Series: What’s Left of Me
Release Date: December 12th, 2013
Four years ago I became known as the girl with cancer.
I refuse to cry.
And I refuse to give in.
A relationship with a man is the last thing I’m looking for right now, but one night with Parker changes everything. He is persistent, and he knows what he wants. Me.
He doesn’t treat me like I’m fragile.
But he doesn’t know, and I’m not ready to tell him.
What if it changes everything?
Tragedy found me when I was seventeen.
Love found me when I was twenty-one.
My name is Aundrea McCall, and this is my journey.
• BIPOC characters
• LGBTQIA+ characters
• characters with a disability
And doesn’t address fatphobia
• Heroine has had cancer for the past 4 years
• No abuse
• No OW/OM
• Does have the Heroine pushing away
• Does not have a separation between the Hero and Heroine
• See Ending for HEA status.
• See Possible Triggers for Abuse and OTT sad parts.
Rating: 4/5 stars
I loved What’s Left of Me, I didn’t think I would … and I kept putting it off; I bought it in 2013 and hadn’t read it until almost four years later. Sad books are hard pills to swallow. I tend to gravitate towards books that are definitive HEAs. However, from the first word, Aundrea drew me into her world. Her story was just so heartbreakingly real; Maxlyn didn’t hold back when it came to realistically portray a character in Aundrea’s shoes. Also, I totally understood Aundrea’s choice not to tell Parker about her cancer… she just wanted to feel normal for once in her life, and Parker let her feel that.
For some reason, I wasn’t completely sold on Parker until further into What’s Left of Me. Many reviews I’ve read title Parker as one of the ultimate book boyfriends, which in the end, I totally end up agreeing with that statement. I think it’s just having read so many contemporary romance books that I kept looking for that moment where he would do something questionable, and Aundrea would re-think their relationship, etc. But, he was always there for Aundrea. I think my only complaint was that I didn’t get to see Parker’s feelings develop and them saying that they love each other didn’t feel as authentic to me at that moment. As the story continues, their relationship starts to become more solid to me: Parker isn’t just chasing “some girl,” and Aundrea isn’t using Parker to escape her illness.
While I loved and enjoyed the romance between Aundrea and Parker, What’s Left of Me was very much about confronting your fears, which makes the book even more fulfilling and dynamic. Fair warning, though: What’s Left of Me was sad; many tears occurred reading this book!
If you’re one for beautiful love stories and amazingly strong heroines, this is your book!
