Ten Below Zero by Whitney Barbetti Review

WARNING: This is not a story about two happy people who fall easily into love. This is a story about two broken people who find one another - and don't necessarily like each other. These characters are blunt, rude, and at times annoying. They are broken and sheltered and vulnerable.

This book has violence, sexual situations, and harsh language and is not recommended for those under 17.

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“In here,” he said, pushing on the skin above my heart, “you're ten below zero. And you’re closer to death than I am.”

My name is Parker. My body is marked with scars from an attack I don’t remember. I don’t want to remember. I choose to live my life by observation, not through experience. While people are laughing and kissing and connecting, I’m in the corner. Watching them live. I’m indifferent to everything, everyone. The only emotion I feel with any kind of depth is annoyance, and I feel it often.

A text message sent to the wrong number proves to be my undoing.

His name is Everett, but I call him rude. He’s pushy, he’s arrogant, he crowds my personal space, and worst of all: he makes me feel.

He chooses to wear all black, all the time, as if he’s waiting to attend a funeral. Probably because he is.

Everett is dying. And he’s spending his final days living, truly living. In doing so, he’s forcing me to feel, to heal. To come face to face with the demons I suppressed in my memory.

He hurts me, he fulfills me, he completes me. And still, he's dying.

 

AMAZON LINK- http://amzn.to/YWNLaX

 

My Thoughts:
5/5 Stars

 

A story about two broken characters coming together to mend one another....

 

Wow! This book took me on a roller coaster ride of emotions.

Parker is a broken young woman who has dealt with many struggles in her life. She carries emotional burdens and physical flaws. She has sass and basically takes life one day at time. When she meets Everett her life is turned upside down. She finds herself questioning her feelings and slowly letting her guard down.

 

Parker and Everett's relationship is not an insta-love which I loved!

 They pick on one another and begin their journey as friends who are brutally honest. Everett tells her when she is being cold and she tells him when he is being rude. As time progresses though Parker becomes Everett's addiction. He will do anything to see her smile. He wants her to start enjoying the life she was given. When Parker finds out that he has Cancer though her thoughts are all over the place. She can't understand why he won't get the surgery, but does everything she can to better understand. Together they travel and learn to confide in each other. They build a romantic connection and embark on a journey full of heart ache, confusion, hope, and love.

 

This book did not disappoint at all! I was instantly sucked into the storyline and captivated by the characters. Yeah, they weren't always lovey dovey.... but that's what made this book that much better! It was so much more romantic to watch their relationship slowly progress. We got to feel and understand exactly how the love came about. It wasn't the intimate connection... It was about the emotions and unspoken understandings. At times I felt my heart squeeze... I was pulling for them throughout the entire book and towards the end I was going crazy. My mind was all over the place trying to guess what was going to happen. I felt my heart race and at times drop. The real factor was there and I can honestly say that the ending felt like a perfect fit!

 

All in all it was truly a beautiful story that had hints of light and shadows of dark.
It showed that love isn't always easy... It takes time, understanding, and lots of work.

I Loved it & would Recommend it to all mature readers!