Surviving Amber Springs by Siobhan Davis

Series: Standalone

Release Date: December 26, 2018

Format: Kindle

Rating: 3.75/5 stars

Surviving Amber Springs is a thought-provoking reverse harem romance… which I know can sound a bit ironic. I feel for most readers of RH, the genuinely emotional ones – the ones that focus on the bonds and relationships between the heroine and her men – are few and far between. Personally, this novel is a unique read because I’m not a fan of angst in my romances. Surviving Amber Springs is filled with angst but also a mystery. The novel’s premise is that the heroine’s, Blaire’s twin brother, Ethan, did something so horrible in their hometown – Amber Springs – that the family had to move away. Starting a new school, Blaire hopes to create a whole new identity, separate from her past. But, the past always has ways of catching up with you.

While this is a reverse harem – and I’ll get to that part in a bit – the story really emphasizes the importance of self-love and self-growth. Blaire has gone through so many horrible things in her life, and she’s obviously struggling to go back to an “every day.” Her healing is not only halted by the slow, painful dissolution of her family as she knew it but – as more gets revealed about her past – dark memories that refuse to let go. I honestly detest bully romances for this very situation (I know I’m dithering, but it’ll make sense in a second)! You never know what anyone is going through in their life, or at home in this case. I feel this theme was something Davis really hammered home, especially with the villains introduced at the start of the novel. Surviving Amber Springs left me incredibly ponderous of life and even morality… what is right or wrong in certain situations?

The romance in the novel is not unique for a contemporary RH: Blaire is the new girl at school who befriends and is adopted by three guy best friends, Axel, Skeet and Heath, who, of course, all “rule-the-school” in some form or another. What diverges from the typical set of a contemporary RH is that Skeet is actually a child of an RH relationship, making it more reasonable for the main characters to partake in an RH relationship. Also, Davis goes out of her way to make each of the heroes a unique iteration of their stereotypical role in the RH: Skeet is the fun-loving, BFF lover… but he’s also the playboy. Heath is the rich boy, quarterback, prom king… but his focus on football has kept him away from girls since he sees them as a distraction. Axel, the “bad boy,” has a past that includes juvie, drugs and theft… but he’s also lived through so many horrors that Blaire takes note their darkness almost matches.

By far, the most annoying hero is Heath… his unwillingness to stand up to his parents – he’s pretending to still date his ex-girlfriend – completely frustrated me. For one, this girl is Blaire’s main tormentor and has constant power over Blaire because of her continued position in Heath’s life, no matter how “fake” it is. Second, he constantly defends the OW, stating that they just don’t understand what is going on in her home life. His defence of the OW’s “rough times” exacerbates what Blaire has gone through and is still experiencing now at home and school.

To be honest, none of the boys really seriously addressed the bullying situations, merely citing it to the OW’s jealousy. But, words do affect people, and with this OW, her words quickly become horrific actions. I hate when I feel that there’s a lack of protectiveness towards the heroine. Sadly there were many instances when Heath seemed more concerned with making his life easier even when it was at the expense of Blaire (an example being him still ‘dating’ the OW for their parent’s benefit, as it was the path of least resistance).

However, the behaviour of each of the main characters is juxtaposed against a flash-forward that sees the three best friends reuniting with Blaire after some time apart.

To be fair, moving the second half of the novel into their 20s really emphasized how young they were at the beginning of the book. What they were dealing with – specifically Blaire – is not something you should be handling alone at 17/18! Getting professional help and realizing – especially important for teenagers – that keeping a secret can be way more harmful than spilling it.

The latter half of Surviving Amber Springs is 100% focused on the “why” of the mysteries. Yes, the main characters reconcile, but, to be honest, it is a road to 100% acceptance/forgiveness for *ahem* one of the heroes *cue eye roll*. The way all the information starts to piece together into this horrifying reality, which led to such a horrific event was harrowing. This situation (don’t want to spoil) – or any situation you feel in danger or have been hurt – should be discussed with an adult you trust! It was completely understandable and very human why Blaire and her brother, Ethan acted the way they did but at the same time… hindsight.

I really appreciated Surviving Amber Springs more so for the growth of Blaire and the slow build and reveal to why things happened the way they did. It makes you reflect and think so many “if-onlys” about this novel. I really enjoyed the romance between Blaire and Axel and Skeet, but Heath always threw me for a loop; he was just so self-centred (even his excuses were me-me-me).

While I liked the romance, once you realize the gravity of the story you’re reading, the focus is very much so on Blaire and her emotional and psychological wellbeing… and her finally getting some closure, which she definitely deserves.

Buy Surviving Amber Springs

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