Bittersweet Always by Ella Fields | Review

Publisher: self-pubbed
Release Date: May 4, 2018
Source of my copy: author
Series: Gray Springs University #2/standalone
My rating:

Synopsis
Toby Hawthorne was an enigma.
One I didn’t factor into my college plans.

I wasn’t looking for love.
I wasn’t not looking for it either.
And in that state of in-between, he found me.

Unaware of the battle he fought everyday, I fell fast.
By the time I found out, it was too late.
Because I wanted everything.
Every broken, lost part of him.

I knew I couldn’t fix him.
I could only love him.
But I should’ve known better than to think that was enough.

Warning: This book contains sensitive subject matter.

Bittersweet Always is the standalone follow up to Suddenly Forbidden (read out my review). In this one we follow Pippa James and Toby Hawthorne, both of whom we met in Suddenly Forbidden. The two books overlap and scenes in the beginning we've already "seen" in Suddenly Forbidden, but this time we see the even through Pippa and Toby's eyes. So, if you have not read Suddenly Forbidden, you're covered (but I suggest you pick it up because it's really good).

To be honest, I was most excited to be back in Gray Springs to spend more time with the Suddenly Forbidden couple, Daisy and Quinn. I wasn't read to leave them after the end of their book, but Pippa and Toby quickly found their way into my heart. Where Daisy was quiet and more reserved, Pippa was loud and tell-it-like-it-is, which I really liked.

As for Toby, he was a bit more complicated. He suffers from a mental illness, and we see him at his highs and also his lowest lows. These types of contemporary romance that deal with sensitive subject matters are not ones I gravitate towards, but I thought the author did a good job handling Toby's story. It's important to realize that this is just one person's experience and it's not the be-all and end-all for people suffering mental illness.

I'm not going to get into the plot, but suffice to say that Pippa and Toby's chemistry leaps off the page from the moment they met. I loved how Toby pursued Pippa and his love for her--their love for each other was undeniable. But, it was also messy and heartbreaking and I felt for them both.

If you're looking for an emotional read, check out Bittersweet Always.

**Bittersweet Always is currently $0.99 on Kindle & free via Kindle Unlimited**