Review: A beautiful debut
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 29, 2014
As You Turn Away is a story about love in its many forms - love for family, love for friends, love for yourself, and that special love between two people that can change your life. This book had so many great themes and messages: love, healing, hope, the importance of family.One of the things I loved most about this book was that it wasn’t easy. There were realistic obstacles both from the outside world and from within the characters. Jonah and Quinn both grew a lot through the course of the story. They were both broken in their own ways, and while their love story was beautiful, I appreciated that they didn’t ‘save’ each other; they helped each other, taught each other how to heal, and became stronger together and separately. They learned the importance of loving yourself before loving someone else, and that healing is a process.One of my favourite aspects of the book was the relationship Jonah had with his family. I definitely wish I were part of the Walker clan (preferably by marriage, heh heh). There aren’t enough books with an emphasis on family relationships, especially healthy family relationships. The Walkers had their issues - the boys fought and they had problems, but ultimately they loved and respected each other and knew they needed each other. Jamie, Jonah’s nephew was a real scene-stealer, and I wanted to just squeeze the little guy.With a rich southern setting, As You Turn Away is a story filled with hope and love. It made me laugh, cry, and swoon. There need to be more books like this in the New Adult category. Molli Moran is definitely a talent to watch out for.