Breaking Nova by Jessica Sorensen

Title: Breaking Nova (Nova #1)
Author: Jessica Sorensen
Genre: New Adult
Publisher: Sphere (3rd September 2013)
Blurb:

Nova Reed used to have dreams about becoming a famous drummer, of marrying her true love. But all of that was taken away in an instant. Now she’s getting by as best she can, though sometimes that means doing things the old Nova would never do. Things that are slowly eating away at her spirit. Every day blends into the next, until she meets Quinton Carter.

Quinton once got a second chance at life, but he doesn’t want it. The tattoos on his chest are a constant reminder of what he’s done, what he’s lost. He’s sworn never to allow happiness into his life, but then beautiful, sweet Nova makes him smile. He knows he’s too damaged to get close to her, yet she’s the only one who can make him feel alive again. Quinton will have to decide: does he deserve to start over? Or should he pay for his past forever?

Rating: ** (2 stars)
Review:

BREAKING NOVA is the first book in a new New Adult series by Jessica Sorensen. The book follows the stories of Nova Reed and Quinton Carter; both are struggling to deal with tragedies that have affected their lives, and the summer that their paths cross.

Having read two books by the author, I thought I knew what I was getting into with this book: a troubled couple and plenty of romance. I found that BREAKING NOVA was more troubled than romance, and I honestly feel that the book would have worked better marketed as an “issues” book – at least then I wouldn’t have had certain expectations regarding the romance when I went into it.

To be fair, Sorensen weaves an interesting and complex narrative. I thought she did a good job in showing what happened to both Nova and Quinton without being melodramatic. She also made them both seem like believable characters with their own unique tragedies. Sorensen does a sensitive job with these events. In particular, for me, she did a good job with Nova’s journey through the book – although she could have added a few more details towards the end. In a lot of ways BREAKING NOVA is just about Nova, and Quinton’s story just seems incidental and a way to link to the next book in the series.

If you are looking for a typical New Adult book, then BREAKING NOVA may surprise you. The story is a complex one; with the dual narrative we get to see both sides of the narrative. This is a characteristic Sorensen uses in most of her books, and as always she pulls it off brilliantly. If you are looking for an intricate story within the New Adult genre then you may want to consider this book.