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I am absolutely destroyed at the moment. This book gutted me. I wasn’t quite sure what I was going to get when I started. As this is A- my first read by this author so I’m unfamiliar with her style, which I am discovering is a tragedy in itself because OMG where has Author Brit Benson been in my life the last few years?! And B- because other than the blurb that TBH I read a while back when I signed up to read this, I went in blind not really knowing too much of what to expect. Which turned out to be the way to go anyway.

Blind is best y’all. My recommended way to go, always. Now, I had my assumptions based upon said blurb, but… You know what they say about assumptions and all!  Blurb had me thinking “ okay, this is going to be the whole “good girl falls for an anti-hero that’s going to grow on us.” and I can totally get on board with a good ‘ol enemies to lovers any day of the week and twice on Sunday’s. I mean it was an enemies to lovers, and this book does take place in high school, but these were anything but your typical high school sweethearts. This book was unlike ANYTHING I have ever read. Original storyline with phenomenally written, flawed characters gave us an engaging and gripping story. A  gritty and realness that is sure to leave you emotionally raw long after the cliffy at the end leaves you breathless. I know it did me. 

From the very beginning I fell for Macon hook, line, and sinker. He’s so tantalizingly toxic, and I should be ashamed that I’m so twisted because I die harder for the toxic ones. But I’m not even a little ashamed.  Yes, he was definitely cruel at times, he was messed up, he was for sure trouble with a capital T. But he was also misunderstood, he was damaged, he was broken, self destructive,  hurt, and he was so much more than what people saw him for. It wasn’t just the way people saw him, it was the way he saw himself.

He just made me feel everything. I wanted to simultaneously hit him upside his head to knock some sense into him and pull him to me and just hug him and heal all his hurts. He broke my heart, he melted my heart, he made me hot. Holy Hot Hell 🔥🌶🔥🌶 did he ever make me hot. The ones with  the bad egg rep y’all, I’m telling you. They just do it for me. What is wrong with me? In real life my hubby is as straight-laced as they come.  Lol That’s probably why I like my fictional fellas fully fubar’d! (Not completely. I do want him redeemable)  

Lennon is amazing. She’s got a heart of gold, she is who she is and she’s comfortable with herself. She is creative, a rule follower, and selfless friend. Honestly she gets the short end of the stick sometimes because with most of the people in her life she doesn’t stand up for herself…except with Macon. He seems to be the person in the world who can get her the most fired up. The way they verbally spar. He brings out this lively feisty spirited side to her that no one else sees. I can feel  how she finds herself struggling with her feelings for him, it practically jumps off the pages. She is at war with everything. The things he does, the way he treats her, the things others have to say about the kind of person he is. It all weighs heavily on her mind.

But things start to happen and she finds herself around him more and more and she sees glimpses that there is so much more to him. All of these discoveries are breaking down her walls. However the more walls they tear down, the more life seems to throw back up in their way. I just connected with her character so deeply. The writer did such an amazing job I was so invested and emotional I had to take moments and remind myself that I wasn’t actually there. I didn’t need to throw down with anyone in real life to stand up for some injustice that was being done to my girl. I mean I could chuck my kindle, and almost did several times. I could cry, which I absolutely did. A lot. I could cuss, did that as well. But at the end of that chapter I pressed on. Until press on I could no more…and now we wait.  

My angsty frustration level is at an all time high. The tension between them is palpable.  I live for the kind of rush this book was giving me. This book is a catastrophic collision of every emotion under the sun. Past trauma, damaged hearts, addiction, forbidden love, secrets, mistakes, lies and betrayal rips through their lives. Told in dual alternating POV, book one in the Next Live Duet will leave you grasping the edge of your seat, tears in your eyes, wanting to IM the author immediately to demand book two, before I die of impatience. Can one actually die of impatience? I feel like I just might. But in all actuality this book is fantastic. While it is full of sensitive content. It is beautifully written, the parallels to real life make it tragically devastating especially given where it has left us at this point. I am also filled with a smidge of hope. Deep in my core I believe in true love and I believe these two are inevitable soul mates. But I think they ( and us readers) will be put through a gut-wrenching journey, the likes of one which we won’t recover from immediately( because these characters have already captured our hearts.)   

My Cr8zysockbookblock Wrap Up

⭐️Star Rating~⭐️✨⭐️✨⭐️✨⭐️✨⭐️✨⭐️✨~Six, I will probably never emotionally recover from this duet if book one is anything to go by, STARS!!

💭Overall Thoughts~ I am so happy I took a chance on this book and this new to me author as it will most definitely go down as one of my TOP READS of 2022! My only regret is that I am just now discovering this author’s work. I plan to quickly devour as much of her back list ASAP. I will be counting down the days until book two. I’m probably not ready for what Ms. Benson is going to do to my poor heart. But I can’t survive without knowing where we are going from here. I highly recommend EVERYONE take a chance on this author and The Love Of My Next Life. As for me… I will never be the same. 

⚠️TRIGGERS~This book has some content that could be disturbing to some readers. Elements of child abuse, unaliving oneself, Death, addiction, mental illness. If you would like more specific information feel free to PM me for more specific details.    

🌶 HEAT~ 🌶🌶🌶 Definitely Hot. Had tension and lots of great “Banter O’Hate.” The buildup was worth the wait. I can’t wait to see the spice level in book 2 since I imagine the them to be older in that book.  

🥰 HEA/CLIFFY🧗‍♀️~ HUGE CLIFFHANGER– This book is book ONE of TWO. You will not get a resolution to this couple’s story in this book. You will get a shocker and then an abrupt ending to keep you hanging! Thankfully book two is set to release in October 2022. Until then Happy Reading My Friends! 

Meet Brit Benson

To learn more about Brit and her books, visit here!  

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