Review: In Her Wake by K.A. Tucker

If you haven't read Ten Tiny Breaths and don't want it to be spoiled, then please don't read this review or the synopsis!

Publisher: Atria Books

Publication Date: September 1, 2014

Genre: New Adult/Contemporary

Source: eARC via NetGalley

~Synopsis~

Before you knew him as Trent in Ten Tiny Breaths, he was Cole Reynolds—and he had it all. Until one night when he makes a fatal, wrong decision…and loses everything.

When a drunken night out at a Michigan State college party results in the death of six people, Cole must come to terms with his part in the tragedy. Normally, he’d be able to lean on his best friends—the ones who have been in his life since he could barely walk. Only, they’re gone. Worse, there’s the shattered body of a sixteen-year-old girl lying somewhere in a hospital bed, her entire life ripped from her because of a case of beer and a set of keys.

Everyone assures him that they know it wasn’t intentional, and yet he can’t ignore the weight of their gazes, the whispers behind his back. Nor can he shake the all-consuming guilt he feels every time he thinks of that girl who won’t so much as allow him near her hospital room to apologize. As the months go by and the shame and loneliness festers, Cole begins to lose his grip on what once was important—college, his girlfriend, his future. His life. It’s not until Cole hits rock-bottom that he can begin to see another way out of his personal hell: forgiveness.

And there’s only one person who can give that to him…

~Review~

 I try not to put any spoilers in my reviews but this is a difficult one to write without possibly giving something away. I'll do my best but just in case, you've been warned.

This series is one of my favorites and I loved that K.A. went back to the beginning and gave us Trent's backstory and how he ended up in Kacie's life in Ten Tiny Breaths. I found this book to be so beautifully written and heartbreaking at the same time. Trent and Kacie have both been through so much pain and turmoil in their lives and finding each other is what helped them heal.

We know a little about what Trent has been through from Ten Tiny Breaths but K.A. really digs into the details with this book and gives us a better understanding of the decisions he's made and what brought him to Kacie. He is very troubled and it takes him a long time and a lot of work to claw his way out of the hole he put himself in. He really struggles in the beginning to deal with the events that irrevocably changed his life and set him on his future path.

I really liked seeing the relationship that Trent has with his parents as well. They are clearly loving and supporting and seeing Trent go through a tough time was hard on them as well. They didn't know how to handle his sudden change in attitude and demeanor and they fought a lot about it. They wanted their son back and they did everything in their power to help him through. In the end, forcing him to get help was what brought him back to a somewhat normal state and helped him try to begin healing.

While Trent's motivations seem a bit crazy to those on the outside, In Her Wake allows us to see where his head and heart were at so we can get a different perspective on his actions. I adored Trent before but now I find him even more spectacular because I know what he truly went through and what led him to be the man he is now.

PURCHASE LINKS:

AMAZON | BARNES & NOBLE