Rise (Salvaged #2)

I love Salvaged. A lot. I cannot even explain my love for that book. This made me very nervous for Rise, as I could not imagine how a book could live up to, or even succeed such a book. Stefne Miller manages to do this in Rise, and absolutely blow readers away!

I won't lie - for the first 40 pages or so, I wasn't feeling the absolute Rise love. I wasn't complete on board with Attie and Riley's "trick/plan". I didn't quite understand it. It was good, but wasn't up to what I had expected. All at once, everything changed, and I was back in my world of Salvaged, and now Rise love. The plot was absolutely amazing.

There were so many "aw" moments throughout Rise. Like there is a Twilight movie scene, and it was most adorable thing ever. There are countless scenes just like that, and they don't always just happen with Attie and Riley. You see it with Attie and her friends, and even Attie and some unlikely characters. These scenes are just so lovely.

I am not a crier by any means, and I usually don't get real emotional over books. I was hysterically crying at numerous parts of Rise. I literally had to stop reading because tears were falling so fast and I couldn't actually focus on anything more than blurs on the pages.

Besides the crying, my emotions were all over the place. That is the thing I love about Stefne Miller's books, I get so into the story and am so into the characters world, I react to simply everything. Rise has so many twists and turns. There were so many events that I didn't see coming - while some were absolutely hilarious, others were so heartwrenching I had to reread them to make sure I had read it right the first time through.

I absolutely love the characters. Every time I read a page of Rise, I was continually asking myself where I could get myself a Riley. He is simply the perfect guy, and is so sweet. Attie is a character I found myself relating really well with, once again. She has her insecurities, and I found that to be an admirable thing for her to have. She works so hard to overcome them, and I found it really easy to connect with her as I have many of the same insecurities, only for different reasons. The other members of the cast, like Marme, Pops, and Tammy continue to bring joy to the storyline. I really enjoyed how in Rise, readers get to know some of the more minor characters of the story. I won't say who, as that could get slightly spoilerish. It was so easy to fall right back in love with the characters I had fallen so in love with last year.

I love how Jesus is a character in these books. It is one of the most heartwarming things. My relationship with the Lord isn't always perfect, and I know it has had its rocky points. The message Stefne Miller puts out there with incorporating him as a character, that the Lord won't leave you, he'll wait for you to come back, is so hopeful and positive. It is one of my favorite things about both Rise and Salvaged. These books leave me so full of hope, and also really make me think about all the people I should have forgiven and may not have yet. I know this sounds really odd to put in a review, but I love books that can become a part of my life, in a bigger way than merely a book to read and absolutely love.

Stefne Miller's writing is absolutely beautiful. The writing is absolutely enchanting. It transports me into Attie's world and doesn't let me leave. From page 1 to the end, I was absolutely enthralled. The story she weaves is just beautiful.

The way Stefne Miller ends Rise is absolutely perfect. She manages to tie up all the loose ends, and satisfy readers. I couldn't stop smiling as I read the last few pages, and sat there for a few minutes after I closed the book just lurking in the happiness. It honestly was one of the most perfect endings to a book I have read in a long time.

I absolutely love the cover of Rise. I think it is absolutely gorgeous, and matches nicely with Salvaged's cover, while being very different from one another. I really have a thing for covers with umbrellas on them, I don't know why, but I was so happy when I saw Rise's cover and discovered it having an umbrella.

Rise is an absolute must read. While it didn't have the strongest start, where it leads is an absolutely brilliant story. It's a book I could barely put down, and gets better and better with every page. The characters will simply enthrall you in their world. Stefne Miller is an author to watch. She has made her way on to my list of authors I will automatically buy any book from. Rise is amazing. Amazing and beautiful.