***POSSIBLE SPOILERS PRESENT WITHIN
REVIEW***
4.5 star rating
Wow! This one
practically broke my heart. It was so hard to imagine the pain that this young
woman was going through. At fifteen years old Amanda Grace is abducted as she
walks to school. Not seen from in two years and presumed to be dead, her family
is elated when police find her. Broken and abused beyond belief, it is hard for
her to bounce back into society. Not
only is it hard for Amanda, but it is as equally hard for her family to be
around her. Her mother tries too hard, older sister Liza is hard-nosed and
tough to be around, younger sister Mia blames her for coming back and changing their
family, and her father is distant and wants nothing to do with her. Slowly as
feelings are revealed, it really isn’t as seems with her family. They are just
afraid of losing her again both mentally and physically now that they’ve just
found her. And, some blame themselves for the horror that has happened to her.
During Amanda’s imprisonment, the only thing that keeps her going is the
picture on the wall of actor Chase Henry. It’s with his constant voice in her
head that she has the will to survive. Unfortunately for Chase, his career has
stalled because of bad decisions in his past. He now has the chance to regain
that respect and start over if he comes up with a way to jump-start his career.
And, his publicist Elise has just the idea. But, it’s not really an honest one.
It’s manipulating and selfish as Chase sees it, but he’s willing to take that
chance even if it involves abuse victim Amanda Grace. Chase and Amanda meet for
the very first time and it’s a bust. Amanda still suffering violently from PTSD,
has a total meltdown during their first encounter. Chase is not too sure that
he can go through with this publicity stunt. He decides to call it off, but is
still talked into it by Elise. It snowballs out of hell, and Chase now is in
deep. And, gets deeper when he and Amanda take their relationship to a whole
new level through only the five days that they’ve known each other. What will
happen when Amanda finds out the truth? Will she ever be able to forgive
Chase??
This was a
pretty long book. Over four hundred pages. But, it moved rather quickly. I was
so praying that Amanda would figure out how to deal with all the heartbreak and
trauma that affected her. It was nothing but with sadness that Amanda tries so
hard to leave her past behind and try to live without always having to look
over her shoulder. Not being to withstand someone touching her along with
unidentified noises just seemed to provoke trigger after trigger as they happen.
She is so living in the past but wants to find the strength to not be the
victim. In reality she was a survivor, she just couldn’t find that balance
between victim and survivor on a daily basis. It was so hard to read about.
Oftentimes my emotions took over. And, while Chase was the sweetest person
ever, he just was lost and needed to be put on the right path with the right
someone. So many people had used him in the past for his celebrity status. When
it came down to it, he just wanted to be a good person.
The only
problem that I had with the book was the fact that they got intimate after only
a few days of knowing each other. And, with such severe PTSD that Amanda
suffered from, I found that a little hard to believe. The only thing that is
viable is the fact that maybe she was just so fed up with being the victim and was
ready to stand on her own two feet and be the strong one for once without
always needing someone’s protection. That made sense to me after awhile. So,
with that being said, I was totally engrossed in Amanda and Chase’s story. It
was hopeful and liberating. Showing a most vulnerable side to each character.
The relationship was not without sweetness and intimacy. It made sense in a
romantic way when experiencing love for the first time. They seemed to lean on
each other, which I think was necessary for both their recoveries. Such a
promising story with such courage for survival. Looking forward to reading
another book by this most talented author!
“Life is
too short to hold yourself back. From love, from happiness, from the fear of
falling when you could have the joy of jumping.” ~ Amanda (Chap. 29)
Review Written, 6/13/16
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