REVIEW The Edge of the World by Garrett Leigh

Buy Link

BLURB:

Shay Maloney is living his dream—on tour with his pirate/folk-rock band. But you can’t know where you’re going until you know where you’re from, and that’s where moody filmmaker and researcher Ollie Pietruska comes in.

The band’s management persuades Shay to let a television company film a documentary about his roots beyond his adoptive Irish family, and Ollie comes into his life knowing more about Shay than Shay’s ever known about himself.

But while Ollie holds the key to Shay’s past, he’s also hiding deep scars. Even as the hardships of the tour bring them closer, Ollie’s demons threaten the blossoming romance. They might both reach the breaking point before Ollie realises he’s been standing on the edge of the world for too long, and it’s Shay who holds the key to his future.

A friends-to-lovers, rock star, road-tripping romance, with a guaranteed happily-ever-after.

REVIEW:

I’ve come to the conclusion that it’s easier to review a flawed book. There’s plenty to pick apart, comment on and explore. With a good book, it’s harder because what more can you say than it was flawlessly written, and I loved it. Well, I’ll give it a try.

I got hooked on Garrett Leigh when I read her Roads series and nothing I’ve read since has disappointed. The author has a knack for writing flawed but beautiful characters that are so easy to slip into. Ash from Roads is a character that has lived with me for years, and I think both Shay and Ollie will be joining him on the list of characters who have taken over my life for the time I’ve been reading them, and beyond.

The book was flawlessly written, and I didn’t notice any faults in grammar, style or editing. That might have been because I was so enthralled by the story but if there are small flaws, I’m sure any reader who notices would forgive just because the story and these characters are so absorbing.

This is one of those rare stories that takes you on a journey of amazing scope. Ollie has been researching Shay’s past and the story of his ancestors takes us all over Europe and through many trials and traumas. Through it all is their own story of heartbreak and recovery, which is slow but steady.

Sometimes, when you have two characters who are obviously meant for each but keep bouncing back and forth between attraction and rejection, for whatever reason, it can be frustrating. You can find yourself metaphorically yelling at the page for God’s sake just get over it and get together. In this case there was less frustration and more heart-in-the-mouth praying that this time they’d get over their hurdles and allow themselves to be together. I’ve rarely read two characters with so much personal growth. The Ollie and Shay we end up with are not the Ollie and Shay we were introduced to and the journey has been one partly spent together and partly on their own. It wasn’t an easy one, but true self-development never is, and these boys have a lot to get through and get over.

All-in-all this is one of the best books I’ve read in a long time. As usual Garett Leigh does not disappoint. When you pick up a Garrett Leigh book you know you’re going to get a gritty, earthy, well told story about characters who bite back. This one is not the exception. I heartily recommend to anyone who wants something beyond the fluffy bunny romance with characters who grip you by the throat and don’t let go until four a.m. when you have work the next day and finally run out of just one more pages.