Review: Patch Up by Stephanie Witter

Patch Up by Stephanie Witter
Series: Patch Up #1
Genre: New Adult / Contemporary
Length: 296 pages
Published on 11th September 2013 by Anchor Group Publishing
Purchase: Amazon / B&N / The Book Depository
Stephanie Witter: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads
Received from author via Xpresso Book Tours

Synopsis: 
Skye followed her long time boyfriend to Seattle for their first year of college, but he dumped her after only a week. The relationship brought only pain and destruction in Skye's life, and yet, she can't bring herself to open up and live her life.
"What if I am already broken into pieces?"

She hates to be touched, hiding under her oversized shirts and behind her wild frizzy hair. Even her bubbly roommate can't reach her. And yet ...

"I'm the guy who knows how you can hurt so much that your insides feel like they're cut and bleeding."

The tall, handsome, and tattooed TA in her psychology class changes everything when he literally collides with her and confronts her. For the first time in a long time, she wants to try and open up to this guy whose dark, intense eyes can't hide his own pain despite his dazzling smile getting to her.

However, just when she's starting to live again, her ex-boyfriend comes back, breaking her time and time again, making it all the more complicated.

She wants to fight for herself and for this building thing with the TA, even when he pushes her away, but can two broken people patch each other up?

"I never thought colliding with someone could change lives, but it is possible."

* Due to some shocking scenes, this novel is for readers of 18 and up.

Patch Up is a fairly quick read that I got through over a few days last September but because of other commitments I haven't gotten around to reviewing it until now.

Regardless of the time spent between finishing this book and writing my review, I still remember it as if I'd only read it last week.

Patch Up is as dark as it is fluffy. Skye has kept her ex-boyfriend's abusive behaviour to herself, kept to herself, kept shy and broken. Her only real friend is her room mate Kate.

After meeting Duke the TA for her psychology class she allows herself to reconsider stepping out of the walls she's built around herself.

"But one broken person can always recognise another one."

As we get to know Duke more and see his and Skye's friendship grow, we learn that he too is broken for a very different reason. And even though the ex-boyfriend keeps providing hurdles for Skye wanting to improve her life, she still manages to do this and that is what I love about this book.

I love the fact that whilst they're both broken, they're not completely dependant on one and other. Skye and Duke's interest in each other is what encourages them to face their problems, to acknowledge they need help, and to improve themselves. Of course they do help each other out and they do feel safer at each others side, but I think ultimately its their self realisation that things can be better is why they start to head this way.

So the development of Skye and Duke together is the fluffy side of the book.

What about the dark?

Skye may be moving forward but her ex-boyfriend has other things in mind, he's still roaming around the same campus as her and still finding the time to try and show off his power over her.

The last time the two of them are together in the book is the darkest, but every encounter Skye has with him is horrible and I felt everything that she goes through. I was so connected and emotionally invested in her, that I too felt broken. It was an experience.

3.5 stars / 5 stars

I look forward to reading the other books in the series