ARC received for an honest review

It has been a couple of days since I finished reading Toward The Sound of Silence, and I am having trouble putting the words together to do it justice.

Every time I pick up a new Carmen Jenner book, I say to my self "Self - this can't be better than her last book."

Toward The Sound of Chaos blew all her other books out of the water (and I have loved and adored each and every one of her books)

She has written a raw, gritty, emotional book about too battered and broken souls finding their way to each other. You can't help but fall for Jake and Ellie as they go through their daily struggles but also helping each other get through.

I can't tell you how many times I had to put my Kindle to the side as the emotion got to me. How many times have you wanted nothing but the silence - but here the times of silence speak the loudest

"My brain fights me at every turn, and it wins, because how do you fight a battle that only wages within your head?"

My heart hurts now just thinking about this book again.

Ellie and Spencer - her struggles felt tangible to me (not from my personal experience, but from the experience of family members). I just wanted to reach through the pages of the book, give her the biggest hug that I can possibly give, tell her how amazing and wonderful she is.

From the moment Jake and Ellie met - in not so auspicious circumstances - I could not help but hope they would make their way to each other, that they could be there to help and heal each other, to make things better.

I hoped they could survive each other.

Then hoped my heart would survive this book.

"I survived war, I survived torture at the hands of the Taliban, but I won't survive Ellie Mason, not with my heart still intact."

I know that I am not doing this book justice. But Toward The Sound of Silence is a great reminder that not all romances are hearts and flower. And they don't need to be.