As I write this, tears stream down my face. That's your warning and not even enough to express the angst and torture that this book became. I have never read a book by Pepper Winters, so I don't know if that's her usual MO. But dang, girl. Way to suck a person in, starting with a tale of two young kids just surviving.

Ok so the story starts off with action and tragedy, and struggle. Their journey is hard and complicated and secret, but these two kids are serious survivors, and crazy strong, helping each other grow up.

Ren is so selfless when it comes to Della. He literally will miss out on anything in life to make sure she excels. And having her perspective delivered in such a unique way was crazy good.

The writing in this was so fantastic and flawless. A beautifully written tale that I couldn't walk away from and thought about during my nonreading moments. These two have wormed their way into my heart. It got more and more emotional and tumultuous and heartbreaking, with hardly a happy moment. And alas, it isn't over. This is only book one in a duet. So I will sit and dwell in their pain and hurt and loss for awhile longer.

This book is one of the most unique books I've ever read, I don't even really know how to even really what to say about it other then read it

I received this advanced reading copy from the author via NetGalley but it had no influence whatsoever on my always honest review.

4,5 stars

Dear Professor Baxter, I know you asked us to write something true that reads as fake, but I have a problem. I’m not trying to be difficult and refuse to do the assignment but...well, this problem of mine...it’s a fairly big problem. You see, I’m not allowed to tell the truth. Ever. Like literally, forbidden on pain of death. Ever, ever, ever. You want us to write a story based on reality, but my entire life I’ve lived a reality based on a story. Every town I ever lived, every school I ever went to, every friend I made, and enemy I crossed, they all got told a tale.
So began the story of The Boy and His Ribbon, a work like none other Pepper Winters stories.

This is the story of Ren and Della through the span of ten years. How they met, what they faced, how they protected each other. Every low and every up. Every hope and every despair. Every moment of innocent joy and every lust filled thoughts.
Told in dual POV with Della writing her story for a school assignment it had an enthralling quality.

You have to go into this story with an open mind. You have to believe in something that’s hardly believable. Don’t shy away. Don’t be picky and think it’s just impossible. Just go with the flow and let the story lull you into its depth.

I don’t want to spoil anything and the synopsis is quite evasive so I’ll go the factual way but don’t be fooled, this story left me all but indifferent! I was a cauldron of swirling emotions.

Some facts or statements:

- First: Pepper Winters did an incredible job reminding us what being kids and growing up through teenage years with raging hormones and mood swings was. This book covers about eighteen years of the character’s lives. We witness Ren going from a young kid to a man and Della from baby to young woman. All this through incredibly harsh circumstances. It always amazes me when authors can write so accurately about children and teenagers. Experiencing the strange reactions your body went through. How embarrassing and frightening it can be without proper guidance! Pepper has passed with flying colors!

- Second: Ren is wild and made to live in the woods. He is a noble hero pure at heart. Nearly a Saint. No wonder Della said she could not avoid falling in love with him! He was savage and lost until he “found” Della. She’s been his guiding light. The one inspiring him to do better, to be better, to be worthy. It is short to amazing how Ren turned out to be such honorable hero when he had horrid humans “taking care” or rather exploiting him. It shows that worth is not to be measured to the size of your bank account but to your actions, courage and work.

Ren is deeply protective of Della and that’s the kind of hero that I love!

“Good girl,” I whispered. “You’re very brave.” The transformation in her entire body blinded me. A smile spread. Cheeks pinked. Spine straightened. Any sign of sickness and starvation from living in the wild deleted, all because of one morsel of praise. There was a key in that. A message that all humans—tiny or ancient—needed nutrition in the form of love as well as everything else.

- Third: this story emphasizes the importance of your upbringing and role model in becoming someone good or bad. Genetics is not all, upbringing is even more important.

- Fourth: it was a nearly permanent heartache as I rooted for Della, even so young. I wanted… something that I didn’t get and hope to get in the sequel, hopefully. I would have given my last half star if some parts would have been cut or brushed as the long wait and the complicated path frustrated me so much! But that’s good as it made me experience the character’s emotions!

It’s not exactly YA as you have heated thoughts and mounting needs but it’s far from Tears of Tess. I guess you could say it’s NA if you have to brand it.
I want to conclude with: I need the sequel now!
Yes you have guessed it ends on a cliffhanger or rather an open ending or an ending that you want to change.

Male MC: ***** (noble, protective, loyal, caring, resourceful)
Female MC: ***** (protective, kind, humble, sweet, courageous)
Plot: ****
Heat: **** (even if it’s the longest foreplay I’ve ever read about)
Side characters: ***/2 (they don’t take the center place and I wanted to slap some)
Twists: ****
Overall reading enjoyment: ****1/2

I am so happy that I got the chance to read this book before its release. The only downside is that I have to wait even longer for the second book in the duet. And gosh that was some cliffhanger!

Pepper Winters’ writing always pulls me out of my comfort zone which is something I love when reading. If you are wanting a lovey dovey romance you won’t find it in this book.

I am not going to lie, when I started this book I didn’t know what direction it was going in, especially at the beginning. I found that I was a little apprehensive to continue. But (and it’s a huge but) I am so glad I stuck with it. I have finally found the book that has pulled me out of my recent reading rut.

This is a hard review to write because going into too much depth would ruin the book for others and I really don’t want to do that.

The Boy and his Ribbon is unique, gut wrenching and addictive. It will embed itself into your thoughts and take you on an emotional rollercoaster.

Throughout the book you follow Ren and Della as they overcome dangerous situations and develop into young adults. Let me tell you it’s not the easiest journey for them or for us as the readers.

You become invested in both of the characters due to the duel perspectives. Usually when reading stories that include more that one point of view I find myself favouring certain characters. When this happens I tend to skim though chapters to get back to the point of view I’m favouring. There is definitely no favouritism through this book and both Rem’s and Della’s perspectives are enthralling and heart-breaking. I was invested in both point of views and just couldn’t stop reading.

This book is beautifully written and I recommend this to anyone who enjoys the dark romance genre.

This is definitely going to be in contention for the best read of the year, the only competition is book two, out in June, The Girl and her Ren.

The introduction blurb for this book certainly grabs your attention and once you start reading, you won't want to put it down until you have finished and then you will be wishing the time away until the sequel is out. I would love to give it more than five stars on Netgalley, it is surely worthy of a ten star rating.

Ren's monther sells him to Willem Mclary who uses children as slave labour and the girls for other purposes. When they are of a certain age they disappear and Ren knows he has to run before his time runs out. When he has everything he needs, he takes off with Mclary not far behind him and his wife yelling to shoot, the bullets are coming and Mclary is not too far away, it is all ten year old Ren can do to stay upright and not give up but he can finally no longer hear Mclary and when exhaustion finally takes over, he scrambles into the bushes and falls asleep.

He is awoken not by the light of day but muffled cries coming from the stolen backpack and after tearing open the zipper on the backpack he comes face to face with the Mclary's one year old daughter Della.

Here is where the journey of Ren and Della starts, their next to impossible story of survival for the next seventeen years and how Ren gave up everything to make sure Della had the life she deserved.

There were many cringe worthy moments within this story, times where the thought was that this surely couldn't be happening but the way the story unfolded, you could certainly imagine how the circumstances did actually take place. Told in dual POVs this story is beautiful in every sense of the word. Many emotions are felt whilst reading it and it leaves you definitely looking forward to book two.

Thanks to Netgalley and Buoni Amici Press, LLC for the opportunity to read and review this book.

Wow just wow!
This story happens to be my first book to have read by Pepper Winters and boy what a book this is. I have never before read a book that is so heart wrenching and full of pain. Ren and Della's story is a tale full of heartbreak and sorrow, it's dark, gritty and full of misery for them both, but their story is also one full of hope and of survival when the odds are stacked against you. They have an unbreakable love and devotion for each other, and a bond that ties them together that truly made my heart hurt for them both for all that they endured in their young lives.
This book absolutely consumed me, it chewed me up and spat me out. I hurt, I cried and I desperately wanted to save them both from all the world and everyone that wanted to take away what they both loved and cared for. It's the most beautiful and powerful story of love in its purest form that I have ever read.
The Boy and His Ribbon I think by far will be my favorite book of 2018. It left me with a massive book hangover as I can't stop thinking about Ren and Della's story days after finishing it. I desperately need to read the continuation of their story.
This book was everything and deserves 5 Stars as it ticked every box and more.

Very deep complicated story that ends on a cliffy. (I knew this going in) The main character escapes being a slave on a farm as a child. He was horrible abused and makes his way off the farm, but in his backpack is a child. (that was a bit far fetched and she is clutching a ribbon) Thus the title of the book.

He accepts responsibility for raising this child as well as surviving himself. But as she grows up, his perception of her changes and she also has feelings (not brotherly ones) for him.

Book crushes you by the end (all the partners he has and her steps to lose her virginity) and you are left reeling with heartbreak.

Having finished this book, I immediately had to write my review. I had to do it immediately after because I wanted to make sure I wrote down everything this author made me feel, from the moment I started, up until I read the very last word.

I have so many emotions going through me right now. I am stunned. I am in awe. My heart is so heavy because it is filled with both love and sorrow to the point where if I experience just one more emotion, my heart might shatter and I may never recover......all because of The Boy And His Ribbon.

This book only reaffirms my belief that Pepper Winters is one of the most talented, mesmerizing authors in the book world today. Her ability to create unique storylines and spin tales that are absolutely addictive, paired with characters that are memorable and heart clutching, truly gives new meaning to the joy of reading.

The Boy And His Ribbon is the perfect example of why I love to read, why I’m excited to read and what will keep me reading for as long as life will allow me.

I don’t want to give one single detail away about this book’s plot, but I suppose I have to write something down, what with this being a review and all. So here is my attempt to give you something with nothing at all, because I feel you should read this story as blind as you could possibly be. Start with a clean canvas and let this story paint it with the colorful emotions that bleed from its pages.

This is the story of Ren and Della. Their story is filled with darkness and light, the forest and a cement jungle. Their story has struggle and sacrifice, conventional and unconventional love. It explores self discovery and denial that stems from a love that exceeds the meaning of love. It is not a rainbow and flowers type of read. It is something more profound than that. It gets you dirty with darkness and then dips you in light, only to start the cycle again in a deliciously addictive and vicious circle.

This is not my first story I’ve read from Pepper Winters and it certainly won’t be my last. How do I know that, you might ask? It’s because the follow up, The Girl And Her Ren, will be released on June 5th, and I will be there to read the conclusion to one of the best reads to have ever been put in front of me.

I would highly recommend this book and any other book by this author. Her talent is one that should be experienced by one and all.

Wow, wow, wow. What a unique and different story. It’s been some time since I’ve read a Pepper book. I have a few sitting on my kindle that I need to get to and the one thing I forgot about her is, she can write one heck of a story! I was drawn in from the first chapter, it was hard to put down so I could go to bed. I loved how we get the past from Ren’s POV and the present from Della’s. Their story spans 17 years and we get stories of survival, family, friendship and love. Navigating through all of that at such a young age had some ups and downs, but those two did it together. Ren made this whole book for me. Della had a few moments where I wanted to shake her but she’s young and trying to sort herself out. The book ended at a good spot. I can not wait for the conclusion of their story. I’m sure it’s going to be a great one.

REN:Ren was eight when he learned that love doesn’t exist that the one person who was supposed to adore him only cared how much he was worth. But then…he ran.He thought he’d run on his own. Turned out, he took something of theirs by accident and it became the one thing he never wanted and the only thing he ever needed.
When I started reading I couldn't put it down I read the book in one day.Pepper is magnifysent writer.I cannot wait to read more of her books.Keep up the great work.You should definitely read this book.I read all of her books.

Holy Cow!! What an amazing book!! Heartbreakingly beautiful. Taboo....but not. Della and Ren will tear out your soul and leave you wanting more. I can not wait for the conclusion. June 5 is definitely circled on my calendar.

Ren was eight when he was sold into slavery. He escaped two years later with a stow away. Unbeknownst to him, he stole something from them – something he did not want, until he did.

From the very first sentence, I became invested and intrigued.

After the first chapter, I needed to take a breath. I was at the edge of my seat, biting my nails hoping Ren makes his escape without harm.

The rest as they say is history – their history. It is messy, beautiful, awkward and full of love.

Ren and Della’s chronicles gave me goosebumps and had the fine hairs on my arms standing on end. The characters are vibrant and burrow right into your heart and soul.

This is a coming-of-age story of survival. Of Life. Of Love. There are no words to adequately describe this book. Pepper pens a compelling and touching story unlike anything I’ve ever read. It’s original, enthralling, captivating and one of a kind. The story comes to life right off the pages, it is so real. It is heart breaking, heart wrenching and so full of heart. It is not a roller-coaster of emotion, it IS emotion. You live it, breathe it, feel it. It had my rapt attention until the very last word. This is Pepper Winters at her absolute finest!

After the last word, I feel heartbroken and devastated. Not to mention emotionally wrung out. I’ve felt every gamut of emotion I possibly could from this book.

Although this ends with a cliff-hanger, I, for one, am ecstatic because there is so much more to their story. So much more I want to know. To feel. To love. If I must rate this book with a star rating it would be 5 Stars but, it is so much more than that. It is a universe filled with stars for all the hopes, dreams, love, friendship and heartache we experience. This book is not to be missed.

I was so pleasantly surprised by the boy and his ribbon,in a time where a lot a books are more of the same,this one was a breath of fresh air.
Pepper Winters allow us to experience the full spectrum of human emotion,cruelty,darkness,despair,hope,love,kindness.
This book tugs at my heartstrings,it describes the purest,sefless kind of love,the connection the bond between Della and Ren was simply beautiful, emotional.unconditional.I love their codependency,this bubble they create for themselves that no one could breach..Their love for one another was fierce,stong,possessive and so kind.

This author brillantly succeed to create complex,profond,layered charaters, Ren is by far my favorite fictional male of 2018, he melted my heart,the way he loved Della beyond any mesure made me quite emotional,what a man.
To everyone looking for an intense,real,raw,beautiful story with a love beyond convention this book is for you.
I can't wait for book 2

This author excels at dark, emotional and downright gripping stories. Her characters talk to the reader, they feel so very real that at times it’s just plain scary how vivid they are. I felt so much for Ren as he transitioned from boy to man far beyond his time but could not fault his loyalty, integrity and drive to protect the girl who is his.
We never really know how or why Della came to accompany Ren when he made his escape but right from the start she’s a child that seems older than her years. They are their own tight unit, a family unlike any other and yet the reader is privy to their thoughts, feelings, hopes and fears. So much love and yet always living a lie because if the truth came out they would lose that which matters most, each other.
The author cunningly gives us the story as it happens from Rens point of view whilst occasionally interspersing it with the real time thoughts of Della. Time is both cruel and kind to this couple and it was so painful to realise how many years Ren has just existed without truly acknowledging his own feelings. Della is a more primordial creature, the irony is she felt more wild than Ren and controlled so much of their lives. This is an absolutely riveting read but alas as it ends I realise there is more to come and I for one cannot imagine how the author could possibly top this.
This voluntary take is of a copy I requested from Netgalley and my thoughts and comments are honest and I believe fair

The Boy and His Ribbon is a hearybreakingly beautiful 4.5 star book that will completely blow you away from the beginning right up to the end and leave you needing book 2 like you need air to breathe.
This story has raw emotional goodness seeping out of its words and showcases Pepper Winters talent for gripping her readers and holding their attention throughout.
This story left me feeling a plethora of emotions that my review can't justify how good this book is.
These two characters had my glued to my kindle and had me binging on their story.
I knew as soon as I got approval from Netgalley to read this book that I had to start it straight away and I definitely wasn't disappointed in my choice.
I absolutely loved this book and I highly recommend you one click it as soon as you can and get taken on a fantastic that will leave you begging for book 2 in the duet.
I'm voluntarily reviewing an advanced reader copy of this book given to me by Netgalley.

This book. This god damned book. It gave me anxiety coupled with stress sweats. It is emotional. It is tragic. It is beautiful. It’s filled with relationships that are so unconditional and bonds that are so strong. The story of The Boy and His Ribbon is NOT a simple one. It’s not easy, and it will have even the most open-minded moral compass quivering at times, but Pepper Winters does a flawless job with this story. The book is told in two POV’s, and over the course of nearly eighteen years. I wouldn’t say that this is a “romance” in the traditional sense, but this is a love story mixed with a TRULY UNIQUE coming of age story that leads to the complicated taboo, in conventional theory, romance.

This is my first Pepper Winters read, but I’m going to assume that anyone reading her work isn’t looking for safe and cushy. This book is anything but. It’s heartbreaking, breath-taking, unbelievable while still making you think “is this at all possible?”

Is it June 5th yet? I need the conclusion to this story NOW.

I’ll just be off devouring the rest of this talented authors catalogue!

Holy. Hell.

As I sit here typing this, it is mid-March, and so far 2018 has not been a very good reading year for me. I have DNF'd at least a dozen books and among those I did finish and enjoy, I have not felt compelled to write a single review for any of them. Until now. The Boy and His Ribbon has finally broken my dry spell and left me with a massive hangover that I know is going to last me for days!

The blurb for this story drew me in as soon as I read it, and I assumed this was going to be an unrequited love story. However, once I started reading, I must admit that I almost put this one down. The first third or so of the book requires a certain level of suspended belief that as a critical reader, I usually can't muster up. A realistic storyline is a requirement for me and there was a whole lot about the initial premise that just screamed "impossible!" BUT....there was something about the writing that sucked me in, and even through my doubts, I found myself turning page after page. I am so glad I didn't quit because this book was quite simply AMAZING!

Ren's tragic story starts when he is only 8 years old and his mother, too poor to keep him, sells him to a farmer named Willem Mclary, who buys unwanted children to use as indentured laborers on his farm. He is abusive and treats the kids terribly - starving them, beating them, and molesting the young girls. One day when he is 10 years old, Ren escapes with only a backpack filled with meager supplies. He runs as far as his legs will carry him before stopping to hide. Once he knows that he is no longer being chased, he opens his backpack to assess what he was able to take and realizes that unbeknownst to him, the Mclary's baby daughter, Della, somehow crawled into the bag. Knowing he can't go back to return her, he initially decides to find a family to leave her with, but soon realizes that the people he picked have no intention of keeping her. Fearing she might end up in the hands of a monster like Mclary, he goes back for her and decides he has no choice but to take her with him.

This is where the believe-ability of the story was a bit iffy for me, but I won't go into detail because I don't want to give too much of their ordeal away. This book is a page turner, and even if you find yourself questioning the probability of their survival like I did, you will still find yourself unable to stop reading. The five years Ren and Della spend living as transients forges a bond between them that is unbreakable. They depend on each other for everything and only have one another for companionship. Their plan is to keep moving around indefinitely, until one day they get caught sleeping in a barn and are offered the opportunity to live there. 15 year old Ren, who is distrusting of people and genuinely likes living without the rules of society, does not want to stay but knows that 5 year old Della needs schooling and the basic necessities that he cannot provide for her, so he agrees to work for the farmer in exchange for Della's care, and they spend the next eight years living with the family, who believes they are brother and sister, and welcomes them into their home. The daughter, Cassie, is the same age as Ren and the son, Liam, is only a year older than Della, so at first they seem to be a good match as friends for Ren and Della, but as they all get older and start changing from children into adults, jealousies and complicated feelings start to arise that expose that fact that Della and Ren are not siblings, and they once again find themselves on the move.

The coming-of-age part of this story is riveting. The author does a really great job of articulating the struggle that both Ren and Della face as their sexuality's awaken. Ren, needing an outlet for his frustrations, turns to Cassie and for several years they carry on as secret lovers until Della is old enough to realize what is happening and struggling with her own new urges starts to see Ren as more than a brother/father figure. The internal struggles that both Ren and Della deal with as their feelings for each other change was very well articulated, and although those feelings could be construed as cringe-worthy, we as the reader are able to understand them and sympathize with the characters.

Everything about this story was breathtaking, heart-breaking, and tragic. It made me feel deeply, and as quickly as I turned the pages, I also did not want the story to come to an end because it was that good.

Now, anyone who follows my reviews knows that I almost exclusively read stand-alone stories. I am not a fan AT ALL of cliffhanger endings, however there have been a few exceptions in the past that turned out to be phenomenal reads for me. I am hoping and praying that this duet is among those rare exceptions because right now I am counting down the days until I can read the rest of this story!

5++ stars for The Boy and His Ribbon!

There is nothing that I could write as a review that would do this book justice. It brought out so many emotions while I was reading it. I was thoroughly engrossed the whole time and couldn’t turn the pages fast enough to get more of the story. My only complaint is Book 2 is not available yet! I can’t wait for it. Fantastic story.

*ARC from NetGalley for Honest Review*
I give this book 5 TERRIFIC Stars!

I would like to say one thing though before my review...... MUST HAVE BOOK 2!!

I literally (yes literally) Did NOT, put this book down. I read it in one day, and I’m Craving for the Next Book.
One Special thing about Pepper Winters is the way she writes, but when you read her book you don’t SEE words, you HEAR them. I’m not talking about a dang audiobook, I’m talking about how her writing seems so real that it’s as if she’s talking to you and it’s for your ears only.
This was a well written piece, one of the best she’s written (for me anyways). You felt the emotions, you felt as if you were with the characters but invisible to them or you WERE the characters. I Love This Book.
I don’t wanna spoiler, but I’ll give you this: As This Being Book being Part 1, it’s not and HEA as of yet.
It’s a Definite Cliffy, and shockingly I’m ok with that for right now haha

I’m so glad I was able to get this book, when I saw that it was Approved in NetGalley... I definitely freaked out I was so happy. This book captured me once I read the Synopsis, and then the first Page..

I this book seemed to act more as a... ‘Prequel’ more than a Book 1, I know that probably doesn’t make sense...but when you read, I hope you able to see what I was talking about. You Are Able to See growth in both REN and DELLA, but no romance occurs between them as of yet in this one and again shockingly I didn’t mind. I felt like I was being prepared for what is going to happen in the next book, like some type of Kaboom (gosh I hope not) is going to happen, you know romance is going to happen between these two but how long will it take, will it be hard to achieve? This book Flip Flops between Present (Her POV), the Past (His POV) and it’s pretty dang cool. Will someone from the past come back to haunt them (hopefully, not a certain equestrian rider)? Honestly, there are so many questions I want to ask, but I think I’ll give too much away. LOL

Book Rating? 5 Stars
Cover Rating? 10/10
Heat Rating? 2 out of 5, but there’s a reason for it :)
Would I Buy this? Yes
Would I Share it? Recommend - Definitely Yes, Let Someone Borrow it? No, buy your own LOL
Would I Read More From This Author? Duh, My Tablet is Filled with Her Books!

The Boy and His Ribbon such an AMAZING read, but even the word amazing isn't enough to describe how fantastic this story was. I was captivated with this story from the very beginning and honestly stayed that way until the very last page. I was no where near ready for the emotional journey that this book would take me on. This story is truly unlike any story I have every read before. It's truly hard to write a review for a book when you don't have the exact words to describe how remarkable a story is. I've read previous books from this author and I thought that there was no way that she could top those books but man was I wrong. One hundred percent wrong! As I read this story, the scenes played out in my mind as if I was a part of the journey these characters went on and everything they went through. I absolutely loved and adored Ren, and there is no way to not love Della just as much. I was so happy when Ren and Della finally got a break with the Wilson family but nothing great has ever lasted for them. There were definitely laugh out loud moments within this story; especially the part with Liam and Della and the "worm". This is one story that will make you laugh, make your heart race, and have you desperately wishing for the one thing that is forbidden. I absolutely loved this story! If I had to recommend one book from this author to start with, this book would be it. I CANNOT wait to read the final book in this series. This one has definitely taken the number one spot for the MUST BE READ book of 2018 and I'm more than excited to see what happens next.