No friendship, no love.

Houston, we have closure. Get it?

They're back, they're better than ever, and they're just friends. Rory and Houston have so much to deal with, to put behind them, and to move forward in their own personal lives. Liam is out of the picture he died, Tessa isn't messing with Houston anymore, Rory's dad is making amends, and yet Rory and Houston don't know how to have a relationship and still have all this baggage. Rory's book is gone and she's lost without it, floating along in life, but Rory's dad has a plan. His amends involve the creation of Hallie's Hope, a nonprofit to help others dealing with the same situation. Rory agrees to head up the foundation, especially after learning even more about Hallie's struggles in life. All the family and friends of Houston and Rory team up to bring them together, to help them along the way of dealing with their past, planning futures, and hopefully a happily ever after.

I cannot tell you how hard it was to put this book down when I finished it. Houston is my new book boyfriend, how can you say no to this man? The friendship between Houston and Rory is tantalizing, you're waiting for them to lose control, to fall back into the same pattern. Instead, they talk, they learn from each other, they grow, and in due time, they come together. Their relationship has been my favorite from the start of The Way We Fall. They're meant to be. There are a lot more laughs in this book than the previous two, the air seems lighter and the words less heavy. While all the characters deal with their individual parts in the massive puzzle there are moments of sadness, despair, anger, and hurt, but it all works out in the end. The ending, of course, is my favorite. How everyone comes together to work together for one cause, to look at the past in a positive light, it's just heartwarming. Then Cassia Leo delivers this beautiful epilogue that closes out the story in the best way possible. I can't even.

Unfortunately, the switching characters POV adds up to more than two. It's past, present, Rory, Houston, Patricia, etc. That got so confusing for me. It really made the story make more sense, but it was easy to forget who I was reading, especially when the present/past switched in the middle of a character's POV. At some points, the secrets get overwhelming, it's hard to keep finding out more bad news. It works out in the end, I promise you, hang tight for the good.

You won't want to put this series down when you start it and you'll be totally happy you read it once you get to The Way We Rise. Everything comes full circle and it's all meant to be. ( )