THE HARD TRUTH ABOUT SUNSHINEby SAWYER BENNETT
New York Times bestselling author Sawyer Bennett has written her most gripping and poignant tale yet. Provocatively heart-breaking, audaciously irreverent and romantically fulfilling, The Hard Truth About Sunshine exposes just how very thin the line is between a full life and an empty existence.
Despite having narrowly escaped death's clutches, Christopher Barlow is grateful for nothing. His capacity to love has been crushed. He hates everyone and everything, completely unable to see past the gray stain of misery that coats his perception of the world. It's only after he involuntarily joins a band of depressed misfits who are struggling to overcome their own problems, does Christopher start to re-evaluate his lot in life.
What could they possibly learn from one another? How could they possibly help each other to heal? And the question that Christopher asks himself over and over again... can he learn to love again?
He's about to find out as he embarks upon a cross country trip with a beautiful woman who is going blind, a boy with terminal cancer, and an abuse victim who can't decide whether she wants to live or die.
Four people with nothing in common but their destination. They will encounter adventure, thrills, loss and love. And within their travels they will learn the greatest lesson of all.
The hard truth about sunshine...
Warning: This book deals with some tough issues including suicide and sexual abuse.
"Each one of us hates our life. It's a burden to us. It's unfair. It's nothing but misery and torment, and we're pissed we're the ones who have to suffer it."
This wasn't your normal hot and sexy, angsty and uplifting book. We normally get a very sweet and light, sexy and fun read from Sawyer Bennett. but this time was far from it. Nope. . . this time we got a read that pushed some emotional buttons, charged our mental batteries, and jumpstarted our hearts with a ride that was truthful and intense. There were trigger warnings on it for a reason.
The depth and emotions we got while reading this one were pretty extreme. From low to lower and back up, this book was intense beyond measure. Yes, we do have a love story within the words of this very powerful life story that we get to partake in, but I loved that it focused on ALL of the characters that we meet. I am still shaking my head.....it was so darn deep. It really made me stop and think, realize and wonder. On the outside looking in, I'm not sure how I would have handled this 'life'; this journey they were on. Strong or broken, these characters all left an impression on me.
A couple times I wanted to stop. Not because the book was bad or the writing was terrible. I don't think I can pinpoint exactly what the reason was because I was knee deep in curiosities while I was reading it. Such a contradiction, right? I wanted to know what happened. I wanted to understand the meaning of the title. I wanted to see why this one was so different from all her others and why everyone was just very softly applauding it, while loudly recommending it. I'm speechless, and if there is ONE thing I can suggest, it's go in blind. Go in and just let go of all your preconceived notions about what you think a meaningful book should be. Let go and accept. Read. Understand. Enjoy.
I'm writing this review immediately after reading it....I'm still thinking about it and likely will for some time. I'm still trying to decide my feelings overall and understanding what I just read. For the lack of a better phrase for me, this was a band of emotional misfits. With serious drama and life imbalances split between the four main characters, this book was a rough read and I won't deny the depth and the pain that I experienced while reading it. It angered me. It saddened me. It enlightened me. It was a moving book, and knowing what I know now, this would NOT be my normal read. But having read this, I am so glad I did and went in blind, because I am a better person for having read it.
So many emotions. So many conflicting emotions. Everyone, if you can handle it, you should read this book.
"I bet if you spent as much time seeking positivity as you do reveling in negativity, you'd feel a hell of a lot better about yourself."
~BEE
PURCHASE: http://amzn.to/2ohsWbf
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
~ABOUT SAWYER BENNETT~
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling Author, Sawyer Bennett is a snarky southern woman and reformed trial lawyer who decided to finally start putting on paper all of the stories that were floating in her head. Her husband works for a Fortune 100 company which lets him fly all over the world while she stays at home with their daughter and three big, furry dogs who hog the bed. Sawyer would like to report she doesn't have many weaknesses but can be bribed with a nominal amount of milk chocolate.
Sawyer is the author of several contemporary romances including the popular Off Series, the Legal Affairs Series, the Last Call Series and the Carolina Cold Fury Hockey Series.
~CONNECT WITH SAWYER~
Wow I'm speechless! Amazing review Bee! I'm intrigued and at the same time scared to read this book. Am I ready to read this right now with the events that happened to me recently?
ReplyDelete