Justine:I never will get my happy ending. With my past threatening to ruin the possibility of love in my future, I keep every man at arm’s length. Nick appears out of thin air, becoming a part of my life instantly, leaving me breathless and wanting more. The pain that haunts me is still present, but Nick is worth the risk. When he promises me forever; can I trust him?Nick:Justine makes me see … him?
Nick:
Justine makes me see that a forever is in reach with her. She keeps telling me she is hard to love; yet I find it quite easy. Once I break down her walls, she finally lets me in. But, I have a secret of my own which can expose her to the demons that destroyed me in the past. However, with Justine, I will do anything and everything to make her mine.
Content Warning: Certain passages in this novel contain depictions of sexual abuse.
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As an older reader (48 years old) I really found Justine to be one of the most relatable characters I have come across. She is older, been divorced, has a job, kids and all the responsibilities I have encountered and can relate to which made this book a very enjoyable read. I have nothing against younger female leads I could just really relate to Justine and her situation with Nick, her ex-husband Rafe and her kids. This is an emotional read for sure and at times I wanted to scream at, punch and choke the adult characters in the book. This is real life brought to life in the most tragic, but also wonderful way. I voluntarily reviewed an advance reader copy of this book for my honest review.
These charaters had me attached to this story. I devoured this book in a day. Very good story
There’s a saying that goes, “Sometimes the thing you’re looking for is right under your nose”. In this case it’s right next door.
Justine is an woman who stands up for herself and definitely speaks her mind. Some say she’s hard to deal with. Through a lot of difficult times she’s become outspoken and knows what she will and won’t put up with in life. If this makes her difficult sign me up.
Nick is the new next door neighbor who is single, has his own issues and has been a bachelor all his life. He is not a confirmed bachelor he just hasn’t found “THE One” until now.
I don’t do spoilers but I will say there is a lot going on. This keeps the story moving along nicely. You won’t want to put it down. I read this in one sitting. There are so many interesting characters that add to the dimension and drive of the story.
While reading I came up with many questions, such as; are we really what people believe us to be, can we change, does life circumstances alter who we truly are, can you really trust someone who has betrayed your trust, when is it alright to start living for yourself, is it alright to start living for yourself when there are children involved, and how can you really see yourself clearly when you’ve had a fixed perception of yourself for most of your life? These are just a few questions I came up with while reading.
This is certainly a character driven story. Watching Justine and Nick navigate through many issues of loved ones is a testament to endurance. Both have their own flaws and the projection of the ones others have assigned to them, whether justified or not.
To the author I say nicely done. I look forward to next installment in this series.
Grab some tissues!
This contemporary second chance romance takes you through the laughter and tears of life when you combine a divorced mom and a never married dad, kids, other parents, grandparents and friends.
Damn! This book pulled some SERIOUS emotions out of me! I totally wanted to junk punch Nick…. along with Rafe (Justine’s ex) on MORE THAN ONE OCCASION! Ugh! Dickhead to the max! And I had very strong feelings toward Justine and the things that she went through. She was such a fierce and independent woman. I was all the way Team Justine! And then the introduction of Jake was HILARIOUS!!! Loved that! This book gets ALL the stars! I ugly cried a couple times with this one! But it was SO worth it!
Leigh has quickly become an automatic buy author! I have loved everything she has written and Unfiltered is no different! This stody was a little different than other books I have read and that made it even better.
Justine is a divorced Mom of 2 teenagers. Nick is a single Dad to an adult daughter. The day Nick moves in next door he witnesses a brutal fight between Justine and her ex. When he goes to check on her they hit it off quickly. Can they get past their issues in order to have a real relationship?
Unfiltered takes you on a roller coaster ride of emotions. You laugh and cry, fall in love and grieve with right along with the characters. I love the eclectic relationships that have formed in the group of friends. I loved this book and can’t wait to read the rest of the series.
Jaded by life’s harsh lessons Justine is not the easiest person to be around, but she’s a good mom despite it all. Nick was that sexy hot vet that she needed in her life. But he has secrets that weren’t a part of the plan. I loved how this book put things into perspective, especially recovering from betrayals that can scar a person from the inside out.
This is a powerful emotional book that I think many readers will connect with. The heroine Justine, initially comes off as brash, gruff and off-putting. As we learn more about everything that has shaped her into the person she is, I think you really begin to not only sympathize, but relate to her. Nick, the hero was really pretty awesome right from the start. He was the type of guy that knew what he wanted from the minute he saw it. He wholeheartedly embraced Justine even with her rough edges and that was very swoon worthy to me because after all isn’t that what we all want? To find someone that loves us warts and all? That’s not to say that Nick was Prince Charming because he wasn’t he was written as a very real guy, that had his own past, some anger issues and baggage that needed to be dealt with. I really liked this couple and enjoyed their chemistry, attraction and their emotional connection. The story has lots of drama, emotional turmoil and a few jaw dropping twists. All in all a very good read.
This was the first book I’ve read from this author and it definitely will not be my last because this book was a great read! Justine is a no holds barred, self proclaimed bitch that takes shit from no one and will have you laughing out loud. Nick is her single sexy neighbor that will have you swooning so hard. This read is full of laughs, love and twists that will have you captivated from beginning to end.