I love this book so much!! It was so beautifully written. I love books with a good flowing then and now story. Tristian and Mila are one of my favorite book couples now. Can't wait to buy the physical copy!

Highly recommend!!

* A little unstable by Ellen Mitchell
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This may be my favorite of Elle's books, besides Carved In Scars. Whew! What a Rollercoaster. Tristan and Mila are truly fighting a toxic relationship. From High school to college, this story follows them with timelines that are so detailed you are there with them. Mental Health is something that a lot of people deal with. These two are no different. He moved away trying to get out of their too small town, and Mila was glad she was rid of Tristan.....or so she thought. When she is forced to be around him in college that she thought she would never see him again that changes. They are older but have such a toxic relationship.

I can relate to this story, and it seemed so real. She brought these characters together in such a way you can't help but go along the ride with them. This was a quick read for me. I started and couldn't put it down and I was the end of the book before I was ready for it to end.

***Check Trigger Warnings*****

Releases April 11th, 2023

This is the first book I've read from this author, and I enjoyed it. This is not your typical romance book, but it's beautiful and has a HEA. I was hooked from the beginning.

I really loved reading about Tristan's and Mila's story. Mila is sad and lonely, and Tristan is angry, possessive, and struggling with his mental health. I'm happy that they got their HEA, and also loved the spicy scenes.

Rating: ★★★★★

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

***SPOILERS***

This was a quick and fun read! The college scenes took me back to my own college days when I met and started dating my husband--the dynamics between Mila and Tristan and the other couples resonated with my own experiences, I just had less drama.

Some of this book was actually a little too close to home for me--the high school version of Tristan reminded me of my own high school relationship and not in a good way. I know quite a few couples that were high school sweethearts and are still happily together, but that would not have been my story if I had married my "high school Tristan." Even with that, I love the idea of loving someone differently; everyone has an "ideal" for relationships, but real life doesn't usually work out that way. I love the way Elle writes to that reality. We are all flawed in lots of different ways, but we are still worthy of love and capable of loving someone else, even if it looks differently than we had expected.

One aspect of the book that bugged me a little was the revelation toward the end of the book--the secret Mila had been keeping from Tristan that he finds out about from Chase's sister (being vague to keep it not so spoilery). I felt like that whole conflict was glossed over between Tristan and Mila--I would have expected/wanted a much more in depth conversation about that between the two of them. I realize that was a specific choice to tell us something about who they are as characters and to keep in line with the character development they had already had, but I would have liked to have seen Tristan get a little more upset by that/want more of a conversation about it. For me, that would have put them a little more on even footing (so to speak) the way they have both mistreated and misunderstood each other.

Overall, this was a fun and fast read. I read the whole thing in a few hours while home with a sick kiddo. It was a great departure from my usual fantasy romance reads that are so dense and life or death drama. I love Elle's writing and characters--they are like a breath of fresh air for me!

This is my second Elle Mitchell book and I absolutely love her writing style and the way she writes her characters. Did I want to punch Tristan a couple of times? Yes. But I also really freaking liked him. Both our MCs are going thru their own shit but omg do I love them together as toxic as they can be sometimes. They just fit together like puzzle pieces.

Also, never have I dispiced a parent more than I do in this one. Mila's mom is a real piece of work let me tell you.