Some stories are a fairytale…but this isn’t one.

Caelan Gregory’s life fell apart the night he went home and opened the door to find his whole family murdered. Since then, his life has held no meaning. He’s angry. He’s bitter. He’s barely human anymore. There’s nothing left to remind him of the straight A student, and football quarterback he once was…but he wasn’t a good person then, and he’s certainly not a good person now. He’s retreated into a world where all that exists is numbness and his passion for painting.

When Sutton Hale moves into the apartment across the hall from Caelan she’s not prepared for her reaction to him. Something in his broken blue eyes calls to her—after all she’s always had an irrational need to fix everything.But Caelan doesn’t do relationships or feelings. He does drugs and alcohol. However, he can’t ignore his desire to get to know the raven-haired woman across the hall.

Two broken souls trying to mend one another.

But not everything can be fixed.

In the end, Caelan and Sutton will have to learn that there is beauty in the ashes.

You can grab your copy of Beauty in the Ashes today from the retailers listed below!

Amazon US |  Amazon UK |  Amazon CA | Amazon AU  

If you are looking for an unconventional love story, this is it. Smeltzer has taken a worn out tale and given it new life. In the book world, broken relationships are the norm and this book takes a different approach to that theme. Caelan and Sutton are two VERY tragically broken people. Take all the bad things that can happen to two young people and these two have probably dealt with it. The fact that they can even function is a miracle. These two have ways to cope with the pain and the more you learn about their history and struggles, the more you hurt for them. Everything about their relationship is unhealthy, but it is the vital spark they both need to take a step back and recognize the destructive path they are on. They learn to love and have hope. This book is beyond messy and the way you follow their story is hard but important.

Beauty in the Ashes is a perfect title for this book. I love that it has so many different relationships throughout and love is a huge theme. But so is forgiveness and new beginnings. I appreciated that this story is realistic in the end. It is an unconventional love story. There are so many different loves in a lifetime and seeing the story unfold is brilliant. Despite the fact that I was not expecting the last quarter of the book to take the turn it did, it could not have been written any better. Smeltzer walks with her characters, taking them through the hard decisions and lowest of lows, making them stronger and whole in the end.

If you are looking for a happy go lucky romance, this book might not be the best choice. There is ugliness and hard moments of life displayed in a heartbreaking fashion. There is addiction and the harsh coldness of the world we live in. But there is also a glimmer of hope in the darkness that leads us to the beauty that rises again. Dive into this book and soak it in. Weep, rage, and cry; but know that love wins and the world works in strange ways.