The Boy Who Sneaks In My Bedroom Window

What a gorgeous gorgeous book!!! I started reading it in the afternoon and refused to go to sleep until it was finished. I'd like to think that I'm over books set in high school but this book proved me wrong. It had me wrapped around its sweet little `fingers' from beginning to end and I think it had everything to do with the loveable characters. I was looking for an angst-free read and, for most of the book, that is exactly what I got.The story centres on three characters - Amber, her brother Jake and Jake's best friend Liam. We meet them when Amber is 8 and the boys are 10. We are immediately thrown into the household nightmare in which Amber and Jake live, and the horror that the these two kids have to survive each day. They are both physically and emotionally abused by their ... (*note to self - can't use profanities here to describe people*) father and Amber is also being sexually abused by him. We get a short glimpse of an ordinary day in their life, the suffering and helplessness, especially Amber's and then we get to meet Liam. He lives next door. He sees Amber crying one evening, taps on her window, asks her to let him in, embraces her with a brotherly hug, comforts her through her sobbing and doesn't let her go until the morning. And so this becomes a daily routine. For the next 8 years, Liam sleeps in Amber's bed, protects her from her nightmares by simply holding her while she sleeps.I know what you're thinking but take your mind out of the gutter right now! It's one of the most beautiful things I've ever seen described. Amber is a traumatised child who cannot bear to be touched. Liam's touch is the only physical contact (except her mother's and brother's) that does not give her panic attacks. He finds a way of calming her down when nothing else works. The whole thing about putting his lips on her neck to help her steady her breathing and calm her down made me cry. Liam is the sweetest male character I have ever come across in my `reading travels'. What fascinated me the most at that point was the `bipolar' nature of their relationship - at night, Liam was attentive, sweet, gentle, while during the day their dynamic would change completely. He would tease her incessantly, provoke her just to get a reaction from her, and do everything he could to appear like a player in everyone's eyes, including Amber's. The only thing he couldn't hide during the day was his protective streak towards her.And so their relationship evolves. One kiss and nothing is the same after that. We discover the depth of Liam's feelings for Amber, how he has loved her from the first moment he laid eyes on her when she was 4 and he thought he was staring at an angel. He loves her so beautifully and so unconditionally that it made my heart melt. But he also loves her patiently, never pushing her out of her comfort zone and always making her feel like the most beautiful and adored girl in the world. Amber takes her time to realise that she loves him too but he never pressures her into it. I was constantly expecting something to ruin their fairy-tale romance, maybe because it normally happens in the books I read, but I was very happy that nothing ever did. Amber had survived through so much ugliness in her life and I was happy that she got to have this one positive and bright constant in her life - Liam's love.The other important relationship in this book is between Amber and her brother Jake. Jake has protected her ever since their father's abuse started when they were kids. He would provoke the father just to shelter Amber from the beatings and he would comfort her afterwards. It was only natural that he became an over-protective brother later on who threatened any guy who got even mildly interested in Amber. Including Liam. In the beginning, Amber and Liam's relationship was kept secret from Jake fearing his reaction. When he does find out, I can't say that I was surprised that he doesn't overreact as everyone would have expected. He witnesses first-hand the unique bond that Liam and Amber have developed, his protectiveness towards her and the way only Liam can make her snap out of her almost-catatonic reactions to memories of past abuse and mentions of their father. I didn't think it was unrealistic that he didn't go all `nuclear' at Liam - Jake has perceived himself as Amber's protector ever since he can remember and her emotional well-being and safety came first for him. However, he knew that he never had the calming effect on Amber that Liam had and eventually his love and concern for Amber overtook his over-protectiveness.This book is not about the abuse itself as it is only really happening at the start and end of the book. This book is about the trauma that physical/sexual abuse causes and about coping mechanisms. And it is a book about love, pure untainted love.My only reservations about this truly beautiful read were the spelling and grammar mistakes, not to mention the endless omitted words throughout the text. I understand that this might be a self-published book but surely someone else at some stage had the opportunity to edit it and correct the errors. I am a bit narky about this and I normally ignore mistakes when there are only a few but, in this case, they really distracted me too often and made me lose track of what I was reading because I was desperately trying to figure out what word should have been there to make the sentence make sense. Otherwise, I liked the writing style. I thought it was simple but appropriate for the intended audience and the narrative was easy to follow.So, I'll finish this review on a positive note. I am very happy that I've read this book, I had no expectations whatsoever as I had heard very little about it and was only pleasantly surprised to discover how much I liked it. I compare reading this book to eating a really big bar of chocolate - enjoyable throughout, with occasional pieces of marshmallows or chilli in it, it made me pleasantly full in the end but I needed to brush my teeth afterwards.

What I loved most about this romance novel was the depth of the storyline. It wasn't just about a simple boy-meets-girl narrative. Instead, it delved into the complexities of relationships, the triumphs and struggles of love, and the power of forgiveness. The author skillfully weaved in unexpected twists and turns, keeping me guessing and eagerly anticipating each new chapter.Moreover, the descriptive writing style painted vivid imagery in my mind. Whether it was a romantic sunset on a sandy beach or a bustling cityscape, I felt like I was right there alongside the characters, experiencing their joys and heartaches firsthand. The author's attention to detail created an immersive reading experience that I won't soon forget.

The Boy Who Sneaks in My Bedroom Window, is mostly about Amber and Liam. Amber, Jake (her brother), and her mom have one thing in common: abuse. Her dad, Stephen, abuses them all every day. Sunday was the worst day of the week when Amber was young because that's the day she's in the house all alone with her dad and he will sexually abuse her. One day, I believe she was around thirteen, he tries to rape her; however, it doesn't happen due to the fact that Liam and Jake were surprisingly around and beat the crap out him. He was kicked out of the house that day and he hadn't been back in their lives ever since.Now onto Liam who is Jakes best friend and next door neighbor. Liam knows about the abuse and one day sees Amber crying in her room (she was 8 and he was 10) so he sneaks on over to her house and crawls through the window and calms her down. Ever since that day, he has been sleeping next to her to make sure the nightmares of her father go away. Liam is in love with Amber, he had a super cute crush on her when he was 6 (the first day they met) and she was 4. Throughout the years he started to fall in love with her which her brother Jake did not like because like all protective older brothers he told him to stay away from her.Liam and Amber don't actually become a couple (known to everyone) until like the middle of the book, maybe a little after that. I actually liked their friendship/relationship growth throughout the book. I also really like how Liam and Jake are so protective of Amber because of what she went through. But then you find out that their dad is still trying to get in contact with Amber and how he only wants to see her and no one else. Of course you don't find out until their father comes back into town with a new family (who he also abuses) and threatens to take her away. She ends up in the hospital twice that week (once from fainting and finding out that she is pregnant with Liam's baby and the second time from her father hurting her and she ended up losing the baby).Let me be frank, this book did have errors and it was sometimes hard to get through some sections but overall I did actually like it. Yes, it did have editing errors as well but that happens with some books so I can't complain that much. I didn't really understand why Liam called Amber "Angel" all the time but then you find out towards the end and it actually was really cute and endearing. This story is about how a family, especially amber, deals with a such a traumatic life and it was interesting to see her go through this and finally get closure at the end. She fought the demon by herself, which didn't please any of the other characters, and I was proud of her. I get that this book wont be for everyone but I plead you not to read the reviews until after you read the book. Always good to form your own opinion first (which I'm really happy I did).

Además que es hermoso el contenido el libro estaba en buenas condiciones.

Um dos livros mais maravilhosos que já li na vida e sem dúvida, um dos melhores da autora. Acredito que qualquer editora que o trouxer para cá terá muito sucesso com essa publicação.

I read it in kindle, but i love it so much that i have to buy the paperback. Highly recomended.

Um dos livros mais lindos que já li. É uma história delicada, que te faz sentir com a personagem. Poderia ter algumas cenas mais descritivas, mas nada que impeça que você se emocione enquanto lê. Podia ser traduzido e vendido no formato físico.

Ya tengo en mis manos el libro, muy buen servicio, muchisimas gracias!!!!!!!!!! Tal y como me dijeron al momento de comprar no tardo nada en llegar!