Review: Great Debut Novel
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 22, 2014
I was given a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.Lola, the female lead, loses both parents, who she was very close to, in a tragic accident.  She meets a man, Rick, who she begins a tumultuous relationship with.  He is extremely controlling and both verbally and physically abusive to her.  After an excessively abusive night, she sees her chance and escapes while he’s passed out from too much drinking.Lola runs to the Cabin Lakes, the one place she feels most connected to her parents; where she feels Rick will never find her and straight into the arms of her childhood friend, Dean.  She also reconnects with her parent’s best friends, Dean’s parents, who run the campground.Dean is all gown up now and he ignites feelings Lola didn’t know she was capable or worthy of feeling.  With Dean, she feels safe, cared for and loved, something she’s never felt with Rick.  She begins to see herself for the wonderful woman Dean knows her to be.  He is very protective of her and he slowly unravels the shell of a woman hiding Lola’s true spirit.  He believes in her strength when she’s unable to believe in herself.There is, of course, drama.  You didn’t think Rick would let her get away from him easily did you?  But, out of the drama, there is happiness and blessings.This is Lisa’s debut novel and she has given us a good base to grow from. The writing is smooth and kept me entertained.  It’s roughly about 140 pages long so it’s a fast and easy read.  There was a vast array of emotions that I felt while reading this book.  I would have liked a little more background on her parents, since they played such a pivotal role in the decisions she made.  (Maybe viewed as flashbacks to happier days?)I recommend that you read Lisa’s debut book and experience it for yourself because we al have things in out past that we want to say, 'If I could I'd wish it all away'