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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Gosh…where do I start?? This book is so raw, so emotional, and so unforgettable. Under the Sycamore Tree will take you on such an emotional journey that not only breaks your heart, but makes you feel and touches your heart like no other story. Emery and Kaiden’s story is not only phenomenal but it’s an unforgettable story that will having you feeling every emotion possible throughout the book. There was no putting this one down because I was so drawn into their story right from the start.
I really, really, really try to stay away from sad romances because I already know that I’m going to cry like there is no tomorrow. BUT….when you have an author as talented as B. Celeste, you already know that as soon as she hits that publish button that you are going to go one-click it as soon as it’s available. She brings out the ugliest of ugly cries in me and she does it like no other author. I have come to love her writing, she always makes me fall in love with her characters and their whole journey from the good to the bad. I am highly recommending this book, this author to anyone out there that loves an emotional read/ugly cry, even if ugly cry books is not your thing give this book a try. I promise you that you will walk away glad that you did.
Happy Reading Everyone!!!
I wish I could give this book so many more than 5 stars. Going in, I wasn’t totally sure what to expect. I knew B. Celeste was an amazing writer from her previous books. This book totally surpassed all of my expectations in the best possible way. I knew it was a stepbrother romance. I have a love for smutty stepbrother romances so I knew I would enjoy it. This book was so much more than that. The raw honesty that B. Celeste poured into every word left me breathless. My heart ached as I read each page. The pain and struggles of the characters reached into my heart and ripped it to pieces. The relationships between the multiple characters were so multi-layered and connected seamlessly to give a story that was perfectly developed and all consuming. If you haven’t read this book yet, buy it right now and read it today. This is a book that will stay with me forever.
I have to start my review by saying that I think this book should come with a warning label, “Will cause a sleepless night and uncontrollable crying.”
Life has done a number on Emery Matterson. Her illness and the loss of her sister has caused so much upheaval within her family that she feels forgotten and alone. My heart hurt for Emery. She wanted to please her family, mainly her mother, so much that she hid her thoughts, fears, and pain from the ones that should love her the most. If it wasn’t for her angry, slightly bullyish step brother, Kaiden Monroe, Emery would be completely isolated. Kaiden is not always a likeable character, but there are moments where you can see all of the emotions that he tries to hide from others. These two are so much alike that it was inevitable that they would become friends.
Underneath the Sycamore Tree deals with serious issues, Emery has lost a twin from a illness she also has and her family life is miserable, at best. Will this story make you cry? Yes, hence the warning. But I think that reading Emery’s thoughts, experiencing her pain and understanding her hopes and dreams is worth the tears.
B. Celeste has outdone herself with this book. It is an emotional, over the top read that will leave you a blubbering and begging for more. Her words are magical and hot every heartstring you have. This would be one of my top emotional reads I’ve ever read. So get your tissues, a drink and anything else you need. You won’t be able to put this one down until you reach the last word!!
This book was one I was unable to put down from the first word. It totally threw my life for a tailspin and created emotions that I definitely did not imagine when I started. Please one click this book!! You won’t regret it!!
Omg. This book – is such an emotional, inspiring, epic tale of a girl who has been through so much. B. Celeste has always managed to rope me in with her words and amazingness. But this book takes the cake because it is not like any other book she has written. It will absolutely slay you with everything it encompasses.
The characters are so real. You experience what Emery is feeling because the author describes each aspect in detail that hits you deep. The overall theme is this book is one of second chances and finding that one best friend you thought you’d never find. It definitely has an ending that is completely unexpected.
I fell in love with emery from the first word. She is one strong, amazing girl who has fought to get where she is today. Little does she realize what her path will look like. When you add Kaiden into the mix, HOLY HOTNESS and his total bad**s personality, it has you hating and loving him all at the same time. The way they Interact is tough and magical all at the same time. Her relationships are so difficult, but the truth comes out and more information is leaned that helps you see why. Overall, this book is a total life changer and adds so much emotion to your life when you read it.
This book is an emotional, amazing MUST READ by B. Celeste!!!
I knew this book was going to pull on my heart strings, but I definitely wasn’t prepared, this story completely obliterated my heart and left me speechless. This story is so raw, so real, for an author to put out a story about chronic illness that is so deeply personal to the author and people around the world.
Emery lost her twin sister Logan (LO) nine years ago. Lo was so strong and courageous though out her struggle with an autoimmune disease. Emery was devastated loosing her sister and best friend.
The author does a great job explaining the frustration most young people have with medical professionals who think because someone is young they pretend to be sick, to gain attention.
So when Emery was diagnosed with the same autoimmune disease, each day brought on new struggles weather it was fatigue, headaches,achy joint that made to difficult to walk, or do something as easy as opening a door.
Emery is a Junior in high school, struggling everyday, putting in a brave face to save her mom and grandma’s feelings, but when things at home with her mom get to a point where Emery feels she’s only hurting her mom, she enquirers moving in with her estranged father, his new wife and her son.
This is where she meets Kaiden her step brother, he’s a popular and a Senior. This is where everything changes.. Kaiden at first was cold, rude, distant and cocky he walked around with the biggest chip on his shoulder, always looked angry.
The more Emery ignored him and his attitude the more he starts show her the real Kaiden, its the little things at first like note to make her smile, to making sure she eats when she’s having a flare up but it slowly grows into more, so much more.
This book is everything and more that you come to expect from B. Celeste, humor, angst, raw emotion and true love. Though this story of pure fiction the real ness of the topic keeps you thinking everyone has there own personal things going on always try to be kind to those around you because you never know..
How do you write a review for a story so raw and real.This story took me longer to read mainly because I knew how it would end. How it would rip my heart out and it did believe me. This story is so gritty, heartfelt and emotional. I am not sure who I feel worse for, Emery because of her constant battle or Kaiden for having to move on and forward with his life. I can’t imagine the strength needed to deal with a chronic condition. It was honorable for Emery to forgive all of the crap cards life dished out but through her graciousness she taught those around her to love and accept. This is a story that will stay with you .
This book completely obliterated my heart and soul, all the while making me feel so blessed that I was able to read something so spectacular, so heartbreaking, and so deeply personal to the author. This is a book lovers dream, and the journey we are taken on is one that will he remembered long after its release.
In this book we meet Emery, whom like her sister who died nine years ago, is suffering from an autoimmune disease. Every day, a new struggle arises; whether it’s feeling so fatigued that it’s hard to get through the day, to not being able to twist a doorknob to open a door. She is so young, and the author does a magnificent job showing the frustration of medical professionals not listening to someome because of their age, because they think they are making up their illness to garner attention, to being basically laughed at.
Emery is a junior in high school, and after making the decision to move in with her estranged father and his new wife and son, her life changes in more ways than she can imagine. She in turn meets Kaiden, her stepbrother who is a senior at her new school. At first he acts indifferent towards her, then he’s cold, rude, distant, cocky, basically everything you’d expect from an eighteen year old boy who is angry at the world. But overtime these two begin to form a connection, and find love in its purest form.
This book has all the elements that you are used to getting from a B. Celeste book: emotion galore, humor, heart, steam, angst, all the tears, but ultimately it is just such a beautiful story that deserves to be read. The author herself is very vocal about her struggles with her health, and this book incorporates so much of what she and countless others with chronic illnesses go through. This story also shows how you shouldn’t judge a person just because they look healthy: you have no idea what a person struggles with, and just because they may not fit into the mold of certain disease, does not make them liars, or exaggerating about how they feel. Ultimately we should be kind to one another anyway, but this book reinforces that idea.
I don’t want to give any of the plot away, because it is so beautiful that if should be experienced first hand, but just know that once you start, you won’t be able to stop. There’s a certain part of the epilogue (you will know once you get to it) that just had me reeling. This author is so incredibly talented, and as much as I loved her last two books, this is by far her best work.
I also have a personal connection the book. My dear husband suffers from a chronic illness, and it will only get worse as he gets older. This book truly makes you want to appreciate those around you, and the time you’re given on this earth, because we never know how much time we have.
This is so much more than stepbrother romance (and even if those aren’t typically your ideal trope, I really encourage you to read this.) This is a book about the purest love, and living your best life regardless of how much time you have to live it. I can’t give it enough praise! This is not only easily one of the best books of the year, but one of the best books I have ever read. Infinite stars!
**I I received an ARC of this book and these are my honest opinions!**
Underneath the Sycamore Tree by B. Celeste is the story of Kaiden and Emery.
Emery’s parents are no longer together her father has moved on to a new wife and step son. Emery’s mother isn’t getting past the lost of her sister and now it appears that what took her sister is what she has too. So Emery has moved in with her Father and his new family. There she meets her Step-Brother Kaiden . Kaiden being a few years older has the attitude to go with it. But time starts to lessen his attitude and the two become so much more.
This story must be read with a box of tissues.
B Celeste did an amazing job bringing life and awareness to a story about an “invisible illness”. The story will break your heart, make you ugly cry and then use post it notes to out your heart back together. Be prepared to be hit with ALL the feels and keep an entire box of tissues handy. YOU. WILL. NEED. EVERY. SINGLE. ONE. OF. THEM!
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This book was flipping amazing!! It was so beautiful! This author does a wonderful job writing such beautiful and emotional stories that will be with you for a long time!!
Underneath The Sycamore Tree by B. Celeste is a hauntingly beautiful book. A story that is not easy to read but none the less beautiful and necessary. This book shows us that not all main characters are perfect and that’s ok. It also depicts the cruel reality of one young woman’s struggle with her illness, an invisible illnesses as she calls it because from the outside she looks normal. This is not an easy book to read but it’s one you should read. Be prepared to be emotionally ruined (in a good way) and keep the tissues handy.
I can not describe how nervous I was to start this book. The blurb already had me feeling anxious, then I saw the words ugly cry been bandied around and there is nothing that scares me more than the words ugly cry. That’s usually the point that I put the book down and walk away. That just wasn’t an option with this one. I’ve read other books by this author so I put my heart in her hands, hoping she’d keep it safe and dived in.
I’m staying away from the storyline completely. You need to experience this beautifully raw story first hand. The talent this author has continues to amaze me with each book she writes but this book really is something special. I read a lot of romance, I’m quite fond of my fictional worlds where everything is fine and rosy but every now and then you come across a book that’s real. The characters feel real. The emotions are real. The story sometimes makes you uncomfortable, makes you question what the hell you’re doing with your own life, makes you appreciate the little things that are normally ignored. This is one of those books. Its not always easy to read (I can’t even begin to imagine how much writing this book took out of the author) but it’s one of those truly unforgettable stories that will stay with you for a long time after finishing. Ms Celeste has completely blown my mind with this master piece.
There is so much I could say about this book, it’s a story that has affected me on a very personal level and I’m sure many others will feel that way too.
Emery’s story will captivate and it will hurt. There is a brutal and honest beauty in this book. There is a touch of a forbidden element in the love interest. I was in tears probably for different reasons than a lot of readers. Finally someone saw and articulated my pain and suffering. The writing is phenomenal the story painful and messy but strangely uplifting. Well done B Celeste on another amazing story.
I knew I was going to love this book the first time I caught a glimpse of the cover. From the very first line, I was hooked. This was heartwrenching, beautiful, haunting, unique, sweet, and steamy all at the same time. I became completely and utterly engrossed in this story and couldn’t put it down once I started. I brushed away tears more often than I could count, and cried like a baby through the last few chapters. It was unexpected in the best possible way, and I’m going to need a few days to recover
This book isn’t going to be for everyone. It hurt reading it and it hurts after I’m done, but I also have a smile on my face and know this book is going to stick with me. I loved the plot and seeing how Emery navigated her life with everything that is going on and what she is dealing with. At times this book broke me. The author was able to invoke so many feeling within me. My heart hurt so bad for Emery as the story progressed. This isn’t an easy book to read. It deals with the ugly side of life and I have to say; the author did amazing.
Poor broken Kaiden. That boy/man was a tornado on my emotions. Like with Emery, he was a jerk but deep down, even with out having his POV (which I would have loved), I could feel everything coming off of him. He was just ask broken as Emery and I loved seeing them lean on one another. This isn’t you typical step-brother read and it has been engrained in my heart.
I have loved all this author’s other books. Like being so engrossed that I read them in one sitting. I’m a huge fan. That being said I really struggled with this one. There was a lot of being told what was going on and a big lack of showing it. Lots of internal dialogue in the first half of the book. With that being said, All the ups and downs this story had kept me pushing through. This book is real, raw and so backed full of emotions that I sat here wondering how any Review would do it justice. As you can see, nothing I’m saying will but it was a beautiful book. 4 stars #2OCCJD
Emotional Romance | New Adult | Coming of Age | Ugly Cry
Here we have another UGLY CRY romance that will not only break your heart but it will touch it too. B. Celeste has written quite the story here and while the premise overall is a sad one, it’s also one that needs to be told. We cannot always have perfect heroines who life easy lives as it’s not realistic in the real world. It’s nice to see that people with illnesses and even disabilities have books too. Therefore, this is an original read . B. Celeste wrote a book here that’s close to her heart, and I am thankful that I not only learned something from it but found the heroine to be one of my favorites ever written. She’s strong, has a heart of gold, and deserves as much happiness as time will give her.
This book is not only an emotional romance, but a stepbrother romance as well. While I didn’t really feel the forbidden tones I would have expected from a romance like this, I did enjoy their hard fought relationship even if the road wasn’t always easy for them. You see they are both facing some pretty heartbreaking things in their lives and have so much more in common than they would have thought which makes them the perfect pair.
If you’re heart is open to feeling this sweet and heartbreaking journey with Kaiden and Emery I recommend this to you. It’s not the easiest book to read especially towards the end (you’ll need a lot of tissues) but it’s on worth the time as it tells and original story.
Omg. This a heartfelt, raw, emotional book that will haunt you. The sincerity of Kaiden and emery’s journey is real and truly beautiful. The words that are written are both vivid and scary. Yes. It’s the kind of book that rips your heart into shreds. Loved every page of this book.
This is wonderfully written with deep and expressive characters that demand all your time and attention, I never wanted to leave this story for a minute. It made me feel every word. I really admire the way B. Celeste has written this story, which is so obviously from the heart. It is real and raw.
I loved how strong and determined Emery was right from the start. It was at times really painful to read about her illness which really felt hopeless at times. Kaiden is Emery’s new stepbrother who I liked enormously. He’s the school jock, the hero, the best buddy everyone looks up to with the girls swooning at his feet. Behind all the cockiness and sarcasm is a boy who is hurting and angry with life, but in Emery, he finds somebody he can relate to and somehow they connect in more ways than one.
This story is definitely a slow burn all the way through, there were times that I wished the pace would have been a little faster but honestly, it didn’t spoil my enjoyment of this book. Told in Emery’s perspective until nearly the end of the book where we get Kaiden’s thoughts, I just wished I could have heard more from him and what he was thinking and feeling throughout the story.
They say some books swallow you heart and soul; this book is one of them. It has left a mark on my heart, made me think, bought out endless emotions and left me in awe of this remarkable author and the work she produces. I can’t wait to see what she brings us next.
I don’t even know where to start with writing a review – knowing there is no way I can do it justice. Underneath the Sycamore Tree is about as raw and real as it gets. Emery’s story is one of heartbreak and truth – a battle with a silent killer that is as relentless as it is cruel. It is gut wrenching and raw and one I will never forget.
I can’t praise the author enough for writing this book and bringing to light a disease that affects so many yet remains under diagnosed and untreated far too often. If you take away only one thing from this book, let it be that what you see on the outside doesn’t always reflect the battle being waged on the inside.
“The truth is, you never know how strong you are until being strong is the only choice you have.”
I was not prepared for the anguish this story would put me in. This story gives light to the unseen diseases that you do not see on people. What they are fighting inside. For one more day. For normalcy. For someone to understand. Barbara takes a piece of your soul with this story. This will be one I will forever hold close to my heart. For it was told to open eyes and share a pain we can not feel.
Emery lost her twin sister, Logan, to Lupus at a young age. She was her best friend. Her sister was the extrovert to her introvert. But her mother lost herself after Logan passed and couldn’t look at Emery without seeing the daughter she lost. Emery makes a decision to go live with her dad, whom she hasn’t seen in about ten years. He’s married with a stepson, Kaiden. Kaiden becomes her best friend. She gets him to open up and except his past. He becomes her many firsts. But Kaiden doesn’t know shes sick. When she tells him, he doesnt take it well. He becomes her constant. He doesnt make her fell like she doesnt have a tomorrow.
Underneath the sycamore tree was given to me as an ARC for my honest opinion. This is a story about the fight some have to deal with daily and the strength it gives them for another day. They are the ones with true strength.