Breaking Nova (Nova #1) by Jessica Sorensen

Landon Evans had the saddest eyes Nova had ever seen. He looked on the outside what she felt on the inside and his sad eyes are what drew Nova to him after the death of her father. Landon and Nova became inseparable, best friends, and eventually a couple. But when Landon makes a fateful decision, Nova is left behind shattered with nothing but unanswered questions. Barely holding it together, Nova returns home from college for the summer and spends her time seeking ways just to make it through the day. Her life has become a haze, with each day blending into the next. When Nova meets Quinton Carter she is instantly drawn to him, recognizing the brokenness inside of him.

Quinton used to be a good guy - friends with everyone, good student, volunteered. Everything changed in an instant and Quinton has a second chance at life that he doesn't want, especially with the reminder of what he's done tattooed on his body forever. Now all he wants is to feel nothing, escaping into a world of drugs, booze, and meaningless sex trying to atone for the unatonable. When he meets Nova Reed, he can't help but be affected by her. She makes him smile and feel again, but Quinton knows that he is too damaged to get close to her. Quinton knows he doesn't deserve happiness, doesn't deserve someone like Nova in his life. She is too good to travel down Quinton's path, and yet he can't seem to stay away from each other.

The connection between the two of them is undeniable, but as Nova begins to fight to break free of her past, Quinton begins to give up and sink further into the darkness. Nova wants desperately to save him, but knows she has to get herself together first before she can help him. But can the two really move on from their pasts and save each other?

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Another fantastic read from Jessica Sorensen! The characters in Breaking Nova are beautifully created and memorable, and not just Nova and Quinton, but the secondary characters as well. Some of which (Delilah and Tristan) I hope get their own books. The story is heart wrenchingly tragic, just as I have come to expect from Sorensen, but I feel like this book had a darker tone to it than some of her other novels. Each of these characters is drowning in a world of pain, to the point where feeling nothing is better than feeling anything at all. Sorensen portrays this perfectly and you experience everything right along with the characters. The majority of the book is written from Nova's POV, but the book does switch perspectives, giving us insight into Quinton's head as well. Be warned, Breaking Nova deals with some very heavy subject matter, which Sorensen handles perfectly. Nothing is glorified or condemned. It's all just part of these characters' journeys.

There is a short preview of the next as yet untitled book in the series and already I can't wait to get my hands on it. According to GoodReads, we should expect it sometime in February, 2014 and book three is slated for March, 2014. I am curious to see where this series will go and what's in store for Nova and Quinton. I already know that what lies ahead of them won't be easy, but I am hoping for a light at the end for the two of them.