Tahereh Mafi

This fourth companion novella to Tahereh Mafi’s New York Times bestselling Shatter Me series is narrated by fan favorite character Kenji Kishimoto! The explosive revelations in Defy Me have left readers reeling and desperate for answers. This fourth and final novella in the series will bring readers back to the world of the Shatter Me before the final novel installment hits shelves in winter 2020. And don’t miss Find Me, the gorgeous paperback bind-up that brings together Shadow Me and Reveal Me in print for the first time!

Reveal Me

tinica

Sometimes I feel so alone in this world I can’t even breathe.

“I mean, not only do you know how to murder me in a thousand different ways, but, considering the fact that you’re, like, the most beautiful woman I’ve ever seen in my life— I mean, yeah, it makes a lot more sense that you were just messing with me than it does for me to believe in some alternate universe where you actually find me attractive.” 

“Okay, I’m sorry—you’re not insane—but twenty minutes ago you were accusing me of being in love with my best friend, so, to be fair, I think my feelings are warranted.” 

“You were looking at her like you were in love with her!” 

“Jesus Christ, woman, I look at you like I’m in love with you!” 

I squeeze my eyes shut. “Nothing. Never mind. I have to go.” 

taci

WI Finally, she sighs. Meets my eyes. "You were my first kiss."

But sometimes I wonder What about me? Why don't my feelings matter? Other people get to experience a full range of emotions without judgment, but I can't be anything but happy without making most people uncomfortable. Everyone is used to seeing me smiling. being goofy. I'm the fun guy, the easygoing guy. I'm the one everyone can count on for a good laugh. When I'm sad or pissed off no one knows what to do with me. I've tried talking to Castle or Winston-even lan-but no one has ever clicked with me the way J does. Castle always tries his best, but he doesn't approve of wallowing. He gives me thirty seconds to complain before he's offering me a motivational speech, telling me to be strong. lan, on the other hand, gets itchy when I tell him too much. He tries to be sympathetic, but then he bolts the first chance he gets. Winston listens. He's a good listener, at least. But then, instead of responding to what I just said, he takes a turn talking about all the things he's been dealing with, and even though I understand that he needs to vent, too, by the end of it I feel ten times worse.

Giorgia Vodola 

«Perché io?» Rimane ferma. «Cosa intendi?» «Voglio dire quel giorno, quando mi hai baciato. Mi hai scelto quel giorno, vero? Per il tuo primo bacio.» Dopo un momento, annuisce.

«Perché?» chiedo «Perché hai scelto me?» All’improvviso i suoi occhi si ammorbidiscono, la tensione abbandona le sue spalle. «Perché,» dice piano «penso che tu potresti essere la persona migliore che abbia mai incontrato.»

Perché i miei sentimenti non contano? Le altre persone hanno il diritto di provare una gamma completa di emozioni senza essere giudicate, ma io posso essere solo felice per non mettere a disagio la maggior parte delle persone. Sono tutti abituati a vedermi sorridere, a fare lo scemo. Sono il ragazzo divertente, quello alla mano. Sono quello su cui tutti possono contare per farsi una bella risata. Quando sono triste o incazzato nessuno sa come comportarsi.

Julia <3

I dragged J out of bed on the morning of his birthday. 

Eslie

J always comes through. Always on the team.

😂omw I love his nicknames for everyone 

"I want to talk to Juliette. Ella. Jella. Jello. Whatever."

fc ♡

"I’m really, really sorry I kicked you like that. Are you okay?”

 I shrug, and then wince. “I probably won’t be able to walk in the morning.”

 She looks up. There’s something like laughter in her eyes.

 “It’s not funny,” I say, but I’m starting to smile, too. “That was horrible. And— Jesus,” I say, feeling suddenly sick. “I tried to shoot you for it.” 

She laughs. Laughs, like I just made a joke. 

“I’m serious, Nazeera. I could’ve killed you.” 

Her smile fades when she realizes I’m serious. And then she looks at me, really looks at me. “That’s not possible.”

 I roll my eyes, but I can’t help but crack a smile at her certainty.

"Because,” she says quietly, “I think you might be the best person I’ve ever met.”

“I’ve always avoided doing things I know I’ll be bad at,” she says. “And with this— Relationships? Physical intimacy? I just . . . don’t. Ever. With anyone. It’s too messy. Too confusing. There’s too much code, too much garbage to filter and decipher. Besides, most of the people I meet are either assholes or cowards or both. They’re rarely genuine. They never say what they’re really thinking. And they all lie to my face.” She sighs. “Except for you, of course.”

“Please,” she says softly. “This is so humiliating. And if it’s all right with you, I really don’t want to drag this conversation out any more than I absolutely have to. But I swear—after today—I won’t come near you again. I’ll keep my distance. I promise. I’m so sorry I hurt you. I never meant to kick you that hard.”

"This,” she says, waving her arms around. “This is what I was talking about.”

 I frown. I feel like I’ve lost track of the conversation. “I don’t . . .” I frown again. “What are you talking about?” 

“This,” she says, fury edging into her voice. “This. This. You don’t understand. I don’t know how to— I just don’t do this, okay? Ever. I tried to tell you that day that I don’t— But now—” She cuts herself off with a sharp shake of her head. Turns away. “Please don’t make me say it.” 

“That you’re—” She stops. “That this—” 

I wait, and wait, and still, she says nothing. “I what? This what?” 

Finally, she sighs. Meets my eyes. “You were my first kiss.”

"Nazeera,” I say quietly. “Why were you in my room?” 

“I honestly think this might be the most embarrassing moment of my entire life.” 

My muscles go slack. I stare at her, stunned, confused, angrier than I’ve been in years. “I don’t understand.” 

She shakes her head. Just keeps shaking her head. “You weren’t supposed to wake up,” she says. “I thought you’d sleep through the night. I just wanted to check on you—I wanted to make sure you were okay because it was all my fault and I felt—I felt so awful—”

“—but then you woke up and I didn’t know what to do,” she says, finally lifting her head. “I didn’t—I didn’t—”

"Are you out of your fucking mind?” I cry. “What the hell are you doing?” 

“Oh my God, I’m so sorry,” she says, and drops her face in her hands. 

“You’re sorry?” I’m still shouting. “You’re sorry? I could’ve killed you.”

 And even then, even in this horrible, unbelievable moment, she has the audacity to look me in the eye and say: “I doubt that.”

I swear to God, my eyes go so wide with rage I think they split my face open. I have no idea what I’m supposed to do with this woman. 

Warner needed a minute to pick out a cute outfit and braid his hair

as if on cue, I hear his muffled, angry voice through the door. “Please, love. Just ignore it.” “What if something’s wrong?” “Nothing is wrong,” he says. “It’s just Kenji.” “Kenji?” I hear some kind of shuffle, and my heart picks up. J always comes through. She always comes through. “How do you know it’s Kenji?” “Call it a wild guess,” Warner says. I ring the doorbell again. “Coming!” J. Finally. “She’s not coming,” Warner shouts. “Go away.” “I’m not going anywhere,” I shout back. “I want to talk to Juliette. Ella. Jella. Jello. Whatever.” “Ella, love, please—let me kill him.” I hear J laugh, which is sweet, actually, because it’s clear she thinks Warner’s joking. Me, on the other hand—I’m pretty sure he’s not. Warner says something then, something I don’t hear. The room goes quiet, and, for a moment, I’m confused. And then I realize I’ve been bested. Warner probably got her back into bed. Goddammit.

"But that’s exactly why I should answer the door,” I hear her say. More silence. Then rustling. A muted thud. “If he needs to talk to me this early in the morning, it must be important.” Warner sighs so loudly I actually hear it through the wall. I press the doorbell again. A single, unintelligible cry. “Hey,” I call out. “Seriously—someone open the door. I’m freezing my ass off out here.” More angry mutters from Warner. “I’ll be right there,” Jello shouts. “What’s taking so long?” I ask. “I’m trying to—” I hear her laugh, and then, in a soft, sweet voice clearly directed at someone else: “Aaron, please—I promise I’ll be right back.” “J?” “I’m trying to get dressed!” “Oh.” I try really, really hard not to picture them both, undressed, in bed together, but somehow I can’t fight the image from materializing. “Okay, ew.” Then: “Sweetheart, how long do you plan on being friends with him?” J laughs again. Man, that girl has no clue.

when the door finally flies open, I take a sudden, jerky step back. 

He wasn’t joking even a little bit. He’s, like, genuinely pissed. 

And his voice is low—lethal—when he says, “I should’ve let you freeze to death in Kent’s old apartment. I should’ve let those rodents devour your carefully preserved carcass. I should’ve—” 

“Listen, man, I’m really not trying to—”

My mouth snaps shut. He takes a sharp, steady breath. His eyes are like fire. Green. Ice. Fire. In that order. “Why do you do this to me? Why?”

" twenty minutes ago you were accusing me of being in love with my best friend, so, to be fair, I think my feelings are warranted.” 

I squeeze my eyes shut. “Nothing. Never mind. I have to go.”

“You’re in love with her, aren’t you?”

 That wakes me up. I spin around. Nazeera is looking at me like she thinks she’s some kind of genius, like she’s finally figured out the Secret Mysteries of Kenji. As if I were that easy to understand.

 “I don’t know why I didn’t see it before,” she’s saying. “You guys have such a weird, intense relationship.” She shakes her head. “Of course you’re in love with her.”

 Jesus. I’m too tired for this. I move past Nazeera, rolling my eyes as I go. “I am not in love with her.” 

Amanda Autumn Berrey

“But if you really knew him,” J says, her anger changing, growing desperate. “If you had any idea what it was like to fight with Kenji by your side, you’d never have thought of him as a liability.”

Everyone keeps glancing between me and J. Glaring, more like. Brendan looks tired. Winston looks irritated. Ian looks pissed. Lily looks pissed. Sam looks pissed. Nouria looks pissed. Castle looks super pissed.

I’m standing at the door with J by my side— Warner needed a minute to pick out a cute outfit and braid his hair— 

“Anderson has taken the boys hostage,” he says, glancing at Brendan and Winston. Ian. The ghost of Emory. “He’s doing it again.”

Because if we’re going to be friends—if we’re going to be anything—I need to be able to trust you. And I don’t trust friendships of convenience. I don’t trust machines.”

Honestly can’t believe he’s calling her Jello😂💜

🌕🌖🌗🌘🌑🌒🌓🌔🌕

nany

kenji is so me, we need therapy and friends to listen to us

i love this novella of kenji’s pov even more but wow this man is not okay but i hope he’ll find genuine happiness in the next book 

micki

Ellie M.

NEW NICKNAME UNLOCKED: JELLO 

These books never failed to give me an unexpected ending and I love that but they really set me on the verge of a heart attack and put me in a state of confusion. Anyways, I love how this was in Kenji’s POV. Goddamn I really just I love him more everyday.

buny

it's a universal truth that a person who does not love kenji kishimoto is a fucking monster and deserves to rot away in pure agony :) I LOVED THIS!!!!!!! omg this was better than shadow me bc it was not only the moments slash scenes that had already happened but things that happened After aaron's birthday so there was that suspense of not knowing whatwas gna happen that wasn't there in previous novellas. nazeera's awkwardness and terrible terrible way of showing she cares abt kenji..... by almost killing him.......... we all smiled eeeeeek heavy jude vibes i miss my queen

LOVE getting more of Kenji's pov, but this man is STRUGGLING. I think people need to stop underestimating him, like he literally felt like something was off from the beginning. I got so excited near the end, like Kenji and Nazeera just need to kiss already. Total cliffhanger at the end tho and so excited to start the last book!

Maggie Hotmer

Renata

love kenji sm istg
his friendship with aaron is so good

Raven K

BRO CAN NAZEERA AND KENJI JUST KISS ALREADY WTF

Kat 

BRO CAN NAZEERA AND KENJI JUST KISS ALREADY WTF

I love this though

:(( If I could only hug kenji tightly 😞 kenji best boy, truly !! 🤍

Best novella in the series so far! Shipping Kenji and Nazeera so hard. Kenji deserves someone who loves him as much as he loves them. Nazeera needs to get with the program fully and it will be beautiful!

🌞Laur🌞

Meghan Thompson 

nazeeraxkenji for life baby 

fuck a bitch named castle and his family

We all know this series is shit but at least it has second lead couple like THE kenjinazeera.

Belle🌷🎀

kenjis thoughts on his friendship with “jello” makes my heart melt! by far the best novella of the series! 

Sajha

Jello x Kenji x Nazeera x Aaron scenes were lit. I loved it🥺❤

angie

Cherryreads

I said it once and I'll say it again: Kenji>>>>>>>>

linhie

3.75/5 ☆
i love kenji sm :( he deserves the world! his friendship with juliette >>>

Reveal Me

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