Author: Sawyer Bennett |Website| Twitter| Facebook|
Genre: New Adult Romance
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Format: Ebook
Series/Standalone: Standalone
Format: Ebook
Cost: $4.99 & $14.99
Pages: 226
How I got it: Blog Tour
Purchase: Amazon | Amazon Paperback |B&N|
Publication Date: March 28th, 2017
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Synopsis:
TRIGGER WARNING *****I will point out that there are open and frank discussions about suicide, about sexual abuse, and about death. If any of these are triggers for you please take the time to think about if you can handle this before going in. *****
I went into this one completely blind, it's Sawyer's book so yes, I will gladly take it. I hadn't read one of her books in a while and seeing this one ( a non series book) made me happy. Then I started reading it, the epigraph was so vague and made me want to know just what she was talking about. I knew I loved this story when I was reading the first chapter and Christopher made the comment about the feeling in his chest, asking himself if that was hope, and stating it better not be. His humour and his sarcastic and sometimes caustic voice made this a great read.
I dived into this book and I absolutely loved it, especially as the story progressed and we learned more from each character. Told from the perspective of the male character, as he opens up and learns more about the members of the group so too do we learn more about the characters. His obsession with one of the members made me laugh and his inner monologue was so good and really felt like the thoughts of a guy his age.
Christopher was an angry man, a very disillusioned military vet who had joined up to escape working in the coal mines of West Virginia, it was his family's legacy and he didn't want it for himself. Joining the military was his way to escape and he was almost home when a small error in driving changed everything for him. Reading that scene when he relived it made me ill. Sawyer sure can write the hell out of scene. Christopher is struggling with his new identity, he's no longer a military man, no longer a man with a girlfriend waiting for him and he had no one who could understand his life. This accident stripped him of everything he knew, changed his body, amde me wonder how his life would have been different if he could change some moments. He was angry at the world for having survived his accident and angry at the world for taking even more from him as he 'healed'.
I loved the perspective of reading from a military veteran. I cried reading this book. I didn't expect that, I went in thinking this was going to be a fluffy new adult read and got so much more. I want to tell you so much more but don't want to spoil it for you. The fun is in the discovery of each character and their issues, from Dead Kid to Goth Chick, to Sunshine. Learning about each character and their reason for being at the group was so heartbreaking at times.
The adventure though was so good. I loved that this was a first a way for Dead Kid to get his bucket list checked off and as it went along everyone got at least one item checked off. I really connected to Sunshine, not at first because I really couldn't believe she was really that okay with her diagnosis, hell I've had mine for years and every time there is a change at the doctors I once again go through the stages of grief. I kept telling the book that like "whatever girl, you ain't the Dali Lama, you're holding it all in", and then something happens that makes her really face it and I was so happy the way Sawyer handled that scene and the emotions of it.
I also loved the way the romance in this one developed at first I was wondering if it was going to be Christopher and another character; because he was such an asshat to everyone I couldn't really see him and the love interest at first. Then I realized it made perfect sense since she saw him for more than he was willing to see in himself; she challenged him and that made him come out of his shell even more. Her push back, and the others in the group talking to him & treating him not like a broken man but like another of their group really pushed his boundaries and made him start to look at things differently.
Now I have said this before I work in health care ( I don't like saying my position because then if anything happens people might try to say hey I read it on her blog and she's a ... nope not looking for trouble there). This is my field and normally books that delve into my field have two reactions, I'm either raging at the books because of all the errors and putting it down because it's so wrong, i.e The chance by Nicholas sparks (I HATED THAT BOOK UGHH). Or it's a research book so it gets it right..Lolol no sometimes authors get it right by swerving on sharing too many details which I highly appreciate. This was perfect blend of sharing some medical information but staying far away from too much information or incorrect information. However I found with this one had me so engrossed in the story that I only thought about the medical information once I put the book down. I would thing about my own reactions to my diagnosis and wonder why Sunshine was so calm, I would think about what I know about Dead Kid's diagnosis and what I know should have been done for Goth Girl only after I was away from the book and thinking about it. This made me love the book even more because normally my real life makes reading a bit tough, because my cynicism and knowledge will cut in and say "nope you know that's not how it works " and that kills the vibe of the book for me.
I really enjoyed how the book was written, going back and forth between current events and events that lead up to each moment. This book took me on a bit of an emotional roller coaster, understanding his anger, seeing his despair; reading the shame and rage the other character has, the fears they all have. It makes me wonder how many of the vets struggling with PTSD really don't want our thanks, they don't want to be seen as heroes, they're just men & women struggling to bring all of themselves back from wherever they served.
I'm glad I got to read this, I didn't want to put it down, I was reading it on three different devices, my ipad at home, my kindle for traveling and my cell for when I had brief moments alone at work. I loved this and I really can't wait for others to read it and love it as well.
Definitely a good read, I highly recommend it.
Publication Date: March 28th, 2017
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Synopsis:
Despite having narrowly escaped death’s clutches, Christopher Barlow is grateful for nothing. His capacity to love has been crushed. He hates everyone and everything, completely unable to see past the gray stain of misery that coats his perception of the world. It’s only after he involuntarily joins a band of depressed misfits who are struggling to overcome their own problems, does Christopher start to re-evaluate his lot in life.
What could they possibly learn from one another? How could they possibly help each other to heal? And the question that Christopher asks himself over and over again… can he learn to love again?
He’s about to find out as he embarks upon a cross country trip with a beautiful woman who is going blind, a boy with terminal cancer, and an abuse victim who can’t decide whether she wants to live or die.
Four people with nothing in common but their destination. They will encounter adventure, thrills, loss and love. And within their travels they will learn the greatest lesson of all.
The hard truth about sunshine…
Warning: This book deals with some tough issues including suicide and sexual abuse.
I dived into this book and I absolutely loved it, especially as the story progressed and we learned more from each character. Told from the perspective of the male character, as he opens up and learns more about the members of the group so too do we learn more about the characters. His obsession with one of the members made me laugh and his inner monologue was so good and really felt like the thoughts of a guy his age.
Christopher was an angry man, a very disillusioned military vet who had joined up to escape working in the coal mines of West Virginia, it was his family's legacy and he didn't want it for himself. Joining the military was his way to escape and he was almost home when a small error in driving changed everything for him. Reading that scene when he relived it made me ill. Sawyer sure can write the hell out of scene. Christopher is struggling with his new identity, he's no longer a military man, no longer a man with a girlfriend waiting for him and he had no one who could understand his life. This accident stripped him of everything he knew, changed his body, amde me wonder how his life would have been different if he could change some moments. He was angry at the world for having survived his accident and angry at the world for taking even more from him as he 'healed'.
I loved the perspective of reading from a military veteran. I cried reading this book. I didn't expect that, I went in thinking this was going to be a fluffy new adult read and got so much more. I want to tell you so much more but don't want to spoil it for you. The fun is in the discovery of each character and their issues, from Dead Kid to Goth Chick, to Sunshine. Learning about each character and their reason for being at the group was so heartbreaking at times.
The adventure though was so good. I loved that this was a first a way for Dead Kid to get his bucket list checked off and as it went along everyone got at least one item checked off. I really connected to Sunshine, not at first because I really couldn't believe she was really that okay with her diagnosis, hell I've had mine for years and every time there is a change at the doctors I once again go through the stages of grief. I kept telling the book that like "whatever girl, you ain't the Dali Lama, you're holding it all in", and then something happens that makes her really face it and I was so happy the way Sawyer handled that scene and the emotions of it.
I also loved the way the romance in this one developed at first I was wondering if it was going to be Christopher and another character; because he was such an asshat to everyone I couldn't really see him and the love interest at first. Then I realized it made perfect sense since she saw him for more than he was willing to see in himself; she challenged him and that made him come out of his shell even more. Her push back, and the others in the group talking to him & treating him not like a broken man but like another of their group really pushed his boundaries and made him start to look at things differently.
Now I have said this before I work in health care ( I don't like saying my position because then if anything happens people might try to say hey I read it on her blog and she's a ... nope not looking for trouble there). This is my field and normally books that delve into my field have two reactions, I'm either raging at the books because of all the errors and putting it down because it's so wrong, i.e The chance by Nicholas sparks (I HATED THAT BOOK UGHH). Or it's a research book so it gets it right..Lolol no sometimes authors get it right by swerving on sharing too many details which I highly appreciate. This was perfect blend of sharing some medical information but staying far away from too much information or incorrect information. However I found with this one had me so engrossed in the story that I only thought about the medical information once I put the book down. I would thing about my own reactions to my diagnosis and wonder why Sunshine was so calm, I would think about what I know about Dead Kid's diagnosis and what I know should have been done for Goth Girl only after I was away from the book and thinking about it. This made me love the book even more because normally my real life makes reading a bit tough, because my cynicism and knowledge will cut in and say "nope you know that's not how it works " and that kills the vibe of the book for me.
I really enjoyed how the book was written, going back and forth between current events and events that lead up to each moment. This book took me on a bit of an emotional roller coaster, understanding his anger, seeing his despair; reading the shame and rage the other character has, the fears they all have. It makes me wonder how many of the vets struggling with PTSD really don't want our thanks, they don't want to be seen as heroes, they're just men & women struggling to bring all of themselves back from wherever they served.
I'm glad I got to read this, I didn't want to put it down, I was reading it on three different devices, my ipad at home, my kindle for traveling and my cell for when I had brief moments alone at work. I loved this and I really can't wait for others to read it and love it as well.
Definitely a good read, I highly recommend it.
★★★★★
Happy Reading my loves,
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