Review: Other Broken Things by C. Desir

Other Broken Things by C. Desir

Nat's not an alcoholic. She doesn't have a problem. Everybody parties, everybody does stupid things, like get in their car when they can barely see. Still, with six months of court-ordered AA meetings required, her days of vodka-filled water bottles are over.
Unfortunately her old friends want the party girl or nothing. Even her up-for-anything ex seems more interested in rehashing the past than actually helping Nat.
But then a recovering alcoholic named Joe inserts himself into Nat’s life and things start looking up. Joe is funny, smart, and calls her out in a way no one ever has.
He’s also older. A lot older.
Nat’s connection to Joe is overwhelming but so are her attempts to fit back into her old world, all while battling the constant urge to crack a bottle and blur that one thing she's been desperate to forget.
Now in order to make a different kind of life, Natalie must pull together her broken parts and learn to fight for herself.

Publishes in US: January 12th 2016 by Simon Pulse
Genre: ya contemp
Source: Simon Pulse via Edelweiss
Disclaimer: I received this book as an ARC (advanced review copy). I am not paid for this review, and my opinions in this review are mine, and are not effected by the book being free.
Series? no

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    I wanted to read Other Broken Things because I am drawn to tough stories, the teens with issues, and a recovering alcoholic as such a young adult. Nat is dealing with adult issues, the pressure of bad decisions breathing down her neck, and in court ordered AA meetings and trying to turn her life around doesn't make it any easier that her old group of friends aren't supportive, and only wants party girl wild Nat back. And then there is also the forbidden romance aspect when she meets a much older guy, but one who seems to get her. 

   Natalie is in AA and it's because she was she got a DUI. She has attitude and she is kind of apathetic to the whole thing at first. She's being forced to go to the meetings and she makes that pretty clear.Her mom is driving her to and from her meetings and trying to talk to her about it so it takes a but to get a handle on their relationship. Natalie seems to think that she doesn't care and that she has been wronged but she also did a lot of partying and made some bad decisions so I wasn't really sure how that dynamic actually was.

   Her ex boyfriend is still trying to flirt with her and initiate physical things with her but she also slaps him with a lot of the blame that she took him home and if she didn't she wouldn't have drove the car into the stop sign because she would have been at the party even longer.
but we know from the description of the book that she is going to have attraction and chemistry with an older guy so we knew that the ex wasn't going to play into things a whole lot.

     Things with him they were complicated Natalie wanted to flirt with him and I think she wanted that relationship but he was more interested in really helping her and being a role model and helping Her to get and stay sober and stay on the program

    As the book went on i began to realize how much of an all or nothing sort of girl that Natalie is. we also realize more about her past and that boxing used to be a big part of it and as she is getting sober she's beginning to realize how much that she really misses it, she wants the feel of hitting the punching bags or getting into the ring. But when she decided to start drinking and partying more than she wanted to box that is when she dropped That passion.

     She also becomes close with another adult in the AA program named Kathy. Kathy was tough and supportive and truthful all of the same time and that's it is kind of personality types that Natalie really needed. I know that some people needed cuddling or some people need their hands held by Natalie really just needed to be challenged and held accountable and made to look at things in the harsh light of reality.

    I really love the character development in this one. Natalie begins to realize a lot about her life and limits on the how to let her mom in and when to Start becoming the young adults and she is and taking responsibility for what she needs to. I like that she keeps her personality that she doesn't become a rule follower or someone who just goes along with what someone else. But she keeps her strong woman quality, but realizes she has to put in hard work to be the kind of person deep down she has always wanted to be.

    I liked where it left her. She had accepted she had problems,.She formed relationships, and came to realize that she was only responsible for her own choices. She had to give up a lot, and many things in her life weren't perfect, but she learned to figure out what she wanted and work towards it. She had to let go of some people, old habits, but she also stood up for boxing, something she was good at and loved.

Bottom Line: Tough situation for main character with lots of character growth.

My question to you, my lovely readers:
Ever had a crush on someone much older... or younger?