I read this book in one day during a time where my attention span has been terrible. I could not put it down. I was transported to this small town of Havenbarrow with these characters and became totally invested in their story.

Jax Kilter is the town black sheep, loner, and ahole. He is angry, broken, self-destructive, and sometimes aggressive. But once he was a broken and misunderstood boy who suffered a great loss and had to deal with other consequences. And even though he puts on a tough and unaffected facade, there are still certain people he does nice things for and a few people he cares about.

Kennedy Lost is suffering. She is grief-stricken, guilt-ridden, anxious, depressed, and unsupported in her home. Her life has imploded, leaving her a shell of her former self and in need of escape. And she finds it when she runs off to her sister's home. She finds herself staying in a new small town with nosy and quirky neighbors and soon has a run-in with the town jerk...and it is not a friendly visit.

But sometimes things happen for a reason. Some call it fate or kismet. But these two just might be meant to find each other at this time. They are both hurting, drifting, and in need of both and a safe place to run to and an anchor. But their pasts are complicated and have shaped who they have become. They are both afraid of rejection and of getting too close.

This is an emotional and angsty story of friendship and second-chance love that required hope, healing, and maybe a bit of destiny. I absolutely loved these two! Jax was such a dichotomy at times with how he presented himself to others and who he really was. So many times I just wanted to hug him. And Kennedy was trying her best to get back on her feet and find new purpose. Together they were broken and raw, but fit together and smoothed the rough edges. The flashback scenes from their pasts helped show the change in the characters and let us see how different they used to be, while hoping that they might find some of those same feelings of freedom and happiness again. I enjoyed getting their dual points of view and witnessing all their feelings first hand.

It is about starting over, holding on through the storms, finding light in the darkness, and learning to live again.  I finished way after my bedtime feeling like I lived their story with them and went to sleep with a happy heart.
Kennedy Lost is struggling with so many pieces of her life. At one time she believed in fate and was a free spirit. Now her life has caused her to work hard to keep her head down, to focus on not drawing attention to her or her frequent panic attacks. She’s hoping a new start in a small town will get her back to herself.

Jax Kilter is known around town for being gruff and standoffish. The entire town knows his tragic past, and is watching as his a-hole of a dad is at the end of his life. His closed off public persona protects the hurt he has held in since childhood.

These two needed each other, and the connections between them ran deep. Letting cracks show is not easy for either of them, they have been trained to hide, and I loved the way they (but Jax especially) showed a different side when it was just the two of them. He doesn’t trust easily, but he is drawn to Kennedy’s spark.

I loved several of the side characters almost as much as the main characters. Connor never failed to bring humor into the storyline. His boyish exuberance was a great counterbalance to Jax’s stoicism. Kennedy’s neighbor Joy played a meddling role in several aspects of the story, and I’m always drawn to those older wiser (is a little cooky) characters.

This was a sweet blend of emotional depth and small town expectations.These two had a lot of grief and trauma to overcome in their journeys. I was pulled into this story from the very beginning and fell in love with both main characters.