Woooahhh another crazy ride on the Mack & Gia roller coaster!!
So, I started with Mack's POV first as that's the way that was recommended. I guess after finishing both sides it probably was best, but to be honest both sides had such huge revelations, both completely different too. I assumed, once I knew the big reveals from one side, that there wouldn't be any more secrets and lies to discover. Oh how wrong I was.
Gia's story runs in the same style as Mack's. Starts in the present and flits backs and forth from the past, showing how things were when Gia and Mack were younger. Then on to what happened between them, and then on to the present. Now obviously this is a different POV, so it's not going to be the same. Trouble is, when things were adrift or different I wasn't sure who was telling the truth. When I read Mack's POV she seemed most convincing, yet when I read Gia's story, she did too. ARGHH who do I believe!
Gia and Mack were inseparable. They grew up doing everything together. Their parents worked together and then moved next door to each other. They had high expectations for both the girls. Mack was the over achiever, did well in school and was well liked. Gia struggled more than Mack and suffered under her fathers constant comparisons to Mack. Gia was a girl in pain, she hated who she was and what she was becoming, yet she had to keep up the facade. She was suffering under the fake persona. Eventually things started to look up when a new teacher started in the girls senior year. Gia had never known anyone like Mr Nichols before, he was older, gorgeous and listened to her. Something nobody ever did. It wasn't long before she was infatuated with him. She thought nobody knew, she was wrong. Gia also had a boyfriend. The gorgeous Jake, now at College. He was devoted to her, but he wasn't always there. Yet, Gia could still look, couldn't she?
Only Gia was playing with fire. Things start to go crazy from here, in all sorts of ways that are far from obvious and incredibly complex.
I'm still in shock at the genius plot of this story. So many lives intertwined, so many secrets threading through it all.
I absolutely loved Gia's take on the story, just as much as I loved Mack's. They were both unique and amazingly well written. I couldn't pick one as being better than the other. Although I will say, you can't possibly read just one side. You have to read both or you miss out on so many other bits that aren't always present or talked about in the other side.
Both girls each had their problems. Totally different problems that have been born of an incident that affected so many lives. To say that they both suffered is true. Some of it was self inflicted, brought on by their shame and guilt over what had occurred back when they 18. But they are no longer the same people they once were. It's actually really sad, to see them both suffer in different ways. These books were so emotional on so many levels.
This was my first book from author M. Robinson and it will not be my last. Her writing style is sharp, she painted a picture of love and lies mixed up in a crazy whirlwind, with bits and pieces spit out. It was honest and raw and I was totally hooked on every page.
I must admit, the epilogue of Shhh, Gianna's story was the biggest WOW WTF? moment in the whole story. It certainly went out with a bang, so I was left trying to re-picture everything and all the possibilities with this new knowledge. Fantastic final chapter and reveal!! I actually would of liked to go back to Mack and Gia down the road, see what they were doing. So much had transpired after everything was finished that I felt like I would of liked to read more.
I'm still so thankful I got to read both ARC sides of this amazing story. It was unique and nothing like I have read before. A brutal love story, showing what lengths people will go to when in love. Both sides must be read and are both equally enthralling and captivating.
A dark and secretive 5 stars!
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