My Review

I am perfectly imperfect. I strive for better while loving all that I am today. In loving all that I am today. In loving myself today, I am better equipped to improve myself tomorrow- Hayden’s Affirmation

This is how the story begins, which instantly puts a smile on my face, and I was excited to read the rest to see where this story was going to take me.  But then I quickly turned that smile to a frown because life dealt her a hand that blows. I feel like I can tell you what happened next because it is covered in the synopsis.  So at the very beginning you get thrown into her life changing situation with her 6 year boyfriend who just tells her that he met someone and he was leaving Hayden.  Hayden had invested time, money and emotions into this man who had problems keeping a job and really did not treat her well.  So Hayden comes to the conclusion that she is going through a throwaway year and this would be the time to change her life and situation.  Losing weight, saying positive affirmations and just giving herself time to better herself and not judge until the year is done.

I really could identify with Hayden, I mean who doesn’t have things about themselves that you would want to change and giving yourself a pass to fix them.  I liked the concept of her wanting to take care of herself but you get a idea that she has a distorted view of herself.  She starts losing weight but does not see it, and Hayden gets complements from people and does not acknowledge it, and she works hard and does not realize it.  Furthermore, Hayden is far better than her ex-boyfriend and doesn’t even realize it.

The book is a lot about Hayden coming into her own, but there is also a very beautiful love story with a twist and mystery to boot.  It really slowly builds to this and you root for Brian who goes the same speed as Hayden.  I often thought while reading, “I wonder what Brian is thinking”. While reading, I felt that the story was slowly building to something which had me wanting to read more. So I get to a certain part of the story and I think, “oh, ok – so that is why Brian is so reserved”, but then read on because there is a HUGE twist that you don’t see coming.  I love it when a story does that to you and you hold your breath and read so fast your eyes start to strain.

So overall I really enjoyed the story, I pretty much love anything Pepper Pace makes so I am not surprised this was a exceptional read.  If you like Contemporary Romance that will have you thinking about it days after, this is the book for you.  It reads really fast, yet has major twists that will keep you entertained. You walk away feeling good about yourself and this book.

“The Throwaway Year is a sweet story, steeped in emotion. Pepper Pace has a wonderful way with her characters… She conveys their thoughts and actions in a manner that brings them to life.