*****5 STARS!

I am always a huge fan of books that cover a taboo topic and in this case we have a Teacher/Student relationship. I have to admit it's not as 'seedy' as you may think as the characters met before they realised their situation and Kat our female character is 18 and of legal age so it is more of a softer approach to the topic.

Kat has a very troubled past and I instantly felt for her. Her character was very well written as were here past issues which were written as flashbacks/dreams throughout the book. Please be aware the author talks about some topics in the book including sexual assault and still birth which I feel should be disclosed as trigger warnings. They are very well written and not graphic by any means, but felt it best to put it in.  

Gavin, Kat's lover/teacher took a little time for me to warm to, but I loved the patience he had with Kat and her issues and felt he did genuinely care about her. He did nearly screw up their entire relationship at one point, but not for purely selfish reasons. I felt they were truly suited for each other.

I was so absorbed by their relationship and could not put this book down, in fact I read it in one sitting. It had the right mix of passion, love, drama and obstacles that made it addicting.

I think its such a great thing when authors can show that no matter what can happen in someones past good things can still happen for them. Things they are most certainly deserving of.

I liked this book and had hoped to enjoy it more! I'd still recommend it though as I was on the fence about feeling like I wanted more out of it. I'm a huge fan of forbidden romance so try this one out if you are too! Very entertaining and leaves you feeling happy, nothing earth shattering!

Wow this book is absolutely amazing! It covers so many difficult subjects - drugs, abuse, lust, loss & forbidden romance - & I was totally drawn in from the very beginning.

I adored the two main characters as well as the secondary characters too. I thought the story flowed really well & the reader gets a lot of insight into Kat's character with flashbacks to her difficult childhood & adolescent years.

I've never read anything by this author before but I will definitely be looking out for future releases based on my enjoyment of this book

I was just  swept away    I really love the storyline and I really love  how the  Author   Develop these characters  must read  I don't want to give away too much

best read ever!!!! I loved it from the beginning to end. I couldn't put the book down it was so good.

An outstanding book. I loved it so much. Couldn't put it down. I lost sleep over it!

*Received this as an ARC from NetGalley*

The book begins with Kat celebrating her birthday alone, she's had a tough life and just wants to forget her problems. While sitting there she meets Gavin, they have an immediate attraction. They avoid talking about details of who they are so Kat is quite surprised when she finds Gavin is her English teacher. 

I'm not a fan of teacher/student relationships and I also didn't love that the novel was making working at a strip club seem very normal and ordinary. The sexual content was unnecessarily high for me.

3.5 I am missing something stars

When I read the blurb for Beautifully Broken, I could not wait to start this book! It sounded completely angst filled. The kind of book that captures your soul from the first word on the first page. 

Don't get me wrong... there was definitely some angst in this story, but I think for me, the blurb was more angst filled. 

Kat has had a horrible life. She has really and truly been through so much it is truly amazing she isn't more screwed up than she is initially. 

When we meet Kat it is her 18th birthday, and she is getting drunk alone in some dive bar. Kat uses alcohol and sex to numb but also to feel. I know... complete oxymoron. However, meeting Gavin ultimately changes her life. A brief encounter with this man makes her realize there is a void in her life, only one he can fill!! 

Kat's story is so traumatic it verges on unbelievable. Yes, I know this is fiction... and i love a wounded vulnerable heroin. However, absolutely EVERYTHING horrible that could happen to someone happens to her. There is a saying... and it may be a southern thing, but it is "enough is enough and too much is nasty". I am not saying it was nasty by any means... but everything that happened was almost toooo much!! However, it does make her growth and success that much greater! 

Gavin is amazing! He is loyal and trustworthy, oh so sweet.... and when he talks dirty... Lord have mercy!! He is the dream guy. 

However a relationship between Kat and Gavin seems utterly impossible. Not only because of the walls Kat has built and the crazy things she has to deal with in her life, but this is a case of forbidden love! Will their love be enough to stand all that will be thrown against them? Will Gavin be the one person in Kat's life who she can truly trust and count on? 

This is truly a beautiful story, and I did enjoy it... but I felt like there was just something missing for me. I wanted..... more. Of what? I can't pin point it, but I wanted more. There were parts that were great, others that seemed to drag on, and others that seemed rushed. 

Overall I will say that I did enjoy Beautifully Broken. It seems I am in the minority in my rating, and would recommend this to others!

Page turner for sure!! I'm glad to see how she ended up, wonderful storyline.

This book was a very easy read. Once I met the characters, I genuinely was interested in their stories and what happened next. I liked the twists and turns but felt like the ending was somewhat predictable. Overall,nicely written.

I enjoyed this book the premise was intriguing and I was hooked from he very first page

Although the plot intrigued me, I was unable to connect with Kat and Gavin's relationship. I found Kat to be a frustrating character, and at times squirmed due to her behavior. I'm not a prude, I love my erotica, but she irked me.

Lovely but typical Student/Teacher novel, although I was pleased that the student was over 18.  Enjoyed the story, but was quite formulaic.

This book does a great job showing dealing with a taboo subject by reminding us that Kat was of age- 18- when these two met and that Gavin wasn't some old teacher, but a young, sexy man. Just when you think all the drama is there for Kat, Gavin gets his own troubles thrown into the mix. A devastating decision/conclusion is made and they are left broken. I loved how the author picked the story up years later and made this book a must read. The ending was surprisingly beautiful and poetic. The writing was phenomenal. A definite five stars in my book.

This book was provided by Netgally in exchange for a honest review 

I knew he would ruin me from the moment we met. Everything about the man screamed confidence. Sensuality. Intelligence. Worldliness. But it was how he saved me that ruined me most. 

This book was a pice of art, it was heartfelt, raw, emotional and true to life. At first i was a little skeptical when i saw what kind of trope this book was about.. the romance between a student and a teacher. It isn't something i normally read, but there was something about this book that just wanted me to read it and im really happy i did! 

The story begins with Kat celabrathing her birthday in a bar alone, this is were she meets Gavin aka "Sparkles" as Kat named him. It is pretty obvious that Kat had a really hard life. She has been in the foster systeem since she was a kid, she doesn't have a dad that is in the picture and a herion-addicted mother who sells her body and isn't really there for Kat. She takes her birthday as a day to forget al her problems and Gavin is just what she was looking for. Their attraction for eachother is like no other, they both can deny it and it makes Kat a little bit scared because she doesn't open up to people... she just wants sex to make her feel better. 

Kat goes home with him and lies about her age and turns every question he asks –like what she does for work – into a game so he barely knows anything about her. Imagine his surprise when a few days later she is sitting in his classroom and Gavin aka Sparkles is also Mr. Cooper her English teacher! They both try to deny their attraction and know their situation is wrong even though he didn’t know she was in high school and she is eighteen, but fighting their feelings is harder than they thought.

Kat was a really amazing character, she was the most real character i have ever read about. She had so much hardship in her life, the rumors that surround her, the lack of parents and jugdement.. but everything that came her way she dealt with it. She was so mature, sometimes even more so than Gavin was at some points. She was broken, but because she let Gavin in and her gave her the love and constant reassurance that she was worthy of love and so much more than she gave herself credit for she became whole again for the first time in her life. It was such a dark and real novel, so much more than i had ever thought when i read the blurb.. and that is a good thing. Their flirty banter was cute and believable and Kat and her friends acted and talked like real eighteen year olds. 

I also liked the non-judgemental aspect of stripping in the novel. Kat described most of her coworkers as being college students just trying to earn a quick buck so they can advance in life. We find that some of the girls that have worked there have gone on to be doctors, lawyers, veterinarians etc. Although I think this is not the case for many strip joints, I think it is still a good lesson that you shouldn’t judge someone for where their life leads them. Also the aspect of the rumors that surrounded Kat, she had been through an tramatic experience and people jut believed what they wanted to believe. 

The only thing i wasn't a big fan of was the unnecassery sex scenes between them. Yes, it was part of their connection but sometimes it wasn't necassery to write about it.. it didn't have to been written at that moment. Not all the sexscenes were unnecassery but some of them were. I also was a bit frustrated with the ending. I had the feeling it could have been written differently, it still was beautiful but it didn't feel compleet. Also the sort of ending before the 4 year jump at the end, Gavin fell short for me. I could completely understand Kat’s POV and why she chose what she did but Gavin really had no excuse.

Overall this was an amazing read and beautiful book. It was true, heartfelt, heartbreaking and everything more... If you are looking for serious drama but with a HEA then this is the book for you! Thank you Netgaly for giving me the change to read this book and having me write a review.

I truly enjoyed the freshness of this novel. I have read many student-teacher novels and this one really was unique and emotional. 

The beginning had a bit of a Aria/Ezra - Pretty Little Liars feel to it. Meeting in a bar, before school begins. 

One thing I really liked was that this novel never became complacent. Just when you think they had everything figured out, there would be another surprise and more drama to deal with. 

I loved the growth of Kat from beginning to end. She really seemed like Gavin did change her by the end of the novel, especially after the time jump. 

Gavin seemed like an all around great guy through the entire novel. Even when his past came back to haunt them, I still felt like he was the ultimate good guy. 

I really want a Dylan story. I loved him as a supporting character!

I absolutely love forbidden romances and this teacher/student doesn't disappoint!  Beautifully Broken is so beautifully written! As with any great book, it has some dark moments that tug your heartstrings, however without such, I don't think Kat's character could mature the way she does so quickly. Gavin - *sigh* - he's such a gentle soul who experienced significant loss as a child too, and his love and respect for Kat is so swoon worthy - even in some of their darker moments. I love how Kat's BFFs truly care about her well-being and are interesting to read in their own ways, too. I can't wait to buy this book for my book club and discuss some of the deeper elements. Highly recommend Beautifully Broken.

I don't know but I am a real sucker for the  "teacher-student" relationship. This one is emotionally charged and intriguing. I couldn't stop reading! I look forward to reading more from Ms. Lee.

Kat is eighteen and she's going to be a high school senior. Lucky for her she looks older than she is. She's celebrating her eighteenth birthday alone, in a bar.
That is until Gavin walks in. After a little flirting, he takes her to the local diner and then to his place. She intends this to be a one night stand, as they usually are. Her heart, however, has other plans. Gavin and Kat continue to see each other for the rest of the summer. But on the first day of school, they realize there is a problem. Gavin is Kat's second period teacher! They know it is wrong, but there is such a strong attraction, that they want to make it work regardless.

Kat has a dark history, that she is sure will run Gavin off, but even when he learns her secrets he still wants her in every way.
We watch as their relationship has many ups and downs. Both Kat and Gavin experience heartbreak and heartaches. But can they make it last? Will they get through it all?

I adored this book. I related to Kat in some ways as I have had things happen in my past, that I was sure would run my husband away, but they didn't. I understood her fear and acceptance that there could or would be rejection. I cried with the characters as they experienced very heartbreaking events, and felt the joy they felt when things were going great. I could relate to the want that they both had for each other.
I feel that Laura Lee did a wonderful job creating these characters and their stories. Their pasts and presents; their ideations of their future. I felt more as if I were experiencing what was happening with a best friend, rather than reading it in a book.
I am hoping that the author could maybe, write a sequel to this book. Perhaps exploring Gavin and Kat's relationship going forward, after the ending. I would love to see these characters in a book again.
I am definitely recommending this book to whoever asks what I have been reading lately.

*I received this book from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review and opinions.*