New Adult Review: Harder by Robin York

Title: Harder
Author: Robin York
Series: Caroline and West #2
Acquired: Bought
Genre: New Adult
Publisher: Piatkus
Release date: 1st July 2014

Ever since West left Caroline hasn't been able to stop thinking about him, dreaming about him. But, when she wakes up the reality of him not being there hits her. Hard. Then one night West calls out of the blue and Caroline knows what she has to do. She has to go to the one place West never wanted her to see and help dig him out of whatever mess he's in. 

Review
The first book in this series, Deeper, has been one of my favourite New Adult book to date and I instantly ordered to sequel after finishing it. Harder was a book I also read in one sitting. 

Harder takes place a little while after the end of Deeper, when Caroline is now all alone after West left her to go back home. She doesn't understand why he had to go and why he couldn't trust her with whatever was going on so she's left heartbroken and confused. On the night West calls her with desperation in his voice, she knows she has to go to him or she'll regret not trying to help him. 

West is a really stubborn character who doesn't want to accept help. His home back in Silt is far from perfect and he's not proud of where he's from or his upbringing. He has secrets about his past and he's been trying to protect Caroline from those things. When she does arrive in Silt he isn't the same guy anymore. Things have changed and he's harder than before and angry at the world. 

Due to West's situation in Silt we get to see a completely different sides of both characters. West's life has completely changed and he's doing something he feels like he has to do. Caroline is desperate to help but when West pushes her away, she has no idea what to do or what to say. I really enjoyed seeing West and Caroline in a different situation other than the getting to know you phase they were in before. This book is the true test for them both. 

One aspect of Harder that I really enjoyed was discovering more about West's family, his little sister Frankie in particular. She's the reason West is back at home and doing things he doesn't really want to do but as her big brother, sometimes he doesn't see exactly what's best for her. Caroline is a great influence when it comes to Frankie and I loved seeing her dig her heels into West's problems. 

Both West and Caroline's development is immense in Harder. In Deeper Caroline had a lot going on with ex-boyfriend Nate and the naked pictures he spread of her and before, she was quite a reserved and quiet kind of girl, not ready to face the world. Harder gives Caroline the chance to fight for something she believes in. She learns to find her own voice instead of letting others speak for her and she really came into her own. 

Harder is a fantastic sequel in an amazing series. The whole series is a roller coaster of emotion, it's hard hitting, emotional and beautifully written. I cannot recommend this series highly enough and I cannot wait for Robin York's next release.