Review: ✨A potent, intelligent, empathetic and deserving fight for happiness.✨
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 17, 2014
My rating: 5 of 5 ⭐️Wow!!  I was completely bowled over by this novel, did not expect the deep reaches of the subject matter nor was I prepared for the immediate and total engagement I experienced with the characters and their story.I have read Serena Bell's work before and have always enjoyed it, but I believe of the novels I've read, this surely rises to a different level. Written with such incredible insight into and understanding of her characters, one of whom struggles with the loss and guilt-ridden aftermath of traumatic experiences during military service, and the other who has given up all sense of herself and her future, in order to care for her child alone.Mira carries her own guilt. Guilt towards her child, guilt towards her parents and guilt towards Jake. It is almost as if she has lived in a state of penance for years, not necessarily in caring for her son, but in molding herself to her family's expectations and so denying herself her own dreams. Ironic that just as she is starting to break free from that tether, the next subject of her guilt appears in her life - Jake - who challenges her to put herself out there.Jake is numb. It's easier that way, because feeling anything at this point is a painful experience. He exists, no more, simply goes through the motions on a daily basis. That is until he meets Mira again and feels himself yanked back into living, something he is not sure he even wants. His journey back from the desolate place he existed in is symbolized by the gradual adjustments he makes on his prosthesis to fit the life he is now working towards.Just a beautiful, and yet not overly emotionally weighted, story of two people fighting their way out of a life they were dealt, toward a life they choose whole-heartedly. This book left me feeling warmed, encouraged, bolstered and full. Phenomenal writing by Serena Bell.✨A potent, intelligent, empathetic and deserving fight for happiness.✨**Copy provided in return for an honest review.**