Review: Hold on Tight by @NicolaHaken

Hold on Tight by Nicola Haken
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Wow! What a powerful story full of hope, despair, grief, and love.

Emily and Dexter are in for the fight of their lives. Only three months into their relationship and Emily is trying to hold on to Dexter while he battles through a dangerous drug addiction. Her friendship with Rachel is on the rocks and she feels like she’s losing her soul mate. Recent events have brought Dexter back into the past he worked so hard to escape. He cannot break free of the guilt that drives him to numb the pain with drugs. He believes he doesn’t deserve love and pushes everyone away. When the addiction is so bad he does nothing but concentrate on where he’ll get his next fix, can Emily save him before it’s too late?

“Please, baby...please stop running from me,” she begged - her voice strained and uneven.
“I’m trying.” I sounded pathetic. My voice was weak and eyes began to sting. “I’m really am. I just...I’m fucked up, doll. I’m losing it. I’m losing everything.”
“You’re not losing anything,” she replied, sounding determined as she raised her chin to look up at me. She pressed her warm palm to the side of my cheek and stared intently, purposely into my eyes. “You’re not losing anything,” she repeated. “I won’t let you.”
If she only knew. If she only knew I’d already thrown it all away. She was right - I’m not losing anything.
I’ve already lost it.
And the only thought more frightening than that right now, is I’m almost out of gear.”

I do not have any experience with drugs or addiction, but through Dexter’s voice, I believe I felt the hopelessness and despair. It was so scary and sad. The scenes of drug use were eerily detailed and coupled with very believable reasons as to why Dexter would go so far to forget his life. Emily’s concern and love were also felt and I was brought to tears more than once. I LOVED IT! The raw emotion in HOLD ON TIGHT was really powerful. I find myself wondering what I would do if I were in Emily’s shoes because for most of the story I really felt like I was living their story.

The reason for a four star rating instead of five is that the characters would slip in dialogue with the reader out of the blue and it felt unnecessary and forced. It broke the flow of the story for me, but I know that this is something that may not concern other readers. I also wish there was more mention of Emily’s best friend, Rachel, even though she was absent due to conflicts in their friendship. I missed her humor in this story.

This is a powerful love story full of despair and hope for a better future, which I highly recommend. HOLD ON TIGHT was not without a cliffhanger leaving you wishing you had a copy of the next installment. It’s a doozy even though there was heavy foreshadowing of a problem. Emily and Dexter are in for another fight and I can’t wait to read LEAN ON ME (Hint, hint Nicola. Please send a copy ASAP!)


✳✳ Copy provided by the author/publisher for an honest review.

✳✳ Reviewed on I ♥ Bookie Nookie Reviews by Tickled Pink for Book Ink


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