ARC Book Review | 'Little Lies' By H. Hunting*

 

Let me start off by saying I absolutely adored the ‘Pucked’ books by Helena Hunting.

Alex and Violet’s story in the original ‘Pucked’ book was probably one of the first sports romance books I read way back when, and it pretty much started off my love of the genre. So when I saw Hunting was writing a new series, revolving round their daughter Lavender and Kodiak (a.k.a. Kody, Rook and Lainey’s soon from ‘A Lie For A Lie’) I knew it would be right up my street. Like, I live for this kind of continuation in books, seriously.

I don’t want you.

You mean nothing to me.

I never loved you.

I turned my words into swords.

And I cut her down. Shoved the blade in and watched her fall.

I said I’d never hurt her, and I did.

Years later, I’m faced with all the little lies, the untruths, the false realities, the damage I inflicted, when all I wanted was to indulge my obsession.

Lavender Waters is the princess in the tower. Even her name is the thing fairy tales are made of.

I used to be the one who saved her.

Over and over again.

But I don’t want to save her anymore.

I just want to pretend the lies are still the truth.

I feel like I need to start off this review by stating that this book is different in comparison to Huntings other novels – something she has been vocal about already and hopes to highlight with the difference in publishing name (H.Hunting instead of Helena Hunting). This time around the style of writing seems more raw and emotional, and you can practically feel that coming off the page. Hunting handles the topic of mental health in such a delicate way too, and you can tell the style of story is completely different to any of the other series.

Lavender is an incredibly strong heroine, and one that you cant help but admire for how brave she is. After suffering a childhood trauma Lavender still struggles with anxiety and a little ptsd, and initially Kodiak was there to help her. Even though he was only a child himself he helped her and understood her in a way nobody else did, but eventually he had to move away and everything changed for them. When Lavender starts her sophomore year of college she moves in with her twin River and older brother Maverick, and knows there’s a chance she might run in to Kodiak again with him being Mav’s best friend.

Kodiak I found a lot harder to warm up to to be honest. Towards the end of the book he’d definitely grown on me, but at first I found it difficult to continue when the guy could be such a jerk. He was once everything to Lavender, but to see how he had changed towards her was so hard at first. For him, Lavender is a constant reminder of a time in his life he’s tried to put behind him, and he’s not prepared for seeing her all over campus.

Lavender and Kodiaks story is one filled with heartache and angst – something a lot different than the previous books such as Pucked and A Lie For A Lie. Some parts of the book were genuinely so difficult and heart wrenching that I sometimes found it difficult to go on because my heart hurt that much seeing what these characters were going through. But I have to say it was definitely worth it – because when these two come together and reconcile, it is definitely worth the wait. Their relationship was beautiful and intimate, and Helena brought it about in such a genuine and realistic way.

Overall ‘Little Lies’ is a beautiful story of two people overcoming their obstacles and coming together even though things seem stacked against them. I’m hoping that there are more books to come about this generation of characters, because I genuinely feel like there’s so many more stories here that can be told.

Have you read any books by Helena Hunting before? Are you planning on reading Little Lies or adding it to your TBR? Let me know in the comments below!


*ARC provided in exchange for an honest review.

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