Breakable is Lucas's chance to tell the story we read in Easy from his eyes. But it is so much more than a rehashing of Easy's plot. Because mixed in with his experiences during his senior year of college, are scenes from his adolescence - scenes from before, from later in his 8th grade year, and from his high school days. Lucas becomes so much more than Jacqueline's savior, tutor, and would-be boyfriend in these pages. Yes, we learned the scope of those 5 years before college in brief as he told Jacqueline of his past, but to see it through his eyes changes everything about what I thought I knew about Lucas. 
 In Easy, it seemed as if Lucas came out of nowhere and was suddenly everywhere Jacqueline went. In Breakable, we see how Lucas saw her long before she saw him. He makes a comment about feeling a little like a stalker, but it didn't feel so creepy because for the most part, their meetings were not overly planned by Lucas, with the exception of the party. That took a little more finagling on Lucas's part, but again, he didn't seek the invitation, only accepted when he realized there was a good chance she would be there. And after reading that night from both perspectives, it was a fortuitous acceptance. 
 While many of the present day scenes were retellings of the events in Easy, the flashbacks (nearly half the book) were filled with entirely new details that were heartbreaking, even knowing the cause and outcome. But while they often hurt to read, the were priceless in the information they show about Lucas and that's really what this book is about. His background with the Dr. Heller and his family, the events in 8th grade before and after, high school, Lucas's grandfather, his father. 
 This was a fantastic companion to Easy. Because so much of their initial interaction and the storyline happens before Lucas and Jacqueline speak face to face, there are plenty of opportunities to show what was going on in Lucas's head and the rest of his world. The present day scenes were a little light on rounded characters, besides Jacqueline, but part of that is simply the result of how Lucas was living his life during this time period: apart from the action, working multiple jobs, but holding everyone at arms length. The characters that appear as part of his past make up for the less developed characters in his present. The dynamic between Lucas and Wynn, Lucas and Melody, and Lucas and his father and grandfather made for interesting insight to the way Lucas viewed his present situation. 
 Breakable is an aching tale of the power of grief and starting over. It is a great character study of a character almost at full manhood holding on to blame for actions from his childhood that he didn't cause, all while trying to prevent history from repeating itself. 
 Thanks to Tammara Webber and Penguin/Berkley/NAL for providing me with a complimentary paperback copy in exchange for an honest review. This review is also posted at Reviews by Tammy and Kim.