What would you do if you knew when you were going to die?

Sometimes you don’t get the fairytale happily ever after,

*****5 Heartfelt Stars****

I will shamefully admit that Empty Promises was the first thing I ever read by Elle Brooks, though after reading this utterly phenomenal novella, I can assuredly tell you that it will most certainly not be the last of what I read from this fantastic author.

I loved this novella. I was enraptured by the beautiful and heartbreaking and just breathtaking story between the pages of it the instant I began reading it. The characters, the story, the meaning behind it all in this novella just blew me away, and I was fully captivated by the heartfelt beauty that just exuded from this story.

Empty Promises is a prequel novella to Elle Brooks Promises Series, and it tells the story of Emily. Emily is really something else, and I’m not sure if I’ve ever really had the chance to experience a character like hers, but that’s what I loved about her. That’s what made this novella so unforgettable and just downright amazing because it gave me the wonderful chance to experience something I’d never experienced before.

And while I’ll be completely honest that this story and Emily and Lucas had my heart breaking at times and made big old baby tears fall down my face, in the end it was sincerely beautiful with an immense amount of meaning and feeling that just reiterated how spectacular this story was.

What I absolutely loves about Empty Promises:

• The power of Emily. I don’t know if I have the right amount of words to capture the wondrous being that is Emily. She is very raw and real at times because of what she’s going through, and her honesty and vulnerability weaves its way through this story in such a remarkable way. Emily just makes you want to love her the instant you meet her. She’s just got a heart of gold and is bound and determined to make her last few months on this Earth all that they can be. Honestly, I have mad respect for Emily’s character because of what she faces with her head held high, and how she pushes through, and gives it her all even when most would just give into it. Emily is fierce in her own magnificent way, she is just a force to be reckoned with, and I guarantee by the end of her story you will just be in awe of her. I know I was.
• Lucas Wade stole my heart. Lucas, Lucas, Lucas. That boy stole my heart. Period. I could honestly go on and on about how much I loved his character for days, and it still would not be enough to capture how much I was just enamored by him. He is the definition of swoon-worthy. And not just because I imagine him as being someone who’s really enticing to look at, though he definitely has that going for him. No, I loved Lucas because of the heart of that boy. His heart spoke volumes and it made my heart fall head over heels for him. The feeling, the meaning, and just the amount of everything that came from that boy’s heart had me melting, and of course, swooning. Lucas Wade officially stole a piece of my heart in this novella because of his heart and all that he does for Emily, and that boy is just golden in my eyes.
• All the heart pulling moments. There are more moments in Empty Promises that will pull at your heart than you can shake a stick at. They will squeeze your heart because you know how hard and painful the events of this novella are for these characters to experience. Elle Brooks creates these characters in such ways that you fully feel what they’re feeling and experiencing, and that just amplifies everything. Every heartbreaking moment, every moment that makes you want to cry, every emotion they have and experience, and just every moment that pulls at your heart for what Emily, Blair, Emily’s family, and Lucas are going through. It pulls at your heart, but those moments are what make you feel this story. It’s what makes this story and its characters the memorable and superb thing that it is.
• Plenty of balancing fun. Now I don’t want you thinking that this book was all about the sad moments, because it wasn’t. There were so many instances and moments where I laughed my butt off at what was happening. Right when everything was so tough, or I felt like my heart was hurting like crazy, Elle Brooks created a moment to break the tension. A moment where I as the reader could not hold in the hysterical laughter at some of the brilliantly funny and very realistic awkward things that were happening. And the best part was that those funny moments, those moments of authentic laughter and light, just perfectly balanced with everything else going on in the story. It made it all whole, and just brought everything together in such a wonderful way.
• Blair and Emily’s friendship. Emily and Blair’s friendship made this novella for me. Their friendship together was well layered and thoughtfully crafted over the entire story, and it just felt real. Elle Brooks completely captures what it means to have a best friend with the way you talk and feel and do things in ways that only best friends do, and what a friendship like that really entails. You could just tell how important they both were to one another. Reading their friendship just made me happy because it allowed me the chance to experience through Emily what true, honest to God friendship can do for you and make you feel.
• A plethora of engaging characters. One of my favorite aspects of this novella was meeting all the exuberant and dynamic characters of this series, and I’m practically chomping at the bit to get more of them in the next two books. Blair, Ethan, Brie, Casey, and just everyone else who I met in this story drew me into it all more. They are all seriously engaging, and they just all felt so real to read. Elle Brooks creates a group of characters you want to spend time with, and that really is just fantastic to have when you’re reading this story.
• The beautiful meaning and power of this novella. I could probably go on and on about the beautiful and breathtakingly heartfelt meaning behind this story. There is such a power to the words you will experience with Emily and everyone around her, and I think it’s literally impossible for these words and the emotional meaning behind them to not strike you somewhere. This story and Emily make you feel and think and wonder and just experience it all. Getting the chance to read and experience that is honestly one of the best feelings in the world, and Empty Promises gives that to you again and again.

Empty Promises tells the story of Emily. Of how she realizes what it means to truly live when she’s about to die. Of how she realizes the power of a person and love, and what it can bring. Of how endings truly can bring about some of the most beautiful and heart melting beginnings that a girl could ask for.

I loved this novella. I cannot say those four words enough. It made me feel. I laughed, I cried like a baby, my heart hurt and my heart soared at times, and in the end I fell in love. In love with these exceptional characters, in love with this meaningful, emotional, and genuine story, and in love with what I got to feel and experience on every single page.

This story gave me everything I didn’t even know I needed, and it is a spectacular beginning to the Promises Series which I plan on finishing just as soon as I finish this review. Elle Brooks’ fantastic writing and storytelling will bring this story, Emily, and every other little extraordinary aspect of Empty Promises to life. It will give you everything and more, and in the end you’ll be beyond thrilled that you had the chance to experience the power and magnificence of Empty Promises.

I’m a little neurotic; I function on a tiny amount of sleep and a huge amount of caffeine. I love green skittles and have an irrational fear of stormy weather. When I’m not writing about super hot college guys, you can generally find me googling them…All in the name of research of course. I can be persuaded to do just about anything with the promise of a good book or a bottle of bubbles. Oh, and I also love to write.

Elle is the author of the Promises Series including:

Book #1 is “Promises Hurt” released in August 2014.