Review: What an emotional ride!
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 06 17, 2014
Even though I finished this book a couple of days ago, I had to sit on my thoughts before writing this review.  You know you’re about to embark on something thought provoking and emotionally driven when there is a note at the beginning of the book from the author detailing the storyline.  Yes, reading Life After Taylah is that touching.Avery’s family undergoes heartbreak when she is thirteen years old.  She and her brother Liam face the unfortunate reality that their mother, Taylah, has gone missing, leaving them and their father behind.  The two grow up, slightly estranged from their father, who is a crude businessman, and after over a decade of no news regarding their mother’s whereabouts, things between them get worse.Avery is stuck in a loveless relationship with her boyfriend Jacob that she knows isn’t going anywhere.  He stays with her in hopes of inheriting her father’s business.  She drives herself into her dancing while Liam develops problems of his own. They do, however, have a great support system of close friends.Nate is a married motocross racer and father to a little girl named Macy.  Like Avery, he is “stuck” in his present relationship.  When Avery and Nate meet, the connection between them is beyond anything either has ever experienced, and all the while, the most challenging.  Yes, Nate is married.  Yes, he has a child.  Yes, his wife makes me want to hit her.  Yes, Avery’s boyfriend acts like a scumbag.  But, the connection between these two. Gah, the connection is overwhelming.I have to admit when I began reading this book I had my reservations, but I went into it with an open mind.  I am so glad I did not based an opinion about it prior to reading it.  This book is so much more than a woman falling in love with a married man.  It contains the horrid effects of substance abuse, depression that leads to a suicide attempt, and another infidelity situation that contains a twist—everything that occurs to these characters years after Taylah has been reported missing.Now, I won’t go into any details concerning all these plot points, but Life After Taylah isn’t what I was expecting.  My only drawbacks were not getting the closure I wanted to read for Nate’s wife and Liam.  The ending felt rushed, and I would have loved for it to have been slowed down to incorporate more on the substance abuse aspect in order to give the reader a better understanding as to whether they sought the proper help or not.  More so for Nate's wife, Lena, since Macy is involved in the situation.I would love to read follow-ups from the secondary characters.  Books based on Kelly and Keanu would definitely pique my interest. I pulled for Liam throughout the entire book, so his story being told is one that I think needs to be out there, too.Review posted for Hooked on Books.