From USA Today bestselling author J.L. Berg, comes a poignant story about young love that will stick with you long after the last page. Head down.Don’t look up.Never make eye contact. Those were the words I lived by growing up, the words that protected me in a house where men frequented, but did not stay. But, even with all the rules and warnings, I couldn’t keep them all away. I couldn’t keep … all away.
I couldn’t keep him away.
Hoping to leave behind the shattered life of my past, I find myself in a small town, with an aunt I’ve never met and at a school I loathe.
But soon I learn, not everything in this world is as black and white as I’ve determined. Sometimes those we are so quick to judge need a second or third time to make a first impression. And often, there are friendships and even love–real love, waiting just around the corner, if we are brave enough to take that first step.
Am I brave? Or will I hide behind these tattered gloves of mine forever?
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* A review copy was provided by the author for the Blog Tour *
I have always loved when one of my favorite authors tries writing something outside of their comfort zone….and that is exactly what J.L. Berg has done with Tattered Gloves. Let me just say…She knocked this Young Adult novel out of the park. I loved this just as much as her contemporary romance novels.
Sometimes I crave getting away from adult aged stories and all the sex that books have and need a clean young adult novel that brings back my high school days. This book hit the spot perfectly!! I was sucked into this story right from the start.
As with her contemporary romance novels, J.L. Berg gave us an interesting and heartfelt storyline and wonderful and relatable characters. This story does cover a tough subject, but it was written so well that it made this story easier to read. I felt everything her characters did. What I loved the best was that she made feel what Willow was feeling without having to get to descriptive or graphic. I felt her neglect, fear and pain. I just wanted to hug her throughout the whole story. I thought the flow and pace of this story worked well with the storyline.
Tattered Gloves is a standalone Young Adult novel told solely from Willow’s POV. This is a story about learning to love yourself and learning to let go and moving on. Willow is a high school student who has something tragic happen and her mom decides to send her away to her aunt Addy in Virginia. Willow has chose to be hidden and keeping to herself. That is until she meets Sam and Allison. Allison was an amazing friend who wouldn’t let Willow hide herself and Sam was a boy who saw Willow for who she is. Willow and Sam form a slow burning friendship and moves into more, once they realize what they have in common. Will Willow ever find the love she so deserves?? Can Sam and Allison break Willow out of her shell? What happens when Willows past connects with her Present??? Read this wonderful story to get these answers.
I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who is fan of J.L. Berg. You don’t want to miss this piece of her work. Also if you are a fan of Young Adult stories….this is probably one of the best I have read in a long time!!!! Must Read!!! Definitely on for my Best of 2017 List.
I liked this book. The heroine is so complicated and sad. She has been hurt traumatically. But she meets up with people who accept her as she is. Which we certainly need more of in this world. It’s a good story.
(3-3.5 stars)
This was a tough one to rate because I did enjoy it but I did not feel the connection between the main characters. This was a well written YA story, even with its heavy subject matter it was told delicately. What it lacked IMO was the romantic connection between Willow and Sam. Yes, Sam came along right when Willow needed him but it felt more like friends than lovers. This was my first book by this author and while this wasn’t a knock out of the park, I am looking forward to exploring more of her work.
4.5 stars
I don’t read a lot of Young Adult books but the ones I do decide to pick up I end up loving. The Tattered Gloves is one of them. I have read JL Berg’s contemporary romance books and really enjoyed them, so when I saw that she was writing a Young Adult novel I knew I had to pick it up. I was hooked from the start and couldn’t wait to find out how the story would develop. I absolutely love the cover of this book and it matches the story perfectly.
After an incident Willow is shipped off to her aunt Addy who she didn’t know existed, and also doesn’t trust. She is in for a culture shock after living in DC her whole life and now arriving at a small town. You can’t really blame Willow for not trusting anyone after what she went through. My heart broke for her and I just wanted to give her a big hug and tell her everything would be okay. She wants to fly under the radar and doesn’t want to be noticed by anyone, however there are a couple of amazing people who see that she is worthy of love.
Addy was one of my favorite characters in this book. She was amazing and knew exactly what to say and do to make Willow feel safe. Allison, was such a ray of sunshine and wormed her way into Willow’s life. She didn’t leave her alone until she accepted her friendship. Sam is one of the most popular guys in school and when Willow ends up getting a job at the bookstore he manages, she starts to feel something. At first Willow makes assumptions about him that turn out to be false. He really got under Willow’s skin.
I loved each and every character and they all played an important role in this book. Willow’s support system was amazing. I highly recommend The Tattered Gloves if you love emotional Young Adult romances. However if you haven’t read any YA before, I do hope you’ll at least give it a try. Who knows maybe you’ll end up loving it. I hope the author will write more YA books because she did a great job with this one. I would also love a sequel to Willow and Sam’s story in a New Adult book.
I really enjoyed this author and the book. The characters were written very well and I felt like I knew them. The story line was excellent and it kept me turning the page to the end. Will read more from this author!