I am in my romance era now and this one was a surefire winner for me. I felt the emotions, there is so many different topics discussed as well. I can't recommend this one enough. Loved it.

Heartbreaking but so so good. A tragic love story destined to break your heart after making you fall in love with the main characters

Past the Broken Bridge by B. Celeste has such a compelling premise—Sawyer and Paxton were childhood best friends, separated by the devastation of Hurricane Katrina and unknowingly reunited years later in college. The dual perspective works well in giving insight into each of their emotional journeys, and the slow reveal of their shared past is touching and bittersweet.

I absolutely loved the theme of friendship—particularly the complexities of being close to someone struggling with addiction. It’s one of the hardest, most sensitive topics to explore, and Celeste approaches it with care and sincerity. Those emotional undercurrents made the story feel very human and relatable.

That said, while the storyline had so much potential, it felt a bit underdeveloped. Some plot points could’ve used more depth or expansion, especially considering the weight of their shared history. The romance includes a bit of spice, but it stays fairly subtle. Ultimately, I was left wanting more—a more complete picture, more emotional payoff, and more time spent digging into what made their connection so strong.

Overall, a beautiful story with important themes, but one that could have been even more impactful with further development.

the first book i read by b. celeste was underneath the sycamore tree almost 3 years ago and it’s safe to say that book TORE ME APART! this book.. this was heartbreaking. this is the kind of book you read if you want to feel true heartbreak.

I am a big fan of B Celeste and jumped at the opportunity to read this book.
It was such an emotionally heartbreaking book. It’s a book that will stick with you for a long time

***4,25 "Birdie!!!" stars***

"Life is too short to be battling with yourself when you should be living."

This story ripped my heart out!!! It was a beautiful, but nonetheless, a soul-crushing story!!!
It was going around a very difficult matter, this one of cancer, and i could related since three months ago I lost a very beloved person to me who was battling this illness for three years!!!
My heart was aching while I was reading Sawyer and Banks' story, but I can not deny that even though the pain, it was giving us so much hope!!!

"I’m tired of swimming. I’m tired of fighting for life. I simply want to live it."

Sawyer, after battling with cancer for five years, is deciding to spread her wings and fly to a city that she used to love as a child and that she had to abandon because of Katrina...
Now, she is back into Louisiana as a college student and she wants to cross items of her "to live" list, silly things for others, such as making new friends, going to parties and finding her happy place aka the wooden bridge that she was used to sharing with a boy named Paxton...
But while in her new place, she is meeting Banks, her mysterious neighbor who is becoming more than she ever wanted for her...

"Banks is the type of boy girls fall for. And I can’t afford that."

Banks is carrying his own cross, but he is good at hiding it!!!
His new neighbor is a girl full of life and he loves spending time with her, even though the bro code is making Sawyer forbidden for him!!! But she feels so familiar and he is pulled toward her!!!
He just wants to go on with his life, but everything and everyone around him are not letting him find peace!!! His only peaceful moments is when he is around the new girl and when he is visiting the broken bridge and the memories of a girl that he used to know but lost abruptly!!!

"He says I’m his peace. But he has no idea how wrong he is. I’ll be his devastation."

I loved Sawyer and Banks very much!!!
They were both having their own cross to bare, but they were so strong!!!
Sawyer, my poor girl!!! I was breaking for her!!! But she was a fighter and a survivor!!! She was kind, lovely, courageous and selfless, even though she was feeling selfish!!!
Banks... that boy was so responsible and intelligent!!! I was hurting for him too!!!
These two never wanted to fall, but they fell without fate to ask them!!!
And how beautifully they fell!
But life is a bitch and was never at their side!!! And my heart was breaking over and over again, while my eyes were tearing up constantly!!!

“I remember what my mom told me once—that one day I’d find somebody who would make life worth living. I just hope that I don’t hurt him pretending like that’s possible.”

This was a very emotional story and it was dealing with very difficult issues...
And even though it was bittersweet, it was very easygoing to read...
From time to time, you were forgetting that an ugly turn was looming to bring you to your knees...
Yep, my heart broke in here, but the journey, even though a difficult one, was worth it!!!
Banks and Sawyer had so many potentials that they never got to explore and I was sadden by that very much!!!
Maybe... in another lifetime!!!

"“You were my favorite memory.”
“You were mine too, Birdie. Always.”

Thirteen years ago Sawyer and Paxton were childhood friends. A hurricane forces Paxton to leave with his family and Sawyer stays behind and ends up getting sick. Years later, Sawyer is better and wants to check things off her bucket list. She befriends the new neighbor who she doesn't realize is her old best friend Paxton, who's back for college. The two get close.

I had B. Celeste on my radar for years, but as a person who loves to keep her emotional stability high, I hadn't read her yet (joke, my emotional stability is not present when I look for books like hers), but because of life it wasn't until this moment that it was her turn.

Oh Corazon!!! how I have adored this story, it has made me suffer and has made me be with the snot lying hidden in my bathroom giving me touches of water to try to hide the red in my eyes (spoiler: it didn't work).

I have fallen in love with the author's pen, now I want to read her other story: Underneath the Sycamore Tree.

When a book talks about a person who suffers a cruel disease like cancer, you know that the book will make you suffer, Sawyer is a warrior, I adore this girl.

Her whole story and everything we learn along the way, makes me want to shed my tears again.

Read it, so you can suffer like me and fall in love with the story.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this incredible ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

I had B. Celeste on my radar for years, but as a person who loves to keep her emotional stability high, I hadn't read her yet (joke, my emotional stability is not present when I look for books like hers), but because of life it wasn't until this moment that it was her turn.

Oh Corazon!!! how I have adored this story, it has made me suffer and has made me be with the snot lying hidden in my bathroom giving me touches of water to try to hide the red in my eyes (spoiler: it didn't work).

I have fallen in love with the author's pen, now I want to read her other story: Underneath the Sycamore Tree.

When a book talks about a person who suffers a cruel disease like cancer, you know that the book will make you suffer, Sawyer is a warrior, I adore this girl.

Her whole story and everything we learn along the way, makes me want to shed my tears again.

Read it, so you can suffer like me and fall in love with the story.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for this incredible ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

4⭐️

Tropes: not tradition HEA, chronic illness rep, friends to lovers, emotional, forced proximity, college romance, grief, addiction

I can always count on B Celeste to deliver an emotional story that will leave you thinking WTF. This beauty is no different. Please know going in this is not an actual romance, it’s more tragic love story vibes. Sawyer and Banks were raw, emotional, beautiful and oh so heart breaking. I’m not gonna say much else regarding the story because I think you should just dive in knowing the least amount possible. Please make sure to check TW though, this does cover some hard topics. If you’re looking for a heartfelt beautiful story about young love and painful moments I suggest this one.

Thank you for an arc🩵

Things went off the rails in a way I wasn’t expecting and overall I think this is just not my type of book. I can certainly say it brought out strong emotions because I ugly cried, but not even in a good funny way :( One final note- I do not think this should be considered a romance book. If anything, it could be a romantic tragedy, but that is a stretch. Do not read this book expecting a happy ending!

This story is heartbreaking. I knew going in I would be shedding some tears. A story of a girl, just wanting to live a normal life as a college student without thinking about all the treatments from cancer. She meets a boy who she knows is going to fall in love with but will try everything for that not to happen. They both share a wonderful memory from their childhood. Lovely story of finding your soul mate.
The only thing I didn’t agree with is the paired couple at the end. It just seemed like they just ended up in a “love the one you’re with “ situation.

As with every book by B Celeste, I’m left teetering on the edge of speechless and awestruck. I’ll never get over how much of her emotion the reader can feel in each story she writes, and when I say I had full body chills multiple times while reading Past the Broken Bridges, that’s not an exaggeration. This tribute to her father and his battle is beautiful.

Sawyer and Paxton were exquisite. Trauma has a way of maturing people, pushing those bits of typical immaturity to the side in favor of the coping mechanisms that will help it seem just a tiny bit less daunting. Levity is important, but it’s quickly tempered by reality. I don’t know what it’s like to have someone call to my soul quite like that, but if I ever did I’d count myself one of the lucky ones. So many people go their whole lives without experiencing sacrifice and compassion on the level these characters and their friends did. Disease of any kind is an ugly beast, but I greatly appreciated that she didn’t sugar coat it. This book is so raw and I couldn’t imagine it any other way.


I feel so honored to read this story. Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced review copy and B Celeste for trusting the world with this piece of her!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ x ♾️
🌶️

I knew before even starting Past the Broken Bridges that B. Celeste would make me cry with her newest release, and I was correct.

This sweet and heartbreaking contemporary follows Sawyer and Banks, both of whom are fighting their skeletons when they reconnect at LSU without realizing the past they share.

With every book I read by B. Celeste, I fall more and more in love with her writing and storytelling. I loved getting a glimpse of both these characters as children before their lives were torn apart and everything changed. Getting to follow both perspectives in a book of this nature is always something I appreciate, so reading from both Sawyer and Bank was beautiful. Both characters were flawed and hurting, yet being together healed them. I knew the ending would hurt me, I just didn't know how it would happen. If you're looking for a book that is going to make you cry, I would definitely recommend this one.

CW for terminal illness, sexual content, drugs/gang violence, addiction, blood descriptions, abuse, abandonment, toxic relationship, death, car accident, gun use.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Bloom for the ARC of Past the Broken Bridges by B. Celeste.

Past the Broken Bridges is a heartfelt and emotionally rich novel about love, loss, and the power of second chances. Set against the backdrop of Louisiana, the story follows twenty-one-year-old Sawyer Hawkins as she returns to the place she once called home after years away battling non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma. Determined to embrace life to the fullest, she sets out to check off her list of college experiences—making friends, going to parties, and maybe even falling in love.

Banks, her enigmatic and brooding new neighbor, who soon becomes a pivotal part of her journey. As their connection deepens, hidden truths begin to surface. Banks, it turns out, is none other than Paxton Banks—Sawyer’s childhood best friend, the boy she thought she had lost forever. But time and trauma have changed them both, and rekindling their bond means confronting the past and the pain they each carry.

This story balances themes of resilience, healing, and rediscovery, making it more than just a love story. Sawyer’s journey is one of self-acceptance and courage, while Banks’ struggles add layers of complexity and depth to the narrative. The writing is evocative and immersive, drawing readers into the lush Southern setting and the poignant emotions of the characters. Fans of second-chance love stories and heartfelt contemporary fiction will find themselves deeply invested in Sawyer and Banks’ journey.

A Very Great Captivating Romance Story with a cancer battle that left me emotionally damage.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bloom Books for this ARC in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are my own.

I literally cannot believe this book is being marketed as a romance book. This. Was. Insulting. I was so excited, this was my first book by the author, but I have too much going on in my real life to be lied to about a happy ending only to have this happen. No. No HEA, not romance.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. This book tore my heart out and shredded it to pieces. I related to this book so hard. My son is currently going through chemo, so I am seeing all the patients we pass every time we are there in this book.
After five years of treatment, Sawyer just wants to do some of the normal things a twenty-one year old does. Carrying a list of all the things she wants to experience. She is determined to get through all of them while keeping her skeletons a secret.
Banks has his own skeletons. He has successfully hidden them from everyone, even his best friend, for years. Until the blonde across the hall takes notice.
Please read the trigger warnings and get a box of tissues. It's going to be a bumpy ride. One I definitely recommend reading. 10+🌟🌟🌟

B. Celeste is expert at telling a complex heart breaking tale and Past The Broken Bridges is another prime example. She portrayed the various facets of different kinds of love here. Not necessarily just romantic one. It's a raw tale of tragedy, loss, grief and pain. But I feel it also shows how beauty and happiness can be found in pitch dark.

* new adult/ college
* second chance
* childhood friends
* neighbors to lovers
* more of a fiction
* TW - Cancer rep, addiction, mental health issues, gun violence in an educational institution, death

I am not sure how to review this book. Sawyer had been fighting cancer for a while and she has convinced her parents to let her go to college and stay alone. Her neighbor Banks is someone a grumpy rude one..Then there is Bank's freind who likes her and her friend Dixie who likes Dawson. Full of new adult emotional mess. Slowly she and Banks start having a connection. But they don't know until late that they are the kids who found their happiness by the bridge in middle of nature. Banks has issues. Sawyer is on a ticking clock and nobody even knows.

The characters are pretty flawed here. Sawyer doesn't know how to handle her conflicting feels. And she is constantly self doubting and calling herself useless. She is such a sweet and kind soul but she is so hard on herself. She doesn't want her disease to define her and she is fighting hard but she is feeling guilty and afraid of dragging another person in her mess. Banks has his own trauma and issues. He is definitely brooding but for Sawyer, his soft sides come out. The whole dynamics is pretty messed up here. They took a lot of time to even come clean of their feeling and by then, it was almost over. The ending is brutal but fitting. If you can handle angst, this one is for you.

I reviewed an early copy voluntarily

I loved this book. The relationship between the 2 main characters was everything. I loved the way they both helped each other without realizing how they really needed it. This was very heartbreaking story so be prepared to cry. One of my favorite books by B. Celeste is Underneath the Sycamore tree which is also a very sad book so I knew it was going to be amazing.