Review: Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills

Dear Ava by Ilsa Madden-Mills
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

I pretty much couldn't put this book down. This is an enemies to lovers romance that deals with some heavy subject matter. The book opens with the main character Ava dealing with the aftermath of being sexually assaulted. She returns to the private school she attends as a scholarship student in an attempt to overcome the assault, but on her first day back she gets a love letter in her locker. Not only does she have to deal with the aftermath of her assault, but she has to deal with bullying from her classmates for reporting it. She suffers victim shaming at the hands of the rich, but she is determined to show them that they aren't going to win. Driven by the love she has for her brother and the desire to give him everything their mother couldn't, she works hard and doesn't give up.

The Sharks rule the school. They are all athletes and come from elite, rich families. Knox is king of the Sharks. He puts off a cold exterior, but secretly he is just as broken as everyone else. He hides his pain well and he also hides his desire for Ava. When they are paired together for a class project after she returns to school, he starts to let some of his barriers down around her. They slowly start to build a friendship as they find solace in each others broken pasts and their determination to find out who hurt Ava.

Madden-Mills does a wonderful job with the touchy subjects of mental health and sexual assault. I loved how strong Ava is, and how vulnerable Knox was. I loved how loyal he was to Ava and his brother. I loved that he was willing to wait for Ava, and take whatever she was willing to dish out The side characters were great as well. Ava had such great friends surrounding her.

I was provided an Arc via the author in exchange for an honest review.

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