Broken Beautiful Hearts

From the Publishers:

Her heart has to break before it can open.

When star soccer player Peyton Rios receives an offer from her first-choice college, senior year starts off exactly as planned. But when Peyton uncovers her boyfriend’s dark secret, she confronts him—and finds herself falling down a flight of stairs. Peyton’s knee—and maybe her dream of going pro—is shattered. Everyone is talking: Was she pushed, or did she fall? Peyton knows the truth, even if no one believes her.

He has to let someone in before it’s too late.

With her future on the line, Peyton goes to stay with her uncle in a small Tennessee town to focus on her recovery. Dating is the last thing on her mind—until she meets sweet, sexy Owen Law.

But Peyton doesn’t trust her heart, especially when she senses that Owen is hiding something. When their secrets are finally exposed, Peyton has to decide if love is worth fighting for.

My thoughts:
I actually chose this book because the author sounded familiar. I did not make the connection based on the topic or the style so I looked it up. Garcia is one half of the duo who wrote Beautiful Creatures.

Although I like a YA series as much as the next person, I did not continue reading the series. I just could not invest in the characters. This book and this genre for Garcia (YA romance, non-fantasy, contemporary, girl power) is much more enticing and broken and powerful and gripping. I could not put it down until I finished. It makes your breath go shallow.

What I appreciated about this book most, though, is the author's note at the end. In it, Garcia relays how Peyton's experience is similar to her own experience and urges readers to seek help if they need it. Perhaps this is becoming a pattern. Dr. Sonia Patel, author of Rani Patel in Full Effect does the same thing. In Patel's case, though, she is speaking as a professional. Garcia just speaks from her own story. I like that.