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The One You Fight For

Release Date January 1, 2018

This series is built on such a current and tragic premise and the love stories are unique and challenging. They focus on four friends who were survivors of a high school shooting that reunite twelve years later for a documentary and find their friendships and themselves again.

This is Taryn Landry's story. She is a research psychologist and  professor. And she has dedicated her career to developing a program to help decrease the prevalence of school violence and trying to support those struggling. She has been so focused on that and taking care of her family that was affected by the shooting, that she has not really been enjoying life.

When she meets Lucas Shaw, there is an immediate spark. And as they keep running into each other, it seems to grow. But he has secrets...big ones. His life also imploded years ago and he has been hiding ever since. He is determined to live under the radar and not get involved. But something about Taryn keeps pulling him in. They somehow find laughter, comfort, safety, companionship, and passion. And even when he shares some of his deepest secrets, she is willing to listen.

While they are in their protected bubble, they can lie to themselves and say everything is going to be okay. But he does not live with a sense of permanence or even hope. And when all of the secrets are exposed, what will the fall out be?

This was my favorite of the series so far. I felt so strongly for both of them, but especially Shaw. The situation was near impossible. There were so many people who could be affected and so many ways that they could hurt each other. And he was so stoic and self sacrificing and it hurt my heart that he felt he needed to be that way. He had so much guilt and had been conditioned to believe he was not worthy and he did not deserve any happiness. And Taryn was always looking out for others at the expense of herself. I found myself hoping that there was a way out of the mess, to move forward from their pasts, and somehow find acceptance. I liked that they did communicate, but they had their work cut out for them due to various circumstances. This one hit me emotionally, but it also had humor, passion, and friendship.

I admired the idea of Taryn's work and hope that something like her program does start to become part of schools, because this really sheds light on how much needs to happen for kids to be supported, mentored, and hopefully to decrease the tragedies like this one. I enjoyed more with this group: Liv and Finn, Rebecca and Wes, Kincaid and his friend, Rivers. I am looking forward to Kincaid's book since she has been everyone else's cheerleader in relationships. But like the others she is bound to still be affected by their tragic history.

This series caught my attention due to the tie that binds all the characters, but it has kept me coming back because of the way in which it deals with the ramifications of a tragic event on the lives of *everyone* touched by the tragedy.

Taryn lost her sister in the Long Acre tragedy and has spent her life working to prevent similar events. She is on the brink of launching a program that her research shows will help at risk students and keep another Long Acre from happening. She is focused on her goals and has put her own needs second (or last) in favor of getting her program up and running.

Lucas Shaw has only recently returned to Austin, beginning a new business venture with a friend. He isn’t sure he can stay long term in Austin, as he is carrying secrets, but he will give the location a shot for his friend.

These two meet by chance one night, and have an instant connection. Through several more chance encounters, they develop a friendship that has them testing that spark between them. They each have pain in their pasts, and hold on to scars in different ways. As they test the waters between them, the fragile bond will be tested by the connection they couldn’t see coming.

I loved watching Taryn fight so hard for what she believed in. She has always been the one her friends lean on when they need something, and she has learned to keep her own weaknesses hidden. She faces obstacles she didn’t anticipate, and has to work to overcome more than just relationship woes during the course of this book.

Shaw is so tied down by his secrets that he has no hope of being able to stay in Austin long term. He has carried weights that weren’t his to carry but were put upon him by outside sources. I couldn’t help but love watching as he balanced wanting Taryn with wanting to protect her from himself, but I could also see that what he feared was not who he really was at heart.

This may very well be my favorite of this series. I hadn’t anticipated loving Shaw’s perspective quite as much as I did, and getting inside his head was a fascinating twist in this series’ path. I loved seeing Rebecca and Wes, and Liv and Finn again, as well as Kincaid and the rest of their friends. This group has a shared past that has forged strong bonds, and watching as they move on and learn to accept their scars and losses is a journey of heart ache and memories, warmth and love.
 
I received this book for free from netgalley in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.