Emma Scott is a relatively new to me author, and I’ve not yet been disappointed. I thought the Full Tilt duet was brimming with skilled writing and rich in character development. The Butterfly Project mirrors its predecessor in that regard, and has a little something extra that has put it on my 2017 faves list.

In this new adult romance of strangers turned roommates Ms. Scott had the ability to showcase the traits of her characters that ultimately made me fall in love with them. Zelda’s bravery and Beckett’s kindness. I loved their instant friendship. The banter between them was full of humor and their communication was clear and concise. They showed maturity and consideration in their arrangement despite the desperation of their own situations where it would have been so easy to act like a threenager.

What I loved best was the friends to lovers element of the story. It was slow and sweet and perfect. Alternating POV narratives are very common, however I found a clear distinction in The Butterfly Project; being able to experience the heroine’s character growth through the eyes of the hero. Does this have a name? Was it done on purpose? Maybe it was because I felt so connected to the characters or really fell in love with the story, I don’t’ know. Regardless, I thought this stylistic choice was powerfully emotive as I was brought to tears numerous times, the little something extra that has made this book a favorite.

There were also some very moving and emotional secondary plot lines that brought on more tears than I thought I would have. Sometimes subplots can feel convenient or manufactured, but I assure you that they never felt like drama for drama sake in this case. The secondary characters were written with just as much attention as our protagonists. I believe this aided in the execution of these secondary stories making them equally as memorable as the 0ne between Zelda and Beckett.

If you love beta heroes like I do, you will fall in love with Beckett Copeland. He’s just so…nice. Not in a sickly-over-the-top way, but in a thoughtful, selfless and compassionate way. He had his alpha moments here and there, however I loved his quiet intensity and his seemingly innate ability to help Zelda when she felt out of control best. Sigh, he’s pretty great, and funny, and sweet. You know? Zelda is too. I loved her strength and determination despite her heartbreaking backstory. Her attempt at self healing was always portrayed as being something she really wanted, always portrayed as being ready to move forward, ready to be done with the feelings of guilt and loss. She also has a wonderful sense of humor which brought a much needed touch of levity to an otherwise heavy story.

This is new adult well done. I absolutely recommend and cannot wait to see what Emma Scott has in store for the future. She is 100% on my radar..

This book was a beautifully written story of forgiveness. It deals with personal loss and a second chance for two very damaged people to take back their lives.
Beckett and Zelda both needed to let go of their pasts in able to move forward and reclaim their lives. Together they are able to help each other in a way that neither of them could have done by themselves alone and along the way they connect emotionally as well. I was so in love with both of these characters. Beckett for his kindness and sweetness and Zelda for her refusal to give up when faced with overwhelming obstacles but to continue to push herself forward to reach her goal despite the emotional pain she felt .
This is a book that I will remember long after reading it and will go on my books to reread list. I was so moved by the story and the writing. Emma Scott I am in awe of you and will be looking out for more of your books to read.

I loved this story! This is the 3rd Emma Scott book I have read, and she is 3 for 3 - she writes amazingly deep and emotional love stories that touch me and make my heart full.

Both Zelda (I wasn't a fan of her name but went with it) and Beckett were very broken, and neither from your typical New Adult baggage. Both of them were still strong, trying to live their lives but not doing a very good job as they were struggling financially. When they met there was an instant feeling of connection. Zelda described it, and I am pretty sure I totally felt it. These two strangers build up a trust between them, and they helped each other find a way out of their darknesses. Now, it wasn't easy and there were definitely setbacks along the way...being a convicted felon does not go away...but no love story is easy and that's what makes it worth it.

Zelda was an amazing heroine. While I'm personally not a fan of graphic novels, I loved that she found her passion in creating them and could almost see myself reading one. The parallel to her life was something she didn't realize the depths of until Beckett pointed it out. It was because of him that she began her journey towards healing. She also played a huge role in Beckett's journey. He was living in his own head and could not get past his guilt...it was eating him alive. I seriously could feel him crawling out of his own skin with guilt. But with Zelda in his life he found brightness, which in turn did something later on that changed his life.

The romance was slow burning angsty goodness. Zelda and Beckett did not want any complications if they were to become more than friends, so they stayed platonic for as long as they could hold out for. It was glorious. The romance was there, we could all see it, so when it finally happened I couldn't get enough.

There are secondary characters in this story that I just loved. I really hope there is a spin off book for at least 1 of them...but I'd take more!

The ending was simply lovely. More things than I could have hoped for happened and I wanted to burst. Especially for Beckett. His life became full of joy and he truly deserved it. I also have to say that I loved the conflict that still existed after the romance started. It made it real and showed just how these two were meant to be.

For me, it's Ms. Scott's writing that puts her stories on such a high level. The words flow effortlessly, in a way that brings me right into the world she created and I can feel the gloom, the happiness, the hopefullness and the heartache she expresses. There is no formula for this, either the author has a gift or not, and Emma Scott has this gift in spades. I will read anything she writes, her books are fantastic. Thank you for writing!

This is the first book I have read by Emma Scott and it won’t be my last. When you read as much as I do all romance books start to feel the same. There is something so satisfying about starting a book and you know from chapter one that the story will be magic. This is a beautiful story about hope, regret, guilt, and forgiveness. I don’t feel like my review can do this book justice so all I can say is pick this book up. You won’t regret it.

P.S. I would like to note that the graphic art prior to some of the chapters was one of the coolest things I have seen. It added another layer and brought more life to the story. Well done!

***5 emotional "Mother May I???" stars***

“Lessening the misery of the past will lead to a brighter future.”

This is my third book by Mrs. Scott and for once again, she made me fall in love with the story but mostly with her wonderful characters....
Honestly, I could read only her books for the rest of my life!!!
She knows how to built a beautiful story with imperfect persons who are unbelievably perfect with all their flaws and their big hearts!!!
And she is managing to touch a deep part of my soul Every.Single.Time!!!

“Wasn’t love a kind of chaos theory? One small look, one smile or one word could alter the course of a life forever. Beckett and I were living proof.”

We had took a small glimpse of Zelda in the <i>"Full Tilt"</i> duet but don't you worry, it's a standalone book!!!
Zelda left Las Vegas and her job in the tattoo shop, for chasing her luck in the big city, New York. She is a graphic novelist and she went in NY with the hopes to sell her story "Mother may I?", but unfortunately, she only got rejection with a tiny ray of hope if she will change a little bit her story...
By chance, she met Beckett and from that moment both of their lives changed, since they got into a crazy arrangement!!!

“I must be crazy,” he muttered. “Or you are.” He nodded at the tracks. “This is me. Or…us?”
This is us.
I went with Beckett Copeland to Brooklyn.

No, I won't tell you more about the hows and whys they ended up in this arrangement, you should find it out by yourselves...
But as you can understand, from the first moment Zelda and Beckett started to feel something more about the other, but unfortunately both of them had a big load upon their shoulders and too many guilts of past events...
Will they manage to heel each other and to be together???
Or everything will fall apart???

"I made a huge fucking mistake. It’s not easy to come back from that." {Beckett}

"I recognized the weight of guilt that hung around his neck, because I wore it too." {Zelda}

“Do you ever wonder, Zelda, if you’re allowed to be happy?”
Tears sprang to my eyes. “Yes,” I whispered. “All the time. Every minute.”

I loved very much both Zelda and Beckett...
I loved the pace that Mrs. Scott kept in their story...
I adored the way that they came closer to each other ....
and i loved how they help each other to fight their demons...
I liked very much how both our heroes received their redemption... It was so fitting!!!

“I have nothing to offer you, Zelda.”
“That’s not true.”
“I’m a felon. That’s going to follow me around for the rest of my life...”
“I told you I don’t care... I don’t care about any of it.”
“I do,” Beckett said. “I care... I fucked up my future,” he said finally. “The last thing I want to do is fuck up yours.”

Zelda was so sweet and kind...
Her imagination was incredible and she seemed like an awesome artist (since i couldn't see it with my own eyes!!!). She wanted to succeed so badly in her graphic novel, but not for herself, but for someone else that she was loving very deeply. She thought she owned to that person justice for what happened to it!!!
Unfortunately, Zelda was carrying too much guilt inside of her and that was making her to not fully enjoying her life...
But Beckett changed that for her...

"I realized you could get used to anything—even being alone for years—right until the moment you touched something better than what you had."

"I felt Beckett lying three feet from me but trapped in a past he couldn’t change. I was too—our pain was of the same fabric, even if the patterns were different, but he was helping me."

Beckett, from the other hand, was still paying for a mistake that he did three years before... a deadly mistake and he couldn't get over it!!! He thought that he wasn't deserving anything good in his life and that was so damn unfair...
Beckett was such a nice guy!!! Seriously, guys!!! He was a rare person...
He was so generous, so kind, so thoughtful!!! He was so selfless and it was such a pity that he thought the worst of him...
But Zelda's presence made him realize that he needed something more, something that only she could give him...

“I wear the words like chains around my neck. Felon. Criminal. Prisoner. I‘m all those things, and remain them, even after time served. A freed prisoner with a life sentence.
Now I have a woman in my life who’s turned everything that was cold and gray into warmth and color. She’s inked new words onto my heart.
Us. Together...”

Also, in this book, we had awesome secondary characters...
Roy was the most unbelievable guy and his wife was so sweet... I liked how much he was helping Beckett.
I also liked very much Darlene... She was so crazy and with her own fucked up life, but she was adorable!!!
Beckett's friends were also very good!!!
And Mrs J.!!! God, i loved her for what she did in the end...

"There is a power in forgiveness… and magic in even the smallest of kindness."

God!!! I can't wait for Mrs. Scott's next story!!!
I'm sure that it will be also a wonderful story, as she only knows how to write!!!

***ARC generously provided via NetGalley for the exchange of an honest review***

I would give the first 75% of this book a solid 4.5 stars. Then 75% happens and the story is lost for a bit and is all about sex, not graphic but "new" love crap which dropped it to 3 stars. Then at about 90% it brings the story back and ends well. So I will give this story a 4.

This book was hands down one of the best books I have ever read and one of the best books of 2017 and we are only into March of this year!! 5 millions stars!

Emma Scott really brings forth all the emotions in her new book about the power of love, forgiveness, vengeance and redemption.

**A horrorshow that unfolded between the aisles of breakfast cereals and soups. I’d watched it happen and I couldn’t stop it. I failed her, and the guilt for that failure had been eating away at me from the inside out like a cancer ever since. Mother, May I? was born of that howling pain.
It was either draw or lose my f*cking mind.

When Zelda witnessed her sister being abducted when she was only 14 and she couple told stop it, she blamed herself. She felt guilt that she wa s powerless to stop such a tradgedy. She's carried that guilt around for 10 years. She draws out her pain, in her graphic novel, Mother May I? And in her story, the offender never lives. She left Begas to go to Mew York to try to get her story out in the world. Her tale of a Mother seeking vengeance to right the wrong that was done to her daughter. She wants to tell her story, for her, for her mother and for her sister. She feels that in some small way, it will help bring justice for Rosemary and help her find peace. But when she got to NY, things didn't go as well as she had hoped.

And then she met Beckett. Not something she was planning. Not something she expected, but there he was, a man brought down by the demons of his own past. A stranger, but soon turned into more when she had no other place to go. So, instead of going back to Begas when a publisher told her that her story had no heart, she asked for a favor in the most unlikely of people. A convict, a mans with a criminal record and a parole officer. But he ended up being so much more than that. Maybe he was her shot at forgivness and she was he change at redemption. Two souls who hurt, finding comfort in each other.

**Five seconds that had shaken me to the bone. It felt like I’d lost something I didn’t know I wanted.
And I realized you could get used to anything—even being alone for years—right until the moment you touched something better than what you had.

Beautiful and heart wrenching, fans of Emma Scotts Fult Tilt and All In will be sure to fall in love with Zelda and Beckett. Two beautifully broken people finding their way past the pain of their past and learning to make a brighter future.

The characters are amazing, more than two dimensional characters on a page. They will pull you into their story, to their past and their pain. They will make you ache for them and what they have to overcome. And they will make you smile when they find their way to a happily ever after.

*Copy provided by Netgalley for review

5+ stars!

"I looked at this beautiful, smart woman sitting beside me. I did’t deserve a shot of happiness, but she did."

This book deserves an infinite amount of stars. It was magical, beautiful, swoon worthy. The characters growth and development was literally something that made me drool!

I'm not going to tell you more than what the blurb tells you but Zelda was awesome. I'm telling you, there was something about them as individual characters that just called out my name. They were so realistic and relatable. And Beck was amazing and totally made you swoon!!!

“Yeah, you’re pretty easy on the eyes, Copland. No one’s told you that before?”
His smile slipped, his eyes held mine in their sapphire depths. “No one who mattered.”

You will feel so many emotions; happiness, heartache, love, swoon. You might cry or you might not. But everyone deserves to read this and love them as much as me!

I enjoyed this book however not as much as Emma's previous books sorry, although there is a reason for this!

I think mainly because the other books have a few twists and obstacles in the way of true love whereas this is an out and out love story. Now this may appeal (and seemingly does appeal if the reviews are anything to go by) to many but isn't my preference.

The writing is as ever brilliant, flowing, and I got a sense of each character to the point that you feel that you really know them.

Thanks to the author, publisher and netgalley for this copy.

I would like to thank Emma Scott, Trillian and Netgalley for giving me this amazing book for my honest review.
Review By Stephanie
5 Stars
I fell in love with Emma’s writing when I read the Full Tilt series, so I was beyond excited when I saw The Butterfly Project. As soon as I got the book I cuddled up on the sofa with a glass of ( ok maybe a little more than a glass) and dove into this rollercoaster of greatness!
This book got my heart like hard core! Zelda and Beckett are amazing! I fell in love with them both and wanted more from each of them. Emma wrote these two damaged human beings so beautifully that I was instantly drawn to their stories.
In true Emma Scott fashion this book was phenomenal! It will have you laughing, crying, feeling heart broken and feeling the need to punch someone in the junk! I was glued to every word and was so sad yet satisfied with the very last word.
Emma is becoming one of my all-time favorite authors. She is truly a must read and I look forward to read more from her!

After an epic failure of a trip to New York City, Zelda is about to call it and throw in the towel. She’s had nothing but rejection while shopping her graphic novel around to publishing houses.

On a whim, she heads to an Italian restaurant where she ends up meeting Beckett. Not only is he the busboy there but he’s also a bike messenger by day. Taking a chance, Zelda asks to be his roommate (after verifying he’s not a bad guy).

Together these two have so much emotional baggage. Zelda is living with the guilt from a situation in her past that she had no control over. Beckett is living with the guilt of a stupid mistake he made a few years ago. Because of their guilt, they can’t move forward and find that happiness the both of them so deserve.

Beckett won my heart almost immediately. He is the kind of guy who can’t afford his rent for the month, but will still give his last dollar to a homeless person or food to neighbors who seem to be shut-ins. I also really loved Zelda. She is a person who seems to exude this care-free attitude but behind the façade, there is a girl who is just living with insecurities and guilt.

When Beckett starts to help Zelda with her graphic novel, Mother, May I? these two start to work through their issues. It was like working together on the graphic novel was their way to absolve themselves of their pasts. Almost like a cathartic experience. They learn to accept what is, to accept their past, and how to move on. And in between the pages of a beautiful novel (with beautiful illustrations), these two find each other.

Emma Scott has become one of my favorite authors. I know that whenever I pick up her books, I am going to instantly fall in love with not only the story, but the characters as well.

This book, just like her others is a top favorite of mine.

I'm am huge fan of Emma Scott and her Full Tilt Duet was an absolute standout for me in 2016. I couldn't stop thinking about them and recommended them to everyone.

The Butterfly Project was a highly anticipated read for me and Zelda and Beckett were wonderfully written characters. They were beautiful human beings inside and out. I felt their pain, anguish and struggle and I immediately wanted to pull them both in for a hug, open my home to them and make them part of my family.

The book started off strong and I loved how Zelda and Beckett met and became part of each other's lives. I did however struggle with the pacing and the tremendous level of guilt that they both carried.

I felt that their individual guilt was driving their story rather than just their graphic novel called "MMI?". (A large part of this book covers getting Zelda's Dystopian Graphic Novel which Beckett helped her finish, published).

l am a reader who loves a slow burn but to be honest I do prefer my hero and heroine to spend more time together as a couple than was the case here.

I enjoyed this book however not as much as Emma Scott's previous work. I wanted to be blown away like I was last time I read an Emma Scott book but sadly I wasn't and I found that writing this review was one of the most difficult I have written to date because I didn't love it like I thought I would. The characters were wonderful but I felt they were let down by the story they were in. It wasn't as tight or as polished as her previous books and I was left with a lot of unanswered questions and parts that didn't work for me.

Looking at the reviews posted to date I am in the minority and if you are a fan of Ms Scott's, I recommend you grab a copy and decide for yourself.

ARC received from Author Emma Scott and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Once again an unputdownable and unforgettable read.
Just wonderful. Heartbreaking and funny, emotional and touching.
I don’t have the words, but she has! Emma Scott is so amazing, so talented.
Just read it ♡♡♡
Pick up “Butterfly project”, get lost in Zelda and Beckett’s story and let Emma Scott enchant you with her beautiful words

Emma Scott does it again! I loved this book, it left me with a happy heart!

Both main characters were great - secondary characters were good too.

Zelda and Beckett - each having their own demons, guilt and regret - fell in love and it was a wonderful journey. Wouldn't change a thing! There wasn't any unnecessary angst, no push and pull - just a great story, sigh.

When I finished this book, I took some time to try and come up with a words that would do this book justice. This is one of those stories that makes anything I can possible say about it seem like it's not enough. This is my first book I have read from this author. I knew she was pretty popular in my social reading circle so I jumped at the chance to read it. I see it. I get why so many people want to read what she's writing. This book drew me in from the beginning and kept pulling me until I felt I was there.

To show a connection between two strangers as strongly as she did was profound. I think it would be amazing to be able to connect to someone like that. To meet someone for the first time and they have such an impact on you. There are a lot of profound moments in this story that touched me and It makes me want to tell everyone that they need to read this book. So that's what I'm gonna do. It was simply amazing and you bet I will jump at the chance to read more from this author. ARC provided by NetGalley

5 “red balloons” stars

I tried three times to write this review. I was always erasing and changing trying to make it better. Until I realized it did not have to be perfect. Like the heroes my review will have flaws because I could never compare to Emma Scott’s writing.
So what?
I will follow a beloved author’s advice: write like no one will ever read you. That way you’ll be true to yourself.

First of all I loved the book.
Emma Scott is now right alongside authors like Amy Harmon, Suanne Laqueur, Brittainy C Cherry, Leylah Attar…in my personal pantheon of exceptional writers. These ladies are all gifted with graceful writing.

Reading The Butterfly Project was like watching the movie Love Actually: deeply moving, in technicolor with faultless cast.
Emma Scott has used many common romance tropes: two lost people who will help each other after a random but fateful encounter. Life has taken its toll on them. They’re broken and riddled with guilt. It’s filled with romantic moments and good feelings. It could have been too cheesy and eye roll inducing but Emma Scott never fell in the trap of overdoing it. On the contrary it was beautiful, moving, inspiring … just right.
That’s the trademark of a very gifted author and I would die to meet her as I bet the woman must be an incredible lady as well.
She just ripped my heart and I still want to thank her

I loved her writing. I was IN the moment, walking in the character’s shoes. I was not reading about Zelda or Beckett. I was them.
I was overcome by the Christmas tree beauty on Time Square. I was warmed all over, trapped in a bubble of happiness while swaying gently on Sinatra’s song. I could not breathe when I had to go home because it reminded me of my shortcomings. What I didn’t do to save her. I was living time and again that frozen moment when my actions caused death. I was elsewhere, not on the train commuting to work, not on my sofa not… but somewhere in a dingy studio in Brooklyn, sleeping on an air mattress.
Characters are a crucial element in a book. I have to be able to connect with them, to understand their motives, their flaws, their strengths and weaknesses. The Butterfly Project has an incredible set of characters main and side characters. Beckett is the ex con you would never expect. He was selfless, good at heart, courageous, supportive. He reminded me not to judge people on their actions. Mistakes happen you can stumble along the path. Some bad action does not make you evil. Everyone has a right to forgiveness and second chance.
Forgiveness takes center stage in this story: forgive yourself and forgive others. That’s the only way to be free and go on.
Zelda was a very endearing and relatable heroine. I loved her as graphic artist. This is the third book revolving around artists and I love Emma Scott to pieces for choosing to put the spotlight on artists. I love drawing and creating in general and I know how hard it is to live from its craft. What Zelda did to pursue her dream was very brave. It was also vital for her to publish her story as it was a tribute to a loved one.

Zelda and Becket had nearly nothing. They worked two jobs and lived in a tiny freezing studio and yet they never had been happier. They were not alone anymore. They were alike, supporting each other. Because what’s most important in life is not wealth or possessions but love.

Some of my favorite quotes:

“Lie down with me on the ice again. Look up at the tree. All the lights in the branches, straight up over your head. Be there.” “You’re there, too?” “Right here.” A long, breathing silence. “How do you do that, Beckett?” “Do what?” “I called you feeling so goddamn lost, but your voice… It’s like a searchlight in the fog.” “I’m right here,” I said. “


“I wear the words like chains around my neck. Felon. Criminal. Prisoner. I‘m all those things, and remain them, even after time served. A freed prisoner with a life sentence. Now I have a woman in my life who’s turned everything that was cold and gray into warmth and color. She’s inked new words onto my heart. Us. Together.”

“Do you ever wonder, Zelda, if you’re allowed to be happy?” Tears sprang to my eyes. “Yes,” I whispered. “All the time. Every minute.”

“Forgiveness. The word was a whisper in my mind. If I were drawing it on the page, it would be written in small letters but contained in a large thought bubble. Eleven tiny letters floating in a sea of white. Like a balloon. A red balloon and a child’s smile… “

In case anyone needs to know, the Full Tilt duet were my top favorite reads of 2016. They managed to rip my heart out and make me ugly cry, something that is no easy feat because I am a very cynical and stoic reader. It really takes A LOT to touch me that deeply. So based on those two books alone, Emma Scott has earned a place on my auto-read list.

The Butterly Project, while not related to the Full Tilt duet, is a spin off story about one of the characters from All In. Zelda was one of Theo's employees at the tattoo shop, and like most people who find themselves transplanted in Las Vegas, she was trying to escape her past. Her younger sister was abducted right in front of her eyes ten years ago and ever since she hasn't been able to forgive herself for not being able to stop it from happening. The outlet for her pain is a comic book character she has developed, and an opportunity to get it published sends her packing to live in New York City. However once she is there, things just don't go her way at all and she finds herself almost broke, completely disheartened, and desperate for a place to live.

Beckett Copeland is a paroled felon, working two jobs to barely pay his rent and trying to pick up the pieces of his life after serving two years in prison for a crime he regrets committing with every fiber of his being. The guilt he carries around from the consequences of that crime are suffocating and he lives in a constant state of purgatory, unable to move forward and allow himself to start anew and find happiness. After a chance meeting with Zelda, who begs him let her be his roommate so they can both make ends meet, he feels responsible for her and wants to help her accomplish what she came to New York to do.

Almost everything about their story worked for me. Both characters are flawed, but extremely likable, and they had great chemistry together! Their relationship was paced perfectly. The author took the time for them to really get to know each other, with some definite awkwardness in the beginning when they find themselves living in a 400 square foot apartment together, and then developing a strong friendship before finally admitting that they felt more for each other.

What didn't work for me were the cast of secondary characters. All of them came across more like caricatures or stereotypes rather than real people. Conveniently, everyone that Zelda and Beck came into contact with just loved them so much and went out of their way (almost to the point of disbelief) to make them happy. Although that did not detract from the story at all for me, I merely found it a bit unrealistic.

Overall, The Butterfly Project was a beautiful, fast paced read that was low on major angst but had a lot of heart. Although it is a standalone and unrelated to the Full Tilt duet, I would definitely recommend reading it as a follow up to those two books, as it t balances out their heavy subject matter really well.