February 6, 2015

Review! Ten Below Zero by Whitney Barbetti


“In here,” he said, pushing on the skin above my heart, “you're ten below zero. And you’re closer to death than I am.”

My name is Parker. My body is marked with scars from an attack I don’t remember. I don’t want to remember. I choose to live my life by observation, not through experience. While people are laughing and kissing and connecting, I’m in the corner. Watching them live. I’m indifferent to everything, everyone. The only emotion I feel with any kind of depth is annoyance, and I feel it often.

A text message sent to the wrong number proves to be my undoing.

His name is Everett, but I call him rude. He’s pushy, he’s arrogant, he crowds my personal space, and worst of all: he makes me feel.

He chooses to wear all black, all the time, as if he’s waiting to attend a funeral. Probably because he is.

Everett is dying. And he’s spending his final days living, truly living. In doing so, he’s forcing me to feel, to heal. To come face to face with the demons I suppressed in my memory.

He hurts me, he fulfills me, he completes me. And still, he's dying.

My Review ...
This is a beautiful story about friendship and love, about learning how to accept yourself for who and what you are. 

A message sent to the wrong number. This is how Parker and Everett’s story begins. 

Two sad, lost, scarred soul who try to cope with what fate has handed them as best as they can. In each other, they find the perfect friend. That one person who sees you exactly how you are, who understands you better than you understand yourself and pushes you to reach out for the future. 

Since the night she had her face slashed open, Parker, has kept everyone at arm’s length. She doesn’t have friends, she doesn’t go out, she doesn’t even smile. Nothing. She just shut down. 

Everett has the days counted and he just wants to LIVE. He wants to enjoy every second he might have left. Then he meets Parker. Beautiful, scarred, unfeeling Parker and he makes it his last mission in life to make her feel again. 

Their story is sad, heartbreaking and, at the same time, beautiful. 

Two complete strangers on a journey that can only have one possible ending. 

I was caught up in the story from the beginning and it was so easy to connect with the characters. This is the kind of book that makes you feel so much more than you would have thought possible. 

Whitney writes beautifully and not even for one second will you be tempted to put the book down because it’s starting to get boring. 

I particularly liked how she focused on the characters, on their lives, their feelings, on the connection between them and not on their looks, wealth or lack thereof. There aren’t many secondary characters either which, in my opinion, is a good thing. It allows the reader to focus on the story without constantly trying to remember who was who. Those existing side characters have well defined roles throughout the book only helping in better understanding certain aspects of it. 

I don’t know what else to say. You have to read this book. My only regret is postponing it for so long. It’s great. I recommend. 

Happy Reading!



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