The Orphans is a heartbreaking read that left me feeling extremely sad and sorry for these characters. I didn't pity them. My feelings were just somewhere in between.
Both characters are fragile and flawed. It was very different to what grief-loss books are these days. My sadness also came from a place where Ro thought his sister has moved on. Whereas, in reality, Jess was still the eight-year-old on the beach. She had just put a mask on of moving on which slipped from time to time throughout the book. She was right there with Ro, only she masked it. Ro was a fresh, deep and his unpredictability gave me a glimpse at how his mind worked. It was thrilling to read his POVs as much as it was heartbreaking to feel his pain. I didn't expect the story to end the way it did which left me in unexpected tears and sadness. The Orphans is a book you will cherish if ever abandonment and grief has accompanied you. Get your copy of The Orphans by Annemarie Neary now.
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The characters of Mark and Anna were well-developed and their intricate narratives offered me the right amount of insight I needed to know where their actions and decisions were coming from. Nothing was too much. Every word had a meaning which made me bawl on instances.
Usually, the endings in a book are meant to make you bawl your eyes out. But in The Man I Thought You Were, I teared up right from the beginning. It was a smacked-in-your-face kind of emotions that made me cry and feel so much dread. The initial premise is cleverly written from Anna's perspective making the reader take sides with her. But when Mark's narrative began, I bawled like a baby. Through this book, Leah Mercer made me realize that there is so much more to the characters than their mere names in the black and white ink. The sub-plots made of their pasts are so much like us, the people in real life. Marks's guilt crashed through me making bullet holes through my heart. So much guilt and suffering that was so real I could almost touch it. THE MAN I THOUGHT YOU WERE is a once-in-a-lifetime kind of a book for sure. While I insist you buy The Man I Thought You Were, buy a box to tissues as well. Don't complain I didn't warn you!
While reading Making Faces, I laughed, cried, cheered, swayed and even clutched the kindle to my heart with overflowing feelings. If you want to feel, read Making Face. Oh, I felt every word, every sentence, every thought and every character.
I specially loved Fern because readers like me are in a continuous search for (mentally) strong female protagonists. Fern in Making Faces in unforgettable and you will love her for her straight-forward, sometimes blunt and otherwise beautiful perspective of life and those around her. Making Faces is filled with so much love, appreciation, grief, loss, admiration and is truly inspiring without even trying to sound like an inspirational novel. Amy Harmon did justice to highlight each and every character with beautiful narratives and interlinked stories and sequences. It was a touching read and Making Faces will stay with me forever. Tip: Sit with this book with a box of tissues. You're going to need lots of them for all the right reasons. Love you so much, Amy Harmon! You have a beautiful soul! Buy your copy of Making Faces right now! Received this book through NetGalley!
A special thank you to Kim Turrisi for pouring your heart out. I can't imagine what it must be like for you to write such raw emotions that I could so well relate to at every turn. There is nothing pretentious about your writing or this story. It's heart-breaking and beautiful at the same time. I lost my dearest cousin in an accident 9 years ago because he was speaking on the cell phone.
"Never getting to say goodbye is excruciating. One of the hardest things to get a grip on when you lose someone you love." It still hurts. However, with your writing, I could relate to every smile, every tear, every heartbreak, every memory I have of him. It's not easy and I'm grateful for this beautiful story. "What's important to take away is that you are the sufferer, you did not cause the suffering." Getting back to Just a Normal Tuesday, this story seeped through to my bones. Although the story focuses on Kai's struggles to understand her sister's suicide, it also throws a light on other facets of death. In the Grief Camp scenarios, it was gut-wrenching and soothing (at the same time) to know that there are people going through grief and loss of a loved one in their own way. "Be kind to you. Nothing happened was your fault. You could never have prevented any of these tragic events." Just a Normal Tuesday sincerely focuses on how you are not alone in the process of moving forward after you've lost your loved one. And how even a smile a moment can randomly turn into a meltdown. This book brought forth the tangibility of grief like a 'new' normal. "I guess you're never really ready to lose a loved one." I have so much to say about Just a Normal Tuesday. But I'm afraid to give away spoilers. You need to read the book to understand the uncertain depths of grief and loss and how it can turn even the most sane person's world upside down. Order your copy of Just A Normal Tuesday by Kim Turrisi!
When I read the blurb, I thought Who We Were Before was something similar to Rabbit Hole; you know the Nicole Kidman-Aaron Eckhart movie about a couple trying to move on after their four-year-old son dies in an accident.
I’ve seen the movie and wanted to see what made this book stand apart from the theme of grief-stricken parents Edward and Zoe who’ve lost their two-year-old son as well. Who We Were Before blew me away. I couldn’t put it away because no matter how hard it was getting to read and breathe at the same time, I pushed on to finish it. My throat closed up reading their experiences and how they were drifting apart. Leah Mercer’s writing was beautiful. Who We Were Before is told through two perspectives - Edward and Zoe; switching between past and present. I can’t even begin to explain how bare and honest their story was because my family has gone through grief as such - twice. I can’t even begin to explain what grief of losing a child does to parents, because time and again I could see my cousin and his wife in Zoe and Edward. Losing a child is an irreplaceable loss that nothing or no one else can fill. It forever remains and open wound; sometimes it throbs till you can’t breathe anymore and sometimes it becomes numb. Through their past and present narrations, I got to know what each of their actions meant and how the better-half interpreted it. There were many instances of misunderstanding because both Edward and Zoe were not willing to talk about their pain and kept running away from each other. When Edward escaped to work, Zoe’s plans were only getting drunk to numb her pain. Yeah, you might think why didn’t they just talk it out-and-out? Well, it’s not that easy. “But how can you help someone who won’t just let you in, but who is also lying to you?” You can’t. Truth is, whatever Edward and Zoe were going through was real. Grief changes people/parents in so many different ways and I’ve seen it changing people in real life. I loved how Leah Mercer traced this subject with right amount of delicateness and honesty. As much as I loved reading about their past, I dreaded reading about their present because nothing was hearts and flowers. A harsh truth they both had to live. Overall, this is a beautiful book and sadly, not everyone will understand the deep-rooted sentiments and pain of Edward and Zoe. It is a story for mature readers who will appreciate the efforts, sensitivity, and Leah Mercer’s willingness for writing a book about loss and grief. Get your copy from Amazon.com
“Maybe I was destined to forever fall in love with people I couldn’t have. Maybe there’s a whole assortment of impossible people waiting for me to find them. Waiting to make me feel the same impossibility over and over again.”
Believe me, I did not expect this book to be so gripping and enriching. I can somewhere relate to June because she is one of those 14 year-olds who is too mature for her age. Her thoughts are on a completely different level. Through June, Carol Rifka-Brunt has shown a very unique side of love that is not bound by or dependent on physical intimacy. “I thought of all the different kinds of love in the world. I could think of ten without even trying. The way parents love their kids, the way you love a puppy or chocolate ice cream or home or your favorite book or your sister. Or your uncle. There's those kinds of love and then there's the other kind. The falling kind.” I have experienced love that's 'the falling kind' and Carol Rifka Brunt has just worked her magic in explaining why it is so right. From the blurb, no one would realize what a miracle and outstanding this book actually is. On the other hand, the author has touched a very delicate subject. AIDS. Although this book is set in 1987, the AIDS-related taboos are still masking out society. This is one book I'd press upon people in years to come. Order a copy of this evergreen story from Amazon.com
The story generally focuses on Iris Jaxson, the dying girl with a final wish to fulfill. Alec Sage is her best-friend in-denial and Arthur Quinn, the boy who has been in love with her ever since she walked into the place where he worked.
A twisted tale in which time has the ability to rob your loved ones away from you and you can't do anything about it. At times, I hated Alec but also understood what he must be going through, just imagining what his life would be without Iris. They're soul mate, best-friends, but not lovers. Surprise, surprise! Arthur Quinn was a revelation. You get to know all the characters in this book on a deep, moving level and can understand where they are coming from. I loved how everyone around Iris transformed and she is a bad-ass throughout this book to be honest. Nothing has stopped her from achieving whatever she wanted from her life. The mesmerizing details revolving around Iris, Alec and Arthur make you feel like you are right in the middle of this story. The narration was beautiful and deep. Unfinished is a story I'd remember for a long time. Order your copy from: Amazon.com E-book in various versions available on: Smashwords.com |
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