Overall Rating: ⭐⭐⭐⭐

“I may be flawed, but I am not damaged.”

I never thought I’d really enjoy a book of this genre, but here I am telling you otherwise! This book isn’t only a romance – it’s a great adventure too. It will fill you full of love, break your heart and keep you questioning everything from start to finish. In other words, this one should be put on your TBR list straight away, whatever your usual preferences are.

Flawed by Lym Cruz follows the story of Melissa and Andrew, a pair that are destined to be together. However, things seem difficult for Melissa due to her past, no matter how hard Andrew tries. Eventually, they put the past behind them and start their lives together, but will it last? Or will everything become too much?

The beginning.

It’s been a while since I’ve read a novel from a first person perspective. It was a very pleasant surprise! I always admire this and when done right, it really draws in a reader and makes them feel close to a character. Each chapter has been written from the two main characters alternately, and straight from chapter one, we know a great deal about these characters already. It’s clear that Andrew and Melissa have some history and now that they’ve been reintroduced to one another, it’ll be interesting to see what their stories were and how their relationship will grow further.

There seemed to be a mysterious connection between the pair and with how Melissa was reacting to meeting Andrew again, it seemed as though there were many questions yet to be answered. Straight away, Cruz had me hooked, which hasn’t happened so soon when reading a novel for an awful long time! The text flows incredibly well, it’s written beautifully and I’m sat here questioning where this author has been all my life.

Cruz has created some brilliant characters; from Andrew and Melissa, to their friends and parents, each is memorable with their own great qualities. It’s always clear when a lot of time has been taken when creating characters, and I always find that getting to know them yourself before writing about them is a great habit to get into. I feel Cruz has done exactly that, and even as I reader, I feel I know their motives and personalities well.

“A web of scrambled recollections flooded my brain, the images were more vivid than ever.”

Melissa seems to have mixed feelings about Andrew at this point and it’s unclear whether she’ll forgive him for what happened all those years ago, or continue to hold a grudge. We know that the pair will probably continue to bump into one another, so she needs to make her mind up and organise her thoughts quickly. I wasn’t sure which direction the story would go in, but so far, the beginning of the book really held my attention.

The middle.

It wasn’t long before the couple fell for each other once more (aww) and we see a new relationship blossom. Things do get rather saucy, so if you’re not a fan of a steamy scene to two, you might want to avert your eyes for this part of the story. As things become more serious between the two, Melissa finally feels comfortable talking about her past to Andrew, which was really quite a shocking scene. I thought about how things like this is common in some countries, and how scared she would have been. Andrew does a great job of comforting her, and, as expected, they fall into bed yet again. (Hubba hubba)

I think the middle of the book teaches a lot about what a healthy relationship should look like, and what it should not look like. Melissa encourages Andrew to pursue his dream career and to not let anything hold him back. We also see Andrew become a bit possessive and jealous of Melissa’s friends. I think they were still figuring things out at this point, but I did have a little thought in the back of my mind questioning whether or not they’d be able to settle down with one another because of their past experiences.

Cruz explores the topic of racism and the effects it can have on a person. There are some very strong willed characters in this book, and Andrew’s mother is one of them – she seems to have a problem with Melissa because of her race and also after finding out about her past. His father also has a strong opinion and encourages their relationship because of Melissa’s money. This causes a big falling out between Andrew and Melissa, and leaves us wondering whether they’ll be able to patch things up this time around.

“My heart split into two. Just like that, my life had changed in a drastic way.”

Melissa soon has some big news that really changes things. There’s a lot covered in this story, but it all fits and doesn’t get confusing. It’s clear Cruz has plotted her story really well and thought about how her characters fit together. As things get more confusing with our pair of MCs and after we feel like things aren’t going to be as they once were, Melissa finally builds up the courage to confront Andrews mother once and for all. Who knew – Melissa is a bit of a bad ass deep down!

The end.

Andrew’s new business venture continues to thrive, and this little side story teaches us an awful lot about reaching for your goals and not letting anyone or anything hold you back. It kind of made me think about my own life in a way, giving me things to think about and new goals to achieve. I’m glad this was explored in this story, and I think many people will be able to take a lot from it.

Where Melissa and Andrew are concerned – will things go as they planned for their future? How will Andrew’s parents react in a few months time when their lives will supposedly be changed forever? There is so much more to lose at this point in the story and I really looked forward to seeing how the book would be rounded off.

Just as we think things are settling down for the end of the story, BAM – we witness an incident which could have so many life changing consequences. My heart sank and I really felt for the pair. Whether or not things will ever be the same again is something you’ll have to find out for yourself. All I’ll say is that the end of the story will definitely make you eager for the next book in the series.

“I was left with nothing but a blank page that I couldn’t see past. Almost as if I didn’t have a future anymore.”

It was almost as if I had started reading an entirely different story by the end of the book. All of a sudden, things were much more serious and dangerous than they were before, and for some characters, I dreaded the outcome. A strong ending that you’ll not necessarily expect, and one that you must read for yourself!

Overall thoughts.

Flawed was a really easy to read and digest novel filled with love, loss and eventually, danger. Even though it wasn’t my go-to genre, it was very well received and I am more than confident lovers of all romance genres will love this one. Better still, it’s book one of the series, so there’s much more excitement to come!

A huge thanks to Lym Cruz for submitting her novel for me to read and review! You can pre-order your own copy of Flawed from Amazon, available on Kindle or paperback – it’s released on September 27th! 📚 You can also follow her over on Facebook and Instagram for more updates!

Visit my book club’s Twitter and Instagram page to see how you can win yourself a copy of the book in either a Kindle or paperback copy! ❤

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As you’ve probably gathered by now, I LOVE reviewing books from indie authors! If you have something that might be of interest to me and my book club, email us at aquintillionreads@gmail.com.