This One’s For You by Brandy Jellum-a review

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date July 24, 2015

All alone in a new state, Brennan Daniels has only the memories of her best friend, Reagan, to keep her company as she starts college.

Reagan is the reason for everything Brennan does—before she died, she made Brennan promise to stay good until she found a man worth keeping. No boys, no dating, and definitely no falling in love—those were the rules for college, and Brennan carved them into the brick walls guarding her heart…

But there’s a fire burning behind those walls, and when Brennan meets Owen Scott, the (mysterious) new guy across the hall, she can’t deny the pull between them. He is everything she should never want. Everyone warns her to stay away—even Owen himself—but the heart wants what the heart wants, even if it knows that it’s going to get hurt—even if it means throwing old promises to new flames…

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REVIEW: Reading this book has made me think about my senior quote for the yearbook which was a quote from Pope John Paul II. The quote was, “The worse prison is a closed heart.” I chose such a quote because I figured going into adulthood wasn’t going to be an easy journey and that when life gets hard, keep your heart open to those who love you that the journey should not be traveled alone. To slam the door and shut people out is a loneliness that no one should ever subject themselves to especially one as young as our main character, Brennan.

Brennan lost her best friend in a tragic accident that left Brennan closed off from everyone no matter how much everyone tries to be there for her. I admit that Brennan may have annoyed me with the extent of how hard she pushed others away throughout the book but I was impressed with how much she changed as the story progressed. That she allowed herself to truly grieve the loss on top of being able to break her silence on what happened. Being there through her journey to recovery was a treat in itself.

The real turning point I enjoyed was when Brennan went home for Christmas with Owen in tow. It was hilarious on so many levels when Brennan’s three older brothers gave Owen a hard time, what with older brothers being protective of their little sister. It was a good thing that Owen was a good sport about it. Christmas was really when both Brennan and Owen finally let their walls down to give their relationship a try which was a huge relief because half the book was pretty much a hot and cold dance with the two.

All in all, I felt this was one of Brandy’s more serious and personal novels. For those going through a bad loss or unable to let people in, this book is a comforting balm to your soul. This book tugs on the heartstrings as everyone is fighting their own battles in the book yet find love and comfort with each other. This book has a lot of secrets that come out in the end as well as much needed closure for Brennan’s loss. This is the chicken soup for the grieving soul and one I would recommend everyone to read.

Reviewed by Xtina

Copy supplied by the publisher