A Bowl For the Soul

BLOG TOUR: ESCAPE THE DOUBT 

Good day, bookworms! Today I'll be reviewing Escape the Doubt by Andrea Michelle as part of her blog tour. I receive an ARC from Enticing Journey in exchange for an honest review. It's a young adult romance story but it is also much more than that so here we go!

Synopsis:

After the unexpected death of her Dad and the haunting manner in which he died, Riley Shaw built invisible walls around her heart. Barriers she created to protect her from splintering into broken pieces that couldn’t be repaired. She was unable to move forward from her past, letting the guilt of her parent’s mistakes dictate her own choices. 



Dean Warren was safe. Being with him was innocent and peaceful because she didn’t truly love him. His words held her captive in a false sense of security. His eyes were deceptive, and his promises of never pushing her beyond what she was willing to give were broken, leaving Riley Shaw in a state of regret and doubt. 



Joshua Parker had the power to take what was left of Riley’s splintered pieces, and ruin her completely or make her whole again. He was her best friend, her next-door neighbor - everything she wanted and settled on never having. Loving him was as easy as breathing air. The fear of losing him forever was more real to her than the feelings she couldn’t escape. 



When faced with the very thing she feared the most and in the arms she thought were safe, Riley finds herself questioning every decision she has made over the past two years. When she finally escapes the doubt in her head and accepts the truth in her heart is it too late? 



Is taking a chance with your heart worth the escape or was it better to have never loved at all? Can forgiveness really set you free? 



*Warning: This is a mature young adult novel. Recommended for readers 17+ due to underage drinking, sexual content and adult language. 



*This is book one in a series however can be read as a standalone.

This is a beautiful, heartbreaking love story about two teens struggling for their love towards each other while coping with their other life dilemmas at the same time. Everyone has gone through that particular phase where we fell in love for the first time and our times during high school. That is what exactly what I get from reading Escape the Doubt. We can relate well with the story and characters because it happened to most of us at some point in our life.

I absolutely love Riley's character. The author has depicted a gifted yet broken girl who has doubts regarding love. Her father had screw things up for their family and because of this she has some serious trust issue that seems to put off the idea of love for Riley. She's in love with her long-time best friend but ends up getting together with another boy. She did this just so she wouldn't get hurt in the end. Depressing, isn't it? She's a very complex character but that makes me like her the more I read the book. Plus, she writes great (dark) poetry! 

The other characters in the story was well-developed by Andrea as well. They have their own back story and crucial roles to the overall story. Joshua is the perfect guy that any girl would love to have while Dean is another name for douche (but I still like his character for some reason. He's just so complex and mysterious!). 

Andrea Michelle has painted a realistic teenage story with angst, love, and relationship issues. The story doesn't drags on with too much details or repetitive sequences but everything is just at the right pace. The emotions and actions carried by the characters are true to what teenagers would do. Once you start the book, you are guaranteed on a ride full of emotions- happiness, sadness, grief, anger..it's sure is a breakthrough debut for Andrea and I have to give her two thumbs up!

Reviewer Notes: I was given this book in exchange for an honest review. All views are my own and do not reflect those of the author, my clients or tour companies I work with. This is not a paid review. To form your own opinion please support the author and acquire your own legal copy of the book.