Review: AMAZING!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 18, 2013
I absolutely love this series!!!!Ok so let me start with, you do not have to read the first two to understand and enjoy Sweet Forty- Two. However, there are characters a parts of the story line that come from the first two.It's no secret I fell in love with book #1 Ten Days of Perfect. This was Andrea Randall's first book. It was good… really good. Well, with each book Randall gives us a bit more of who she is as a writer. She shows a little more heart and a little more of what goes on up in that head of hers.So fast forward to me reading Sweet 42. There was no way i wouldn't like it. I just knew. What I wasn't prepared for is the direction Andrea Randall took this story. She pulled out all the stops and stripped herself bare as a writer. This sort of thing doesn't happen in serial books. I mean we are talking this is worth reading as a stand alone. It is that good. Randall carefully scratches at the exterior of your heart so as not to damage it but enough to make you feel the characters angst and their struggles.Georgia, the female m/c is quirky and animated-- to mask her deep rooted fear of becoming something unknown. I love her edge and carefully constructed persona. But the sweetness of her true generosity and selflessness subtly plays in your peripheral visual. Enough to grab you attention and make you want to find out more about her.Regan. Oh sweet Regan. He is casually and carefree sexy. You want to hold your hand out to him, to reassure him. He's strong and manly enough not to hide his vulnerability. But broken enough to be cautious and unsure of his actions.I have to mention Amanda, Georgia's mom, her part in the story while small in appearing in the actual plot of the story, she was monumental. Her clarity amongst the unknown (I don't want to spoil what that is) actually fuelled Georgia and Regan's relationship. She was an unexpected hero-- an amazing hero. Her confident resolve was proof that the stigmas and negativity surrounding mental health and mental wellness need to evolve and need more understanding.Throughout the story, i couldn't get it out of my head that although the mental illness that Amanda lived with wasn't the surrounding point of the story, it could to be denied its presence. It melded the story together. It also was a significant reminder that everyone has a bit of 'nonsense' in their life. We all face the unknown. We all face the possibility of not knowing who we will be tomorrow or how we will live tomorrow. The whisper of mental illness in Sweet 42 screamed endless possibilities, second chances, understanding and living life with your heart to keep your mind open.Sweet 42 is a must read for its beauty. Andrea Randall will make your heart sing, embrace nonsense and fall in love with life.