Rewired (Progress Series #3) by Amy Queau Book Review

"Trauma is trauma, no matter what the experience or to whom.  But it's what we do with it afterwards that defines us, challenges us, and either stops us dead in our tracks or propels us to move forward,"  Amy Queau writes in Rewired, the third book in the Progress Series.  I can’t get this quote out of my mind and I think it is a perfect summation of what the Progress Series is about.
 

Rewired continues right where Interrupted (Progress #2) left off, and propels us into another emotional ride with Jesse, Charlie and Sam.  Charlie left Sam alone in a parking lot to go with Jesse and try to "fix" him.  Jesse has a troubled past that Charlie can't leave alone and in her quest to help Jesse, she will have to learn things about him that bring up past memories for her. Charlie can't forgive herself for leaving Sam alone in the parking lot, but Sam knows there has to be some motivation for Charlie to act the way she has.  But can Sam ever forgive Charlie for what she’s done to their relationship?  Will Charlie be able to help Jesse overcome his past?

While I loved Ms. Queau’s first two novels in the series, Rewired is by far my favorite.  It is the perfect conclusion to this emotionally wrought story about friendship, mental illness, trauma, learning to forgive, to love yourself and to love others (among other things).  Rewired is definitely intended for mature audiences with drug use, mental illness, and sexually explicit scenes.  This is one of those books that I’d have to really stretch to find something I didn’t like; it's simply that good.  Ms. Queau’s writing is impeccable, the characters are definitely flawed, but they are also very real characters that you can relate to, the story is well planned out. 

I can only give this book 5 stars, but if there was a way I could give it 6 stars, I would!  I did not want to put this book down and even though I would love more of this story, Ms. Queau did a fabulous job of bringing the series full circle and ending it in a way that is true to her characters. 

Missed the first two books in the series?  Here are my reviews:
Progress (Progress Series #1)
Interrupted (Progress Series #2)