Review: Escape the Doubt by Andrea Michelle

Escape the Doubt by Andrea Michelle
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Is taking a chance with your heart worth the escape, or was it better to have never loved at all? Can forgiveness really set you free?

After the unexpected death of her Dad, and the haunting manner in which he died, Riley Shaw built invisible walls around her heart. Barriers she created to protect her from splintering into broken pieces that couldn’t be repaired. She was unable to move forward from her past, letting the guilt of her parent’s mistakes dictate her own choices.

Dean Warren was safe. Being with him was innocent and peaceful because she didn’t truly love him. His words held her captive in a false sense of security. His eyes were deceptive, and his promises of never pushing her beyond what she was willing to give were broken, leaving Riley in a state of regret and doubt.

Joshua Parker had the power to take what was left of Riley’s splintered pieces and ruin her completely, or make her whole again. He was her best friend, her next-door neighbor—everything she wanted and settled on never having. Loving him was as easy as breathing air. The fear of losing him forever was more real to her than the feelings she couldn’t escape.

When faced with the very thing she feared the most, and in the arms she thought were safe, Riley finds herself questioning every decision she has made over the past two years. When she finally escapes the doubt in her head, and accepts the truth in her heart, is it too late?


“I'm so close to the edge of the cliff that I know one more breath, one more inch, I could fall.” -Riley Shaw

Not recommended for anyone under the age of 17 due to underage drinking, sexual content and adult language.

***Warning*** This is book one in a series and is not a stand-alone novel.

*I received a complimentary copy of this book from author in exchange for an honest review*

4 so sweet stars!



This was such a sweet, cute and romantic story with loveable characters. I cannot believe it is a debut novel. It was written really well and I enjoyed reading it.

Riley and Josh were best friends since the moment they met, but with time their feelings for each other grew stronger and shifted into something more powerful and consuming: love. Riley always knew Josh was her one and only true love, but she was afraid of letting herself to act upon her feelings and follow her heart, because fear of getting hurt was always stronger. So she picked the wrong guy, because she thought he was safe and her guilt prevented her to allow herself happiness.

If I were her I would have done a lot of things differently, but , on the other hand, I do understand her actions. However, one wrong decision made all three of them miserable. Althought I didn't approve neither what she did nor some of the things Josh and Dean did, these characters really grow on me. I cried and smiled with them, there were moments when my heart almost stopped beating for a moment, sometimes I was even pissed off and iritated and other times I was smiling like an idiot, because, oh gosh, they were so sweet and adorable, but that was the thing I loved the most about this book.

Emotions. I wanna feel a lot of different kind of emotions while I'm reading a book and Escape the Doubt gave it to me.

So why not a five stars then, you may wonder. Well, honestly, I don't know, it simply lacked that little something to be a perfect book for me. If you are a fan of sweet and emotional romance stories I don't recommend skipping this one. I think it's perfect for everyone, no matter the age, because we all went through similar stuff when we were young and fell in love for the first time. Ah, this book brought so many memories...

I was happy Riley escaped the doubt at the end and I'm looking forward to the continuation of their story.