I am not sure why I had forgotten to post a review on here but released it everywhere else. This was a new to me book & I enjoyed it immensely. Emotion and straight to the heart! The characters were wonderful & I was able to read this in one sitting!! The second chabce romance brought out like i said a lot of EMOTION. Did not expect that!! My rating is actually a 4.5 & I would recommended this very much!!

This is my first book by this author but I can unequivocally state it won’t be my last. This story is full of emotion, angst, love and just the right amount of drama given Merit and Ryan’s past. Our H/h were childhood friends along with her younger brother Eli and while they thought their friendship would be forever, things happen and not only does it not last forever, it may be irreparable!

I started this book not knowing it was part two in a series and nor did it affect me that I didn't read the first book Peony Red. However, after reading this one I wouldn't mind catching up with the back story on Alex and Eli.

I liked the premise of this story and I'm always a fan of second chance love stories.

During the prologue it starts as the main characters are children and the thoughts were quite deep for kids that age which made it a bit unbelievable but I got what the author was trying to do.

"When you cry it's just the grief letting you know you're not done yet."

There were elements that were sweet. And it wasn't just a typical romance adding some suspense into it. It was a bit predictable and the story was a bit forgettable.

For the publisher since I'm late on my review and can't send a direct message. These may have been correct already but in case they were over looked here was a slight error.

loc 1871 It says warden Young I believe it should be Warden Taylor

Violet Ugly is the second book in the Granite Harbor series but can be read as a standalone. I haven’t read the first book, Peony Red, yet and I easily fell in love with the second book in the series. The story is about Merit and Ryan who were in love with each other when they were teenagers but then all of a sudden broke up and left each other.

Violet Ugly has a double perspective, you can read in Merit and Ryan’s perspective, so you get to know both characters really well. You don’t really know what happened to Merit and Ryan when they broke up and the more chapters you read the more you get to know the full story. Some chapters are from the past and some are from the present. I really like that J. Lynn Bailey did that because it gives a better view of their story.

Violet Ugly isn’t just a Romance book because so many things have happened to the characters. Ryan had an abusive father, Merit’s mother died, … This book isn’t your typical light Romance read. I really love how strong Merit and Ryan have become and I think that Violet Ugly is definitely one of the best books I’ve read this year.

Violet Ugly was an amazing book and I cannot wait to read the first book, Peony Red, and the third book, Magnolia Road!

I received an arc from Netgalley. This is the first book I have read by this author. The way the author weaves the story from past to present really engaging, keeping you intrigued all the way through.

Ryan and Merit are the two main characters and have a beautiful second chance love story in this book. Seventeen years apart but when they meet again their love for each other is so strong, but yet past hurts continue to plague them with guilt and denial.

Beautiful love story that you won’t be able to put down.

It took me a while to get in to how it was written, repeating events from each of their points of view, but once I was used to this I did enjoy the book.
I didn't like Ryan despite his back story, how he had treated Merit in the past and then waiting so long to make amends - unacceptable to me.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for allowing me to read this book in return for my honest opinion.

This book is more of a 2.5 out of five for me than a true 3. I felt the characters were more like caricatures of people, and every romantic story cliche was utilized. There was an abusive father, a dead mother, a broken romance, and so on. It didn't feel authentic or real.

I got bored with the novel about halfway through. There wasn't enough real tension or enough meat to the story to keep my interest. It was easy to see where the book was going, and there was no surprise. I did see some growth of the characters, but not enough.

This was my first read by this author and I loved it! It was perfect for an afternoon read. I really enjoyed and would definitely read her again!

3.5
I like Merit and Ryan’s story. Great writing, interesting plot and characters. I especially liked Merit. The story is angst ridden as you would expect it to be. I was satisfied with the conclusion. The only thing I found slightly detracting was the jump in timeframes (not back and forth but all over the place). I get it was there to give you insight to the characters but it didn’t always flow smoothly for me. That’s my only gripe and I still enjoyed reading this story.

Thanks to NetGalley, the author and Xpresso Book Tours for a copy in exchange for a review.

This was the first book that I read by this author but after reading this it will not be the last. The emotion that the author portrayed in this book felt real. The main characters have to decide if they should forget the past and eachother or should they try again? Secrets will find away to get out eventually, what happens when they do?Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and write about this book.

Violet Ugly
This was the first book I read by J. Lynn Bailey!! Have to admit, it was full of emotions. I loved how Merit and Eli was taking care of Ryan, and how he let go of the girl he loved, years ago when he was very young, just to let Merit follow her dreams
The story switches between its main characters and you can imagine the situation from different point of view. Which is very exciting.
This book is an easy read I was able to connect with the characters and really see myself in the story.

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for sending me a kindle edition to read and share my review.

"Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for the advance copy of this book, in exchange for an honest review."

Loved this book very much. It had just enough sweet romance and the storyline was great! I highly recommend!

Violet Ugly is a very touching and engaging book that deals with young heart ache and mistakes from a perspective of years later. Two broken hearts that never recovered from a break u come face to face again when Merit Young returns to take care of injured Ryan Taylor. Both have shown the lostness of each other in their lives but Merit resolved to never let Ryan back into hers. Fate has entirely different plans-plans that cause re-evaluation and deep reflection for them both.

Amazing read! The author wrote a story that was interesting and moved at a pace that kept me engaged. The characters were easy to invest in.

Sixteen years ago, Merit Young left her home town and her family for college. Apart from a few brief visits, she has not been back since. What no one knows, is that she in fact ran away from her first love, Ryan Taylor, her brother's best friend and her own childhood friend, who scarred her so badly with his cruel parting words, that she has yet to heal from the wound. But she's back at the request of her beloved brother, albeit very reluctantly, to help Ryan mend after work injuries as a game warden left him 'struggling' to care for himself.

I like second chance romances, as the angst factor is often more intense when they have a past together. This book just didn't quite work for me. First, there is the writing style of the author, who chooses to write in constant present tense from both Merit's and Ryan's first person POVs, even when she flashes back 20 years plus+ to their childhood. This decision to maintain the present tense when retelling the past was rather odd and quite annoying personally. Then there's the non-linear timeline of the chapters, going from 1995, to the present, to 1998, to the present, to 2002, to the present, to 1995, then back to present etc. As a result, we end up with 11 yo Merit coming up with pearls of wisdom in her inner dialogue which would make more sense as a reflection of a grown up Merit reminiscing about the past. At times, she also comes across as prescient eg. Elleven year old Merit muses: "And this is where my role as sister, daughter, and mother begins.", which makes no sense in present tense as she would no be able to state that her family responsibility had changed at the time, if they were only just about to change. Okay, it's so confusing, I'm starting to confuse myself. What I mean is that only hindsight would have given her that realisation. In fact, I think the author got herself confused too, because within one chapter (23) while (re)telling the same event, she went from her usual present tense to suddenly past tense. In addition, the constant rehashing of the same scene through switching POVs were also quite redundant and tedious.

There were some pretty emotionally intense themes covered in the book, but they didn't really move me. The author writes very well at times, however there were many lines that didn't quite make sense if you analyse them, but I felt were included by the author, because they sounded good on a superficial level. There were also a heck of a lot of inconsistencies that were quite jarring and distracting. For example, Merit was asked to come back to be a live-in carer for Ryan because he injured his shoulder and ribs and cannot care for himself - except he was pretty self-caring and bathed and dressed himself as one would expect from such injuries. Okay so he was in pain, and she had to prompt him to take pain tablets, but the pain did not preclude him from carrying out his basic functions at home. And in fact, on day two I think, he was picking up children and playing with them, although he did recall to wince from the pain a bit later in the day. The other big plot inconsistency was the fact that (view spoiler) There are too many other details and dialogue that made little sense within the plot.

Finally, the ending where Merit apologised to Ryan for having wronged him made me want to scream my fury, because her past actions were fully justified given the callous words he said to her at the time and even though she might understand his motivation behind those words now, that did not mean she had anything to apologise for.

What another great and emotional read by J. Lynn Bailey!! I knew going in that this one was going to be gut wrenching. To be completely honest it took me about 3 days after release to finally start this book. I wasn’t sure if I was going to be able handle all of the emotions that I would be experiencing, but it was all worth it!

The story of Merit and Ryan was packed full of emotions. As children the bond between Merit, Ryan and Merit’s brother Eli was unbreakable. Merit’s family became a safe haven for Ryan. I loved how even with all that Ryan was enduring at home he would do little things for Merit, my heart just melted! Then as they got older, Merit and Ryan’s feelings changed for each other and they fell in love, until Ryan broke her heart. So Merit left home at 18 to get away from the pain that was caused by Ryan but she is now back in Granite Harbor and Ryan knew this was his chance to right all the wrongs that occurred sixteen years ago. What ensues is a journey of grieving, healing and letting go. I shed quite a few tears in this book. The pain that they both carried was tremendous, but once they got their second chance it was so beautiful! I highly recommend this book. Now I can not wait for the next standalone in this series, Magnolia Road!

Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this book. All opinions are my own.

Merit and her brother Eli grew up in a small town with a loving family. Ryan grew up in the same small town. But his childhood was not ideal. As a result, he spent a ton of time at Eli and Merit's. They were all close like siblings. Until one day, Merit and Ryan became closer. And one day, Ryan broke Merit's heart.

Instead of communicating, she moved to California for college and tried to leave Ryan behind. And instead of communicating, she just avoided him and the conversations they needed to have. she did pretty good with this for fifteen years or so, only seeing him a couple of times like at Eli's wedding. But when Ryan was in a car accident, Eli knew Merit was the one person Ryan would let take care of him. So he begged Merit to return home and help nurse Ryan back to health. He had no idea that Merit and Ryan had left things such a mess. She's spent years trying to ignore her past. Would he finally be able to get through to her?

J Lynn Bailey does a fantastic job of connecting you to the characters and making you feel and empathize.. They are raw and vulnerable and honest. They could be anyone you know. i liked the message that it does you no good to bury grief and not address it, that not talking about things leads to missed opportunities and missed time. i liked that Merit was able to find meaning and purpose for her losses. It was a message that meant a lot to me, having recently lost someone important myself.

This was actually the second standalone book in a series. i had no idea before i started, and it did not impact my understanding of this book in any way. i would like to go back and read that book, as well as her others. Thanks to Netgalley and J Lynn Bailey for this book.

Group of childhood friends who experience grief, death, love. They give and gain strength from each other. With this story you get crime, good and bad guys, some sexy time, growth and forgiveness. Always rooting for Merit and Ryan.

*ARC provided by NetGalley

I loooooovvvvvveeee this book!
After reading Peony Red, I was really looking forward to this book and it did not disappoint!

The story of Merit and Ryan is so heartbreaking and beautiful at the same time. I cried so much while reading this book and I love it when books can make me cry.
This is a book with excellent writing with strong character development and a tight story line.
We get to know the characters by reading about their early years. And then get to live their heartbreak with them. With raw emotions and such real characters.
This book is definitely going to be one of my top go to re-reads!

And most importantly, I love the stories where the heroines saves her self by working towards making her life better just by confronting her feelings burried in the past!
10 out 5 stars from me! ♥️♥️♥️

I received an advanced copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Nearly twenty years ago, Merit Young moved across the country to California for college, leaving behind her younger brother Eli and her father, as well as the man who broke her heart, Ryan Taylor. Despite Ryan being her brother's best friend, she has managed to avoid any and all interaction with the man for seventeen years. Until, that is, she receives a call from her brother, asking her to come home. Ryan has recently been in an accident, and Eli seems to believe Merit is the only one who can convince him to take of himself. Acquiescing to her brother's begging, Merit travels back to Maine to take care of Ryan, which soon forces the both of them to face the pain and regrets of their shared past.

To be perfectly blunt, Violet Ugly was an incredibly difficult book for me to finish. Despite not having read the first book, I was intrigued with the vague synopsis and decided to try this book anyway. What I found was an author with some stellar writing abilities, but a plot and characters that, frankly, drove me insane. My first problem with this book, and perhaps the most trivial, was the non-linear storytelling. While books that alternate past and present scenes don't generally annoy me, the fact that the "past" scenes can go from 1995 to 2001, then all the way back to 1997, really did. The past scenes really helped with characterization, but I couldn't stand that it wasn't told chronologically. Moreover, I hated that we would get a "present" scene in Merit's POV in one chapter, but then in the next, the author would backtrack a bit, and retell the same scene in Ryan's POV. It got to be really repetitive and frustrating.

My second problem with this book is about Merit even taking Ryan back. Perhaps I'm cynical and have the tendency to hold a grudge (okay I totally do), but what broke them apart in the first place, seemed like too big of a deal to forgive and forget. Without spoiling anything, what Ryan did and said to Merit was beyond cruel, and so misguided, that I actually had to put down the book and walk away when I read the scene in his point of view. How someone could do what he did, to someone he supposedly loved, is beyond me, but how he could claim to STILL be in love with her seventeen years after the fact? Bull. I can understand her forgiving him for his mistakes, but couldn't find it in me to get over it.

Additionally, I wasn't really interested in Ryan's dad's story arc. Call me crazy, but I just can't really find it in me to care about his abusive drunk of a father. He's a crappy person (who hurts animals!), and that particular aspect of the novel seemed unnecessary with the already angsty story.

Despite my issues with the story, I will say that I really loved Merit's character development. I always have so much respect for authors who choose to include characters that better themselves, or, in this case, learn to overcome their past and love themself again, before making any big romantic leaps. By the end of the story, I really did admire Merit's character.

J. Lynn Bailey is an excellent writer, and I found myself completely immersed in the story, but I just couldn't get over a lot of the plot choices enough to enjoy it. I can definitely see myself enjoying something else written by this author, and can easily see someone else really enjoying this novel, but unfortunately Violet Ugly was just not the book for me.

1.5/5