Breakable: Book 8 in The Fragile Line Series by Sarah Dawson Powell

 Emotional, Absorbing, Powerful

Genre: Contemporary Fiction/YA/Themes of sexual and substance abuse

Breakable: book 8 of The Fragile Line, by Sarah Dawson Powell- author

Best friends? Were we?…..or was that just a way for her to see Corey? How could we really have made the transition after the way things were all those years ago? How could she do that to me on my wedding day if that were really true?…..and now what am I left with? A fractured relationship that is definitely lacking the commitment it should have at this stage, and facing a possible future as a single mother again. I never thought that I’d be spending my first trip to Hawaii under these circumstances……(Jenny)

How do I feel about her now? I’m angry at what she did. How did she expect me to react? Despite it all though, I still love her and I hate that the last words that I spoke to her were ones of anger….in fact they weren’t, I told her I loved her, but I don’t think she believed me…..(Corey)

Now I know we’re not done, we can’t be done or I wouldn’t feel like this. I want to do something but I don’t know what I could do, and even if I could, I know it wouldn’t be seen as my place…..it’s Dave’s place now….it feels so strange…..the lack of control...(Ryan)

I’ve never been able to switch off my feelings for her, it doesn’t work like that, particularly as she was the one who finished things between us. But I’m with Whitney now, and happy….I honestly am, I think…..we seem to have survived the fall out, at least whilst Whitney has her project to concentrate on…...and it was only a kiss...wasn’t it?….(Trevor)

All I’ve ever tried to do was look out for her, and the guys….a bit like an older brother I guess. Yes, things went a bit far whilst we were on tour but I thought that they understood that it was just a bit of fun, ‘what happens on tour, stays on tour’, right?…….I hope that after some time to herself, she will see that it isn’t what everyone’s making it out to be…(Eric)

Maybe Ryan’s right and I was wrong to give her so much freedom, but she’s her own person and Ryan was wrong to try to control her the way he did and how he went about it was definitely wrong. I would never do that, not in anger anyway. Jack misses her, but I don’t know what to tell him. All I have left is this big house, Jack, a bunch of guys who say they are my friends but I don’t know who to trust, except Rob of course…..and a bagel…(Dave)

I’ve always subscribed to the idea that there is a penance, usually in the form of pain, for anything worth having...and I need that to be sure that what I have is real. But not like this….definitely NOT like this….(Sadie)

Unbreakable, in my opinion is by far the best in The Fragile Line Series so far. It is a real game changer. The dynamics of the group are blown wide open leaving uncertainty for all of them and anyone affected by them is fair game as collateral damage. They say that a life changing situation can really make you assess your life and how you think and feel about a circumstance that has been hanging in the balance for a prolonged length of time. I think it has done just that for the male members of Mile 258, Dave, and possibly Jenny, but I am sceptical currently in the long run, of Sadie’s ability to change despite her resolution because it is all too familiar.

The descriptive passages of the outcome of this major event that looks set to change things, was uncomfortable to read and made me wince. Over the last eight months of reading The Fragile Line, I feel I have really come to know the characters, and even though they all have their faults, this is far beyond anything that I imagined that would happen, although it was clear that the author obviously had something in mind certainly from ‘Invincible’ if not before. The person responsible for this grotesque act of violation in the worst way was so much more than anything that has ever occurred in past instalments, which at the time I had thought as frankly, horrific enough. The writing in the execution of this particular part of the plot was so vividly scripted and formatted. The inclusion of the false name particularly gave the whole thing a very powerful shock value for me, as I had thought that Sarah was introducing another character and wondered where it was leading, to then learn that this was actually a character that I had known as the complete opposite to what was being described was mind blowing.

The psychological impact on Corey, Ryan and Dave was clearly thought about and is presented very well, in that they don’t just stick to feeling one way. Their emotions are all over the place. I think the situation, whilst stressful, has been good for Ryan as it has given him time to reflect on the past, what is important, and what he actually wants and made him realise maybe where his true devotion lies. He would do well now to concentrate on being a father, but I have a sneaking suspicion that that may not happen.

Corey doesn’t seem to know how to feel. He is a mess, having such a heady mixture of feelings, and Jenny is bearing the brunt. It will be interesting to see which direction he chooses to move forward. Although he says he intends to quit the band (if there is one left to quit), I’m not sure he knows what remnants of his life he actually wants to hold onto, apart from the one thing that maybe he can’t have, or can he?

Trevor and Eric, have also been unwitting victims of the chaos that has ensued and, due to Cory’s outbursts, their relationships are indeed on a fragile line. One less so than the other. I feel a modicum of sympathy for Eric, as he has been thrown into an extremely volatile situation and not quite appreciating the gravity of it and thinking that some people aren’t quite as unbalanced as he has been given to believe, made the error of thinking that something done in jest, wouldn’t be taken seriously. It appears that he might not have been as good at ‘reading the room’ as he first thought.

Liam has been drawn into Sadie’s web of lies and seduction, and my guess is that he won’t make that mistake again...if he is given the opportunity.

I had a lot of sympathy for Dave as he has always appeared to be the father figure within the group and maybe that is what has attracted Sadie as he seems to have a sense of responsibility that the other guys don’t have. However, this book has changed the way I see him a little but I think that with Dave, is the right place for Sadie. However, I highly doubt that, that is where she will stay. The thoughts that she had whilst holding Sebastian had me shouting at the book. She continues to be a very frustrating character, and my empathy for her was short lived.

The only question I have is….did they sort Sadie’s hair out?

I look forward with extreme anticipation, to seeing where the author takes the characters in book number nine, ‘Dreams’.