Review: Broken Girl vs Fix-It Boy by Jordan Ford

Broken Girl vs Fix-It Boy (Forever Love #2)
by Jordan Ford

My Rating: 4 stars

Genre: Contemporary Romance
Age Category: Young Adult
Type of romance: MF

Blurb:
She’s closed her heart to protect her family. Can he open it back up to let love bloom?

Harper is determined to fill the void left by her late parents. And though handsome Tane stirs her grieving heart, she can’t allow anything to distract her from caring for her younger siblings. But denying her feelings has her headed for a breakdown.

Tane longs to sweep Harper off her feet. Though she’s brushed aside his confessions of love, he’s sure he’s the shoulder she needs to cry on. So when she comes home one day with stitches, he’s crushed she didn’t ask for his help.

Frustrated with Harper’s stubborn refusal, Tane busies himself helping the orphans navigate their new school. But when everyone else ignores her needs, even he may not be enough to prevent the fallout.

Despite the tragic clouds hanging over their heads, will Harper and Tane find love’s silver lining?

Broken Girl vs Fix-It Boy is the second book in the poignant Forever Love YA contemporary romance series. If you like tear-jerking moments, triumphant journeys, and characters with depth, then you’ll adore Jordan Ford’s emotional love story.

My Review

I received a free copy from the author and voluntarily reviewed it.

After reading book 1 I couldn’t wait to see how the story continues in Broken Girl vs Fix-It Boy. This series follows a group of teenagers from two different families who lost their parents and end up at the same house with their “uncle” Beck who has lost a lot as well. It’s a story about healing and hope. It’s amazing following these characters along and I really liked this sequel.

Broken Girl vs Fix-It Boy continues the story form book and the romance of Tane and Harper. While book 1 ended on a hopeful note, it was clear this wasn’t the last of their romance and in this book that continues. Where in book 1 we had Stacey’s point of view as well in this book we get Bianca’s point of view, she’s Stacey’s twin and they are totally different. I really liked Bianca, I can relate to her character more than Stacey and I liked the potential romance that pops-up for her.

This book again has some heartbreak, although it’s less emotional than book 1, it still has these heartbreaking scenes and also some sweet uplifting ones. It was interesting to see how these 5 teenager all deal different with their grief. It really illustrates well how everyone is different and how we all have our own ways of coping and seeing all those different methods in one book was great. It also felt very realistic which I liked.

This book shows them all trying to move on with their lives and starting a new school while still struggling with the pain of losing their parents. Stacey is determined to get Bianca back to new Zealand and tries to get her to fit in with her friends. meanwhile Bianca doesn’t feel like she fits in, but slowly finds her own way. I liked the new friend she made and the hint of romance for her. Then there’s Willow who still isn’t speaking much and it’s hard to figure out how she’s doing, but she does show some pieces in this book. Oscar has his own struggles and only later in the book we realize what’s going on with him and it’s so sad.

This book is a lot about deepening and developing relationships. I like how Tane grows closer to the other characters. There is this very sweet scene between him and Bianca and it’s fun to see them become family. Then ofcourse there is his blossoming romance with Harper. And it’s also great to see Beck step up to the caretaker role. There’s some great scenes with beck and Harper. I also liked seeing how Beck was there for Oscar. And there’s also a fun scene with Beck and Bianca. Harper is trying her best to take care of her siblings and the others. She’s pushed into the caretaker role as well and struggles with the responsibility and having her own dreams pushed to the background.

These characters are slowly growing into a family unit and I loved seeing that. I also liked seeing Bianca and Stacey interact and having had Stacey’s point of view in book 1 and now Bianca’s point of view I feel like we have a decent feel for both characters. It’s fun to see how they have each other’s back, but also don’t agree on everything.

I like the romance between Tane and Harper and while it’s still slow building, I like how Tane doesn’t give up on Harper. And Harper tries to be so strong and I loved seeing her realize that asking for help isn’t weak and how it can make you stronger. I did feel at times that Tane was the driving force in their romance, he kept proving her how much he cared for her. I loved that about him, but I would’ve liked to see Harper do more for him as well. But maybe we’ll get that in book 3. As I still feel like there’s more to their story.

I like how this series shows the stories of all the characters in this house. It’s like this big family where all the characters come alive and have their own stories. And I like seeing everyone change and develop. And how we get a feel even for the characters whose point of views we don’t get (yet) as well. Even Beck, Oscar and Willow have their own personalities and we get a feel for what they’re going through, although to a lesser extend than the ones whose point of view we get. In this book there’s the slow introduction of Bianca’s romance and I think we’ll see more of that in book 3. I am already guessing who the other characters will end up with.

The farm makes such a great backdrop for the whole story and I also like how it’s set in New Zealand. Besides the big loss the characters have to deal with this book also has some other things going on like most characters starting a new year at school and trying to find their place. It also touches upon a bunch of difficult topics, but most of all still has this hopeful vibe as well. Everything does fall apart, but also comes together again. I also liked the inclusion of the love languages thing and how it gives Tane an insight on how to show Harper his love.

To summarize: This was a solid sequel. I love following this group of characters along. It’s interesting to see them all have their own methods to deal with their grief and loss. It’s very realistic. This book is less emotional than book 1, but still deals with the aftermath of the loss and how everyone is coping. It’s sad at times, but also hopeful and I like seeing these character slowly grow into family. I liked seeing Harper and Tane’s romance continue in this book. And I liked gettign Bianca’s point of view, I liked her and can’t wait to see how her romance plays out. There are so many great things about this series and I can’t wait to see how it continues.

Links:
– Goodreads
– Bookbub
– Amazon

You can also read my review on Goodreads, Bookbub and Amazon.