When 18-year-old Emma Dawson was raped after her junior year in high school, her entire world fell apart. Especially when her egocentric father didn't believe a word she said. Her step-brother then gave her an ultimatum, one she couldn't turn down. Luckily for her, she didn't have to live through the torture for a long period of time. But now, since her therapist is forcing her to live with her father for the summer, she has no choice.
Live with her stepbrother, allow him to do whatever he wants to her, whenever he wants, or be forced to watch her eight year old sister go through the same torment.
Forced to keep her mouth shut, forced to be raped without any control, she decides to stay silent, to never speak to her family, anyone. Until she runs into one of her old friends, Aiden Carter, a loyal, athletic overachiever. Then, she starts to remember her old world, the world that was taken away from her.
When she faces her past, her secrets fall apart. She has to let go of the fear, listen to her own voice that has been telling her to break open from the beginning. And if she doesn't, she knows she'll risk losing the one person who is most important to her:
Herself.
Meet Serena Carter. Your one typical-but-now- not-so-typical seventeen year old girl that's starting her senior year in high school. With now little to no friends, therapy three times a week, and a few dark secrets, all she wishes is to finish high school and leave her past behind. But when a family moves in next door, Jake Steffey makes it hard for her to fly under the radar and unexpectedly turns her life upside down.
What Serena doesn't know, is that Jake has a few dark secrets of his own that he swore to keep hidden. As the two get to know each other better, they slowly begin to learn about the other's past.
Ranks:
#202 in Romance (3/5/19)
#59 in Abuse (6/16/19/19)
#34 in Healing (2/17/20)
#7 in Awareness (2/16/20)
Warning: This book may have some material that is not suited for those under the age of 14(ish.) Read at your own risk. This book is about healing, discovering one's self, and learning to live with things you can't change while growing into a young adult. It may be hard to read at times and bring both tears of joy and sorrow so again, read at your own risk.