The Scars Between Us
THE SCARS BETWEEN US – by MK Schiller
Wow! This story was so much more than I was expecting. Both Emma and Aiden have heart-breaking stories. Emma was the girl who grew up in the ideal family with loving parents who stove to give her a safe and happy environment. Still, she has experienced her share of pain. Aiden’s upbringing was hell on earth and he carries some serious baggage around with him, preferring to surround himself with animals rather than people in adulthood. His demons are not dead, and in order to put them to eternal rest, Emma is going to suffer through a journey in hell with Aiden.
The author does an excellent job of slowly letting us into the minds and hearts of Aiden and Emma while dropping in bits and pieces of backstory through dream sequences. There are definitely scars between the two protagonists, both physical and emotional. Every new detail is more shocking than the last. I did NOT see the black moment coming and felt both Emma’s and Aiden’s pain. Just wow!
Overall, I loved Emma and Aiden’s journey. The relationship developed at a reasonable pace and we got a lot of deep POV with both characters. But honestly, this is more Aiden’s story than Emma’s. He is so broken and it’s wonderful to see how Emma helps him put himself together again.
A couple of the scenes didn’t work for me, and these two characters were more mature than a typical new adult story. At one point Emma acted in a way that felt completely at odds with her personality. Unfortunately that pulled me right out of the story at a critical point. But the author brought the story back on track quickly for me. The ending was truly beautiful and satisfying.
WARNING: This storyline has themes of abuse that may be triggers for some readers.
I highly recommend this book. 4.5 Stars. Thank you to the publisher and author for a complimentary copy on NetGalley in exchange for my voluntary and honest review.