99 problems, and a book ain't one

   I really enjoyed Clipped Wings. This book made me think about much more than just the, will they or won't they. There were a lot of different issues that Helena Hunting brought up while telling this story of two broken people finding each other, and I really enjoyed thinking about them. I'll even go as far as saying that while I am not a fan of co-dependency type relationships, the way that Hunting portrayed this one definitely had me re-thinking some of my notions on the subject. While I still don't find it healthy to NEED someone else to heal you, or make you better/whole, I can see what Hunting did here as being something that I could understand and appreciate. I can absolutely see where two people who have lost so much could relate to one another. There is something to be said about someone understanding the hurt you feel, and who better to understand your tragic loss than someone else who has lost so much as well. I could get that, and that made the whole co-dependency issue much more palatable for me.

   Tenley and Hayden were, judging by outward appearances, complete opposites, but underneath that they had much more in common than anyone could imagine.

At a glance Tenley was what one would probably describe as a "good girl", she fit into a nice little box of normal, straight laced, smart, beautiful, well educated. But there was much more going on there then met the eye, she had been through a horrific accident and lost everything because of it. Furthermore she had this incredible artistic side, which was dying to get out but after a lifetime of people making her feel like it was silly, not important, and god forbid....outside of that pretty little normal box, she mostly kept this part of her inside or dismissed it. It was awesome seeing some of the real her come out piece by piece as the story progressed.

It was also kind of sad to think that before Hayden no one else had ever cherished or praised these things about her. Tenley did what so many young people do, she was living up to other people's expectations of her, and not living for herself. It made me wonder where she would have ended up had she not lost everything that day. 

    Hayden's story while different than Tenley's had a lot of similar undertones. He appeared to the a tattooed tough guy. And if we're being honest, there is a certain stereotype that goes along with people that are covered in tattoos and piercings, it's that bad boy stigma, they scream trouble. I liked how much this came into play in this story. People were constantly judging Hayden on his appearance, when in reality this was someone who owned his own business, car and home, was smart and well read and mannered.

It was sad, but also very realistic, to see how others judged him just by how he looked. And that really only intensified when he and Tenley got together, it seemed as if just about everyone though him lesser than her and excused anything they could have together as being "a phase" Tenley was in. Although Hayden did currently have his shit together, he was someone who had a past, one that he wasn't necessarily proud of. He struggled through quite a few years of his life dealing with a tragic loss of his own. He battled with addiction in various forms, whether it be drugs, alcohol or just people, all of which were damaging to him in different ways.

   It made for an interesting story, these two guarded, damaged people coming together while only sharing bits and pieces of themselves in the process. The secrets between them were so many and large that they felt like living, breathing, destructive organisms.

You were constantly left just waiting for the inevitable crash of everything coming out. I loved watching this process of them getting together, and them growing together slowly. I am honestly glad that their story didn't end by the end of this book. It's got a cliffhangery ending and this is one of the only times that I am truly glad for it. Their story has been a slow journey into them opening up and accepting themselves and each other, and they've only just started in this book. I'm really looking forward to see them, hopefully, moving forward and healing in the next book! I can't wait to see where these two crazy kids end up. I'm really rooting for them.

 I received a copy of this book from Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review