While I'm a huge fan of this cover I'm not a fan of Mia Sheridan's writing or characters. I tried to read her other book that just came out and then this one and I'm not a fan. I wasn't able to get into either of them and sadly had to dnf them both.

I ended up not finishing this title. I have decided to go back and read her other books before reading this one.

I found this novel to be emotional and heartwarming. The first book I read from Mia Sheridan was archer’s voice since then I have struggled to read a story that gives me the same kind of feeling. I love how this book dealt with themes that are not off to talk about. The two teens in this book come from poverty coal mining towns are are both going for the same scholarship which inevitably ends things between them. Flash forward to the future and you get taken down the road of them reconnecting. I wish I got more from this POV. But I still love this book.

I really enjoyed this book. I feel like it is divided into two parts, the time before the scholarship award and then after. I typically do not like reading about high school relationships, but for whatever reason, this story reminded me of my own first love and I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Although Tenleigh and Kyland did not have many material possessions, they gave to each other in ways that really truly meant something to each other. They worked against all odds, and were both truly selfless to each other. They did not resent each other for what the other had, and they were supportive when they needed to be. It was a beautiful, sad, angsty story, and I loved every minute of it.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publishers for providing me with an advanced copy of Kyland by Mia Sheridan.

4.5 stars.

Tenleigh Falyn has not had an easy life. She lives in a small, poverty-stricken town with her sister and her mother, but her mother is mentally ill. She works hard in school so she can earn a scholarship that will help her get out of town and go to college.

Kyland Barrett also has not had an easy life. His only goal is to earn the Tyton Coal scholarship so he can leave the small town and never look back. He intends to leave whether he wins the scholarship or not.

When Tenleigh helps out Kyland one day, she ends up losing her job. From there, they start to talk and become friends. Neither wants to fall in love, not when they both intend to leave town and are vying for that coveted scholarship.

Tenleigh and Kyland were so similar. They both had hard lives with no parents to help them. But they found genuine friendship with each other, and they truly understood each other. There was a certain part where I was almost one-hundred percent sure that Kyland was lying, but I still felt the pain Tenleigh was going through. And wow, Kyland. He fell so hard. He was so <i>so</i> determined to get out of their town, get away from all his painful memories associated with the town, but once he fell for Tenleigh, that was it.

While some events were predictable, I could not predict everything, and Kyland really did the absolute most. I swooned. Seriously.

This book was emotional and heartbreakingly beautiful. It was angsty and full of love and healing. It was my first full read of a Mia Sheridan book, but it will definitely not be the last.

this book literally had me so emotional! the relationship the fmc and mmc form is so magical. Hookd by the first page you will cry, laugh, and be so enthralled with this authors writing style.

I found this story to be quite interesting. Having never read this author, I enjoyed how she brought the characters to life. There was enough romance, and a little suspense throughout the book, and the story line is probably more true that people would think.

This book was spectacular. Though I shouldn't be surprised because every books I've read by Mia Sheridan has been utterly fantastic. I love her books, and Kyland is no different.

They make you feel, they make you think and question, and they envelop you in in such a way that you won't be the same after you reach The End.

Kyland blew me away. This is a story of sacrifice, and desperation and as much fight as you can muster against all the challenges thrown your way. This story is also about love, and what that love will make you want to do, what that love will evoke in you, and how that love will change you. Kyland is a story that changes you, and I for one am in awe of the phenomenal writing and storytelling within its pages.

The way this book took you into the setting of this book was great. The sense of what people in poverty go through was profound and you see how easy it is to get sucked into that lifestyle even if you have every intention of doing better for yourself.

Mia Sheridan's novels always hit so hard and this one was no exception. I loved it and couldn't put it down.

“Sometimes my life felt so small. And I had to wonder why those of us who were given small lives still had to feel pain so big. It hardly seemed fair."

Kyland - 4/5 ⭐️
📍Second Chance
📍Friends to Lovers
📍Small-Town Romance

This book is a touching and beautifully written romance that tugs at the heartstrings. The characters' journey from different worlds to find love and hope is both moving and unforgettable. If you enjoy emotionally charged romance novels, "Kyland" is a must-read.

Thank you to NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Bloom Books for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

I tried to get into this book multiple times but it just wasn’t happening for me. I know this is a book thats up a lot of peoples alley but it just wasn’t for me. Sadly

I did not finish this one, it was not for me, I couldn't relate to the characters, and just did not care for the story.

“I do go to hell. Every day. For you."

This is not a fairytale story. This story is about two people who are barely making it to the next day. Starvation, loneliness, utter poverty and a love that changes everyone.
This story takes place in the Appalachian Mountains in Kentucky which is known to have huge differences between poor and utter poverty. Tenleigh and Kyland grew up walking 6 miles to school every day and doing anything to win a college scholarship to be able to have food and get an education in hopes to escape from the poverty threatening to eat them alive.
“Half agony, half hope. Half pain, half ecstasy. Half grief, half joy. Half my downfall, half my saviour.”
The book makes you cry (duh have you seen who wrote it)
its this beautiful disaster of half agony and half hope.. can the people sleeping on the ground in a mobile home with no heat or electricity make it to a day where they know a meal is waiting for them? Can they overcome the suffocating poverty in the Appalachian Mountains ?

Thank You Net Galley for providing me a copy of Kyland. I have always loved Mia's writing so I was glad to be able to read this one! This is a great contemporary romance that everyone I think would enjoy. Kyland was very well written and I enjoyed it from page one. Kyland was such a great character and I felt for him. Lots of emotions when it comes to reading this one!

This is my first Mia Sheridan book, and I devoured it in a day. It was so easy to get sucked into the characters' emotions and the setting despite it being so different from my experiences. This is a great beach read, and I will definitely be checking out Sheridan's other books as a result.

"Kyland" by Mia Sheridan is a touching and heartwarming love story that'll make you fall in love with its captivating characters.

I LOVE Mia Sheridan. While I have read plently of dark or stuggle-city settings, I felt like I stepped foot on Dennville Mountain. The trials of poverty, class, health struggles, and generational trauma made me ache for our characters.

Some of favorite quotes:
"Sometimes my life felt so small. And I had to wonder why those of us who were given small lives still had to feel pain so big. It hardly seemed fair."

"The colorful sky stretched before us magnificent, as if it was trying to make up for the ugliness of our lives, our constant struggles. And for just the briefest, most fleeting of moments, maybe it did. If only I could grasp it and make it stay. If only I could grasp anything good and make it stay."

"We had everything we needed. None of it was big. Most of it was simple. But what I knew in that moment was that the size of your home, your car, your wallet, doesn't have one single thing to do with the size of your life. And my life . . . my life felt big, filled with love and with meaning.”

“I’ve messed up so badly, hurt you so much, but… I never did take my heart back. And, God.” I shook my head slowly, moving even closer, pressing my body to hers. She blinked up at me, her lips parting. “Someday I hope you might want it again.”

"“Half agony, half hope. Half pain, half ecstasy. Half grief, half joy. Half my downfall, half my savior.”

This book is the record for the quickest I’ve become attached to two characters. I was invested and hooked after the first paragraph. Extreme poverty is a vocal point of the story. Due to the heaviness of it, I didn’t feel it was something I could binge all in one day. I didn’t really get a sense on why these two were meant to be. They both shared struggles but what set them apart from anyone else in that poverty-stricken town? There was still something very charming and alluring about them together.