Love and Other Sins by Emilia Ares

Mina's life is going according to plan; she's acing AP Calc and is perfectly content with her nonexistent social life. Though only a high school junior, Mina knows time is an investment, and she's putting all her capital into academics. Oliver, a child abuse survivor who grew up in the foster care system, is ready to burn down his old life and start from scratch-complete with a new name and emancipation papers-in L.A. When the two are thrown together through circumstance and develop an unexpected connection, they discover how hard it is to keep the past in the past.

Love and Other Sins is an emotional coming-of-age YA drama about family, love, violence, and the residue of abuse set against the backdrop of contemporary Los Angeles. When Mina meets Oliver, you'll remember your own first love and just how fast it swept you under.

What were the bonds that bound us?

Was it purely physical attraction?

Circumstance?

Or perhaps it was a mutual gravitation toward inevitable pain.

About the author

Emilia Ares is an American film and television actress and author. Love and Other Sins is her debut novel. She graduated from UCLA with a BA in Economics. Literature and storytelling have always been her true passion.

Review

‘Love and Other Sins’ is a coming-of-age YA novel that deals with some hard-hitting topics but does so with empathy and understanding! I don't read a lot of YA books but I thoroughly enjoyed this one as it touched on issues which kids deal with but was entertaining to read at theIt It same time. It was engaging and I enjoyed watching the story develop.

Oliver has just moved to LA after being emancipated from the state and is looking forward to having a life he now controls. He has been abused by his old foster parents, has anger and anxiety issues and wants to start afresh. Mina is all about her academics and setting herself up for a future to better hers and her mother's situation. When they meet on the first day at a new school fireworks fly and their lives become intertwined…

I loved Oliver so much. Gosh, what that kid had been through was unbelievable and for him to still be standing! The author nailed his character and the way she handled the abuse issue was outstanding. It was subtle but horrifying at the same time, but such empathy was put into this character and his actions that your heart broke for him. It is really important that the abuse was shown from a male perspective as not many authors or the media show this side as much. It's something that people hide from and Emilia went there but didnt over sensationalise it or make it too hard to read as your imagination will already do that for the reader! You just want to hug the poor guy. Mina reminded me alot of myself at that age. I had a wee rebellion after being the class swot for years and years and her story felt very familiar. Gosh there is so much drama being in your late teens isn't there?

I really enjoyed this book and I can't for the next one as that was one cliffhanger! Let me know if you read this one 💜