Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills

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I needed a little bit of a change of pace after my holiday reading and decided on a whim to pick up Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills. I didn't really look at any of the prompts I had for readathons or challenges, but was able to use it for the prompt book that's gotten a lot of hype for Winter's Kiss. While this didn't get a lot of hype recently, I remember seeing it around a lot when it came out. This is a standalone romance.

Ava is returning to the private school she has a scholarship to for her senior year. It's been 10 months since she's attended as she was sexually assaulted at a party. While she doesn't know who it was, she's pretty sure it was one of the rulers of the school. They go by the name Sharks and the head of it is twin brothers Knox and Dane. When she gets to her new locker, she finds a letter inside with a phone number. It's from a secret admirer that admits he's a shark but really likes her. When Knox and Ava get paired together in film class, the forced proximity allows for Ava to talk to him about what happened to her. It also allows Knox to get closer to Ava, as he is her secret admirer.

So, I knew this book had an epistolary theme to it, but I was hoping the letter writing/texting did go on a little longer. However, the connection between Knox and Ava was so palpable and I really didn't mind it once I got to the end of the book. I usually don't read new or young adult, and the age group kind of rides in between here. I still managed to enjoy this though since both Ava and Knox have so much more life experience are not the typical 17/18-year-olds. The are so mature and have gone through so much.

While there is a little bit of a bully aspect, Knox himself doesn't bully Ava directly and once they start to actually connect he very quickly starts standing up for her. It was really hard to read, especially since a lot of her bullying came from classmates thinking that she wasn't sexually assaulted and a "slut." It really hurt my heart for Ava, especially thinking that they probably happened to someone somewhere. Or they didn't come forward because this might happen, especially in a private/boarding school setting.

Ava and Knox were such strong people and dealing with so much grief and trauma in their personal lives. When we got near the end of the book I was contemplating giving it 4-stars. I wasn't a big fan of how they came to separate, but when they came back together it was really beautiful (once we got past the teasing). While there is a little bit of intimate moments between them, it didn't feel like too much with them being younger. It also was such a beautiful way for them to connect. The tension between them was so strong and I wholeheartedly can see Ava and Knox together forever.

This wasn't the first Ilsa Madden-Mills that I've read, but it is the best so far. I think I definitely want to pick up her newer releases since what I previously read was earlier in the 2010s. A lot of her books are new adult, so I just don't get drawn to them. I think if I do get in the mood for new adult, I'll definitely look at what I have on my tbr from Ilsa.

Have you read Dear Ava?

Bookishly Yours,

Stasi🍎

STATISTICS: Dear Ava, Ilsa Madden-Mills, 5-stars, 0 days, eBook, 374 pages, published in 2020