Book Review: The Year We Hid Away by Sarina Bowen

Summary (sarinabowen.com)

She's hiding something big. He's hiding someone small.

Scarlet Crowley’s life was torn apart the day father was arrested for unspeakable crimes. Now the shock has worn off, but not the horror. 

It’s a safe bet that Scarlet is the only first year at Harkness College who had to sneak past TV news trucks parked on her front lawn just to leave town. But college will be Scarlet’s fresh start. Clutching a shiny new student ID — with a newly minted name on it — she leaves it all behind. Even if it means lying to the boy she’s falling for.

Bridger McCaulley is a varsity hockey star known for being a player both on and off the ice. But a sobering family crisis takes that all away. Protecting his sister means a precarious living arrangement and constant deception. The only bright spot in his week is the few stolen hours he spends with Scarlet.

The two form a tentative relationship based on the understanding that some things must always be held back. But when grim developments threaten them both, going it alone just won’t work anymore. And if they can’t learn to trust one another now, the families who let them down will take everything they’ve struggled to keep.

My Thoughts:

I officially LOVE the Ivy Years Series and this book!!

First let me paint you a picture: I was busy! I had a ton of work, papers to grade and a tight deadline but I was suffering from a bit of burnout so I decided to pick up this book... and it worked like a charm soothing my fried brain. 

I love the style of writing that Sarina Bowen has, she just pulls me right into her stories. 

Other than that? Well, I already knew and liked Bridger from The Year We Fell Down and I was happy to get to know him better this time around, get inside to see what his deal was. He was an excellent brother for his sister Lucy and worked so hard to keep things looking like normal. 

It even made sense, the secrets he kept and why - I'm usually frustrated when people don't ask for help when they need it, but in his case, it made sense and it was for a rather unselfish reason, even if it complicated things a lot.

As for Scarlet, her story was heavy and scary and I thought she was pretty brave, even when she didn't react the way I wanted her to. She was pretty clear on rights and wrongs, but wasn't above stepping on grey areas.

Plus, I really liked Bridger and Scarlet together and how they interact and build a relationship even with the little time they have to spend together due to the secrets each keeps.

All in all, I think I liked The Year We Hid Away even more than The Year We Fell Down and I liked that one a lot.
 

Book Review: The Year We Fell Down by Sarina Bowen

Summary (GoodReads)

She expected to start Harkness College as a varsity ice hockey player. But a serious accident means that Corey Callahan will start school in a wheelchair instead.

Across the hall, in the other handicapped-accessible dorm room, lives the too-delicious-to-be real Adam Hartley, another would-be hockey star with his leg broken in two places. He’s way out of Corey’s league.

Also, he’s taken.

Nevertheless, an unlikely alliance blooms between Corey and Hartley in the “gimp ghetto” of McHerrin Hall. Over tequila, perilously balanced dining hall trays, and video games, the two cope with disappointments that nobody else understands.

They’re just friends, of course, until one night when things fall apart. Or fall together. All Corey knows is that she’s falling. Hard.

But will Hartley set aside his trophy girl to love someone as broken as Corey? If he won’t, she will need to find the courage to make a life for herself at Harkness — one which does not revolve around the sport she can no longer play, or the brown-eyed boy who’s afraid to love her back.

My Thoughts:

All of last year I was hearing pretty amazing things about Sarina Bowwen's books, and I was surprised to find that I had actually been collecting them without noticing - like I snagged a few of them when they went on sale, because apparently that's what I do - but after reading about from Holly and Rowena @Book Binge, I was ready to take the plunge. 

And I was very happy to fall down this rabbit hole, I have to say. 

I like the world of the Ivy Years, and I thought The Year We Fell Down was an excellent way to be introduced to the Harkness College. 

Corey was such a good protagonist, how she mourned her all life yet never came across as wimpy or whiny. She was fully aware of what she had lost though, and felt bad and was embarrassed about some of the exercises she had to do in Physical Therapy, and was so very human. It was easy to root for her and want her to do well. 

Hartley and I had a few ups and downs though, he is dating someone else for most of the story and that complicated things - though I thought Ms Bowen handled that whole situation really well - but he was also very likable, he was there for Corey when she needed him and tried to do the decent thing as often as he could. 

I also loved that both of them had a life apart from hanging together. Corey had her roommate - who was great! - and slowly gets involved in campus life. Hartley had his friends from the hockey team, particularly Bridger and he was so sweet to his mom. Also, Corey and him got a chance to become very good friends: they shared interests and talked about all sorts of things. 

I read The Year We Fell Down all in one sitting and I absolutely loved it. 

1/2