Review: Whitney Barbetti's "Ten Below Zero."

Amazon.com: http://amzn.to/1TYAdqT

Amazon UK: http://amzn.to/1svVWu0

Synopsis

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. 

Review: Jo 

When I first started to read this one and realised the premise of the story, I wasn't sure if I should carry on. I wondered if I could cope with another heartbreaking story because I was almost certain that this was going to rip my heart out. The problem was that, although I had only read a few chapters, I was already invested in the characters and I was intrigued to know more. I am so thankful that I took the decision to continue because "Ten Below Zero" turned out to be a beautiful and emotional journey. Yes, there were tears but the story was oh-so worth it. 

"The world has only one sweet moment set aside for us." 

This book followed the story of Parker and Everett. Parker was a character that I didn't immediately love but I was curious about her and wanted to know the reasons behind her closed off personality. Parker preferred to shut herself off from feeling any kind of emotions. This left her living a cold and miserable life. As the story progressed and I discovered what had happened to her, I could empathise with the situation she was in. I understood why she appeared to be so sad. 

"I didn't want to feel. I wanted to roll out from under Everett and walk away casually.

 And the fact that I knew that I couldn't do that was terrifying." 

Everett became Parker's saviour. He was able to see behind her mask and began a relentless mission to uncover the real Parker. Once I had recognised Everett's intentions, I began to fall in love with him. His actions made my heart melt. He was so patient and understanding of Parker's circumstances. What made me love him even more was when I learned of his own problems. Everett was such a loving man and I found myself completely heartsick for what was about to happen to the couple. 

"I don't need a thousand people to know I existed. I just want someone to know I lived." 

I wholeheartedly recommend reading this book, just prepare yourself for a heart-wrenching tearjerker. 

I loved "Ten Below Zero" so it gets 4.5 hearts from me.