Title: Bright Lies
Author: AA Abbott
Link: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08NHYBKB4
Summary
Emily’s dreams come true when her mother marries wealthy painter, David. Thanks to him, Emily’s artistic talents shine. Then he starts teaching her things a 14-year-old shouldn’t know. When Emily escapes from David’s luxury mansion, she’s penniless and forced to sleep in a rat-infested alley.
Bad boy Jack has turned his life around. Working as a DJ with ambitions to open a club, he rescues Emily from the streets when he sees a woman in trouble. He doesn’t know she’s still only 15 – and trapped in a dark web of secrets and lies.
David must find Emily and silence her. As he closes in, Jack faces the hardest choice of all. If he protects Emily from the man who’s stolen her innocence, he’ll kiss goodbye to his future…
My Review
5/5 Stars
When Emily’s mother marries, David, Emily believes her life is going in the right direction. As an accomplished painter, he can teach her things about her own art. Except he wants more than she’s willing to give, and it’s not soon before his affections turn to threats. Fearing for her life, Emily decides to run away, taking her chances on the street. But she’s quick to learn the streets are just as unkind as the home she escaped from.
Even though this book deals with such a sensitive topic, the author wrote about it in a way that is both realistic and compelling. The arc of Emily’s emotions from when she first meets David to when she takes to the streets is realistic and heartbreaking. She dealt with so much, and it seemed as if every time she started to turn her life around, things took a turn for the worst once again.
I also loved the dynamic with Cassie and Jack. Even though I didn’t fully care for Jack’s character, I felt his personality was realistic. Especially in the way he handled the situation with Cassie and Emily.
All in all, this is a dark and captivating read.