Meant To Be Broken (Carolina Clay, #1) by Brandy Woods Snow

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Rayne Davidson is perfectly happy fading into the background. Her mama’s antics garner enough attention in their small Southern town for the both of them, but when Rayne catches the eye of all-star QB, Preston Howard, she’s enamored with the possibilities. Too bad Preston doesn’t make her heart thump—but his brother does.

Gage Howard doesn’t mind the town’s stares, probably because he doesn’t get them. Growing up in his older brother’s shadow, Gage shrugs off the endless parade of girls Preston brings home—until Rayne.

But there are unwritten rules that shouldn’t be broken, like cheating on your boyfriend or betraying your brother. Rayne and Gage deny their growing attraction, neither willing to hurt Preston—until the town finds out.

They think overcoming the gossip will be the hardest obstacle.

They’re wrong.

Rayne’s mama has a secret, and its revelation could divide the town, the families, and the new couple.

Can love really exist if it’s all built on a lie? 

"Love is supposed to create a spark, a chemical connection that roots around in your gut and drives you just a little crazy but in a really good way."

I received an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. My thoughts and opinions are my own. Any quotes I use are from an unpublished copy and may not reflect the finished product.

Meant To Be Broken was excruciating in every single way. It's going to be hard to review without spoilers, so some of my comments might seem vague.

First, the book was longer than it needed to be. I was completely invested in the story for the first half, but when Gage does something selfish (thinking he's being selfless), I stopped enjoying it as much. However, I was patient and understood he needed time to figure things out, but then Rayne keeps her own secret that further prolongs the story. There shouldn't have been any hesitation on her part, and I really wish everyone had just been honest from the beginning.

I was okay with the love triangle, because I thought it was written well, but the secrets really grated on my nerves. It was obvious both Rayne and Gage cared deeply about Preston, and neither of them wanted to hurt him. They never crossed a line, but they did stand right on top of it. I thought that entire situation could have been handled better, although it felt realistic. The small town atmosphere was authentic and familiar, and the Southern accents reminded me of my childhood -- especially the gossip and drama.

I really like how the book ended, but I wish they had been able to get there another way. The author puts them through a lot of pain, which means we share their grief and their heartache. It was really bad at one point, and I thought I was going to scream at the pages. I wanted to shove my hands down their throats and force the right words to come out. It would have been so simple, and it would have kept them from hurting more than they were.

There's a lot more I want to say about the second half of the book, but everything after this will contain spoilers, so read at your own risk. Highlight to view spoilers >>> Gage leaves everyone behind to find his grandparents and learn more about his mother, which is completely understandable, but everything after that felt off. The time spent with his newfound family was short-lived, but also brought drastic changes to his life. He suddenly wants to join the Army, and still doesn't contact Rayne. She can't tell him she's pregnant with his baby, because she has no way of getting in touch with him. It was an awful situation for her, and Gage makes it worse by asking Preston to be there for her. He just hopes she'll wait for him, but he's given her no reason to.

I thought the Army references, and the pregnancy descriptions were spot-on. The author has either experienced them herself, or done extensive research. I've personally experienced both, and I felt like I was reliving parts of my past. Rayne's mother also had a tragic story, and one that did not get a happy ending. She died thinking she'd committed some atrocity, a weight she carried from that day forward, but the "accident" wasn't her fault.

Meant To Be Broken also made me stabby. There are a few characters that are truly terrible people. One is a mother, and that's completely unacceptable to me. The father in this scenario should have said and done more than he did, too. Two people masqueraded as a friends, but it was clear they always had ulterior motives. "I check over my shoulder—Preston’s still chatting in the kitchen, ignorant of the fact his brother and I are about to cut a bitch."

Everyone was hurt, and everyone deserved better. I thought it was a truly remarkable story that left an impression, but I wish it had been slimmed down a little. There was too much torment, if that makes sense. I kept waiting for the happily ever after, but felt like I had to swim through sewage to get there.