Things We Left Behind
Beyond Amazing!
I usually sit down and write a review the minute I finish a book so I don't forget all of the amazing details swimming in my head. This time, it took me days to wrap my brain around the fact that Lucy Score's Things We Left Behind (TWLB)—book 3 and the last book in her Knockemout series—was over. A farewell I wasn't ready for from a book and characters I craved more and more time with meant coming to terms with feelings and thoughts and words I didn’t want to end. And I struggled with writing a review that was worthy of the words and feelings and thoughts on all of those incredible pages.
Bottom line, it’s too soon to say farewell. Too soon to walk away from everyone and everything. Too soon to leave Knockemout. Because Knockemout is a real place that lives in your soul instead of on a map. A place that pulls you in (just ask Naomi, Lina, and Stef), holds you close (just ask everyone else), and surrounds you with the most memorable experiences of a lifetime (just ask Lucian & Sloane). Lucy Score brings characters to life in Knockemout, embedding them in your heart, making them just as real as your quirky relative down the street. Or your intimidating neighbor who really just needs to be reassured that they are capable of love and being loved just as they are.
Broken and Beautiful doesn’t even begin to scratch the surface of the characters Score created in Lucian Freaking* Rollins and Sloane Walton. Beginning from book 1 (Things We Never Got Over), they’ve been spotlight grabbers in my imagination. When I found out they were getting their own book, I was ecstatic. The build up to it was epic. And now it’s here. And I’ve read it. And it’s so freaking wonderful I don’t even have words to describe it. I have tears. And smiles. And smiles through tears. And memories of moments when I laughed so hard and so suddenly I scared the dog. And probably my family. And maybe a few people in a couple of waiting rooms. I didn’t merely read Things We Left Behind. Nope, I devoured it. I immersed myself in it. I lost track of time, forgot to eat, drank far too much tea because I lost count of how many cups I’d made. I may have slacked off on work. Lost sleep. Excused myself from a family event. I wasn’t putting this book down. For anything.
Why? Ummm… well… There are so many reasons. I’ll try and condense them to a few:
Score creates the perfect level of suspense and intrigue to heighten the overall emotions of the story. She includes several of my favorite tropes including friends to enemies to lovers, second chance romance, and touch-her-&-die vibes. The humor is off the charts, but so is the heart, and they are so perfectly blended and seamlessly integrated I was ugly crying one moment and snort-laughing the next. The story is stunning in its depth. Quite simply, it is intensely hilarious and gutterally emotional. And the steam. Holy cow! I knew Suit Daddy was gonna be off the chain steamy, but woah! Sloane, my friend, you are one seriously fortunate lady! I could use words like chemistry, connection, etc, but they're not even remotely adequate to describe the intricate levels of storytelling and relationships woven into TWLB.
If you haven’t figured it out by now, I absolutely floved TWLB. And everything about it. It will be a perpetual re-read. I will experience it again through the audiobook. I will recommend it to every reader friend I know. And even non-reader friends, because everyone needs to experience this book, this series, and this author.
Thank you Lucy Score. For being the goddess of good vibes. The light in so many lives. The source of tears and laughter, heartbreak and joyful reunions. The creator of the ultimate HEAs.
