It happened in stages.My father left.My twin sister died of an incurable autoimmune disease.My mother started breaking down.Then I was diagnosed with the very thing that took my other half from me.That was when I realized Mama’s eyes turned gold when she cried.So I moved in with my father and his new family—new wife, new son, new stepbrother.Kaiden Monroe made me feel normal.Hated. Cared … stepbrother.
Kaiden Monroe made me feel normal.
Hated. Cared for. Loathed. And … loved.
Somewhere along the way, I’d found solace in the boy with brooding eyes.
But everything happens in stages.
And nothing good ever lasts.
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This is such a poignant book and touches on more that one difficult theme. One of them living with a silent and chronic disease. It is heartbreakingly powerful. I’ve never loved characters as much as I did in this book. The family, the love, the fight, the losses and the courage were shown by not only our main character, Emery, but everyone in her circle.
I was mesmerized and transfixed by the story being told. I was on the edge of my seat desperately trying to figure out which way this story was headed.
This book is heartbreaking and moving. Regardless of what is put in her path, Emery has strength and courage to overcome.
When dealing with a chronic disease, it affects not only he person but the family as well. You hurt when they hurt and vice versa. The strength that is shown by Emery and everyone in her circle is Herculean.
The characters touched me in a way I don’t think I’ve ever felt. This story and its characters feel REAL. Their trials and triumphs became mine and that can only attest to the brilliance and courage this author has to write about something that is so personal and hits so close to home.
I thought I knew what I was getting into with this book and although I came close, this author simply blew me and my feelings away. It is uncomfortable and raw. Blissful and sweet. Full of pain and sorrow. Full of love and full of life. And, make no mistake, that is what this story is about, LIFE. The life of Emery, a teenager who suffers from a chronic disease, as she experiences life in all its wonderful glory and devastation.
If you don’t like real life, read this book.
If you don’t like pain and devastation, read this book.
If you love a strong heroine, read this book.
If you love undying and romantic love, read this book.
Last of all, if you love LIFE read this book because life is not being LIVED unless you accept the good with the bad.
Amazing! One of a kind. Touching. Emotional. Raw. Real.
I received an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
B. Celeste has beautifully written an unforgettable and breathtakingly captivating story that wholeheartedly obliterated every inch of my soul. Underneath the Sycamore Tree was an emotionally painful and heart-wrenching journey that will have you reaching for the nearest box of tissues (let’s just say you better keep one super close by) as you inhale this story that will surely leave you a blubbering mess full of feels.
Emery’s journey is definitely not an easy one, not by a long shot. The author perfectly shows us the truth behind an invisible illness that slowly destroys a person’s body, one that is often hidden deep beneath the surface. Her story will grip your heart tight that will leave you struggling to control your emotions because trust me, you will surely be experiencing an abundance of feels with this story. Every moment is intertwined with twists and turns that will feel like there are a million tiny butterflies fluttering around the pit of your stomach.
This is NOT your typical stepbrother romance and you will NEVER be the same again after reading this story. Emery and Kaiden’s story is not simply a love story, it’s so much more. There are different layers full of sweet moments that will have you swooning and then there are moments that will have you gasping for air because you have just been sucker punched in the gut. Those moments will capture parts of your soul that you never knew existed and you will feel EVERYTHING all at once!
This is B. Celeste’s best story yet and I am so honored that she decided to share this story with us, her readers! She knows how to captivated her readers wholeheartedly with her words and leave them completely satisfied. She writes the kind of characters that will find a special place in our hearts, making sure they live on always. Emery and Kaiden are two characters that will own my heart forever!