- The Year We Hid Away: A Hockey Romance (The Ivy Years Book 2)

The Year We Hid Away is a 6 STAR book....Sarina Bowen wrote a powerful story! Wow! Sarina Bowen blew me away with her first book in The Ivy Years Series, The Year We Fell Down. I was amazed by her writing abilities. Her voice was fresh, entertaining, and held me captivated to the very last word. I gave that book a 6 Star Rating and added it to my 2014 Favorites List. The characters that were introduced in the book became members of my beloved book family. I wanted to know all of their stories. I was biting at the bits for the next book in the series, The Year We Hid Away. The day The Year We Hid Away released I quickly one clicked this book and devoured it. Unfortunately due to my busy schedule I was unable to write my review until now. This book never left my mind and I thought about the characters and their story. I wanted this review to do justice for this amazing book. Again Sarina Bowen has amazed me with her gifted writing. Her characters, their lives, and their stories are fresh, unique, heartwarming, and so much more than your run of the mill new adult romance. The Year We Hid Away is another 6 Star book! The Year We Hid Away is Bridger McCaulley’s story. Let me tell you ladies, this man is going to steal your heart. He is one the most fascinating characters I have read. Bridger McCaulley is a gifted hockey player, a brilliant student, a well rounded person, and quite the ladies man. On the surface it seems he has life by the horns. As we all know, appearances can be quite deceiving. Bridger’s personal life is a mess. His family life is in shambles. He is fighting to hold onto his academic career and keep his family together. His younger sister needs his protection. He will do anything to give her what she needs. Some things will have to go. His social life, his place on the hockey team, and his friends will have to be put on the back burner. No sacrifice is too small or too large. That is okay until he meets Scarlet Crowley. Scarlet Crowley is no stranger to family problems. She is hiding from her own family after her father was arrested for unspeakable crimes. She just wants to attend college and start a new life without her past haunting every move she makes. When she meets Bridger McCaulley she finds a kindred soul. A person that she can call a friend. As their relationship develops into more than just friends their pasts, their family issues, and their lives will hang a dark cloud over them. They will have to join together to hang onto the very things that are good in their lives. Hopefully it will be enough. Hopefully they can hang onto one another. The Year We Hid Away is a highly emotional book. One minute you will be laughing and the next you will be fretting. These two young people have so much on their plate. It amazes me how strong they are. Sarina Bowen wrote an amazing story. She tackled some very heavy issues. She had the guts to write about something that most people can’t deal with. She showed how these things affect all the people they touch. She did not sugar coat anything and found very realistic resolutions for all involved. Add a beautiful romance, great friends, and an adorable little girl and you have the perfect book. The Year We Hid Away is that book!

This review may contain spoilers, so fair warning, upon reading the review. Book Evaluation: Plot: 🎞️🎞️🎞️🎞️ World Building:🌎🌎🌎🌎 Cover:📔📔📔📔 Hero: 🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻🦸🏻 Heroine:🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️🦸🏻‍♀️ Intimacy Level: 🔥🔥🔥🔥 Relationship Building: 💒💒💒💒 Heart & Feels:💞💞💞💞 Witty/Banter/Reaction of Laughter: 😂😂😂 Page Turner Level:📖📖📖📖 Ending:🧧🧧🧧🧧 Overall View: ✨✨✨✨ First Impressions This installment, The Year We Hid Away, is book 2 in the "Ivy Years" series and I absolutely adored this book. It was utterly delightful. While its not a perfect read, it kept me hooked and I read it super quick. I really enjoyed this splice of life type of new adult romance. Its romance was quite endearing and there wasn't quite the communication issues as I would have expected considering the type of secrets that are involved in this story. Could those issues been handled better? Sure but by young peeps? Probably not haha And there was a solid plot to the story that kept me hooked all the way through that I really appreciated. First Line The minute I heard the hum of the garage door opener, I was in motion. The Main Protagonists The Hero: Bridger Macaulley Protector and athlete, a history of being a playboy but isn't really one, taking care of his sister as his mother isn't available to help raise her and working his butt off to get through school for her. The Heroine: Scarlet Crowley Scarlet, has changed her identity and while she was once had a promising future as a hockey player, when her father is charged with being a pedophile, she is determined to find her own way in life and find a fresh start. Summary The Year We Hid Away starts off with our heroine, Scarlet, escaping from her parents home and their bodyguards with a fresh new identity and to start fresh at the university. We have our hero Bridger, who is working three jobs and attending college full time while having to hide his sister away when his mother falls off the deep end into meth and will do anything to protect his sister even if that means staying hidden from his friends at the university. But then he meets Scarlet and instant chemistry sparks between them. Both Scarlet and Bridger find common ground with each other and a friendship that neither of them thought that they would find. But both of them have secrets and when its all revealed, will their relationship survive? What I Loved The Year We Hid Away is a superb read and I had such a blast with it. I really enjoyed the premise of the story and its executed pretty well. Sarina Bowen is a delightful author to read. This is a classic series that is so well loved. And I can definitely see why these are so well recommended. They are just original new adult romances that everyone can fall in love with. In this one we have some interesting setups for our characters. We saw Bridger in the previous book and I was highly eager to see how his story would be developed and get more depths to his character. He was such a man of mystery and a bit of playboy so I was curious in how Bowen would handle his story. Well this was definitely NOT the story that I expected for Bridger haha but it was just as delightful. Both of our character have to go on their own journey to finding themselves but when they meet, they build such a solid foundation of chemistry and friendship. They instantly build a trust with each other and one of my favorite elements to the story was their easy going relationship. They have such common ground with values that matter and the way in which they have each other's back when their secrets were revealed was perfection. I respected that the drama was kept to a minimum with this one here. Its definitely different from other New Adult romance from its time. Both characters are so likeable and its easy to get behind them and want to cheer them on towards their HEA. Definitely eager to see what is next in the series. What I Struggled With This book isn't perfect. The pacing was a bit off at times. The communication could have been better. I wasn't necessarily a fan on the side of the heroine why she didn't come clean with the hero earlier. He revealed his secrets much earlier and I am not sure why she didn't do the same with him. They both have big secrets so I would have liked to see an heroine sharing all parts of herself as the hero was willing to do for her. So it just comes off as Bridger being willing to do more in the relationship than Scarlet. But it was still a solid story just not up to five star par for me personally. Overall View This tale is a superb blend of new adult atmosphere, ome hockey feels, solid secrets that have dimension and a romance that delivers in beautiful foundations and strength! Favorite Quote(s) My trick is understanding that there aren't any tricks. You just have to wade through each moment as it comes. Book Details (also in my shelves) Sub Genre: Contemporary Romance, New Adult Character Types: Students, Athletes Themes: Sports-Hockey, Kids Involved, Secrets Tropes: Friends to Lovers, Instant Love Connection, Secret/Mistaken Identity Book Perspective Duo POV Relationship Conflict vs Plot Conflict A mix of both Song This Book Inspires Cloud 9 by Beach Bunny Recommendation For Reading Order I would recommend reading this series in order Steam/Spice Explanations Warmin' by the fire- a medium level of sexual tension, a balance of sexual and emotional intimacy, lighter on the details in the sexual moments.

This is the second book in the Ivy Years series. Since I loved The Year We Fell Down (my review) continued right away with book 2 which tells the story of Bridger (Hartley's best friend from book 1) and Scarlet. This was a great NA romance - heartbreaking but a bit more typical and predictable than Adam Hartley and Corey Callahan's story. Still, I quite like the writing of Ms Bowen, she manages to create some complex stories with lovable characters which draw you in and keep you invested in the their fate till the very end. And when I say predictable this doesn't exclude having some unexpected twists in this story. They were there, especially towards the end. I didn't see them coming at all but I added tension to the suspense element of the plot. Bridger and Scarlet meet in Harkness college where they both keep some big secrets. She is running away from her previous self (she has even legally changed her name) and he is struggling with a very complicated domestic situation. They start off as friends while there is an undeniable attraction between them, they both have too much worries on their plates and no time for love. Eventually they get together and their secrets are slowly unraveled. Scarlet's story was very unusual and intriguing. Ms Bowen kept the suspense till the very end and I didn't know how things will work out for Scarlet until the final pages. Her problems were really painful and difficult to deal with especially since she had no one to share her secrets with. She couldn't even be honest with Bridger because this would put him in danger as well. Bridger's secret came to light earlier and it was easy for Scarlet (and his friends) to deal with it. His problems were very real, practical and easy to understand. I liked how determined he was to make things work for him and Lucy. The story stands out among other NA college romances with its very realistic presentation of young people struggling with some very difficult situations in their lives. The dual POV makes the narrative convincing and it becomes easy for the reader to relate to both of Bridger and Scarlet. Just as in the first book in the series, here again we have the college atmosphere well presented and once again hockey, though important for both character, is present mostly indirectly. My main complaint has to do with the major plot twist in the end the very rushed the resolution of the conflict in Scarlet's life. Overall, it this book was a worthy sequel to The Year We Fell Down and I'd recommend it to anyone looking for a good college romance with interesting characters dealing with some serious real-life issues. You can read more of my reviews on my blog - elliereadsfiction.blogspot.com

4 stars! “My trick is understanding that there aren't any tricks. You just have to wade through each moment as it comes.” The Year We Hid Away is the second book in the Ivy Years series and it focuses on Scarlet and former college hockey player Bridger. Scarlet is a freshman and is escaping a horrid home and Bridger is a joint student pursuing his undergraduate and masters degrees at the same time. They meet in class, begin to hand out and become friends. Scarlet is hiding who she is from everyone. After a high profile case on her father is made extremely public, she spent the last year being shunned by her friends and her community and is excited to start a new life in a new city with a new name. Bridger is trying to maintain a low profile while secretly raising his younger sister because their mother is addicted to drugs. Both Bridger and Scarlet have miles of issues, but the two find comfort and love in each other. So I'm at the point where I am a bit shell-shocked that this series isn't wildly successful. I can see now why Sarina Bowen and Elle Kennedy teamed up to write a book together because their writing style and story format is very similar. The best part of this book for me was it was very much the characters' own book. Yes characters from the previous book were there, but their presence didn't overwhelm the story, it enhanced it. Both characters underwent so many trials and tribulations but they stuck together for the most part and relied on each other for support and comfort, what the majority of couples should do when times get hard. Lots of sweet heartfelt moments between Scarlet and Bridger, along with Bridger's younger sister Lucy. “Thank you, Scarlet”. “For what? For being your Tuesday and Thursday girl?” “For all seven days. Because I think of you on all of them." I also felt the depiction of college life was fairly accurate in this book. No weird drama where everyone knew everything about each other, no wild parties every night. Basically a lot of stereotypes were missing or not overdone and it read like a true college experience (or at least like mine). The reason this is not a 5? Well, I've been noticing a trend in Bowen's books where not everything is resolved, and while I know that's life, it'd be nice to know the complete HEA of all of the characters. So far these first two books felt like they were cut off before the story is over. But we'll see with the other books how it plays out. I recommend for all of you Elle Kennedy fans out there! Low drama and low angst for those of you who hate those kinds of things

I absolutely loved Sarina Bowen’s first New Adult novel, The Year We Fell Down, so I was thrilled to be an early reader for The Year We Hid Away. I’m also excited to say that I loved this book just as much as the first one. You can read this book as a standalone, but I highly recommend you read The Year We Fell Down first because of how great it is, and to get an introduction to the college and to some of the characters. Bridger is a secondary character in the first book, one of Hartley’s best friends, and here he’s the hero of the novel. The Bridger we got to know in Book 1 is into one night stands and partying. He’s not a jerk, but he doesn't want to be tied down. We see a hint of a deeper side with how he cares for his sister and his friends, but he’s mostly portrayed as a good time guy. The Bridger we get to know here is fundamentally the same guy, in that he still has the same good heart and cocky sweetness that we saw glimpses of before. However, Bridger has made a lot of changes, too. We get to see deeper into his life and to why he’s made the choices he has in the past with girls, etc. Mostly, we see who Bridger chooses to be when he's put in a difficult situation. Scarlet is someone who's also in a crazy tough position. She's being judged for who her father is, having to deal with it in a very personal way. She has a lot of stress in her life because of this. Scarlet blames herself for not knowing about things that happened when she was a kid. Despite all the drama that's imposed on her, Scarlet manages to be a sweet and caring girl, though definitely one who holds herself back. Bridger is the one person who Scarlet really connects with right away, and Scarlet is someone who Bridger could see himself opening up to, if only his life was simpler. These two are sweet together from the beginning. I loved the romance and the sexy scenes, but I also loved the friendship that Scarlet and Bridger build. One of the best parts of the book is their encouragement of one other and how they help each other deal with the things going on in their lives. I was worried I would miss the two main characters from the first book since I loved their story so much, but very quickly that fear went away. First of all, there was just the right amount of cameos from Hartley and Corey. They were a part of the story, but not major players, and it ended up being the perfect balance. Second of all, Sarina Bowen managed to write new characters, or in Bridger’s case, a former secondary character, who you want to keep spending time with. It takes talent for authors to create characters you like as much as, or perhaps more than, the ones you first fell for, but that was the case here. This is a New Adult book that has characters trying to figure things out, like every book of this category should, but it also has the characters dealing with situations that make them way more mature than others their age. Another aspect I enjoyed was that there was still a hockey focus to the book, even though Scarlet and Bridger were both "former hockey players" during the book. I also loved Bridger’s relationship with his little sister, Lucy. The way he cared about her was incredibly special. The Year We Hid Away is sweet, romantic, funny, and sexy. Sarina Bowen has the ability to make me cry and feel things for her characters on an intense level. If you’re looking for a well-written New Adult romance that has a deeper level to it, I highly recommend you pick up The Year We Hid Away, and the first novel in the series, The Year We Fell Down. These are romances, definitely, but they are also about these characters as individuals, journeying to triumph over difficulty.

This was a good standalone read. However, I enjoyed the first book a lot more than I did this one. After reading the first book and enjoying it as much as I did, I thought I would enjoy this one just as much if not more than the last. I absolutely loved Bridger for the way he handled things for his sister Lucy. He did everything in his power that he could and eventually it paid off with a lot of help. Shannon was an okay character. She did everything she could to distance herself from her family but no matter how far and fast you run, things caught up to her. There were secrets revealed and I have to say I didn't see it coming but things worked out for everyone in the end. Some parts of the story were a little slow to me but overall it was a good read.

I really enjoyed the first book The Year We Fell Down (The Ivy Years) so I knew some of Bridger's background (NOT a spoiler - but Bridger has a drug addict mom and an 8 year old sister he struggles to take care of) and knew his story wasn't going to be an easy one. Honestly, as much as I enjoyed the first book, I didn't know if I would read Bridger's book because I'm not a fan of dark reads. I read for entertainment, for fun - I'm not a fan of angst or massive drama because I read to relax. However - despite some dark themes that ran through the story line - this is most definitely NOT a dark read. That's not to say there aren't struggles or conflicts - but overall, this was a very well balanced novel that evened out the dark elements with humor, romance, love and just plain snappy dialogue. ** spoiler warning *** (though this is revealed in the first chapter) for those with triggers: Scarlet's deep dark secret alluded to in the description is that her father has been indicted for multiple counts of child molestation. Because of this, she became a pariah in her hometown and lost out on college scholarships and admissions despite having been a top hockey prospect. She was ignorant of her father's crimes and the book doesn't go into details - but I wanted to give a head's up for those who would be traumatized by this. *** end spoiler *** The conflict in this novel is mostly external. You see Bridger and Scarlet move slowly from classmates to friends to lovers - the fact that they both have secrets and struggles bonds them closer together. I was pleasantly surprised that there was no big play on the big misunderstanding (I HATE the Big Mis device in books - especially when it drags) and Bridger and Scarlet learn of each other's secrets and strive to help each other through their problems. THIS Bridger is also a very different Bridger from book one. THAT Bridger was a party animal and massive player - but circumstances in his life have forced him to mature and deepen quickly. He's sweet, responsible, loving, and supportive - you can't help but love him as the reader. I liked Scarlet as well - and I cheered for her when she finally stood up to her crazy family and refused to let them bully her or control her. Their romance and love story is a sweet, sweet journey and I liked their HEA. While there's external drama that surrounds them, the two of them are solid and there's really not much drama within the relationship. I also liked the way their problems were resolved - they empowered themselves and took charge of their situations instead of letting it beat them down. Verdict? Loved it. The characters are likable and well drawn, it's very well written, their problems and struggles (and their resolutions) are realistic and don't overwhelm the love story or the reader. We got small glimpses of Corey and Hartley from the first book and Bridger's sister Lucy is adorable. This is a good solid NA novel with a good solid HEA. It's not one of those typical player meets good girl books, it's much better and much deeper than that.

I thoroughly enjoyed the first Ivy Years book, The Year We Fell Down, and I was intrigued by Bridger's character so I had to jump into The Year We Hid Away immediately. I continue to be impressed by Sarina Bowen's writing style and ability to make her characters realistic without making them boring. This book is considerably darker in tone than the first book due to the themes explored, but I found it just as entertaining. Bridger was introduced to readers in The Year We Fell Down as Hartley's best friend whose home life was getting darker and darker. Well, this book shows Bridger dealing with the issues associated with having a parent addicted to drugs especially when there is a younger sister involved. I really admired the way he handled his difficult situation and how determined he was to protect his sister from his mother's lifestyle. There aren't many college students who would be willing and capable of dealing with the ins and outs of raising an eight year old and I thought Bridger showed real maturity with it. Scarlet's issues were the hardest part to read about in this book. Her father was a famous hockey player who has been accused of unspeakable crimes towards children and she is forced to deal with the fallout. She changed her name and is determined to start a new life at Harkness. Unfortunately, as her father's trial moves closer, Scarlet is dragged back into her old world and face the possibility that things are even darker than she imagined. Scarlet and Bridger's relationship started off as one of great friendship. They each seemed to sense the other had issues, but they never pried or poked at them. Their comfort level grew until they started to become more than friends. It was different to have a romance between two people where they had to hide some of the most important aspects of their lives, but I thought Sarina Bowen did a good job with that part. Obviously, secrets are finally revealed and both Bridger and Scarlet reacted with maturity. All in all, while there were difficult parts to read in The Year We Hid Away, I came away with a smile on my face. Both Scarlet and Bridger are likable characters and I was happy to see them find each other amidst external drama. I am definitely looking forward to continue this series in the future.

The second book in The Ivy Years series reunites us with Bridger, Hartley's best friend from TYWFD. In the first book, Bridger was shown to be a real player. Hockey king, super flirt with a different girl every week, your typical carefree love em and leave em kind of guy. In The Year We Hid Away, we meet a very different Bridger. No longer on the hockey team, holding down several part time jobs and juggling that with an intense school workload, this Bridger has more on his plate to worry about than who his next hook up will be. Much more, as it turns out. Namely in the shape of Lucy, his adorable 8 year old sister. We briefly met Lucy in TYWFD and already got a glimpse of Bridger's dedication to her, but in TYWHA, that is really taken to another level, with Lucy and her care and safety very clearly being his number one priority. Bridger is an absolute star in this book. His determination to take care of his sister and protect her from her difficult home life, his strength and maturity in dealing with her needs under incredibly challenging circumstances, shines out in every line. However, he's more than that. He's funny, super smart and much to his surprise, a loyal and loving boyfriend to the right girl. And that girl, is Scarlet. Scarlet - or Shannon as she is when we first meet her - is a girl running from the nightmare that is her home life. Through no fault of her own, it has turned into a media circus and the once revered family name is now surrounded by tragedy and suspicion. In an attempt to break free from the controversy that has dogged her last year at high school, she starts her first year at Harkness College with her new name and a desire to live as anonymously as she can as Scarlet Crowley. Meeting Bridger was not in the plan, but she cannot help but be drawn to the charismatic redhead. With both of them barely keeping under wraps the problems they are having to deal with and neither wanting to burden to the other, they embark on a strange bit part relationship, enjoying the time they can spend together enormously, but also being aware that they are both holding back huge parts of themselves with the secrets they do not feel they can share. I liked Scarlet immediately. I admire Sarina Bowen for once again, not being scared to tackle difficult topics and for pushing her characters beyond the normal NA dramas. Scarlet has so much to deal with - very cold and unloving parents, a misplaced sense of guilt over something she had absolutely no power over, and the dread of the upcoming court case and all that will bring with it - you could hardly blame her for wanting to leave that all behind and try to start afresh. Her relationship with Bridger grew beautifully, and there was such a level of maturity between the two of them. No unnecessary trivial dramas, as I guess these two, despite their age, understand what real problems are. I was relieved when their secrets were finally revealed to each other, as I felt then they were free to be really open and honest together. Once again, the writing in this book was exceptional. The characters felt real and their reactions true. As with TYWFD, the intimate scenes between the main characters were sweet and tender and felt very honest and true to life. I was pleased to see a little more of Corey and Hartley here, although this was very much Scarlet and Bridger's story. Again, Bowen introduces us to another good supporting character in the shape of Andy, and I very much look forward to reading his novella. So to sum up I would say simply this. I have a few "instant buy" authors whose work I will always preorder and buy on release day. Colleen Hoover, Tammara Webber, Priscilla Glenn to name just a few. Sarina Bowen will now be added to that list. I hope to read much more from this exciting new NA author in the near future. Her books are full of brilliant character connection, of warmth, drama, and passion. Everything you could want in the perfect NA series.

I am not usually super into college age/teenager main characters but this is such an exception.y heart was bleeding for these 2. Such a beautiful and emotional story. Prepare to weep!

Ein weiteres tolles Buch von Sarina Bowen! Sie hat einen tollen Schreibstil, der einen, meines Erachtens, schnell in die Geschichte eintauchen lässt. Die Charaktere von Bridger und Scarlet sind einem schnell sympathisch und der Aufbau ihrer Beziehung ist so herrlich unkompliziert. Denn alles um die beiden herum ist kompliziert genug! Sie finden sich in einem Moment, den beide absolut nicht erwartet haben. Das Drama, dass beide separat begleitet ist ernsthaft und nicht an den Haaren herbeigezogen. Reaktionen und Dialoge sind nachvollziehbar. Habe das Buch jetzt schon zwei Mal gelesen und war auch da sehr angetan von der Geschichte.

Maravilhoso!! Com certeza Sarina sabe cativar o leitor, e o melhor de tudo nos livros dela é que o principal conflito é relacionado a vida de cada personagem, e não aquele vai e vem desses romances “normais”!! Muito bom!! Awesome!! I just love it, Sarina is a very good writer, and I’m sure that now she is one of my favorite ones!! This book is focused more in the personal life of each character than in the romance (different from the “normal” romances, the couple here has no difficulty to get together)!! Love it!!

This is a one sitting reading too,I love this author's style. I liked this second novel more than the first in the series. Scarlet is a nice girl with a dark and hard past that almost drowns her in,she survives her first semester of college thanks to her relationship with Bridger,the dropped out hockey player. How could you not fall in love with Bridger?He is the most selfless and giving guy of the world. This book is so good for me that at the end I still wanted to read more...and more about all the characters.