The Line Between

The Line Between by Tamsyn  Bester - 4 STARS

Synopsis

There’s a fine line between love and hate, so fine that you don’t know you’ve lost balance until it’s too late.

I’m not sure exactly when I lost my balance, all I know is that he was to blame.

Dane Winters.

The boy who’d spent most of his life hating me for reasons I never understood.

** ** ** ** ** **

It was no secret that I hated her, but only I knew why.

She was off-limits.

And then our separate worlds collided with one tragedy.

It wasn’t her fault, I knew that, but I wanted her to hurt the way I did, and I needed someone to blame. She was an easy target.

Kennedy Monroe.

The girl I’d picked on all our lives.

And the woman I barely tolerated.

Until the line between love and hate was no longer visible…

*I received a copy from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review

Review-

I absolutely loved this book. It was a fun and flirty read. The banter between the characters felt realistic and their romance blossomed over time. Their inner monolgues really provided an important aspect and perspective, without being too mundane.
I docked a star mainly because I was a bit frustrated with the hate coming off on Dane. It didnt make much sense to me at first, but eventually it worked itself out.
 
The story between Dane and Kennedy is told from alternating POV's, which really helps provide answers to some of the burning questions we all have as the book goes on.
 
We first meet Dane and Kennedy in high school and are left believing Kennedy is a nobody who cant stand up for herself and Dane is the ultra-cool but dickhead jock. The beginning reminded me a lot like the movies and tv shows with the popular guy picking on the lowly unpopular girl. But as the book quickly moves forward, we find that Dane and Kennedy are not what they appear, and distance forced them both to grow up in their own way. I absolutely loved the way this story played outl knowing but knowing; seeing things but not really seeing them. The pieces are all there, like breadcrumbs for the reader to follow, but none of the pieces are put together until the very end, at which point I was ugly crying. The "line" that kept them apart and hating one another, (or rather him hating her and her just trying to live) wasnt some ridiculous ideal or rumored secret/gossip but rather a heart wrenching secret and moment in time. These two people are forced to decide whether to live for themselves or the people everyone else expects them to be.
 
Dane and Kennedy are characters of their own right. Very distinct voices, without being too demanding, aggessive or unrealistic. Kennedy struck me as the girl who is willing to do anything for the ones she loves, but she is more sympathetic, generous and tender with her friends. Dane on the other hand is fierce, aggressive and passionate, in all consuming love it or hate it kind of passion. He is a guys guy who throws all his cares out the window every morning. Or so it would appear. At the end of the day Dane and Kennedy are struggling with the same pain and just dealing with it in different ways. They carry burdens and secrets no one should have to but find a way to do more than survive, but live.

The secondary characters here also felt quite realistic and true to what a friend or best friend should be in a book. Many times these roles get lost and these characters feel misplaced and purposefully place but without a true purpose. (Hope that made sense!) I cant wait to read the love story between the friends because their romance was undeniable - at least to everyone except them!
 
This is a book I wish I could forget I ever read it just so I could read it again. It was tender yet aggressive, loving and passionate, and really just all around fun read with lots of angst but without the ridiculous feel that these New Adult Novels can sometimes provide.