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motherhorror's review against another edition
5.0
Thank you to the author, Andrew Bourelle, for the free copy in exchange for an honest review *and* thank you for being so patient. I got this book at the start of my horror binge and I literally told him it could be *MONTHS* until I get to it and he was perfectly fine with that.
I wish I had read this sooner.
But better late than never, I always say.
This book didn't really have a description or teaser on the back cover so I went into it blind--I really loved the cover, actually, but honestly, I had no clue what this was going to be about.
Turns out, this book is not horror but it is a book you should be afraid of if you're scared of your heart being wrecked. If you don't want your feelings to come pouring out of your eyes.
I'm not going to go into the plot much, because I think it's exciting to just make all the discoveries as a reader on your own, like I did. I really enjoy that.
**I'll tell you there are some trigger warnings for people who have sensitivities about the subject of suicide and suicidal thoughts and also bullying/gun violence.
For me, being a mother of boys, this story was especially gut wrenching. I found myself letting my heart get *really* involved. I fell in love with the brothers, the narrator Danny especially but also his older brother Craig. I knew that with this love and attachment would come pain because there is a tension in this story that starts to build almost immediately.
As I read, I invested. The author very carefully and strategically peels back the emotional layers and allows the reader to climb right down into the mind of a very troubled young man. It hurts so bad to hear his innermost thoughts, his struggles, his feelings--the way he views the world--himself--I just wanted to hold him and care for him and tell him all the things he needed to hear. I grew angry and frustrated at many of the adults in the story for their inefficiency to do right by a family in crisis. There were a few scenes where I was talking out loud to the pages, "no, no, no...." squeezing my eyes shut and hoping that what I suspected would happen would PRETTY PLEASE not happen.
But Bourelle doesn't shy away from the tale he wants to tell. He doesn't pull any punches-he nails you in the heart, he jabs you in the kidneys, he puts a choke hold on you so you can't breathe--stops your heart, breaks it. He casts dark shadows over your thoughts and puts you in the head space of people who just need love, you know? Just unconditional, never giving up kind of love that holds your hand and never lets go, even when they go places you don't want to go and even when they push you away and even when they are unlovable.
And...I'm crying again.
This was hard.
But I'm really glad I read it and I want to read EVERYTHING and ANYTHING else Bourelle wants to offer us readers. He has serious game. I recommend this to fans of intense family dramas with amazing, well developed characters. People who like emotional reads. People who like reading about teens and struggles teens go through--realistic teen drama (which is really hard to come by) realistic teen dialog. (oh yeah, there weren't any quote tags here, which took a minute to get used to but once you're fully immersed, you don't notice it). Anyways, buy it. Read it. Love it.
I wish I had read this sooner.
But better late than never, I always say.
This book didn't really have a description or teaser on the back cover so I went into it blind--I really loved the cover, actually, but honestly, I had no clue what this was going to be about.
Turns out, this book is not horror but it is a book you should be afraid of if you're scared of your heart being wrecked. If you don't want your feelings to come pouring out of your eyes.
I'm not going to go into the plot much, because I think it's exciting to just make all the discoveries as a reader on your own, like I did. I really enjoy that.
**I'll tell you there are some trigger warnings for people who have sensitivities about the subject of suicide and suicidal thoughts and also bullying/gun violence.
For me, being a mother of boys, this story was especially gut wrenching. I found myself letting my heart get *really* involved. I fell in love with the brothers, the narrator Danny especially but also his older brother Craig. I knew that with this love and attachment would come pain because there is a tension in this story that starts to build almost immediately.
As I read, I invested. The author very carefully and strategically peels back the emotional layers and allows the reader to climb right down into the mind of a very troubled young man. It hurts so bad to hear his innermost thoughts, his struggles, his feelings--the way he views the world--himself--I just wanted to hold him and care for him and tell him all the things he needed to hear. I grew angry and frustrated at many of the adults in the story for their inefficiency to do right by a family in crisis. There were a few scenes where I was talking out loud to the pages, "no, no, no...." squeezing my eyes shut and hoping that what I suspected would happen would PRETTY PLEASE not happen.
But Bourelle doesn't shy away from the tale he wants to tell. He doesn't pull any punches-he nails you in the heart, he jabs you in the kidneys, he puts a choke hold on you so you can't breathe--stops your heart, breaks it. He casts dark shadows over your thoughts and puts you in the head space of people who just need love, you know? Just unconditional, never giving up kind of love that holds your hand and never lets go, even when they go places you don't want to go and even when they push you away and even when they are unlovable.
And...I'm crying again.
This was hard.
But I'm really glad I read it and I want to read EVERYTHING and ANYTHING else Bourelle wants to offer us readers. He has serious game. I recommend this to fans of intense family dramas with amazing, well developed characters. People who like emotional reads. People who like reading about teens and struggles teens go through--realistic teen drama (which is really hard to come by) realistic teen dialog. (oh yeah, there weren't any quote tags here, which took a minute to get used to but once you're fully immersed, you don't notice it). Anyways, buy it. Read it. Love it.
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