Review: Before You Break by Christina Lee

Before You Break
(Between Breaths, #2)
By: Christina Lee
Publisher: Intermix
Published: Feb 18, 2014
Genre: New Adult Contemp Romance
Rating:

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The star catcher of the college baseball team isn’t supposed to have skeletons in his closet. But Daniel Quinn is hiding a guilty past so dark he refuses to let anyone get close. Except there’s something about gorgeous, studious Ella Abrams that goes beyond the electric attraction between them—something that makes him want to open up.

Ella has suffered enough heartache and guilt to fill one of her psychology textbooks, but she keeps that part of herself hidden behind a bubbly exterior. Until she receives an anonymous call while working the suicide helpline and the voice on the other end touches something inside of her that she can’t ignore.

Soon Ella and Quinn’s physical connection heats up, even as their deep and revealing hotline talks intensify. But by the time Ella realizes that her seductive jock and her sensitive caller are the same guy, it might be too late to save him—or to stop herself from falling too far.

Ella lost her brother to suicide. Because of that she wants to be a psychologist and works at a suicide hotline. One night she gets a call from a guy who clearly needs someone to talk to. After a few phone calls of talking to each other on the hotline she soon finds herself thinking about him and his situation. Wondering if there is anyway she can get through to him and save his life. She has no idea that the Daniel that is calling the hotline is in fact Quinn and Quinn has no idea that the girl who’s voice allows him to open up about the darkness inside of him is the girl he’s currently pursuing.

This is a great story. I haven’t read the first book in the series but that’s okay. I didn’t feel left out of anything. The story revolves around Quinn and Ella. These two don’t really know each other at first other than the fact that Quinn is Ella’s boyfriend’s frat brother. He’s very quiet and keeps to himself the majority of the time. However, one night after heavily drinking because of her uncaring boyfriend, Ella finds herself face first in the toilet with Quinn holding her hair back. Her boyfriend couldn’t careless about here, and here was someone who didn’t know her at all who was taking care of her. That’s when Quinn and Ella start to form a bond.

There is no insta-love in this story. Sure they are attracted to each other but at first Ella is dating Quinn’s frat brother. So they start out as friends, then later move on to that in between stage after she breaks up with her boyfriend. I liked that there was no drama or crazy love story. Plus, I liked that the author didn’t just write about her characters having guilt over the death of a loved one but she made it so much deeper with adding the suicide hotline. She shined light on something that affects a lot of people.

I may be new to the author’s work but I will definitely be reading more of her novels. I will have to go back and read the first book in the series. I feel like Ella may have been a secondary character in it.

“I’m not going to kiss you, Ella. Not tonight. And you’re not a girl I want to be easy with.”