Book Info
To The Steadfast by Briana Gaitan
Genre: Coming of Age Romance
Cover Artist: Romantic Book Affairs
Release Date: August 31st 2015
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Resolute. Firm. Unwavering
That was my love for him.
Steadfast for as long as I can remember.
As my best friend’s brother, he ignored me before noticing me. He protected me, bought me my first beer, but eventually became my undoing.
There was a time I would have died to get him to notice me, now I’d do anything to forget him.
I’m not the one who can tame him, and he’s not the guy who will change for me.
This isn’t a story about falling in love, this is a story about falling out of love.
Unrequited love.
And finding the strength to move on.
Here’s to the steadfast.
*This is a standalone story that crosses years from YA into NA genre, due to heavy subject matter this book is for ages 16 and up. This is not your typical love story.*
My Review
To The Steadfast is not your typical love story. To The Steadfast is a coming of age, YA to NA crossover. This story is broken up into three parts; Dakota at 16, Dakota at 18, and Dakota in the present.
When we first meet Dakota, she is only 16 years old and we see her friendship with Violet and Mischa. Violet and Mischa may have seemed like amazing friends, but really, they were anything but. Their family is toxic and heavily involved in drugs. Dakota spends a lot of time partying with Mischa and Violet, even after police raid their house. As the story continues, you begin to see that Dakota has more than friendly feelings toward Mischa. She wants to experience all of her firsts with him and gives him one of her most treasured firsts. Meanwhile, Dakota’s life continues to spin out of control; making her parents take some pretty drastic measures to try and fix things…..Two years pass and Dakota is finally on the right path. Coming home for one last summer before college will prove to be a huge challenge. Once back home, Dakota is once again thrown into the lives of her old friends. As Mischa and Dakota grow close once more, a huge secret has the power to destroy everything…..Will Mischa always be her undoing? Will Dakota ever have the strength to move on?
To The Steadfast was different from the books that I normally read. There wasn’t a typical HEA ending. To The Steadfast is full of angst and drama. It shows how blinding first love can be. How it can consume and destroy you. It shows just how toxic some people can be and the strength needed to break away from those people.
I found the characters to be unique and complex. They captivated me, sucked me and made me want to know more about them. Yes, they did frustrate me at times, but I think that was part of the pull in this story.
My only complaint was the ending. I don’t mind that it wasn’t your typical HEA ending. That type of ending wouldn’t have made sense for this story. My issue was that little something placed just before the epilogue, that confused me. I felt like I was missing something. I also would have liked a touch more closure with the characters. I’m a big fan of closure.
Overall, I thought this book was a really great read. To The Steadfast had a really unique story-line. It flowed really well and I had the hardest time putting it down. This is my first book by this author and I’m looking forward to reading more from her in the future.
*I was provided an ARC copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review*
About the Author
Briana Gaitan is the bestselling author of the Hollywood Timelines series (The Last Thing and The One Thing) and coauthor of the Ethereal Underground series. Briana is a southern native and self-proclaimed geek. She has never wanted anything but to create whether it be composing music, decorating her house, or giving voices to the characters inside her head.Her days are spent obsessing over a good read, raising her three kids, and watching anything on the SyFy channel. Through her writing, she hopes to inspire others to believe in the impossible.
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