🌹Throwback Thursday! Check Out This Mature YA Romance: Ryan’s Bed by Tijan!🌹

Hey y’all…happy Thursday!🤗

Throwback Thursday is a meme where I can share some oldies but goodies…books that are older than a year and have been sitting on my Goodreads TBR for awhile or books that I’ve read & enjoyed, often from my READ AGAIN E-SHELF.

I’ve seen this meme floating around for awhile now so I finally decided to jump on board. Thanks to Renee @ It’s Book Talk who started this meme…if you get a chance, go check out her blog!

Ryan’s Bed by Tijan

I crawled into Ryan Jensen’s bed that first night by accident.

I barely knew him. I thought it was his sister’s bed—her room. It took seconds to realize my error, and I should’ve left…
I didn’t. I didn’t jump out. I didn’t get embarrassed.
I relaxed.
And that night, in that moment, it was the only thing I craved.

I asked to stay. He let me, and I slept.

The truth? I never wanted to leave his bed. If I could’ve stayed forever, I would have.
He became my sanctuary.

Because—four hours earlier—my twin sister killed herself.

** Standalone full-length novel, Mature YA themes

Ryan’s Bed by Tijan
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Ryan’s Bed is a poignant standalone. There’s several heavy issues that will weigh down your heart including suicide and grief.

Mackenzie and her family have just moved to a new city right before her senior year. She’s already struggling because she considers herself the “plain” one…her younger brother is a genius and her twin is the outgoing, smart, fun sibling. But Kenzie’s life derails when she finds her sister dead on the bathroom floor. That’s the first night she ends up crawling into Ryan’s bed for comfort and as time goes on, she finds herself going back there over and over again.

A warning first: yes, this is a YA read (young adult) but Ryan and Mackenzie are teenagers…that means this book has sex, drugs and alcohol usage. They are by no means hooligans but they aren’t angels either so if this kind of behavior bothers you, skip this one. HOWEVER, I’ve gotta say that this story is also rife with so many important messages! Tijan wrote such a blunt, heart rendering, emotional experience from Mackenzie’s point of view. Honestly, it was a hard read but also one of Tijan’s best! As a mother of three and also as a woman who has dealt with self esteem issues and depression for her entire life, my heart bled for Mackenzie. I could absolutely relate to her like it was my own life and her story simply seared into my soul.

I’ll avoid spoilers but the end? Wow…blew me away! This one will stay with me for a very long time and I consider it one of the BEST OF 2020. Told from Mackenzie’s POV with an unexpected and startling ending. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book.

View all my reviews