Strings Attached by Loriana Cappello
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ash remembers Calla from secondary school. He claims she stole his heart instantly. It had been 5 years since he had seen her. Calla cries, holding her head, crying out in pain. She recognizes Ash. An older woman claims Calla walked into the lamppost. Ash offers her a ride to the hospital. The woman agrees to wait with Calla’s stuff while Ash carries her to the car. Ash recalls the past and Calla mentions Scott Knox. Scott was Ash’s best friend from school but a bully to Calla. He blows off a meeting with Dani. He didn’t go home until lunchtime the next day.

He shared a house with Tommy. Entering the house, he noticed that his house was clean, laundry washed, dishes done, and his room was neat. His mother enters the room with a clean load of laundry. A knock at the door reveals Dani Hill. She worked at Election records and offered a contract to Ash’s band. His mother walks in as Dani has made herself comfortable and is trying to push Ash to make a decision on the contract. Ash’s mother knocks Dani down a notch and makes her leave.

Calla didn’t get along with her mother and her father was absent. However, her grandparents had given her a happy childhood. Her mother had always blamed her for the multiple men who left her. Calla had found her safe space at school. Now she works at Rosie’s Café and her mother has moved to be with her latest man. Calla enjoys her time at Braebeach living in her grandparent’s second home.

Ash notices Calla is with a friend, setting up a lounge on the beach. Calla wonders if she could handle a summer fling. Ash tells her about his band and asks Calla on a date. He offers Angie and Calla backstage passes to his band’s performance at the Dunbar Hotel.

After performing, Ash and Tommy take the girls to join them for dinner. Famous music icon, Bernie Hill, and his daughter, Dani, are present. Bernie asked Calla what she looked for in music and she was honest. Dani seemed not to like Calla when her father preferred to listen to Calla instead of her. Bernie said Calla could have a job in the music business industry. Calla and Ash both fall for each other but their thoughts about their relationship are not in sync.

The unpredictable twists in this book built tension from the first page. The vivid depiction of their emotions was captivating. It was easy to understand how their childhood lives dictated how they handled their relationships with people. Calla’s mother’s instability prevents her from forming attachments to anyone and her independent nature is a gift and a curse. A theme of forgiveness and trust intertwines with the drama that fills this book. I recommend this dramatic romance novel to fans who like seeing the inner turmoil of each person’s thoughts.

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