Review: Nobody But Us by Kristin Halbrook

Will
Maybe I'm too late. Maybe Zoe's dad stole all her fifteen years and taught her to be scared. I'll undo it. Help her learn to be strong again, and brave. Not that I'm any kind of example, but we can learn together.
When the whole world is after you, sometimes it seems like you can't run fast enough.
Zoe
Maybe it'll take Will years to come to terms with being abandoned. Maybe it'll take forever. I'll stay with him no matter how long it takes to prove that people don't always leave, don't always give up on you.

  This book was such an emotional punch right in my chest! To be honest, I got into this book with low expectations because of the not-so-positive reviews I had read about it, but Nobody But Us proved me the opposite of what I thought I would get. It's such a crazy, crazy roller coaster of emotions and because of that this was such a worth-it read! The characters in this book are so flawed, and messed up and emotionally unstable but they make the book so unique and realistic and the story so raw and deep and unforgiving.

 Will and Zoe are not the typical teenage couple. Their past is full of hurting happenings and they're two damaged people trying to fix one another. In most of the reviews I've read, I noticed that people called Zoe a very 'weak' person, and in a way she is. But her story was so hurting and I completely understood why she was the way she was. Being raised motherless by an alcoholic, abusive father pretty much screwed up her life and she was always afraid of standing up because nobody had ever taught her that. She was fifteen, abused, hurt and messed up. And having a guy promise you safety and a better life, an actual future is not something a girl like Zoe would ever refuse. Luckily, while reading I got to feel a lot of the story, and I managed to get under character's skin and really understand them and if I were to be honest, had I been in Zoe's position I would have done exactly the same. I don't know, but for some reasons I felt so much for Zoe and it pained me to read of what she was going through. I managed to look past the facade of 'What the heck? She's only fifteen. How can you runaway with a boy at fifteen?' because the truth is, you can. When you're not allowed to live your own life, you sure as hell can.

 Will is such a complicated and flawed character. Damn, that boy really was messed up. His anger issues and his hard life had made it so difficult for him to build relationships with other people, and love other people, and especially be loved. Zoe was like the anchor to that land Will had been fighting his whole life to get to. Most of the book his thoughts are so messed up, and his plans sound so childish for an eighteen-year-old but really, Will wasn't anything but a little kid with big dreams. You could tell by the way he had all those big dreams and plans about living in Vegas, and marrying Zoe etc etc -- plans that made him sound ridiculous but if you could look past that, Will's heart is the most fragile thing you can think of. His emotional state is extremely changeable and it's hard to put up with him and he himself knows that which is why he's so crazy about Zoe. Those two were like missing parts of each other.

 The relationship between Will and Zoe is in fact 'unhealthy' but the author knows it. She tells us that this is unhealthy and that it is wrong but in fact, that this actually happens. In fact people are unreasonable and they seek freedom even in the wrong ways. And even though it's a relationship that is very 'in your face' (just like their love declarations) it's such a strong one. It's like unrealistically strong and deep. I LOVED the ending and how Zoe grew as a characters, just like Will. The ending was so heart wrenching but it definitely was the one the book deserved. I felt the characters grow and it was so real and it felt so close and personal. The author did a great job with this book, her writing is absolutely amazing and made the story come alive and even though this book saddened me and broke my heart, and it had lots of flaws, I felt it and this is definitely a memorable read!

Taylor Swift - I Knew You Were Trouble