Review: WOW...just WOW!!!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 08 30, 2013
Arsen is such an intense, heart wrenching novel that will consume you from the inside out. I'm writing this review roughly 2 hours after I've finished reading it and I still can't sort my thoughts out. Saying this novel is an emotional roller coaster is an understatement of epic proportions. You will experience emotional whiplash at the hands of Mia Asher.I have to admit that I expected to hate this book. I just don't enjoy stories about cheating b/c in my mind its not justifiable. However, it was clear when I first started reading that this book was different from anything else I've ever come across. Instead of just jumping right into the betrayal, the story builds from scratch and you get to know Cathy & Ben in the most intimate way. You witness them meeting, dating and falling head over heels in love with each other.My heart broke repeatedly for Cathy as she suffered miscarriage after miscarriage. I can't even begin to imagine what that must feel like, but Ms. Asher did a phenomenal job of portraying the emotions and complete devastation. I think the fact that Cathy goes through something that happens to many women makes her easy to relate to and it really is the foundation on which her downfall is based. I think the important thing to remember here is that Cathy didn't have an affair just for the sake of doing it, she was at a pivotal point in her life where she had just given up on everything. Herself. Her husband. Her happiness. Nothing mattered anymore. She sank into such a deep depression that the only opportunity she saw for the ultimate escape was Arsen. Feeling utterly defeated, worthless and trampled on by life, she just threw it all away for what she thought she wanted.As much as I wanted to hate Arsen I just couldn't. Maybe that's b/c I could see how good he was for Cathy. While he's a complete douche bag for pursuing a married woman & destroying her marriage, he also brought her back to life. He made her laugh and smile and feel whole again after experiencing so much loss. He genuinely cared for her. They have undeniable chemistry and their time together was always incredibly intense but in the back of her mind Cathy always knew what she was doing was wrong. She was 100% remorseful but just couldn't stop herself from continuing on her downward spiral. Even Arsen knew he should've backed off, but neither one could do the right thing.And poor Ben. Poor poor Ben. He's everything a woman wants in a husband. Attentive, caring, passionate and completely devoted. He tried so hard to be there for Cathy, to bring down whatever walls she was trying to build between them, to help bring her back from the edge. But she was too far gone. His good intentions pushed her farther away as she instead became repulsed by his "perfectness".  As the story played out I could picture his face in my mind, the sadness in his eyes. It just tore me apart.I really can't say anymore for fear of unintentionally revealing too much. But I will say that you can expect to be glued to your seat for the last half of the book. There are so many plot twists that you just won't see coming, and you will be a complete wreck by the time its all done. The writing is just plain amazing, I've never been more affected by a story than I was by Arsen and that's all b/c Ms. Asher writes in such a way that will evoke every emotion under the sun. I honestly had no idea what I was getting myself into but I am so glad I ventured into this one. Somebody should seriously make this a movie.My final thought: If you only read one book this year, make it Arsen.