Scan barcode
asocialcris's review against another edition
4.0
"I don’t want this.
If only it were true. Too bad want and need were two entirely different things.
Sure, I didn’t want this. But my body sure as hell needed it."
Lead Me Not by A. Meredith Walters is a rip-you-to-shreds, bleed-you-dry, wound-your-soul love story. This story will tear away all your preconceived notions, while still frustrating the shit out of you. It’s the tale of a tumultuous, tenuous love between a lost boy, the girl who tries to save him, and the siren that he can’t resist.
Maxx is dangerous. He's the worst kind of bad boy; he's a broken boy. Having lost love early, he’s left with a world of responsibility, drowning in his obligations; desperately latching on to anything that’ll keep him afloat. When we meet Maxx he’s cocky, sure, and deceptive. As he pulls us in we’re helpless to resist.
"I knew the way people looked at me, and I fucking loved it…I was a guy that mattered. I was a guy with power and control."
But Maxx is losing his grip on the carefully crafted world he’s created, and as the story unfolds, Walters expertly, and beautifully conveys the dark hopelessness of Maxx’s cage.
Aubrey thinks she can save him. She’s seeking her own redemption, trying to forgive herself the guilt she feels for not saving her sister when she saw her self-destruct. She’s putting her career on the line, risking everything she’s worked so hard to achieve so that she can free Maxx from his prison.
"I would fight for the life I wanted with everything I had – even if that meant a hefty dose of denial, denial, denial."
Maxx is Aubrey’s drug. She knows that he’s dangerous to her health and sanity, that he has the power to crush her, but she just doesn’t have the will to walk away. She believes that she is that girl, the one who could save him from the maelstrom of addiction, rage, and denial. Unfortunately, she’s battling a bitch that has her claws deeply entrenched, and in order to win she’ll have to risk it all.
These two characters are deeply flawed, and they will cause you to rage and despair. Walters doesn’t gloss over the struggles that Maxx and Aubrey have to overcome. She doesn’t dilute the stark emotional turmoil you’ll experience by making things pretty. You will feel intensely, and if you approach this story with an open mind, Lead Me Not will provoke your prejudices, and hopefully allow you to feel empathetic to those who struggle to cope with life’s hardships.
I feel passionately about this story because I feel passionately about books that honestly portray the human condition. We really just want to be happy, as corny as that sounds. We want love and we want happiness. Unfortunately life doesn't happen smoothly. We get are hearts broken, we lose the ones we love, and it's hard to just stay strong and positive. Some people flounder - some struggle to stay afloat, and some drown.
This book put me through the wringer, and in the end I was crying, but I was also smiling. The story ended on a tenuously hopeful note, that satisfied my need for closure, but still left the door open for more of Maxx and Aubrey. Lead Me Not was my introduction to A. Meredith Walters, and this first impression was a good impression, and a lasting one. Read this book people! Don’t let your fears and set opinions deter you from experiencing this wonderful story.
"You’ll miss out on some amazing things in life if you can’t look past your nose to see the beauty that’s out there in the most unconventional places. And complexity isn’t ugliness. It’s the complication that makes it worth it."
If only it were true. Too bad want and need were two entirely different things.
Sure, I didn’t want this. But my body sure as hell needed it."
Lead Me Not by A. Meredith Walters is a rip-you-to-shreds, bleed-you-dry, wound-your-soul love story. This story will tear away all your preconceived notions, while still frustrating the shit out of you. It’s the tale of a tumultuous, tenuous love between a lost boy, the girl who tries to save him, and the siren that he can’t resist.
Maxx is dangerous. He's the worst kind of bad boy; he's a broken boy. Having lost love early, he’s left with a world of responsibility, drowning in his obligations; desperately latching on to anything that’ll keep him afloat. When we meet Maxx he’s cocky, sure, and deceptive. As he pulls us in we’re helpless to resist.
"I knew the way people looked at me, and I fucking loved it…I was a guy that mattered. I was a guy with power and control."
But Maxx is losing his grip on the carefully crafted world he’s created, and as the story unfolds, Walters expertly, and beautifully conveys the dark hopelessness of Maxx’s cage.
Aubrey thinks she can save him. She’s seeking her own redemption, trying to forgive herself the guilt she feels for not saving her sister when she saw her self-destruct. She’s putting her career on the line, risking everything she’s worked so hard to achieve so that she can free Maxx from his prison.
"I would fight for the life I wanted with everything I had – even if that meant a hefty dose of denial, denial, denial."
Maxx is Aubrey’s drug. She knows that he’s dangerous to her health and sanity, that he has the power to crush her, but she just doesn’t have the will to walk away. She believes that she is that girl, the one who could save him from the maelstrom of addiction, rage, and denial. Unfortunately, she’s battling a bitch that has her claws deeply entrenched, and in order to win she’ll have to risk it all.
These two characters are deeply flawed, and they will cause you to rage and despair. Walters doesn’t gloss over the struggles that Maxx and Aubrey have to overcome. She doesn’t dilute the stark emotional turmoil you’ll experience by making things pretty. You will feel intensely, and if you approach this story with an open mind, Lead Me Not will provoke your prejudices, and hopefully allow you to feel empathetic to those who struggle to cope with life’s hardships.
I feel passionately about this story because I feel passionately about books that honestly portray the human condition. We really just want to be happy, as corny as that sounds. We want love and we want happiness. Unfortunately life doesn't happen smoothly. We get are hearts broken, we lose the ones we love, and it's hard to just stay strong and positive. Some people flounder - some struggle to stay afloat, and some drown.
This book put me through the wringer, and in the end I was crying, but I was also smiling. The story ended on a tenuously hopeful note, that satisfied my need for closure, but still left the door open for more of Maxx and Aubrey. Lead Me Not was my introduction to A. Meredith Walters, and this first impression was a good impression, and a lasting one. Read this book people! Don’t let your fears and set opinions deter you from experiencing this wonderful story.
"You’ll miss out on some amazing things in life if you can’t look past your nose to see the beauty that’s out there in the most unconventional places. And complexity isn’t ugliness. It’s the complication that makes it worth it."
coghlankirsty's review against another edition
4.0
I loved how gritty this romance was. It wasn't hearts and flowers but was real. I can understand the denial aubury was going through because even though she was studing towards helping people with adiction there is a huge difference from studying to the reality. Brilliant book.
jbenando's review
4.0
This was one of the most difficult books I've ever read. However, this book made me feel all kinds of feelings. I feel sad, angry, disgusted, hopeful..... This was emotional and heart breaking. But I'm glad I stuck it out and read it.
It was a hard subject to read about, but I feel it was written very truthfully. I pray for all my friends who have people like this in their lives.
I was given an ARC, for an honest review.
It was a hard subject to read about, but I feel it was written very truthfully. I pray for all my friends who have people like this in their lives.
I was given an ARC, for an honest review.
katekat's review
3.0
The review looked so good and the book just wasn't. I mean it wasn't horrible but it wasn't great either. It was just lacking in general.