Between The World And Me Book Review Novels & Stories

I thought of the world that was currently waking up to a silence it didn’t understand. But as I felt that tiny, second heartbeat pulse against my palm, I didn’t feel like a fugitive. I didn’t feel like a victim of a global conspiracy. I felt like an Architect. The first book was about the blood. It was about the betrayal and the breaking of the old world. It was about the trauma of the glass and the roar of the mountain. But the second book? The one we were starting right now, in this quiet French valley? That book was going to be about the Home.

"She has your eyes. Chloe thinks I don't notice, but she catches me looking at the baby and she knows. She’s healthy. She’s safe. She’ll never know the weight of a 'merger' or the coldness of a penthouse." ​He stopped, his fingers brushing the petals of a rose. He lived in a state of permanent, quiet mourning, but it was no longer a jagged grief. It had become the foundation of his life. He wasn't running from his sins anymore; he was tilling them into the soil, turning the blood of the past into the beauty of the present.

I ran my fingers along the spines of books, reading titles that promised adventures, heartbreaks, and worlds within worlds. Eventually, I sank into a plush armchair and opened a book written by a woman, her words soft yet fierce, a story about transformation, self-love, and finding the courage to take up space in a world that tries to shrink you. The more I read, the quieter my thoughts became. It felt like she was talking directly to me, like she knew the invisible weight I carried, the way I’d learned to apologize for simply existing. I felt seen. I didn’t even notice how much time had passed until a gentle tap on my shoulder brought me back to reality.

The world was hell, full of court cases and lies and enemies waiting at every corner. But here—on this balcony with this kid who trusted me—everything felt bearable. Everything felt worth it. And tomorrow, I would burn the world down before I let anyone take this away from us. ***

" I didn't even know how to describe how I felt at that moment. It was something Zac had never made me feel. Growing up in an environment full of power plays and transactions, every favor was returned with a contract. There was never any love like Steven's—unconditional and expecting nothing in return. I tossed and turned all night, not falling asleep until three in the morning. The next day, I slept straight through to the evening, only to be jolted awake by a string of phone calls. It was Megan inviting me to a party. It wasn't until I arrived that I realized it was more of a setup to patch things up.

“I didn’t want to.” They stood close, the silence between them not uncomfortable, just heavy the way silence gets when words would only scratch the surface. Finally, he said, “There’s something about you. Something that doesn’t belong to this world.” She tilted her head. “That’s comforting.” “I didn’t mean it as a threat.” “Then what did you mean?” He looked at her really looked at her and for a heartbeat, Evelynn felt like her soul was bare. His gaze was dark and full of gravity, like the forest itself lived behind his eyes.

He couldn't even choose a book as every time he would read a title, his mind would fly to the dancer. When he saw him, he felt something very strange. Stronger than gilt. He hated himself and his heart for not loving such a perfect guy like him. “Stop thinking, Tom!” he shook his head to chase his thought and quickly chose two books he needed to prepare for the exam. “Give me your student ID,” the librarian asked when he showed the books to her. He gave her the card and stared around him. His gaze rested once again on his ex-boyfriend. He kept looking at him until he lifted his head and connected their eyes. Emmett’s stare made shivers run through his body.

“You don’t need the book to remember who you are, Lucian.” “Don’t I?” He let out a dry, hollow laugh. “Who am I? I’m a signature on a merger. I’m a problem for my mother to solve. I’m a beast in a cage that people visit when they want to feel better about their own mediocre lives.” “You’re a man who is surviving something most people would have let kill them,” I countered. I reached out, and this time, I didn’t pull back. I rested my hand on the floor between us, the tips of my fingers just an inch away from his. “I know what it’s like to feel like the world has ended while everyone else just keeps walking.”

But I promise you, no matter the number, I’ll always remember this feeling — of waking up and realizing people care. If you ever want to say hi, drop a comment, or tell me what part of the book broke or healed you, I’m always here. I read everything. I feel everything with you. Let’s keep building this story together. With love and endless gratitude, — O.J💜

I have no desire to interact with them, let alone form any togetherness. It doesn’t matter. No one questions me, not that I care, because I block it all out and start reading Bunny, a book I have been meaning to start for a while now. The thing I love the most about reading is how the world outside me fades and I am thrust into the world in front of me. That’s how I can shut out everyone, not even noticing the person who has been looking at me, the jabs thrown my way, or even the frustration once the jabs miss the mark and do not rouse the desired reaction.