Thoughtful

Title: Thoughtful (Thoughtless #1.5)
Author: S. C. Stephens
Genre: Adult Contemporary
Rating: 5/5
Cover: 10/10
Publication Date: February 24th

I was given an egalley of this novel by the publisher via netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

"In Thoughtless, Kiera told her story. Now it's time for Kellan Kyle to share his side in Thoughtful . . .

The only place Kellan has ever felt at home is on stage. Gripping his guitar in a darkened bar, he can forget his painful past. These days his life revolves around his music and his band mates, and that's the way he likes it. And then one woman changes everything . . .

Kiera is the kind of girl Kellan has no business wanting - she's smart, sweet, and dating his best friend. Certain he could never be worthy of her love, he hides his growing attraction . . . until Kiera's own tormented heart hints that his feelings might not be one-sided. Now, no matter the consequences, Kellan is sure of one thing: he won't let Kiera go without a fight."

***

I knew from the get-go that this book would shred my very soul to pieces.

I wasn't wrong.

Out of all three books, Thoughtless is the only one I haven't re-read because I couldn't face dealing with all that pain again, so I knew what I was doing. I knew exactly what I was doing.

And, as usual, Stephens doesn't pull any punches. We know what's coming, but we can't stop reading; it's like watching a train wreck. But boy, what a hot hot hot train wreck it was!

For starters, don't skip any part of the book - not the dedication, not the acknowledgements, nothing. Trust me. Suffice it so say at this point, I was crying ridiculously early into the book.

All the scenes that we love - and the ones that we love to hate - are in there, which means that yes, Thoughtful is just as long as Thoughtless. To be honest, Kellan was a fun narrator. Seeing things through his eyes did clear up a few things - like his woman binge and what was really going through his head when Anna was around. It also made me consistently want to wrap him up in a security blanket and tell him how much he's loved. It's one thing to be told about insecurities and his belief that he doesn't deserve to be loved through the medium of Kiera; to have them right there, shoved in your face... made it all the more painful and unfair.

One of my favourite things about Thoughtful though, was getting to see a couple more of the lyrics of the songs he writes for Kiera. Heartbreaking, yes, but also achingly beautiful.

This is a definite must-read for all fans of Kellan and Kiera. Just make sure the tissues are nearby, and maybe a stiff drink too for when you finish. If you really want to sob, a good song to go with it is Taylor Swift's Style. I guarantee it'll make you shed a few tears, just listen to the lyrics; it fits them to a T.

The Twelve Books of Christmas: Day 7

Day 7:
Thoughtless, S. C. Stephens

If you're sick and tired of fantasy/paranormal books on this list, this might be for you. Although, do be warned: it does involve cheating; and while it's not presented in a positive light, it does happen.

Love triangles? Pfft. Those have nothing on Thoughtless. This book will pull you in, make you fall in love, and then just as you're starting to have fun, it'll dump a bucket of shit all over you and yank your heart out slowly and painfully. And the worst part? You. Will. Love. It.
Though speaking honestly, I haven't had the guts to reread Thoughtless since I first finished it; I did, however, finish book #2, turn right back around and start again - and I wish I'd had the spare time to do the same with #3.
The magic in these books are in the characters. They're so raw, so real, they feel like real people, and yet you can do nothing but watch as they wreck their lives.
You can find my surprisingly coherent review of Thoughtless here, and my very gushy review of Reckless (the last one of the trilogy) here.
If you're getting this is a present to someone (again, these are adult books with sexytimes!), it's probably a good idea to buy all 3 together, or at least the first 2, unless you want a disgruntled friend cursing you out at 3am when they finish Thoughtless.