Book Review: Until the Ribbon Breaks by E.K. Blair

Until the Ribbon Breaks by E.K. Blair
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

This book broke me. It completely gutted me by the end. First, I want to applaud E.K. Blair for not writing a sunshine and rainbows story about mental illness. The truth is, there is no true sunshine and rainbows mental illness story. If that is what you are looking for, it’s not here. This story is raw with true emotions and thoughts.

I wouldn’t classify this book as any type of romance. There is not that much romance that takes place.

Harlow and Sebastian are the main characters. They were friends as kids and became enemies in high school. They are now both residents in a treatment facility. I see some of myself in Harlow, Sebastian, and Harlow’s roommate, Max. I saw some of my own demons in these characters. I felt this story to the bone because I understood the characters and the feelings. I adored the nurse, Marcus. He seemed to really care about the patients in the facility.

Harlow and Sebastian learn each other’s deepest secrets and they reconnect as friends. I rooted for them both as individuals and as friends. I hoped the external triggers they had would see the damage they were causing.

The ending… please don’t expect a happily ever after in this story. I finished this book late at night when everyone else was sleeping and I had to go hide in the bathroom and sob. It was all I could do. I sobbed for the characters in the story. I sobbed for a part in the acknowledgements at the end. I sobbed for myself. And I sobbed for everyone that has ever felt like these characters.

Despite the sadness I felt after reading this book, it will remain one of my favorites because of the impact it had on my heart.


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