Review: Wow! What a debut!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 10 4, 2013
I've never written a review before, and this is likely to be short as I am a woman of few words (or just lazy), but this book has left me so emotionally raw. Yes, the subject matter is hard to deal with, we all want happily ever afters for all involved and to be left in a state of catharsis at the end. Does this book give you that? Well, kind of. I have read a lot of the reviews others have written that have been critical of Catherine's handling of her life, but I think it is important to understand this book is about a human. A female human at that. Yes, she is deeply flawed. It is very easy, as the reader, to sit back and say "why didn't she get help?" Or "how could she treat her husband that way?". Short answer, she's a human. We have free-will. Everyone deals with tragedy and heartbreak in their own way. Who is to say what is the "right" way to deal with it? We all make mistakes, some small, some life-changing, but they're all a part of the "human condition". I personally would have dealt with those matters differently, but I can understand how grief can lead you to make poor decisions, especially when your spouse is not prepared to deal with the situation.I don't go out of my way to read "cheater" stories and I assure you it will probably be a long time until I am emotionally able to handle another. If you can go into this book knowing that there is no way that everyone can achieve their HEA, you'll do just fine. I rarely get emotional when I read, but I felt like my heart was ripped out and steam-rolled over. I'm just waiting for my nose to clear and the tears to dry before I can even attempt sleep tonight (it's 0200 after all!) this has affected me so. Kudos to Ms. Asher for crafting a story that really made me "feel". Those feelings might not always have been comfortable, but that's the beauty of being a human, we have that ability, and the presence of mind to sort them out and attempt to understand them.