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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Although this is the second edition of this book, it was my first time reading it. It was an emotional, adrenaline fueled experience. I knew from the special message the author, Leigh Lennon, put at the beginning of the book that this would likely put my emotions through the ringer. It most definitely did. I felt it all.
What I really enjoyed was how real it felt. Both the main characters, Justine and Nick, were closer to my age. She is a divorced parent and he is a single father. He has moved in next door to her. Instead of life’s experiences breaking Justine down, it has steeled her spine and hardened her heart. Although at times I found her a little too difficult, mostly I completely understood why she was that way.
This book kept my attention and was a journey that showed a hard fought HEA. I loved how everything came together and has me really looking forward to the next book in the series.
I voluntarily left this review.
Love this book and the characters. Another beautifully written by Leigh Lennon centered around family and friends.
great book
This was a good read. A nice start to the series.
This book!!! O. M. G. I was given a copy of this book for an honest review and I absolutely loved it! There was laughter, there were tears and every feeling in between. Leigh Lennon is a master storyteller.
Unfiltered is the first book I have read if Leigh’s. I did read the authors note at the beginning and it peaked my interest. Not only did it make me want to read more of Leigh’s books but also about the MC, Justine. I have to say, Justine is like no other character I have read. I liked her. A lot! She has her own voice that’s for sure. I completely understood her. Nick was easy. I liked him right away and saw everything Justine saw in him. There were times my heart absolutely broke which I won’t spoil but I was devastated. I really liked how Leigh wrote about the complexities of divorce, infidelity, finding new love, friendship and the parent child relationship. Overall I thought it was an amazing journey!
This is Justine and Nick’s story. I have to say I loved Justine from the beginning. I might be the only one that will say that cause she was a hot mess at times. I loved that what you see is what you got for the most part. As the story continues, I only felt more impressive with her.
Nick, Nick, Nick… I loved you until I didn’t. Truthfully I was shocked Justine forgave you. You were so mean and hurtful I am not sure I would have been able to trust you again. You were the one person that shouldn’t have done her dirty. It made me want to NOT route for you to be together.
Truthfully by the end of this book, I fantasized that Justice ran off to a tropical island, found herself a cabana boy, and told all the dang liars in her to bug off. I wouldn’t have maintained those friendships especially with her ex and his wife.
Yes I felt spiteful which usually isn’t me but I hated all the gaslighting her ex did and how it snowballed to include her tribe of people. He acted like the better parent and more upstanding when he was a dirty dog. Sooo maddening.
Ugh my heart broke when a HUGE LOSS happens near the end. I felt Justine’s pain because that relationship couldn’t be repaired after Justine’s world blew up. My heart hurt for her and I was glad Nick learned from past mistakes and became the man she needed.
So yes I experienced a wind variety of emotions during this book. I actually loved that. Hee hee. I didn’t love everything about the writing of this book which is what the three stars are about. Sometimes we were being told the story or it felt wonky in places. The storyline was so unique though it was worth my time and I still recommend it cause of all its intensity.
Happy Reading Everyone!
This waa a beautifully written book. The story was not a traditional story. The twists in the family dynamic can get confusing if you do not pay attention. Justine and Nick are perfect together. I actually cried during parts of this book. A must read.
When Justine meets her new neighbor Nick she thinks he is cute but she can’t get involved with anyone. After her ex husband cheated on her for years and her father was never there for her she figured if she doesn’t get involved they can’t leave her. Nick knows Justine is it for him but he is hoping to convince her but his temper might ruin it along with his daughter. There is a lot of heartbreak in this story but I just couldn’t put it down, looking forward to the next in this series.
The journey of a strong women overcoming all the let down she has been through.
Justine is a strong women! She has lost all faith in the opposite sex with all the let down she has been through. Will she be able to let some of this go to another one in?
Nick moved to be closer to his daughter and continue working as a Veterinarian with his son-in-law. Will he be able to get over all the things that have troubled him from a young age?
These two were destined to be together. The way they work together is fire on the pages.
Loved this story and it is a must read!!!
The tale of a single mom and her love interest who has never been married or had kids. Nick and justines story is one for the books as far as being an emotional roller coaster pulling emotions out of me I didn’t even know I had The characters were delightful and. Wry enjoyable to read about and go through the personal experiences with. Expect the unexpected
A realistic view of love and relationships for Nick and Justine. As all relationships have their ups and downs, it is no surprise that this story has them too. Nick and Justine have both been hurt before and the expectations are that things will not always run smoothly when moving into their next phase. A great read that I couldn’t put down!!
Unfiltered by Leigh Lennon
Five Stars
Unfiltered is the first book in the Unbreakable series by Leigh Lennon. I was hooked from the first page and couldn’t put it down until I was done. I love that Ms. Lennon changes up her genres every couple of books. She hit it out of the park with Unfiltered for me. I’m looking forward to reading the next books in this series.
Justine is my kind of heroine. She is strong, speaks her mind, over forty and has a big heart. Nick moves in next to Justine on one of her very worst days, and is instantly intrigued. This story took my emotions on a roller coaster ride, laughing out loud, to reaching for a tissue. This is a great summer read and I can’t wait to dive into the next book in the series!
So much going for this story! Justine and Nick are the focus of the story, of course, but the secondary characters – exes, family and friends were interwoven into their lives as well. There is romance, heat, humor, drama, angst and a surprise plot twist that I didn’t see coming. I found myself invested in all the characters by the end of the story. Great read, and I’m looking forward to Rose and Brody’s story next!
Such a page turner! Holy mackerel. I didn’t want to put it down. Nick and Justine have both been thru so much. They both have gone thru heartache and pain. Both have kids from previous relationships. Both have had relationships that didn’t work. Nick moves to town and as as soon as he lays eyes on Justine, you knew he was smitten. Justine’s life has been hard. Her husband wasn’t the best so letting another man in is something Justine isn’t sure about. Thru all their ups and downs it so amazing watching these two fall in love, fight, and try to put the past behind them. Can they have their happy ending in the end? I had tears in my eyes several times and I wanted to yell at the book at other times lol. Watch as friendships are tested and when a tragedy happens watch the events that take place next. I couldn’t put the book down til I found out what happened.
Wow, what an emotional, swoon-worthy, second chance at love! Justine is divorced with two kids and speaks her mind. Nick, has a daughter and never felt like settling down until he moves next door to Justine. Nick and Justine have a connection and start to hit it off from the moment they meet. Nick and Justine both have pasts that have impacted them in more ways they know and must sort through that together if they want to make it in the long run. Nick and Justine will pull you in and sweep you away with you on the edge of your seat waiting to see what will happen between them. Don’t miss out on their emotional rollercoaster of an adventure!
So this is a doozy of a book.. It pulls at the heartstrings especially towards the end but it also shows us how much we really know ourselves and the people we love the most. It takes the good and the bad of a relationship and shows up the ups and downs that so many marriages and friendships have. I will say I loved Nick from the moment we meet him. He’s just so sweet. Justine, on the hand, is a hard nut to crack. She’s very straightforward and afraid to get hurt again. Her first marriage was not a good one and thanks to issues she has in her own life, she has abandonment to work thru. She means well but something she comes out as super harsh. Her and Nick are really perfect together but their relationship takes some hits along the way. Yes they move quickly but I love what the author did, she made their relationship real and not some fake,oh I love you, let’s get married and forget all our problems, No she made their problems right in the open and had them solve them like adults word. Yes there’s some fighting and harsh words between them but it also made them fight harder and overcome grief to be stronger together in the end. Every couple fights and I was glad to see this in this book. This book is basically about overcoming your past and healing from it in order to make your future great. Yes this story will have you crying ugly tears that will make you put your kindle down many times or at least it did me. This book is real and raw but it also has a beautiful relationship in it.
4.5 star Review Unfiltered (The Unbreakable #1) by Leigh Lennon
I was excited when I learnt that Leigh Lennon had a new series releasing. If Unfiltered is anything to go by, then she is off to a great start. This is Justine Hernandez and Nick Wallace’s story and it is one that I was invested in from the first chapter to the last.
Life has not been great for Justine, especially now that her ex husband has taken her two teenagers to live with him, she feels lost and lonely until she meets her new next door neighbour Nick. From the moment these two meet, sparks fly and an unlikely friendship blossoms. There were moments reading this book that had me laughing out loud, smiling like a lunatic and I was brought to tears.
The writing was strong with characters who are easy to relate to and like. I loved how feisty and quirky Justine is and how accepting Nick is of her quirks; she has no filter and is not afraid to say what she thinks, no matter the consequences.
Neither of them were looking for love but could fate have brought them together for a reason? The journey they travelled was at times emotional and I was cheering for them to get their happily ever after.
I loved Nick and Justine’s story.
This book takes you through the ups and downs (and there are plenty of both) of the new relationship between two next door neighbors who find love with each other. I enjoyed the fact that they were both a bit older and had life experience that you don’t normally see in most books. Justine went through a painful divorce and still struggled with her relationship with her ex and her teenage children. Nick was a teenage father, with a now 26 year old married daughter.
Rather than wait until the end of the book for the MC’s to get together, they pretty much did from the get-go, and the rest of the book navigates their relationship, and the obstacles they face along the way. There are a large cast of characters, including friends, family and otherwise, that enter into the dynamics.
The story will make you laugh and make you cry, and at times want to throw your Kindle across the room.
I’m looking forward to reading Unacquainted next!
4.5 Stars for Unfiltered (The Unbreakable #1)
Wow.. what a great start to The Unbreakable Series and if Justine and Nick’s stiry is anything to go by Ms Lennon will certainly have a hit series on her hands. If you love strong, sassy heroine’s, swoon worthy hero’s and a story with all the feels look no further than Unfiltered.
Justine is one tough cookie, she is at a crossroads in her life after her ex husband takes their two teenagers to live with him, she is hurting and lonely so maybe the new hot neighbor could be the distraction she needs.
Nick has moved to be closer to his daughter and he wasn’t looking for love but this woman who lives next door has really gotten under his skin. Nick is used to dealing with outspoken women and he embraces Justine’s quirky ways but even he struggles at times when Justine losses the plot and says exactly what she is thinking.
I have to be honest and say it took a while for me to warm up to Justine but as this couple’s journey unfolded I found myself relating to both her and Nick. Nick sees the good below the outspoken say it as you see it woman and that really drew me to him. This book ticked all my boxes, I sighed, I screamed, I swooned, I shed a tear and I smiled as I joined this couples road to happiness.
Excited for the next book in this series.