Art & Soul by Brittainy C. Cherry

 I had always been the invisible art student in high school. 

Passed by. Glossed over. Unnoticed. 

Now I was Aria Watson…that girl. 

After one bad decision, and being labeled a slut, I was no longer unseen. I was the whore. The ignoramus. The tramp. 

I would never be invisible again. 

Particularly to Levi Myers. He was the odd boy with the beautiful soul who accepted and understood the broken girl inside me. 

Falling in love wasn't the plan. But how could I resist his promises of hope? Of forgiveness? Of a future I had stopped dreaming of? 

We were shattered. We were scarred. We were something strange and beautiful. 

We were two lost souls holding on to the only thing that could keep us together. 

Each other. 

     

Words can not describe how much I adored this book.

Words!! 
You'll see them differently after reading this book!

I had read Brittainy's Loving Mr. Daniels and had absolutely loved it.. so when I had the opportunity for an advanced copy of her newest book, I jumped at it. 
She informed me that it was a YA, and not an NA as originally planned....
 did I still want to read it?? 
Um.. YES! 
If the writing was anything like what I read from her before, then absolutely yes! 
Well, it was that and so much more!

So many emotions in this story. I laughed and I cried. I laughed while I cried! 

Family bonds, heartache, friendship, pain, tragedy, hardship, love and 

sacrifice. So many obstacles and struggles for such young characters to endure.

These main characters were brilliant. Not only were Aria and Levi the most relateable and likeable characters, who were also smart, quirky, and talented... but the supporting characters were equally endearing. I loved 
Simon, with his red hair and OCD! O.G.A.A.!!! 
And also Lance and Daisy! Too funny.

I don't want to spoil the experience for you, so I'll just quote a few of my favorite lines and let you go in blindly, the way I did.

This is a story that will tug at your heartstrings. But it will also inspire you through words, music and art. 

"He looked like a whisper sounds. Sweet, gentle, and romantic. It was making me dizzy."

"She was the only one who could call me a dork and make me feel like Superman at the same time."

"One truth stings far less than a thousand lies."

"Art was everything right and wrong in the world. It understood what words couldn't say."

 "Maybe it's okay to no longer be the person we thought we were meant to be. Maybe it's okay to just be who we are now and accept that." 

"Sometimes loving someone means knowing they're better off without you."

      Amazon