BOOK REVIEW...Ending a Broken Journey (Journey #1) by Melissa L. Delgado

Published August 3rd 2013 by Melissa L. Delgado (first published August 2nd 2013)

A childhood crush who moved away. An adult love that shattered her world. Twenty-seven year old Mackenzie Tillson hasn’t been living for quite some time, rather, just existing. Life is passing her by and even with the love of her friends and family she can’t quite seem to snap out of the disconnected bubble she has created around her. Moving day by day as a shell of a person who once knew what it meant to live.

Until one day, the boy who first had her heart comes back. With a vengeance...Drew Dean has been apart from the girl he loved all of those years ago for far too long and now that fate has provided them with a second chance, he will make it clear to her that she is, and always has been the one for him. But what Drew discovers in the process, is Mackenzie may just end up being completely unreachable.

Is it possible to get through to someone who has no intentions of ever letting anyone in again? Can a person find their way through the darkness and emptiness they've created? For Mackenzie, trudging along in life alone is where she feels she deserves to be. But will she find it in her to fight and break the barrier of the internal distorted view she has of herself? Or will she let everyone and everything slip away?
As Mackenzie tries to piece together the remnants of her shattered existence, she inadvertently discovers life, love and loss are one in the same. A hopeful journey to be taken with an ending to fill the emptiness she's carried for too long.

*This book contains adult situations and some explicit language.*

"Damaged. Empty.  These two words would probably best describe me for the past year or so." 

What a spectacular debut from Melissa L. Delgado!  When I had read the book synopsis, I had already deemed it to be interesting but now after reading it I am speechless.

It was such a beautiful journey of of woman named Tess broken down by past experiences (and people) and learning to love herself and let love in.

"When I looked at myself, I no longer recognized who it was standing in front of me.  The coldness in her eyes.  The hardness in her stare.  The hatred of her being."

We see glimpses throughout the book of her diary entries which are in the shape of a poem and I must say that they are breathtaking.  Such beautiful depictions.

Normally, when I read stories, I have this and that to say regarding the plot, pacing, and the characters but I really have no criticisms whatsoever.  Everything was perfect and well-written.

I loved the idea of childhood love blooming and being reciprocated on both sides.  In the story, Mackenzie, or "Kennie" as Drew would call her, had always had a crush on her brother Kip's best friend Drew.  What she doesn't know is that the feeling was always mutual but then Drew and his family abruptly move away.

Years later, Drew returns back to his hometown with a vengeance to win the heart of Kennie and to figure out what has "broken" the girl that he loves.

.....
Side thoughts:

I totally called Drew's dirty little secret that he held from Kennie within the book.  I just knew it!! It was so obvious to me from the beginning with all of the little clues here and there.  You can't fool me!! Lol.

I'm now super looking forward to Jax Dean's (Drew's little brother) story and hope that he and Cass work out since I found it so funny how she was the one girl who was immune to his charms! Buahahahaaha.

As to will there be a Kip and Ade story?  I really hope so!! They're so funny.  I knew it from the beginning that there was something going on between them even with all their banter and bickering.  It was just a form of attraction between the two in in which they blatantly denied over the years.

So over all, a lovely, emotional, and heart warming read by Melissa L. Delgado.  If you haven't read this yet then I highly suggest you should!  You won't be disappointed.

 "When I look at myself?  I see my self worth, I surround myself with those who inspire me, Those who love me for me.  And those who encourage me to just…be.  When I look at myself, I see all of the reasons I will never let life pass me by, Ever again, I see all of the reasons, why I lost the battle, And now, see all of the reasons I came out on top, I see all of the reasons on why I won my war."