Leigh's review posted at Guilty Pleasures Book Reviews 
 I'm not typically a fan of New Adult stories, so I am thankful that I didn't realize the genre when I purestdelightawardfirst saw this book. Had I have realized it was NA, I doubt I would have read it, and I would have missed out on one of the most heartfelt and engaging books I've had the pleasure of reading in a long time. 
 Told from the point of view of the main characters, Katherine and Will/Ethan, and slipping seamlessly from the past to the present and back again, Never Tear Us Apart tells the story of a twelve year old girl who was abducted by a predator, and his son who rescued her. The kidnapping and confinement of Katie is told briefly and not dwelled on. Instead, the focus is on the lasting impact this act had on both the child that survived it, and the boy whose life was never the same after meeting a girl that viewed him as her guardian angel. 
 Katherine's life since her abduction has never been normal. She has viewed herself as a victim and sheltered herself to the point of almost being a hermit. But she has never forgotten the boy that she viewed as her hero, wondering what became of him. Will never forgot about Katie either. Shedding his old name and life, Will grew into Ethan, a man that obsessed about the girl he rescued and the woman she has now become. Ethan knows that he needs to stay away from Katie, but the trust and attraction between them is too great. He knows the damage it will cause when she finds out who he used to be, but his need for her overrides any sane decisions he can make. 
 I simply loved Ethan. For a man that came out of such harsh beginnings, he was so loving and sympathetic. He was the hero that Katie was seeking to save her from the life to which she had confined herself, just as he had saved her years ago, and the attraction between these two was so intense yet so sweet. 
 All along, we know that Ethan is eventually going to hurt Katie, just by virtue of being who he is. His true identity is a secret to everyone but the reader. But despite his dishonesty with her, I still found him to have her best interests at heart and couldn't help but root for him and hope the outside world just let these two damaged people live in peace with the love they found. 
 This was the kind of story you hope for when you pick up a book because it had it all. It had so much emotion, be it disgust, horror or sweet longing, and it tied it all up in a perfect package that was impossible to put down. I eagerly wait for the second half of this story, not because I wonder what will happen, but because I can't wait to fall under the spell of Monica Murphy's writing again. The world these characters were in was sordid and ugly, but they managed to make something beautiful out of the horror. This transformation is one that I can't wait to experience again, and see Ethan and Katie come out the other side. 
 Review copy provided for an honest review.