She’s the town sweetheart, and he’s a loner. When disaster strikes, their labels become irrelevant.
“In a matter of minutes on a Friday night, I lost my school, my identity, the security of my first love, the personality of my sweet fearless brother, my best friend, my town, everything as I knew it. Everything changed.”
“Minutes—that’s all it takes to change your entire life. How do you deal with that?”
For high school senior Jules Blacklin surviving the storm is only the beginning. Faced with her life’s new reality, she must find a way to rise from the wreckage and answer the question—how do you get back to normal when everything normal is gone?
Out of Ruins (From The Wreckage Book 2)
Tensions rise and enemies are made as Jules and West’s story continues.
“Guilt. A painful, lonely feeling. It seeps into your pores slowly as you go through life day by day. Like a disease, it blackens your heart with thoughts and memories of what you did, or in my case, what you didn’t do.”
Surviving the storm was only the beginning for Jules. Surviving the guilt? That is something only love can help her overcome.
All That Remains (From The Wreckage Book 3)
New relationships. New dreams. Same feelings. Welcome to college Jules and West.
Fear, guilt, and jealousy rear their ugly heads as Jules and West strive to figure out what they want now that they’ve emerged from the wreckage of the storm.
A year has passed since the night Jules Blacklin and West Rutledge were thrown together by a tornado.
Now, college freshmen, they’ve worked hard to overcome the tragedies of their pasts to start anew.
As they embark on their future, there is one last obstacle standing in the way of them finding complete happiness: themselves.
My Review
This young adult romance centers around a tragic natural disaster that changes lives, relationships, and outlooks. We get to join Jules as she relives the moments before the storm, and after sometimes it is her point of view, and others it is like a diary entry. This book contains heartfelt moments, grief, and emotional memories. I love this story as it is an incredibly written book. I love the profound moments, sweet and endearing teenage romance, and her love for her friends and community. Jules struggles. It isn’t all roses, but it is awe-inspiring.
This book captivated my attention, and I have wished to read it. I love that author dedicated this book to towns that have seen mother nature’s worst storms. This series does have several stand-alone spin-offs with other character points of view.
We begin this book with Jules; she tells her story for a high-school time capsule of her senior year. The last Friday of the break before school starts is a hot and muggy August day. She is with her friends Katie and Tanya and her boyfriend Stuart. She was celebrating after the big winning game in Tyler, Texas.
Wow, that chapter is intense as she tempers the trauma of the tornado. She wakes up in a hospital. Somehow through this storm, her perspective and wants in a relationship change, and she doesn’t feel safe with her boyfriend Stuart but instead seems to desire her feelings with West, her savior. I would say at this point, she has some PTSD and survivor’s guilt.
Her telling her story is profound and sorrowful-filled; don’t be surprised if you shed tears. The author includes great advice for teenagers as the characters make their way to their new reality. The storm that changed their lives did impact so many. I like that West finally becomes boyfriend and girlfriend; they also seem to comfort each other. This book ends with more details to come, and for that, you must read the next book in the series.
Out of Ruins (From The Wreckage Book 2)
This is a continuation of Jules and West’s story after the twister. This book begins where the last left off on the first day of school at their rival high school. This book is filled with sadness, joy, and young love. The story moves more into new adult fiction and surprises you with twists you don’t see coming. This book is heartbreaking and emotional as these characters battle their own inner demons and the immaturity of high school. This couple is addictive; I can’t wait to see what happens next.
We begin with Jules talking to the camera for her time capsule project; she tells her story. The start of the new school is different for Jules as she battles with her life-changing and who she is now.
Jules is on a massive downward spiral as she works thru her best friend’s loss. She has guilt, nightmare, and feeling of numbness toward life but refuses to seek professional help. Her redeeming moments are those teenage times when she is wrapped up in her boyfriend West. This book is heartbreaking and filled with sadness. Some moments fill you with joy as they do trivial things.
This story reads very immature for most of the book but then surprises you at the end. This book stuns me as I get toward the end; one wrong decision sends them both careening into a shattering reality. I cried so hard thru this book as it brought tears to my eyes, and yes, the ending is horrible, but now I’m dying to know what happens next. Will West and Jules get a happy ever after?
All That Remains (From The Wreckage Book 3)
This book can be read as a stand-alone. Still, I encourage you to read the series from the beginning; this author has several spin-offs that focus on different characters. Still, those aren’t as important to the storyline as the first two books in this series.
This book begins with West. He has just returned from being gone for six months at a recovery facility. He decides not to attend the college he wants to; instead, he goes to the one across the street but finds himself under the tree looking for her. He is a football player again. He spots his brother with his Jules.
The first chapter is from his point of view as well. He is on his final days in the recovery home, and he has made a friend with Dani, who seems to be broken too. His love hasn’t wavered for Jules, and he is trying to be better for her so he can be with her and take care of her.
We jump to Jule’s perspective; she is in her dorm room. She ends up running into Austin, and they become friends of sorts. I wonder how this plays out, and West doesn’t know till he sees her.
Omg, I didn’t expect that. Okay, so I don’t love that West was a pansy and didn’t fight for his girl. I do understand his misinterpreted thoughts. I’m super glad Dani intervened and sent those letters. Everything that transpired after leads Jules and West back together, professing their love for each other. However, as answers come and the whys and history get told, it really sucks. But I’m glad we get those special moments in the book with this couple. I love how this ended.
There are other books in this series that expand on other characters if you desire to read them.
If you would like to read The From the Wreckage Series by Michelle G. Miller you can find it on Amazon. As an Amazon Associate, I earn on qualifying purchases.
If you like these books you may also enjoy books with these tags and categories Coming of Age Fiction, Second Chance Romance, Friends to Lovers.
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