Synopsis
Today is the first day of Quinton Carter's new life. The toxic guilt of his past left him in pieces-but one girl unexpectedly put him back together. Thanks to Nova Reed, Quinton can finally see the world with clear eyes. She's the reason his heart is still kicking behind the jagged scar on his chest. And he would love to have her in his arms every minute of the day . . . but he's not ready yet.
Playing drums in a band and living with her best friends are just some of the highlights of Nova's life. But the best new development? Talking to Quinton on the phone each night. She wishes she could touch him, kiss him, though she knows he needs time to heal. Yet shocking news is on the way-a reminder of life's dark side-and Nova will need Quinton like he once needed her. Is he strong enough to take the final leap out of his broken past . . . and into Nova's heart?
Playing drums in a band and living with her best friends are just some of the highlights of Nova's life. But the best new development? Talking to Quinton on the phone each night. She wishes she could touch him, kiss him, though she knows he needs time to heal. Yet shocking news is on the way-a reminder of life's dark side-and Nova will need Quinton like he once needed her. Is he strong enough to take the final leap out of his broken past . . . and into Nova's heart?
Prologue
Nova
December 28, the day of the funeral
It’s a strange feeling, getting
ready to watch someone get put under the ground into their final resting place.
I’ve been to enough funerals to know that my senses always become hyper-aware
of everything going on around me: the touch of the wind seems stronger, the sun
a little more blinding, the smell of the leaves, grass, and fresh dirt
overpowering. It’s like my mind is reaching out and trying to grasp each aspect
of the moment, when part of me wants nothing more than to forget.
I’m actually at the church earlier
than I’m supposed to be and I don’t even know why, other than that sitting home
for a second longer just didn’t seem possible. So I left the house without
telling anyone and got in my cherry-red Chevy Nova, the car my dad left to me
when he died, and drove it to the church where my dad’s and Landon’s funeral
took place. And in just a bit, I’ll say good-bye to another person I once knew
and will never see again.
Now that I’m here, staring at the
brick building with a white tower pointing to the sky, I’m not sure what I
should do. I’m three hours early to a funeral, which might say a lot about me.
A lot of people would likely show up late, wanting to avoid death for as long
as possible, but I’ve become so familiar with it it’s unsettling.
After sitting in the car for about
ten minutes, watching snowflakes fall from the sky and frost the grass and the
windshield, I decide to take video instead. I didn’t bring the fancy camera my
mom gave me, but the one on my phone works and honestly I use that one a lot
more because it’s handy for sporadic recording, which seems to be my specialty.
I blow out a deep breath as I sit
back in the seat, aim the camera at myself, and hit record. I have the screen
flipped to me and my image immediately pops up. I look tired. The bags under my
eyes are pretty obvious, even though I’ve tried to cover them up with makeup,
and my brown hair wasn’t being cooperative so I ended up pulling it up into a
ponytail. I’m wearing a black dress and earrings and the contrast with my fair
skin makes me look pallid.
“It’s amazing how everything can
seem so perfect one moment and then suddenly it’s not. How quickly perfection
can evaporate… how rare it is.” I pause, gathering my thoughts. “I’ve seen a
lot of death. More than the normal person, probably. I watched my father’s life
vanish in front of me within minutes. Found my boyfriend’s body right after he
took his own life. Too early. Too suddenly. Both of them. I never had time to
prepare myself and I thought it was the worst feeling in the world. I always
wondered how different it would be, if it ever happened again. If maybe the
third or fourth time around, I wouldn’t hurt so badly. If it’d be easier
letting someone go now that I’ve had so much practice.” I tuck a fallen strand
of my bangs behind my ear and swallow the lump in my throat. “And maybe it has
gotten easier… but it still hurts. I still shed tears… it’s still agonizing…
painful…” I trail off as a few tears slip from my eyes and roll down my cheeks.
“Even now, just thinking about some of the stuff I saw… I should have stopped
it… should have done things differently…” I trail off, staring at the window.
“But I didn’t… and now they’re gone forever.”
Review
4.25 out of 5 stars
I was really excited to get my hands on the final chapter of Nova and Quinton and let me assure you it doesn't disappoint. The story begins on the day Quinton is set to be released from rehab. He is nervous about moving back in with his father and fearful he isn't strong enough to stay clean. He also hasn't been able to bring himself to talk to Nova, nor has he been able to keep from thinking of her. With a clean, drug-free mind he is forced to face his grief and doubts head on instead of numbing himself to the pain they ignite.
Quinton has been on Nova's mind each and every day since he entered rehab. She is desperate to talk to him, wants him in her life, but knows he needs time to adjust, to figure out what he wants in life and whether or not that includes any kind of relationship with her. Nova, continues trying to save the people she loves, and its never easy, especially when the stress becomes too much and she feels herself slipping. Will she be strong enough to fight for herself, will Quinton ever be strong enough to give her the support she needs?
I truly enjoyed getting to see Quinton's struggle to stay clean and fight to have a life, to even embrace wanting a life, wanting to allow himself to love Nova and embrace her love in return. I think Jessica did an excellent job describing what it must be like for recovering addicts. This story, as with all the other installments, are written in a way that I actually felt the power of guilt and pain which Quinton fought on a daily basis. I understood where his self doubt stemmed from, why he needed to take things slow with Nova. The Quinton we've only seen glimpses of, but who Nova seemed to know deep down always existed, is finally back and I couldn't help but love his character even more.
I appreciated the fact that Jessica Sorensen did not make his recovery straightforward and easy. Watching him make the decision to stay clean on a daily sometimes even hourly basis made the story seem more authentic. Made me appreciate his struggles so much more. I loved watching Quinton and Nova's relationship really build through friendship, I enjoyed watching them come to terms with how the each felt. And I absolutely loved watching Nova going after what she wanted. I am so proud of her for finally making some decisions based off of what she wanted and not necessarily how they would affect the ones around her.
Nova and Quinton: No Regrets is a perfect ending for a couple who have been through more pain, grief and self-doubt than seemed manageable. This time around while still serious the tone and content have a more light, uplifting feel to it, allowing for these two characters to find the strength and courage to make something out of their life, to emerge from their individual griefs strong, while never forgetting the ones they loved and the impact that loss left on their own lives.
About Author Jessica Sorensen
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I was really excited to get my hands on the final chapter of Nova and Quinton and let me assure you it doesn't disappoint. The story begins on the day Quinton is set to be released from rehab. He is nervous about moving back in with his father and fearful he isn't strong enough to stay clean. He also hasn't been able to bring himself to talk to Nova, nor has he been able to keep from thinking of her. With a clean, drug-free mind he is forced to face his grief and doubts head on instead of numbing himself to the pain they ignite.
Quinton has been on Nova's mind each and every day since he entered rehab. She is desperate to talk to him, wants him in her life, but knows he needs time to adjust, to figure out what he wants in life and whether or not that includes any kind of relationship with her. Nova, continues trying to save the people she loves, and its never easy, especially when the stress becomes too much and she feels herself slipping. Will she be strong enough to fight for herself, will Quinton ever be strong enough to give her the support she needs?
I truly enjoyed getting to see Quinton's struggle to stay clean and fight to have a life, to even embrace wanting a life, wanting to allow himself to love Nova and embrace her love in return. I think Jessica did an excellent job describing what it must be like for recovering addicts. This story, as with all the other installments, are written in a way that I actually felt the power of guilt and pain which Quinton fought on a daily basis. I understood where his self doubt stemmed from, why he needed to take things slow with Nova. The Quinton we've only seen glimpses of, but who Nova seemed to know deep down always existed, is finally back and I couldn't help but love his character even more.
I appreciated the fact that Jessica Sorensen did not make his recovery straightforward and easy. Watching him make the decision to stay clean on a daily sometimes even hourly basis made the story seem more authentic. Made me appreciate his struggles so much more. I loved watching Quinton and Nova's relationship really build through friendship, I enjoyed watching them come to terms with how the each felt. And I absolutely loved watching Nova going after what she wanted. I am so proud of her for finally making some decisions based off of what she wanted and not necessarily how they would affect the ones around her.
Nova and Quinton: No Regrets is a perfect ending for a couple who have been through more pain, grief and self-doubt than seemed manageable. This time around while still serious the tone and content have a more light, uplifting feel to it, allowing for these two characters to find the strength and courage to make something out of their life, to emerge from their individual griefs strong, while never forgetting the ones they loved and the impact that loss left on their own lives.
About Author Jessica Sorensen
Jessica Sorensen is a #1 New York Times and USA Today bestselling author who lives with her husband and three kids in Idaho. When she's not writing, she spends her time reading and hanging out with her family.
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