Book Review: Within These Walls by LJ Berg

Within These Walls (Walls #1)

by JL Berg

Release Date: August 18, 2014

Source: Audible Escape 

Goodreads

Within these walls, he became my solace, my sanctuary and my strength. 

I am not strong. I am just a survivor of circumstance.
Isn’t that what we all do? Survive?

Each of us has our own set of circumstances to muddle through. Mine are just more…complicated. Born with a severe heart defect, I’ve seen the inside of a hospital room more than my own bedroom. 

I was drowning, a prisoner to the illness that owned me, until he appeared. He thinks he’s blocked out the world with his tattoos and hard exterior, but I see the real Jude, the one he so desperately wants to forget. 

But is he the answer to my prayers or will he break my already damaged heart forever?

My name is Lailah Buchanan, and this is our story of hope, redemption and sacrificing it all for the one you love.

I picked up this from Audible Escape book after hearing Averie from Averie Loves Books talking about it on her youtube channel. This story about a woman falling in lvoe with a nurse at the hospital she's contastnly a patient at sounded emotional and I couldn't wait to read it! 

When this book started, I absolutely loved watching two broken people slowly learn to trust each other and open their hearts up. I loved the setting of a hospital and how Lailah started to experience life thanks to Jude and he learned to live again thanks to her. I will say, I knew that Jude's secret had to come out some time and I was super nervous how Lailah was going to react. Was she going to be annoying? Was it going to ruin everything? Thankfully, I appreciated where the book went after that and I was happy it wasn't used as a point of conflict to drive the couple apart. 

While I loved watching Jude and Lailah fall in love, I did think things turned a bit too insta-lovey and moved quite quickly about three quarters of the way through the book. And Lailah kind of just abandoned her mother for a man, when it's literally been her and her mom for the first 22 years of her life. The way she just dropped her mom didn't sit well with me. They didn't really know each other all that well and Lailah was all-in with her first ever boyfriend. I wish there was a bit more build up and trust when their relationship moved outside of the hospital. 

Overall, this was a super cute and emotional romance. I really enjoyed how this was in the hospital and had a sort of taboo feeling since it was patient and an STNA. I also loved listening to this and couldn't put it down!