Hands down one of the best books of 2014! If I could give this book more then 5 stars I would. I've already added a few books this year to my favorites list but My Skylar is definitely in my top 3 for 2014. I could not put this book down.

Talk about an emotional rollercoaster I've got a full on book hangover.
I just finished so my emotions are still raw and this review might be all over the place. I have no idea how to put into words my love for this book but I'll try my best.

I'm very...

Hands down one of the best books of 2014! If I could give this book more then 5 stars I would. I've already added a few books this year to my favorites list but My Skylar is definitely in my top 3 for 2014. I could not put this book down.

Talk about an emotional rollercoaster I've got a full on book hangover.
I just finished so my emotions are still raw and this review might be all over the place. I have no idea how to put into words my love for this book but I'll try my best.

I'm very on the fence when it comes to books that travel back in time and switch to the present. Sometimes it works and other times it's completely unnecessary. Well in this case to fully appreciate Skylar and Mitch's story you have to go back to beginning of where it all started. From the moment they meet a connection is formed that would end up lasting through the years. I got to know Skylar and Mitch in Jake Undone (another amazing read by Penelope Ward)and even then I adored Skylar. I loved her personality and kick ass attitude even though she was going through one of the worst battles of her life. And Mitch, how swoon worthy was he! When I found out they would be getting their own story I was beyond excited.

To say these two go through hell and back is an understatement. The obstacles they would end up facing throughout the 15 years in which this story takes place almost seem endless. But the one constant is their love for one another. Penelope gives you a good glimpse into Skylar's battle with cancer it's not a big part of the story but a very important piece as it would test their relationship in a big way.

Skylar is now added to my list of favorite book heroines. My love for her just grew with each turn of the page. She's strong, selfless, courageous, funny but she's also human so make no mistake she does make some bad choices along the way. She has flaws but that only makes her more relatable. I loved that I got to watch her confidence grow throughout the years just like everyone she has insecurities especially when dealing with the cancer and Mitch but in the end she only comes out a stronger, wiser, more mature person you can't help but root for.

And then there's Mitch, if Skylar is added to my list of favorite book heroines then Mitch is added to my list of favorite book boyfriends. I loved his devotion to Skylar. Watching him take care of her while she was at her lowest was so inspiring and heartbreaking at the same time. Even when I got to the "it" part of the story the blurb was referring to as much as my heart was shattered into a million pieces I couldn't help but fall more in love with Mitch while watching his growth and the way he handled things. Long gone was the boy afraid of his feelings here was a man not afraid to hold back and fight for what he wants.

Davey & Angie were hilarious, great side characters. Seamus gets an honorable mention because he is just awesome. It was always a treat when Jake & Nina would make appearances here and there.

My Skylar had the perfect balance of everything I love in a good novel. One minute I would laughing out loud and the next bawling my eyes out. My heart broke quite a few times for both of them and then my heart would swell at the love they had for each other. I'm a big fan of angst and I got a fair amount. And the sexual tension between these two...I mean WOW! There's no doubt these they were made for each other.

It's a good thing the blurb warns you that you'll heart will be ripped out because believe me it will be but I promise if you stick it out in the end your heart will put back to together and healed. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read.
Thank You Penelope Ward for another fabulous novel

So My Skylar is wrapping up a weekend long Penelope Ward binge for me and, wow, I'm not positive I can say My Skylar is my favorite of the four I read (not enough Jake) but it was the one that emotionally wrecked me and had me shedding more ugly tears than I thought I had in me at this point in time.

A friend has been raving about the greatness of Penelope Ward for months, and while I have been intrigued, even purchasing a couple along the way, even starting Sins of Sevin around the time o...

So My Skylar is wrapping up a weekend long Penelope Ward binge for me and, wow, I'm not positive I can say My Skylar is my favorite of the four I read (not enough Jake) but it was the one that emotionally wrecked me and had me shedding more ugly tears than I thought I had in me at this point in time.

A friend has been raving about the greatness of Penelope Ward for months, and while I have been intrigued, even purchasing a couple along the way, even starting Sins of Sevin around the time of its release, I hadn't gotten through one due to other obligations. When I won a copy of Jake Undone in a giveaway, my resistance and excuses were gone. I quickly got through it and had purchased Jake Understood before I even finished Undone. I read through Understood just about as quickly....what can I say? Jake really is one of a kind and one hell of a book boyfriend. By the time I finished Understood, I had purchased both Gemini (which I still need to review, but I was too anxious to move on to My Skylar to take the time) and My Skylar.

We first met Skylar, and B, er, Mitch in Jake undone, at a point that would be about 1/3 of the way through My Skylar. Skylar was definitely a memorable figure in Jake Undone and I'm truly not sure if she needed Nina more or if Nina needed her more in that one. Together they were certainly heartwarming, if making a bit of an odd friendship. For what both were going through, it made sense, and I am so happy in reading the other books that their friendship has remained strong. Jake Understood has some spoilers to My Skylar, but they are welcome ones, especially as their appearance in Jake Understood goes several years further in the future than where My Skylar ends. So, if you loved My Skylar, and haven't read Jake Understood yet, you will definitely want to do that now. I truly hope that Ms. Ward has something else up her sleeve to further follow up with Mitch and Skylar, Jake and Nina and Allison and Cedric as I fell hard for all of their stories and want more, more, more of all of them (especially Jake, but I digress.)

That was my very windy way of saying I had a good idea of who Skylar and Mitch were going into this, and I knew one huge obstacle they would be facing early on. It didn't make it easier to read about, in much more detail, but I knew it would be coming and I knew that Skylar would be pushing him away a bit at that point. I didn't know about their years of friendship before that ordeal, nor did I know the way they pined for each other. From Jake Understood I knew glimpses of what would have to be quite an ordeal for them, but knowing that could not prepare me for the pain of the entire story.

All four of these books had plenty of angst, and plenty of difficult situations that the negative reviews seem to think are impossible for any one couple to go through. I guess I've seen more than my fair share of the darker sides of life and relationships, because there was only one thing in the 4 books that I really had any trouble accepting....and just because I have never seen it first hand doesn't mean it couldn't happen.

I have no idea if the fact that I am happily married in my own second chance romance that I have often said I won't write because readers would think it was too far fetched has something to do with my reactions, but I felt for Mitch and Skylar so much, and I she'd real tears at several points in their story - which is another rarity for me. There is so much angst, and yes, much of it they brought on themselves through insecurities and not communicating with each other, but anyone who thinks that doesn't happen in real life....well, I guess I would like to know their secrets or find the planet they live on, because it certainly has not been my reality. I certainly feel communication is the key to a healthy, lasting relationship, but is it really so hard to believe that insecurities get in the way of that every day? Especially when you are talking about a story that starts when they are teens? And throw in a life threatening illness? One negative review I read really slayed me - one that couldn't believe that a 16 year old with cancer wouldn't want to know about sex. When I was 16 everyone I knew wanted to know about sex, and as I am now a mother of teenagers I am quite sure that hasn't changed a bit. When you add a potentially terminal illness to the mix? Of course she is going to be curious. Plus the way an ordeal like that is going to force her to mature in ways her peers can't fathom. But at the end of the day, Skylar is just a girl who lost over a year of her teenage life to dealing with and worrying about things no child should ever be confronted with. That is going to forever change her outlook.

I have gotten way off track with this, but since I have a bad habit of reading bad reviews, I had to let some of that out. I loved all 4 of these books that are sort of connected, but My Skylar had the biggest emotional impact on me. For someone who reads voraciously, in many genres, it honestly takes a lot for me to invest emotionally in characters I am going to spend a scant few hours with before moving on to the next story. Mitch and Skylar got that emotional investment from me, through all the ups and downs of the emotional roller coaster they were on. I am sure that they, along with the Green family, will stay with me for quite some time to come. Those reasons in and of themselves easily make this a 5 star read. My final addition here is that it is not all angst - there are some laugh out loud funny moments, some really fun (and some truly evil) supporting characters, some super sugary sweet moments and characters. There is just a whole lot of the full range of human emotion portrayed here. I will definitely be catching up on more works of Penelope Ward.

For 18+ audiences only for some steamy hot and pretty explicit sexual scenes. Trigger warning gor main character fighting cancer.

Wow Skylar And Mitch ,when you find the love of your life and things happen in life,you find your way back . Love is a very strong word great story love it 😊 👍

Wow Skylar And Mitch ,when you find the love of your life and things happen in life,you find your way back . Love is a very strong word great story love it 😊 👍