Title: Loner
Series: The Boys of Welles, #1
Author: Ginger Scott
Release Date: July 7th, 2022

"𝐋𝐨𝐧𝐞𝐫 𝐰𝐚𝐬 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐫𝐭𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐱𝐢𝐞𝐭𝐲-𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐝𝐮𝐜𝐢𝐧𝐠, 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐨𝐦𝐠--𝐥𝐨𝐯𝐞𝐝 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐭𝐡𝐫𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐬 𝐚𝐥𝐥 𝐚𝐭 𝐭𝐡𝐞 𝐬𝐚𝐦𝐞 𝐭𝐢𝐦𝐞! 𝐀 𝐛𝐢𝐠 𝐫𝐞𝐜𝐨𝐦𝐦𝐞𝐧𝐝 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐦𝐞." - 𝐓𝐢𝐣𝐚𝐧 𝐍𝐘𝐓 𝐁𝐞𝐬𝐭𝐬𝐞𝐥𝐥𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫

About the book:

Theo Rothschild wasn't a bad boy, but he wasn't quite good either. And shy Lily Beachem was content admiring the hottest guy at Welles Academy from the comfort of her quiet corner. Until Lily's best friend, Theo's sister, decided two lonely souls should be together.

And maybe she was right.

Theo and Lily felt something that night they sat awake and talked for hours under the cover of the woods and a blanket of stars. But when tragedy struck their small, elite East Coast boarding school, robbing them of friendships and any hope of a normal life, being alone became the only thing that made sense.

But sometimes the deepest bonds are forged through pain, and for Theo and Lily, holding on to the threads of their connection might do more than ease their broken hearts. It may finally make them whole.

Caroline's Review
🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟

This story was intense and painful, with the most smoldering of slow burns.

"All the awful things that have happened haven't removed that pull we have."

Lily Beachem and Theo Rothschild forged a connection on the same night that shattered them. Just as Lily became hopeful that her five-year crush was turning into something, she finds herself on the other end of Theo's enmity. Both are grieving and both are dealing with the fallout of events. However, the surprising thing is that the tragedy that divides them will be the one thing that will draw them together and make them whole.

"When I'm with him, even when we're fighting, I am whole."

I just loved this story! It was full of agony and sadness, but the little flicker of love and life that fanned into full blown passion made for an addictive read. Lily is a loner and prefers to go unnoticed. She flies so much under the radar that she ends up hiding her brilliant light under a bushel - hiding her talents and intelligence. Theo was such a broken boy and I hurt so badly for him. The two of them had a lot in common - with painful family dynamics - and I felt such joy when they pushed forward through all the obstacles and forged a connection that brought them so much happiness. Their chemistry was tangible, and I loved the raw honesty between them. This was an amazing, heartbreaking, and life-affirming read.