Book Review, Romance Review

Review: Beautiful Graves by LJ Shen

They say first loves are oftentimes the end of one’s innocence.

Those words couldn’t ring truer for Everlynne Lawson, whose first brush with romance came with a heartbreak…and the thing that seems to follow her everywhere she goes. Death.

After a great tragedy, Everlynne loses all she cares about—her dreams, her family, and her soulmate, Joe.

Guilt-ridden, Everlynne decides to isolate herself in Salem, Massachusetts. A shell of the woman she once was, she takes her days one at a time, careful not to allow herself the joy she believes others in her life were robbed of. But when the mysterious, handsome Dominic storms into her life, it becomes more difficult to stay in solitude. Dominic is different: adventurous, joyous, with lust for life and a passion to make her his.

Everlynne is on the cusp of reinventing herself once again when the old wounds of her past are resurrected, rawer than ever. There is nothing worse than being in love with two men.

Especially when one of them hates you.


This one started off a bit slow for me but got better. More specifically, it started off good, then dragged a bit, but the build-up was worth it. Once things started happening, they happened fast. There’s been a lot of hype about this being a love triangle but it’s not really due to the way it plays out. Throughout the story, you’ll love and hate Ever and both of her men, Joe and Dom. They’re young and foolish and trying to figure out life so they’re pretty real. Their story gave me lots of feels because they all have tragic backgrounds and life doesn’t get any easier for any of them. They make a lot of silly assumptions and bad choices, but in the end, they make the right choice so that’s the only thing that matters. I’d like to say I waffled from team Joe to team Dom, but in truth, I stuck with the same guy the whole time.

There’s not much I can say about the story without being a spoiler, so I’ve focused mainly on the characters. One in particular will do the unforgivable, but a second one comes close. This is an emotional rollercoaster but in the best possible way. I loved Ever’s story and both men in her life.

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