventional and unconventional love. It explores self discovery and denial that stems from a love that exceeds the meaning of love. It is not a rainbow and flowers type of read. It is something more profound than that. It gets you dirty with darkness and then dips you in light, only to start the cycle again in a deliciously addictive and vicious circle.
This is not my first story I’ve read from Pepper Winters and it certainly won’t be my last. How do I know that, you might ask? It’s because the follow up, The Girl And Her Ren, will be released on June 5th, and I will be there to read the conclusion to one of the best reads to have ever been put in front of me.
I would highly recommend this book and any other book by this author. Her talent is one that should be experienced by one and all.
I just read one of the most soul clenching, heart rending, and utterly hopeful love stories. And yet, I am a sobbing mess of despair. You see, the Boy & his Ribbon, isn’t a traditional love story. It’s a story filled with love, hope, and devotion. It’s an idealistic dream in a reality far too dismal to imagine.
A love and bond created in hardship. A love developing over time. A family. the Boy & his Ribbon.
I still hurt all over from this book. It’s impossible to finish this story without a heart rending ache. It’s impossible not to echo Della’s feelings. It’s not probable that you can read this story and be satisfied with the end because it is truly a beginning. But we don’t know to what, and honestly, that tears my heart up wondering. I’m afraid of what will become of my friends. I’m afraid of the rift. But most of all, I’m terrified I won’t get my fantasy Disney dream. You see this melancholy story is the perfect set up for an amazing fairytale…
But life isn’t fairytales. Pepper Winters is a genius at shredding my heart. She has never let me down and so I will struggle with my need. I will clutch my chest hoping for quick relief. But we both know, that nothing Pepper writes comes without sacrifice. I know it will hurt but when it comes to books….I am masochist begging to be hurt more. Clawing for the pain, I will always, ALWAYS, ask, plead, beg, chant, and pant for more.
In the end, you will be just as needy. Don’t say you weren’t warned!
Reviewed for Sweet Spot Sisterhood
This book is beyond anything I have ever read by this author. It’s compelling, heartbreaking, and beautiful. As always the characters are complex, they fuel a driving need to be wrapped up in their story. To be a part of it…
“He always said the truth was ours, no one else’s. Well, now it’s yours, so here it goes…”
The Boy and His Ribbon is completely different from anything Pepper Winters has ever written. Her words hypnotized me from the very first page and as the story continued I was bewitched by the life of Ren Wild and Della Ribbon.
“I can honestly say Ren is my favourite word. I love every history attached to it. I love every pain lashed to it. I love the boy it belongs to.”
Ren was eight when he was sold by his mother to the Mclarys. At ten he bravely escaped but little did he know he a took something extremely valuable in his backpack. Ren is a determined, strong, wild, masculine, and loving wanderer. He prefers the moon and stars instead of the city lights. Nature calls to him and it will always be where he belongs. He is a protector through and through and will protect what is his, which includes his little ribbon. We get to watch Della grow from an infant to a smart, beautiful young woman and everything in between. We experience her happiness, confusion, heartache and sorrow.
“You see, there was never a day in my life when I haven’t loved Ren Wild. Every memory, he’s there. Every experience, he’s with me. And for that…I almost hate him.”
The book is told in dual POVs and moves back and forth in time so we can understand the story completely. This can sometimes be complicated and hard to follow but Pepper Winters’s words flowed seamlessly. I have never read anything like this before. It is a unique and original plot line that had me on the edge of my seat from the very first sentence. I am counting down the days until The Girl and Her Ren. If you are looking for a story that will blow your mind and leave you desperate for more then you definitely need to read this book.
“I’ve never had anyone. I had no love until you taught me what it was, and even as I slowly learned the opposite of hate, I’ve known all along that love would end up hurting me the most.”
~ Read on behalf of Two Darlin Dolls and a Book Review Blog
WOW!! Just WOW!!
I read a lot of books and authors. And a handful of them can bring out emotions in me. Where the hairs are standing up on the back of my neck, or my heart is in my throat, or a book absolutely guts me, or leaves me a slobbery mess. Where I feel every word. And Pepper Winters does that with all her books. But this book. This book went above and beyond anything she has written thus far. OMG!!!! I was GUTTED!!! I have never been so wrecked for a male character the way I was for Ren. My heart literally shattered for him.
What if the one thing you loved more then anything in life. Was the one thing that destroyed you?
This book was and an emotional rollercoaster I did not want to get off of. It was beautifully written. My words will not do this book justice. All I can say is that it is a MUST read!!. Well done Pepper Winters well done. I can’t wait for book two.
The Boy and His Ribbon such an AMAZING read, but even the word amazing isn’t enough to describe how fantastic this story was. I was captivated with this story from the very beginning and honestly stayed that way until the very last page. I was nowhere near ready for the emotional journey that this book would take me on. This story is truly unlike any story I have every read before. It’s truly hard to write a review for a book when you don’t have the exact words to describe how remarkable a story is. I’ve read previous books from this author and I thought that there was no way that she could top those books but man was I wrong. One hundred percent wrong! As I read this story, the scenes played out in my mind as if I was a part of the journey these characters went on and everything they went through. I absolutely loved and adored Ren, and there is no way to not love Della just as much. I was so happy when Ren and Della finally got a break with the Wilson family but nothing great has ever lasted for them. There were definitely laugh out loud moments within this story; especially the part with Liam and Della and the “worm”. This is one story that will make you laugh, make your heart race, and have you desperately wishing for the one thing that is forbidden. I absolutely loved this story! If I had to recommend one book from this author to start with, this book would be it. I CANNOT wait to read the final book in this series. This one has definitely taken the number one spot for the MUST BE READ book of 2018 and I’m more than excited to see what happens next.
5 Stars (but it’s worth infinitely more!)
I read this book twice before writing this review (I’ll probably read it again too) and quite honestly, it’s a hard review to write.
As usual, before delving into this latest piece from Pepper Winters, I made sure to avoid all teasers, the synopsis and I haven’t read any reviews. My review will contain little information – the synopsis gives more than enough.
This book is so much more than just a story with a beginning, a middle and an end. It’s a journey that takes you by the hand, leading you through the darkness and torment. Guiding you towards the light, only to snuff out that sliver of hope in an unanticipated twist.
Its one of determination, struggle, tragedy, relationships, family and love. It is gut wrenchingly sad and poignant, yet filled with hope, even when the chance seems so slim.
The events that befall the characters time and again, and their perseverance, is haunting and evocative.
I can not recommend this book highly enough. It may be Pepper Winters’ best work yet – though that would be like Sophie’s Choice.
It’s left me with a flutter in my chest that hasn’t settled. It’ll ensnare you and entice you. Guard your heart, it’s likely to shatter.
Wow, I don’t think I will be forgetting this story any time soon, if ever. What a hauntingly beautiful story!! And we’re only half way through it. Ren and Della’s story captured me from the very first page. It’s SO many things. Tragic and realistic, savage at times, but also heartwarming and heart stopping. I am still a mess of emotions from reading.
Ren just broke my heart from the very beginning. A boy of 8 who is sold by his mother to a cruel slaver of a man who treats the children who work his farm worse than he does the livestock. A young boy just struggling to survive, by any means necessary. My heart was in my throat when he ran away, hoping against all hope that he would get away from the nightmare he lived.
Della McLary is just an infant when she somehow stole away in Ren’s backpack. The daughter of the horrible people who made Ren’s life a living hell everyday, she’s just an innocent bystander but also guilty by association and condemned by Ren when he finds her hidden away. His head is telling him to just leave her behind but his heart tells him something different.
I was totally fascinated by and riveted to this story, of how Ren manages to survive in the wild for so many years, with a baby in tow. And even though Della is pretty useless in the beginning, she provides more support to Ren than he could have ever imagined. She becomes his ribbon, his constant source of comfort and strength, just like the ribbon she was clutching when he ran, the thing never leaving her hand.
Pepper tells the most amazing tale of survival, of how these two children managed to grow and thrive while living in the forest for years. As the years passed and they only had each other and no contact with anyone in the outside world, I had to wonder and worry how that was going to affect their relationship. Della was so young when they ran, she only knows Ren and no one else. He has singlehandedly raised her, provided for her, protected her. He IS her everything. And Ren, he’s focused everything on taking care of Della, everything revolves around her and making sure she is provided for. No matter what it costs him.
It was inevitable that the lines would eventually start to blur from a familial relationship to something neither one could name. The years have passed by in a blur and suddenly Della is not a baby anymore. She’s not even a kid anymore, she’s growing into a woman and what does that mean? Ren won’t be able to keep her to himself forever, but the thought of his ribbon ever leaving him is more than he can stomach.
Pepper is a master at venturing into taboo subjects. She has written plenty of dark romance, but this isn’t that. It’s something entirely different that I can’t find the words to label. You will just have to read this beautifully heartbreaking story for yourself and form your own opinions, draw your own conclusions. I had a really funny feeling in my tummy that I couldn’t pinpoint the cause of. I loved the beauty of the relationship between Ren and Della, that wholly committed to each other dynamic, but I eventually grew more and more scared of what was to come. Something was going to come to a head, and I wasn’t sure I could handle it when it did. The only thing I can liken the feeling I had to is despair. Despair that Ren and Della won’t be able to find a path forward together. And it they don’t, what will happen to them?
This story is told with such beautifully poetic prose that I was just lost in the pages. The more I read, the more I knew that this is some of Pepper’s best work yet. I just about died at the ending of this first book, and I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself until book 2 releases in June. I know that I will be constantly thinking about Ren and Della, even while I’m reading other books. Man oh man, this wait is going to be excruciating.
***4 Stars***
This book had me going all kinds of up, down and sideways before it even got on my Kindle.
Did I want to read it?
I’ve read Pepper Winter’s words in duet form before and I ended up on two sides of the spectrum with them. One I adored, the other not so much. So the inner turmoil was real, but my curiosity got the better of me, and I decided to go for it…because the third time’s the charm right? And while I won’t say I fell into full on adoration with the story ~ at least thus far as this is only part one of the journey ~ I did fall into fascination with it, and sometimes that’s the better option for everyone.
So why fascination?
From the very first words I was sucked into the story, it was hard not to be because we are thrust into Ren and Della’s story without apology and it isn’t a pretty one to start out with. But what that did was make me want to know more. To see how life would treat these two human beings and how it would shape and mold them, because there was nothing conventional about their situation. And that’s where the fascination took hold.
Ren and Della’s journey had me all kinds of twisted up inside. I mean the anxiety their situation gave me was real, and I’m still feeling anxious even now. But that was due to the situation they found themselves in. It wasn’t conventional and I’m not sure if saying you should be open minded about it is correct. I think you need to just roll with it and accept what is being thrown at you as truth. Their truth, even when their truth doesn’t match up with your reality. Have I confused you? Probably, but what I think I’m trying to lay down is simply feel the journey and don’t think too hard about what is going on until you hit the end. It’ll be difficult, trust me on that, but worth it.
I know I’ve strayed from my standard way of doing a review, but it was necessary, even if it is more verbal vomit-y than usual, but I’m finding that whatever emotional state the book leaves me in finds its way into the review lately, so I roll with it. But to end on a more even tone: Overall, I enjoyed this book. I really liked how the author utilized the dual 1st person POV to tell Ren and Della’s story. It gave it a unique feel that kept me turning the pages to find out what I’d be getting into next. And with the way this one ended, I will definitely be picking up The Girl & Her Ren when it comes out because the NEED to know what will become of Ren and Della is strong.
~ Copy provided via NetGalley & voluntarily reviewed ~
I just finished this and it left me…. breathless! I am stunned by the feelings and overwhelmed by the depth of turmoil these two souls are going through. I always try to put myself in the characters place when I read… and either way, in this..
My heart is breaking! I have been a Pepper Winters fan since reading the first book of hers I ever read. I’m an even bigger fan now! Ren and Della… they are so real. I love their story and feel what they are feeling with every line written. I’m having a difficult time putting into wordsjust how good this is. Pepper Winters pulls you in and keeps you there, keeps you enthralled and wNting more with her writing. She is extremely good at what she does and I cannot wait until book two comes out to fin out More!
My heart has been stolen by Ren and Della. How do I describe something so unexpected, all-consuming and just absolutely beautiful. This is what I experienced as I devoured The Boy and His Ribbon. The pure grit and determination that lives in Ren to escape the horrors his mother delivered him into is powerful. But when he is faced with an unexpected challenge, a baby, well, he shows his true character. As much as he wants to be a loner due to his distrust of adults and humans, his moral compass shines through and Della becomes his world. Della doesn’t know a life without Ren. Her innocence and trust provide a needed beacon into his dark view of the world. How their journey unfolds is magical and truly something everyone needs to experience for themselves. I voluntarily read an ARC of this book and this is my honest review.