Full Tilt

Have you ever started a book and from the very first page you knew that it was going to be an amazing book? That it was going to be a book that you did not want to put down. You never felt the need to skim through any part of the book because you wanted to read and savor every word. Because you knew that when the end comes you will not want to let go of the characters. That is exactly how I felt when I read Full Tilt. From the very first page to the very last I was completely consumed by this story. I did not want to put this book down. I wanted to sit down in my favorite reading spot and just submerge myself into Jonah and Kacey's world. Unfortunately life got in the way and at times yes I did have to put the book down. But I tried my best to sneak it in at every moment I could get, even if it meant locking myself in the bathroom just so I can keep reading.

Full Tilt is a beautiful and emotional story that will stay with me. I fell in love with Jonah and Kacey and their story. It is about finding love when you least expected, about living every moment to it's fullest, about making memories that will stay with you forever, and opening your heart up in a way that you never thought possible.

Kacey is the guitarist for The band RC. She has been on her own since the age of 17 and when she met Lola her life changed, while it seemed like it was for the better she soon finds out that maybe it wasn't what she wanted. Kacey is fantastic on stage and knows how to perform in front of a crowd. But she is also the girl who is in self destruction mode, partying way too hard, which is exactly how she ended up on the couch if her limo driver.

Jonah is a limo driver at night and in the day he works on his big project. He knows that his time is running out. Which is his reason for his very strict routine. It's the same every day and something he never strays from. Until one night a beautiful rock star ends up passed out in the back seat of his limo and from that moment everything changed for him. He had no place to take her so he took her back to his apartment to sleep it off. There was something about Kacey Dawson that made him want to protect her, take care of her and keep her safe. She was never a part of his plan. But he couldn't stop thinking about her. On the outside she is this beautiful and talented rock star who likes to party. But I think Jonah has this need to watch over her because he sees her. He sees that deep down she seems so lost and so lonely. But at the same time he also knows that he needs to let his feelings and desires go because he has nothing to offer her. But that's not as easy as it sounds. They agree to be friends, even though they both want more. But knowing how it will end is Kacey still willing to take that risk of opening up her heart?

From the moment they met they just clicked. It was as if they knew each other for years. They had this deep connection, they trusted each other and just felt at ease and safe with each other. They could share their deepest secrets and fears with each other. Once Jonah let his secret out they knew that they couldn't be anything more than friends. But at some point they both have to decide if it is worth it to cross that line. And that moment when they do, Oh My God it was so beautiful and emotional to watch. I swear I got all choked up and had tears in my eyes. And I think what made it even more special and emotional it because this wasn't something that happened overnight. Emma Scott took a little time with Jonah and Kacey before getting to that moment. It was as if everything was leading up to that one moment and it was everything. They have both been through so much and we get to see the two of them get to know each other and truly become friends. But we also see them as individuls, Jonah dealing with his current situation, while Kacey is changing and adjusting to those changes in a big way.

These two taught each other how to live and how to love. Kacey was so unsure of where her life was headed or what she wanted to do with it. She was on her way down a path that would lead to self destruction But meeting Jonah, loving him and being loved by him gave her life again. And for Jonah falling in love with Kacey was like a breath of fresh air. He learned to live in the moment and truly open his heart.

I cannot express how much I loved this book. I am not sure that my words will even do it justice and not just about the book itself but the characters as well. Jonah and Kacey had this love that is just so hard to put into words. You see so much growth in them from the beginning to the end. There are so many emotions that Ms. Scott managed to pull out of me. I knew what was coming and a part of me was scared to keep turing the pages. I wanted to savor every moment with these two characters. In the end yes I was left an emotional mess. But it was so worth it. To experience a love like theirs was truly breath taking. To know their circumstances but still go with their heart and make all of those moments counts. What an amazing job by Ms. Scott. I cannot wait to read All In to see where Emma Scott will take us this time. I think I may need a whole box of tissues for that one.

Grab your copy today!

Oh my gosh. I don't have the words. This was such a wonderful book. The story and emotions were so real. I was totally immersed in the world. I felt every moment. I smiled, I giggled, I held my breath with anticipation, I cringed, and I cried. I cried a lot. But it was totally worth it. I am in love with this book, and I can't wait to read Emma Scott's next book.

After reading only the prologue my heart was already starting to break. That's when I realised this was going to be a really emotional reading.
But having that in mind was not enough to face what came after. The main characters are amazing. Jonah is perfect. He is sweet, smart and funny. And his story is told correctly, without too much drama and in a realistic way.
Books like this one are important. Knowing that there are young people who suffer the unfairness of life while we are oblivious to it.
This story is beautiful. Absolutely beautiful.
And it made me cry, yes. But I couldn't help smiling at the same time.
October can get fast enough. I am looking forward to reading the second book.

4.5 stars

When a book begins with an author's note about the type of love story you are getting into, I got nervous.
When I discover the condition of the hero, I got nervous.
And as I read each page of this story, I got nervous.

Yes, basically I was a glass cage of emotion while reading this.
Waiting for the drop.
Tissues on standby.
Liquor on standby.

I have grown a quick appreciation for this author's work. As her previous books, she presents flawed characters, which despite being different, are easy to understand. She does a great job of making you feel their emotions. And this book is no exception.

Kacey is a hot mess. After being abandoned by her family, she takes comfort in booze and strangers and meaningless men. However, her life is in for a big change after it all goes upside down one wild night. Enter Jonah, her chauffeur, who goes above and beyond to take care of her.

Initially, I didn't get the connection between Kacey and Jonah. They are opposites. Not each other’s type. On top of that, Kacey has the world at her feet, while Jonah's world is closing in on him. But with time, I absolutely got their connection. Both come together at the right time and helped each other to look at life differently.

This isn't a bucket list book. That's been done before. So I can appreciate when an author can take me on a completely different journey to that ending. No one wants to read the same thing over and over, and I love when an author can surprise me. Instead, Kacey opens Jonah up, getting him to break his self-imposed schedule and live a little. To enjoy each moment and find happiness in another, even for a short period of time. I liked how they both made an impact in each other's life for the better. I also liked that the author took them on a steady path, the one intended, even if it hurt. Sometimes there isn't that perfect fix. However, the author took us on a journey for a reason, and it was a beautiful one.

Over a brief period of time, this author has become an automatic 1-click for me. There is no formula to her stories, each is completely unique in its presentation. The only constant, is the flawless writing and unique storytelling. This book may or may not be an ugly cry book for you (I remained touched but tearless throughout), however it's one you should all take a chance on.

Why do we do this to ourselves? We do we readers knowingly accept the challenge of reading a book that we know is going to make us cry? Because of beautiful, heart-breaking, world-shattering stories, that's why. I approached Full Tilt with caution and reserve, thinking I could be strong and aloof, but it was to no avail. I couldn't stop turning the pages, and I couldn't stop getting sucked in. Jonah and Kacey are two lost people who find the entire universe in each other. Their love story is the stuff of legends, the true meaning of 'better to have loved and lost...'. Yes, it made me cry buckets, but I cried for the beauty of it rather than the sadness.

So I give this book 1000 stars...oh wait..stars caps out at 5. Fine. But know I would give more stars if I could. My poor heart barely survived, but it did. This story was absolutely stunning. It spoke to me me from page 1 all the way to the end. Full Tilt is one of those epic stories that left me speechless and overwhelmed. This is a beautiful book, one that will stay with me for a very long time.

I love emotional books, and I expected to be touched, but my god…I swear I teared up countless times. I don’t know how an author makes you genuinely feel something, but I was there and these words…they just pulled and pulled and pulled at my heart strings.

The beginning was a little bit slower than I’d have liked, but it was OK because it was the best way to naturally fall into Jonah and Kacey’s connection. The build up was great and sexual tension was totally off the charts. So yes, slow start turned out to be fantastic. Once the connection was established more firmly I just couldn’t get enough. And there are parts of this when I didn’t expect to get emotional and my heart just felt like it was breaking and there was nothing anyone could do. #HoldMe

The romance was pure. It was real. It was heart breaking, but yet it was magnificent and profound. The interaction between Jonah and Kacey was effortless and I, the reader, totally felt that. I loved watching the two of them resist the other and I knew it was only a matter of time before they caved in to their attraction. My friends, it was oh so worth the wait. It was sexy, but so powerful because the two of them were just meant to be. Trust me. Read this, savor it, live it, love it.

The characters….what can I say except they were perfect. Jonah and Kacey were so rich, so layered, so deep. They were real, they were human, but most of all they weren’t afraid to love. My heart bursts for how I feel about both of them on their own, and together. There’s also a few secondary characters that were so good too. Theo in particular – I have a feeling I will see in book 2. I loved him in this book, yet I’m nervous to watch him get his HEA. Yes, I’m mysterious but I can’t give anything away. He is overflowing with secrets and might take brooding to a whole new level. He is divine.

The ending was what I expected – it was hard, it was beautiful, it was perfect. I am a little shaky after reading, but it was all so worth it, because if we can’t feel, then it didn’t make an impact…and what an impact this book made. I cannot wait to read book 2 (I am a spoiler-phobe but I have a hunch who it’s about), but at the same time I’m not emotionally ready to read book 2…but who am I kidding?? I’m reading it the second it’s released. 😉

Rec this? YES YES YES A BILLION TIMES YES. If you love emotional stories that break your heart even though you feel so much love this is an absolute must for your TBR.

Happy reading!

inescapable that time holds no real meaning. It's a story about overcoming those parts of ourselves that seem impossible. It's about holding the universe in your hand and not being scared by just how vast and terrifyingly formidable it is because you know you're exactly where you're supposed to be. Jonah and Kacey do not have an easy road but their journey is so worth it.

Kacey is a troubled up and coming guitar and backup singer in a band. Selling out show after show should mean that everything is gold but that's about as far from the truth as it gets. Kacey is hurting and trying to cover that hurt with alcohol and men. Yet the morning always comes and it's never bright and shiny until she wakes up on her limo driver's couch. That morning changes the rest of her life.

Not long ago Jonah suffered a serious infection that left him in dire need of a heart transplant. Yet just when things should be looking up, reality comes crashing in with a diagnosis that would take the shine out of the happiest person. Yet Jonah perseveres. When he puts his mind to something, he makes it happen. Being an glass blowing artist gives him something to reach for. Yet when he gets an unexpected house guest, his carefully crafted world starts cracking all around him. And he loves it and even longs for it though it's most definitely scary.

As Jonah and Kacey go from strangers, to friends, to way more than that, their reality is glaring and yet they never let that stop them. With flawless writing, perfect characterizations and the most honest relationship build I've read in a long while, Jonah and Kacey's universe explodes with truth and love that colors the whole story. Their passion and devotion was breathtakingly beautiful, powerfully emotional and incredibly poignant.

While this isn't an easy story to read, most of it was cute and witty and even made me laugh. Even with such serious subject matter, Ms. Scott created a world I loved getting lost in. Not only did I enjoy Kacey and Jonah, but Jonah's brother Theo has me asking all kinds of questions that I cannot wait to get answer to in book 2. And yes, I did cry (and I am not a crier). I cried the UGLY cry. Like real ugly. Like for the rest of the day I kind of had a crying hangover kind of ugly cry. But it was SO worth it. It's hard to explain but this was not a sad book. It wasn't a depressing book. Not at all. Emma was able to write an ending like that and yet she infused it with so much hope and a palpable feeling of everything-is-right-in-the-universe which is a testament to her skill as a writer and her dedication to her characters. While I'm anxiously waiting for October and the second part of this duet, I am perfectly content with this story just the way it is.

I’m staring at my screen trying to figure out what to write about this breathtaking book, but how can I put into words its beauty when the true piece of art has already taken them all? This book brought back to me that true emotional link I had to books when I was a little kid. That pure, unseen connection. It has been years since I have cried so hard in a book and it’s been never since I’ve cried OUTSIDE of reading the book. Even now, when the book is over, tears stream down my face. I may sound dramatic, but read the book for yourself and you’ll understand. Jonah and Kacey’s character have touched my heart in ways that you’d think only real, personally close people could. I instantly fell in love with all the characters of the book and I don’t think I’ll ever stop loving them. I am looking forward to reading the next book with the utmost sincerity and this beautifully strung together set of words will forever be a part of my all-time favorite novels I have EVER read.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book Via NetGalley.

Shel: I've heard about this book. I knew it was going to try to make me cry. I knew it was going to pack an emotional punch--I just didn't know how or why; I went in to this book completely blind (other than knowing some of my favorite bloggers LOVED it) and I was itching to spoil it for myself time and time again, but I refused. I refused to go read the spoilers because I wanted to experience everything in the book without any expectation. If I was going to feel the weight of this book, I wanted to feel it all--the grief and the joy and the hope...all of it, without someone else telling me how they felt. Court: She did. She wanted to find all the spoilers, to abate all of the potential tears (she doesn't cry much, y'all) but I'm glad she hung in there. And I'm equally glad she kept pushing me to get this one read, because it really is incredible. The way that the story is written...with seamless flow of the words, and the characters really make you invested in them quickly. I also was very amazed with how they met and got to know each other. I just all around really liked this book.

Shel: I don't want to focus on retelling the synopsis--I really want to just purge all of the feeling Full Tilt evoked. I want to talk about how my heart felt heavy even when I was happy for Kacey and Jonah. How I practically heard every tick of the clock as time passed by in warp speed. How proud I was of both of them that they took chances, did the hard thing and let themselves love and be loved. Court: Exactly. This one really just makes you step back, evaluate and appreciate all of the things in your life. Good or bad, they can teach you something...and I think Jonah has many lessons to teach us with his perfect heart, figurative one...you'll see. Kacey is a really good person inside too, she is just a little rough around the edges and I appreciate when our heroine isn't exactly prim and perfect.

Shel: I love that Emma Scott made all the right choices with these characters--from the lack of contrived drama from outsiders, to the strength that Kacey found, to the hope mingled with sadness that I felt pouring on to every single page. She also created scenes that will stay with me for a long time--there were some really vivid moments where I felt like I could see and feel everything Kacey and Jonah were (the butterfly scene, the rain scene, the very first scene when she wakes up in his apartment, the hospital scene when he talks to Kacey, and on and on); I was in those pages with them and it felt so special. But perhaps one of my most favorite moments was a final moment Kacey had with Beverly--in the depths of a building despair Emma Scott managed to soothe my heart in a way that let me go on to finish this novel with some sort of hope through my stinging of my eyes trying to hold back tears. Court: This booked grabbed hold of me and won't let go, Shel. I am just in awe of the words that came out of Emma Scott, and the feelings that I have because of them. This is another one of those heart healers - if you let it - and I absolutely cannot wait to dive into the next book!

Shel: Without a doubt this is one of the best things I've read all year. Beautiful and emotional story. Court: I second that. It was incredibly beautiful.

This book took my breath away. From start to finish I was completely consumed with Emma's writing. The pace was perfect and I loved how the story evolved in front of your eyes. The characters both had strong personalities and a stubbornness that made them perfect for each other. This book proves that life can lead in in many directions but your fate will always show through. Love can change you and leave you broken but it's better to say you at least experienced the love that all stories are made from. This book left me a sobbing mess but I can honestly say it was one of the best books I have ever read. I can't wait to see where the next book takes us.

I need to give you a heads up...this is more of a personal blog post rather than a book review. I have a question... Have you ever read a story that touched you down deep into your soul? "Full Tilt" was just that book for me.

I completely identified with this story. Not that the man in my life is a limo driver nor am I a talented musician attempting to beat the odds rather we are going through a similar transplant situation.

The emotions felt so real. I saw myself in Kacey, I saw my husband in Jonah. And while Kacey and Jonah's story caused me to shed countless tears and had me feeling this immense grief, I found inspiration in it too. When he said...

"We might not have months or years, but we have moments. Thousands upon thousands of them. Let's take each moment, seize it and wring it dry..."

...things clicked for me.

It was as if I was meant to read Full Tilt at this particular point in my life. Full Tilt spoke to me on so many different levels. With these honest words, Emma Scott opened my eyes. She made me believe that perhaps there is hope, that perhaps I too may one day find the light at the end of this dark tunnel.

Thank you, Emily, for recommending this book and introducing me to this amazing author. And Thank you , Emma Scott, for writing such a beautiful, poignant and (for me an) utterly life-changing story. Without a doubt, this series is definitely one of my favs this year.

Because of how much of an impact Kacey and Jonah's story made in my life, I rate this book.....

These tearjerkers are going to be the death of me! Full Tilt is an exceptional one, however, and I’m so glad I was willing let it wreck me because it has more to offer than just heartache.

Kacey is on the brink of stardom as the guitarist and songwriter for a popular rock band. Although her star is on the rise, her life is in a downward spiral of drunkenness, reckless partying, and one-night stands as she tries to drown out the wounds of her past. Jonah is a glass sculptor and part-time limo driver living a regimented, numbered, isolated, and colorless existence. Their unexpected meeting alters the paths of their lives as they help each other heal and learn to truly live.

All In is emotional for many reasons, but I didn’t struggle to get through it. This could easily have been one of those overwhelmingly depressing stories where each chapter becomes more and more of a burden to read. Instead, the relationship between Kacey and Jonah is so pure and joyful that it transcends any heartache. In fact, it’s a pleasure to read. I loved the dynamics between Jonah’s family members as well, especially the relationship between Jonah and his brother Theo, the tattoo artist.

Full Tilt is a gorgeous and tender love story. I freely admit my aching, hopeful heart had me reaching for the Kleenex, but it hurt so good that I welcomed the tears of pain and happiness.

There is no cliffhanger; however, the story continues in All In. I’m looking forward to getting my hands on it and learning more about Theo.

This book gutted me!

I had this this one on my kindle for months and I finally decided to dive in. AND I'm so glad I read it!! I totally understand why this story was loved so desperately by so many readers out there. Emma Scott had me turning pages way past my bedtime. Full Tilt is a true masterpiece and I loved every second of it. Flawlessly and poignantly written, Jonah and Kacey’s heart-wrenching, tragic, but truly beautiful love story touched my heart so deeply, I felt emotionally drained at the end of it.

This book was absolutely everything!!! I loved its unique storyline and the characters so much. Kacey and Jonah were so very well fleshed out and so real. I was mesmerized by the sheer intensity of their connection. At times I seriously thought my heart was going to explode from all the love and amazing moments that this story possessed. Other times I was so overwhelmed with emotion, crying so hard I couldn't see the screen of my kindle.

This is so much more than just a love story—this is a story of true love, a story of human endurance, of courage, about finding good in the now, about hope, and most of all a major life lesson we must all master in our spiritual evolution - living each day to the fullest like there is no tomorrow.

"I would love you forever, if I only had the chance."

Full Tilt has all the elements of pure perfection. This might not be a stereotypical romance and yet it is truly one of the most compelling, inspiring and romantic stories I have ever read. Breathtaking, heartbreaking, emotional, beautiful, and just unforgettable! AN ABSOLUTE MUST READ!