Scratch

Starred review from August 25, 2014
Traumatized by her gruesome family past, emotionally and physically scarred Casey hides her feelings from those around her in Helms’s convincing new adult romance. Casey has reached her senior year in college without ever really connecting with anyone. She ignores her bubbly roommate, Megan, in favor of studies, her DJ job, and her Friday visits to her grandparents’ house. When she meets the pushy and impulsive Daniel, she is attracted to him despite her unwillingness to open up. Undeterred, Daniel tries to pull her out of her shell. The satisfying attraction between Casey and Daniel tugs at the reader’s heartstrings, especially when it becomes clear that Daniel cannot save her; rather, Casey is encouraged by his overbearing insistence to start saving herself. A refreshingly strong-willed and flawed heroine makes this layered page-turner memorable, and the soundtrack brings Casey and Daniel’s absorbing courtship to life.