Review: Beautiful story of loss and grief and hope
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 29, 2014
I really like when I go in to a book not really knowing what it about. I wasn’t prepared to be a blubbering mess though. Our family suffered a loss similar to this not that long ago, so it was an emotional read for me and I read this in one sitting because Kelsey and Chases story just sucked me in. Kelsey has come home and not under good circumstances. The death of her brother who was just returning home from active duty in the Military is tearing her family apart, and blame is passed in the small town. But the heart wants what the heart wants, and this is just the case with Kelsey and Chase. They find a peace and healing power in each other but trying to make her parents see this was an uphill battle for both of them.I think I just fell for both of these characters from the start. Kelsey is heart broken and lost with out her brother, her pain is palpable but through all of this I found a heroine who has amazing strength for going through something like this. Chase having been the one driving the car that killer her brother, has such guilt and carries enough pain for all of them. But he was a good guy who made a horrible decision that change so many people lives. Kelsey parents are a mess, and I can’t imagine the pain they feel. These are characters that your heart just goes out to.This was such an emotional read for me. The story is about Kelsey and Chase and how they are still trying to move on, and during all of this some healing as well. Each of Kelsey’s parents have their own ways of dealing with everything, and so does Kelsey. I think the fact that Kelsey doesn’t see Chase as the horrible person who killed her brother, but the guy who made a horrible mistake shows the type of person she was. There is never a right time to drink and drive and an extremely important lesson for everyone. In this, I think I think Kelsey was looking for comfort and someone who understands what she is feeling and Chase was what most would say is the unlikely source of that type of comfort. Chase, Kelsey and her brother all grew up together, and I could see why she would go to him, and their relationship was wonderful, their interactions were painfully sweet. It was clear that they had had some type of feelings for each other even before the accident. The ending revealed some secrets that Chase had hiding, and they made this even better and it was such a great ending for Kelsey and Chase.How We Lived has all the feels, and is a beautiful story of loss and grief but one with hope and love. I would definitely recommend this fans of the emotional contemporaries.