The Butterfly Project by Emma Scott

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Title: The Butterfly Project
Author: Emma Scott
Published by: Indie
Release Date: February 28, 2017
Format: Kindle Book
Pages: 278
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2020 Beat the Backlist Challenge, Lenoreo's 2020 Diversity Reading Challenge, Lenoreo's COYER With Friends
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ IndieBound ✩ Book Depository
My rating:

Blurb:

"Where you are is home..."

At age fourteen, Zelda Rossi witnessed the unthinkable, and has spent the last ten years hardening her heart against the guilt and grief. She channels her pain into her art: a dystopian graphic novel where vigilantes travel back in time to stop heinous crimes—like child abduction—before they happen. Zelda pitches her graphic novel to several big-time comic book publishers in New York City, only to have her hopes crash and burn. Circumstances leave her stranded in an unfamiliar city, and in an embarrassing moment of weakness, she meets a guarded young man with a past he’d do anything to change...

Beckett Copeland spent two years in prison for armed robbery, and is now struggling to keep his head above water. A bike messenger by day, he speeds around New York City, riding fast and hard but going nowhere, his criminal record holding him back almost as much as the guilt of his crime.

Zelda and Beckett form a grudging alliance of survival, and in between their stubborn clash of wills, they slowly begin to provide each other with the warmth of forgiveness, healing, and maybe even love. But when Zelda and Beckett come face to face with their pasts, they must choose to hold on to the guilt and regret that bind them, or let go and open their hearts for a shot at happiness.

The Butterfly Project is a novel that reveals the power of forgiveness, and how even the smallest decisions of the heart can—like the flutter of a butterfly’s wings—create currents that strengthen into gale winds, altering the course of a life forever.

My Review:

4 stars — This one was a little slower at times, and a little more angsty/drama-y than I normally go for.  But the characters were really real, and so easy to feel all the emotions for.  They each had such a unique story, and it was interesting to see how their tragedies/traumas made them match each other even more.  They managed to connect with one another in a way that they couldn’t connect with anyone else.

Normally I have a lot more to say about each character, but I fell a bit short in my notes about Zelda.  It wasn’t that I didn’t connect with her, I guess I just appreciated Beckett’s story a bit more.  I did appreciate that while Zelda suffered from PTSD, that was truly the reason for the strained relationship with her parents, not some extra drama/blame.  It was all related to Zelda, and how she reacted after the kidnapping.

Beckett was such a conundrum at times — he had a huge heart underneath it all, but his walls were so thick.  It was interesting to watch Zelda breach those walls, but for him to keep trying to keep his distance regardless.  I loved that through Beckett we get a glimpse into the life of a felon, and how much (and all the different ways) it can affect your future.  It is truly an imperfect system, and I appreciated the way this story approached the topic through a character we could connect with.

The two of them together were actually pretty cute.  It was a nice slow burn that wasn’t so slow that I got frustrated.  It gave me enough time to enjoy the connection they were making with one another, and how it grew over time.

In the end I really enjoyed Darlene’s side story and I loved the connection that Zelda made with her (and what we saw of her already established connection with Beckett).  I also adored the story with Roy (and Mary), and how that all played out in the end.  It took me a bit by surprise, because while it’s something that I wanted, I didn’t actually expect it.

Honestly, I really enjoyed the story, there was just something that kept it at 4 stars but not above.  But I think for those who enjoy emotional stories, this will definitely be a hit.

As a side note, I’m really thankful I decided to read instead of listen, because I enjoyed seeing the few pages of the Mother May I? graphic novel, and I think missing that in the audio would have been a bummer.