Kat ist 18 und ihr Leben ist einfach nur schwierig. Ihre Mutter verkauft sich für Geld und nimmt auch ab und zu gerne Drogen, so dass Kat alleine durchs Leben kommen muss. Sie ist fest entschlossen, die Schule erfolgreich zu beenden um aus dem elenden Dorf wegzukommen, in dem sie lebt und alles hinter sich zu lassen.

Doch dann trifft sie IHN. Sie weiß sofort, dass er anders ist und die Macht hat, ihr Herz zu berühren. Der Weg der Selbstzerstörung, auf dem sich Kat befindet, scheint endlich ein Ende zu haben, doch 4 Jahre später sieht Kat Gavin wieder und ihr Herz ist immer noch gebrochen...


"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.

Through him, I learned to end my path of self-destruction. I no longer needed to numb the pain with mindless one-night-stands and drunken blackouts. He made me feel worthy. Treasured. Optimistic about my future." (Auszug Klappentext)


Hier könnt ihr auch einen ersten Eindruck sowohl vom Schreibstil als vom Schwierigkeitsgrad des Englisch erhalten. Ich kam gut zurecht und habe ab und zu mal einzelne Wörter nachgeschaut, aber mehr, weil ich meinen Wortschatz erweitern wollte. Viel konnte man auch aus dem Zusammenhang schließen.

Kat ist wie eine kleine Wundertüte: man kann recht schnell feststellen, dass ihr Leben alles andere als schön oder einfach ist und dass sie mit verdammt viel zurecht kommen muss. Auf ihre Mutter ist kein Verlass; im schlimmsten Fall schleppt sie dubiose Kerle mit nach Hause, so dass Kat tatsächlich durchgehend ihr Zimmer absperrt. Auch ihr eigenes Geld muss sie sich selbst verdienen, um irgendwie über die Runden zu kommen. Ihren Kummer und ihre Vergangenheit ertränkt sie teilweise in Alkohol, aber auch viel in One-Night-Stands. Wie viel sie allerdings wirklich durchgemacht hat, enthüllt die Autorin erst nach und nach.

Beautifully broken ist kein "glattgebügelter" New Adult sondern präsentiert vor allem mit Kat einen vielschichtigen Charakter. Gavin, der Mann, der Kats Leben auf den Kopf stellt, setzt alles daran, ihr zu helfen. Aber manchmal ist das Leben einfach Müll und so müssen die beiden mit sehr viel fertig werden und ein happy End rückt in weite Ferne.

Beautifully Broken passt als Titel wirklich gut. Laura Lee präsentiert mit Kat einen vielschichtigen Charakter, der mit jungen Jahren schon verdammt viel durchmachen musste und ein Stück weit die Hoffnung aufgegeben hat. Ob Gavin sie ihr zurückgeben kann, müsst ihr selbst lesen :-)

Lovely, poignant and captivating.  The plot was engaging, interesting and the characters strong . I loved it and would recommend it to everyone.

This is a taboo topic but it was handled well. Do feel the author could have explored Kat's past a bit more so the reader could know how truly broken she was. You watch her overcome obstacles, Kat is very intelligent even if she makes dumb choices but then you remember she’s only 18. Great read, well-written.

I'm not sure where to start. When I first started reading I thought same old same old, but as the story and the characters developed I found myself fully immersed in their world. Kat's heartbreak was such a real thing and was dealt with beautifully. When Kat had her second loss it brought out such emotion and the fact that every daughter just wants her mother to love her. She made the best of what she had. An amazing read.

I didn't enjoy this book, but out of mild curiosity, I read up until the 70% mark. Mostly, I just wanted to reach the inevitable shit storm that I'm guessing will occur once the school finds out Kat and Mr Cooper's big secret. I wanted to see what would happen, and how they would be affected by the scandal.

But here I am at the 70% mark and I'm giving up. I'm just not enthralled in the story. I was skim reading up until this point, to be honest. The writing is a little bland for my tastes, and I'm sorry to say, but I find Kat and Graham's chemistry/relationship dull.

Perhaps I'm not the intended readership for this book. It doesn't feel like a New Adult book. It feels more YA, but I've read YA books that were written exceptionally well. Unfortunately, the writing in this story isn't particularly memorable.

18 year old girl meets guy.  Girl and guy hook up, then start falling for each other, then it turns out that guy is girl's new high school teacher.  Not sure if this is a common theme in new adult lit, but this is very very similar for the first two thirds to another book I read a few months ago called Unteachable.  Kat is a strong female character who has had some awful experiences in her past, and I appreciated her tenacityand willingness to work hard and leave her past behind.  That said, I didn't really see how the love interest would be so head over heels for her.  I have a hard time seeing what an 18 year old and 26 year old can really have in common, but that's just me.  Other than that, this story is very well written and flows well, making it hard to put down.  There is quite a bit of sex in this (new adult, duh) but it isn't excessive like it is in other books within this genre.and feels like part of the plot rather than just gratuitous banging.  This would be a great read for the beach.

I was all ready to be emotionally torn about the illicit relationship between Gavin and Kat, but I had a hard time understanding why they were so drawn to each other, especially him to her.  I understood they met before he discovered she was his student, but I was really turned off by their actions in his classroom. It didn't feel hot, it felt dangerous and icky.  Kat's mom's overdose and husband Marcus only seemed to serve as plot devices to make it difficult for Gavin and Kat's relationship.  It was unclear why Kat's mom ODed when she had been clean while with Marcus. We hear about Marcus eyeing Kat's body, but nothing ever comes of that and after her mom dies, he disappears completely.

I loved this book. 

It had me from Page 1 and didn't disappoint.

The taboo love affair between student/teacher is an old theme but Kat and Gavin's character's and their background stories made it new and interesting. 

I found myself drawn in by both of the main characters and rooted for them to make it throughout.

It is well written, the story flows easily and some of the chapters could well be the "50 Shades"for a younger generation.

This was my first Laura Lee novel but I will now be searching out her previous/future works

When I first saw this book and all the 5 star reviews I was a little skeptical. The premise of a forbidden romance between teacher and student isn’t something I normally find appealing to read but something compelled me to pick this up and I am glad I did! This book definitely goes down as a guilty pleasure read.

The story begins with Kat, drinking in a seedy bar on her 18th birthday when she meets Gavin. Or “Sparkles” as Kat dubbed him. We learn quickly that Kat has had a tough life. She has been in the foster system since she was a kid, never knew her dad, and has a heroin-addicted mother who is barely present in her life. Tonight she is trying to forget her problems and Gavin seems like the perfect distraction. Their attraction to one another is off the charts and neither of them can deny it.

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 a.k.a. 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 really an amazing character. Life threw her so many curve balls and she took everything in stride. She was even more mature than Gavin in certain parts of the novel. And even though parts of her were broken, Gavin’s constant reassurance of telling her she is worthy of love and respect helped her feel whole again. It was such a feel good novel in that aspect even though there was a ton of seriously dark drama. This was definitely more real than I thought it would be from the blurb, which was a good thing. The dialogue was very well written as well. 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.

I know some readers have a hard rule with cheating and I think this may blur the line....Just a forewarning but you can decide. I didn't mind but I know others consider once the two main characters have had any kind of physical contact another woman/man in the picture is unacceptable.

I was also really frustrated with the ending. I could completely understand Kat’s POV and why she chose what she did but Gavin really had no excuse.

Overall this was a really interesting and angsty read. If you are looking for serious drama but with a HEA then this is the book for you! Thank you Netgalley, LAN Fiction LLC, and the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) for providing this novel in exchange for an honest review!

I was blow away with how great this book was.   Kat's life was more realistic then anyone could imagine.   From dealing with her family issues to whom she fell in love with.   It happens all the time.   I really think the author took the time to research her subjects ad nailed them on the head...wtg!!

I haven't read this book as I never requested it. I noticed it on my shelf but didn't feel it was the right fit for my blog anyway.

After the duration of time I was entranced in this novel, I thoroughly enjoyed the content including all aspects of the well written novel. 
I found it to be pleasing pleasant and enjoyable. 
I wish the author and publisher well in future novel endeavours and thank both for the opportunity to read this novel.

This was, without a doubt, one of my favorite books of the year. It was heartbreaking and hopeful  and sexy and sweet. It made me ugly cry and smile with its tenderness and I couldn’t put it down.
Beautifully Broken tells Kat’s story. As the daughter of a junkie mother, and as a child that has been bounced though the foster system for most of her life, she is older than her eighteen years. She is thoughtful and smart, too brash for a high school senior. She is confident in herself, yet at the same time devalues her worth.
A chance encounter on her eighteenth birthday introduces her to Gavin Cooper. Gavin is … perfect. There isn’t another word I can use to describe him. He’s handsome, he’s well meaning, he’s sexy and he’s just plain good. But when he starts his new teaching job, his morality is tested when Kat turns up as a student in his second period English Lit class.
This Teacher/Student love story had it all and more. It had the illicit sex of such a relationship, but it was more than just that. I was expecting the thrill of the taboo relationship, but I also fell so hard for both of these characters. I loved the heat and heart of their relationship and the anxiety it caused wondering if they would be caught. I cried for their heartbreaks and ached for their triumphs and felt so connected to them that I didn’t want it to end.
This was my first book by Laura Lee and I am so excited to have discovered a new author. I can only hope that all of her books are as wonderful as this one because I have a lot of reading ahead of me. It truly reached out and touched me with the honesty of these two people that were born to love one another and I can’t recommend it enough.

This story was emotional, angsty and really beautiful written! Love the premise and how the story progressed. The characters were fantastically portrayed and I loved the chemistry between them!

Wow. I was actually really impressed by this book! At first I was a bit skeptical of this insta-love relationship Gavin and Kat seemed to form. Then I was a little put off by how intense Gavin was with Kat so early in their relationship. I mean he practically proposed to her when he asked her to move in with him. But outside of those two little qualms, the book was actually really well-written. The sex scenes were hot (although they kind of tapered off as the book went on), the characters were really well-developed, and the taboo angsty relationship and all it's hurdles kept me flying through the pages to see what would happen next. This book always kept my interest and the progression of their lives was really rather perfect. I felt that their obstacles were executed perfectly and loved that Kat was a strong, independent female, even if she never knew it. Definitely a great read!

Beautifully Broken was a fantastic book from start to finish. The characters were amazing, and easy to connect to, and I really was drawn in to their story. This book has definitely become one of my all time favorites.

I just don't understand the raving reviews, it was ok but it just was trying too hard and honestly left a lot to be desired.  Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for a honest review.

‘Beautifully Broken’ by Laura Lee is a story that I would not normally pick up but I am so pleased that I read this without truly looking to see what the blurb said. Student/teacher romances are not something I generally enjoy for some reason but once I got stuck in with reading this book I didn’t want to put it down.

Kat meets a handsome stranger and like many 18 year old girls wouldn’t she doesn’t admit to him how old she is. They have instant chemistry and a passion is ignited between them but there is a huge shock in store as it is later revealed that he is her new English teacher.

Gavin and Kat have a bond and Kat feels that he is the only person that can help her heal from her broken past. There is plenty of angst and intrigue as well as frustration and heartache that will have you engrossed from beginning to end. This was a new author for me and one I will be looking out for in the future.

his book had the potential to be amazing. But when I felt the pull and excitement when I was reading a few paragraphs of a chapter the pace slowed down. Is like I was in my highest of emotions than brought down just as fast. I didn't feel the connection between the two leads. They were all over the place. I use to love reading Romance books about Teacher and Student romance but I read so many of them that I have to read a very unique Teacher Student romance to love it. This book is not the best I have read but surely not the worst. 
I wanted to feel compassion for Kat as she had a really sad past. But it really pisses me off that we have to use our past to do things that are irrational in our present. Yes her mom was not a great mom, she didn't give a great example to Kat. But shouldn't Kat do the opposite, she hates what her mom does but does the same only she doesn't get paid. Yes she had to go through a really painful ordeal but I just didn't see most of her action as a great way to cope. 
I gave this four stars because it I like the ending. 
My overall rating through almost all the book was a three stars but it did get better by the last few chapters so I decide to give it another star..

This book was so far from what I was expecting from the description. It was an amazing book and I loved everything about it. I related to the beginning of it so much. I felt like I was Kat. Of course there are aspects that I couldn't relate to whatsoever, but the writing was so well done that I could still empathize and understand. It was filled with emotion and just wonderful. One of my favorite quotes ever was in this book , "Reading doesn't signify intelligence. It's simply a great form of escapism." This book was a fantastic escape. Thats how I have always looked at reading and to see it there like that was something I wasn't expecting but it struck a chord with me and I loved it. Honestly I thought that the book was going to be something else entirely  the description didnt really describe the book. The beginning made me feel, and I feel like as it went on it lost a little bit. It was a great book regardless but there was just something in the first few chapters that was missing from the rest of the book. Had it stayed the same throughout it would have been one of the best books I"ve ever read, instead of just the really great book that it ended up being. I would highly recommend this book