My rating: 4.5/5
It’s been a while since I’ve read an Emma Scott book. To be sincere, I really missed her, because the feelings she puts into her books are unmatchable, and the way she makes me feel is also unmatchable. As a reader, I am afraid of overly emotional books, because I escape my reality and try to be happy in the fiction I choose to read. But even knowing how Emma writes, I choose to sink into her stories, suffer in the process, but have no regrets about it.
Xander is no more than a genius, finishing high school at 10 and having 3 PhDs. He inherits this from his father, Dr. Russel Ford, an extremely intelligent guy, who made a difference in physics, not only for his knowledge but also for his personality. Their family is struck by loss when Xander’s mom walks away from them, never to show up again. That day, Xander met Emery, a girl of his age who lived in a rich neighborhood. Even if her wealth status is different, she had an intense connection with Xander and the 2 of them immediately became friends, promising to see each other in a year or write.
Things didn’t end up the way they had wanted, but they met again in high school, at the age of 17, and were extremely divided by their social status. Emery is living a lie, blending in with superficial groups of friends and pretending to be coldhearted to other kids. In reality, she is playing the role her father drew for her, being a pawn in his political career and having the relationships he wants her to have. Her mother is basically non-existent, her brother is absent, so she is all alone and afraid to stand up and have the courage to say no. When she reconnects with Xander, a lot of hard feelings are there, because they didn’t follow the plan as spoken 7 years ago, but after things are clear, they begin a friendship, which, of course, is a lie.
Xander doesn’t want complications in his life. He needs to follow his father’s footsteps, go to MIT, and study physics. Emery is just a complication, and having her father involved will only make matters worse because he is not rich and influential, and getting involved with her might end his dreams and put his father in danger. Even though he struggles in vain to be friends and tries all the ways possible to stay away from her, he finally gives up. He also tutors her in calculus to help her with her Brown application, another demand from her father.
Xander and Emery were very complicated, but very emotional at the same time. I loved the idea of falling in love at the age of 10, feeling that connection even at a fragile age, and seeing it grow more through the years. It touched something in me that I was not aware of. Their relationship is intense; it evolves rapidly, they rekindle, and they try to be brave, to break all the barriers Emery’s family puts in their way. Xander is very protective of his father, and he is constantly looking after him, so his weight is bigger. I thought of them as a modern Romeo and Juliet, with their backgrounds being against them, but they tried to be brave and love each other no matter what.
The parallels to astrophysics, the stars, and everything about them killed me, because the connections made were so romantic and blended so well in the story.
“The love I felt for Emery could not be measured or formulated into an equation. It wasn’t a finite particle but an infinite wave that rippled out into forever.”
The story is very emotional, with many twists, with sacrifices and heartbreaking moments, but it’s a journey worth a while. I really like Xander, and for his age and experience, he was an extremely good and gentle guy – not to mention romantic and in love over his head. Emery was a victim of her family, but she found the means to take her life back. I was extremely proud of both of them and for all they managed to do in this book. It made me emotional, but it was worth it.
Ramonisme 