All the Ways You Saved Me by Jamie Howard

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Title: All the Ways You Saved Me
Author: Jamie Howard
Series: Love Unplugged #1
Published by: Swerve
Release Date: November 1, 2016
Format: Kindle Book
Pages: 280
Genres: Romance, Contemporary
Reading Challenges: Lenoreo's 2021 Backlist Reader Challenge, Lenoreo's 2021 COYER Spring, Lenoreo's 2021 Finishing the Series Challenge, Lenoreo's 2021 Monthly Key Word Challenge
Find it: Goodreads ✩ Amazon ✩ B&N ✩ Google ✩ Kobo ✩ iBooks
My rating:

Blurb:

Bianca Easton is the perfect senator’s daughter.
Law school? Check.
Camera-ready smile? Check.
A dull and boring existence? Double check.

But that was before. Before she lost her best and only friend in a tragic accident. Before she found that friend's unfinished bucket list. Definitely before she turned her life upside-down by deciding to stay in New York for six months to finish it.

It's while she's checking off her first item on the list--buy coffee for a stranger--that she meets Ian Mathis. Between the tattoo sleeve curling up his right arm, his guitar-roughened fingertips, and the secrets shadowing his past, he's a complication Bianca doesn't need but desperately wants.

With every item they cross off the list together, Bianca uncovers a piece of herself that she's buried under what's expected, all the while breaking her own rules by falling hard for Ian. But when her six months run out, Bianca has to decide if she's willing to risk her empty but picture-perfect life for a chance at real, messy love.

My Review:

4.5 stars — Well that was an emotional roller coaster.

I think the way this story was told was very unique, and it really added.  I mean, there were times I was disappointed that we weren’t getting present Ian’s POV, but that’s because I’m greedy.  I think sprinkling through the history really gave you an idea of who Ian was in a way nothing else would.  I ached for him.  He went through so much, and I felt his grief palpably.  He had a journey that I haven’t really seen for a hero, or at least not in this way.  I wanted to smack him at times, but it was always tempered by my empathy.

Bianca was more our touchpoint in this story.  She had her own emotional journey to travel.  I can’t imagine all she was feeling and dealing with, and I loved seeing her grow as she completed the list.  The same thing happened with her, I wanted to smack her at times, but I also understood how she was protecting herself given her family life.

They had the strangest romance, I swear to god.  It wasn’t smooth — it was awkward at times.  It made sense given what they were both going through, and I still fell in love with them together, but it was still odd.  I loved seeing them both attracted to one another, but unsure of the dance.

I think one of the things I loved about this story were all the other characters that added to it.  I loved the glimpse of Bianca’s friendship with Renée.  I ADORED watching her developing friendship with Harper.  Even though it’s kind of weird to think, I loved Maggie, and their story.  And then there’s Rachel and Ben and Felix and Gavin.  Even though we didn’t get much from the band, I enjoyed what we did get.  I will admit I’m bummed knowing we probably won’t get Ben and Rachel’s story…I hate when something is teased but other circumstances make it not happen.

So yeah.  It was a completely unique story, but it captured me.