My review
The trick is to know who you are, so you can be you…
This is the line which embodies the gist of the entire book. Cassandra or Sandra, as she is known now, runs away from her abusive husband in the middle of the night and expects her parents to support her emotionally and financially. But she gets a shock when they are unable to.
Falling down to the lowest level of desperation and down to her last few dollars, she agrees to house-sit for her aunt and look after the dog. That starts a journey to her new life where she finds her confidence to plan her future, her courage to face her abusive husband who plays mind games with her till the last chapter, and hopefully find a new love.
I love Grace Greene’s books, as she writes with emotions, about emotions. Every word is dipped in the depth of her heart and written with a passion that is honest and true. Her words resonate with every woman in each sentence. There are a lot of places where I could see myself in Cassandra.
In this book, she has painted her main character, Cassandra, as a real woman, who has issues both about her own self and her life, but yet she finds the courage to look beyond her flaws, into her own strengths. The author Grace Greene generally concentrates on relationships, and in this book too, there is a mother–daughter relationship which is wondrous to see as they grow from being strangers to being bonded with love.
There are moments in this book where I wondered why Cassandra does not react at her soon-to-be ex-husband’s words and I got almost angry at her weakness. Then I realised that people who have had such mind games being played by their spouses are unable to voice themselves. There is a lot of self–doubt in them. That gave me a real jolt and made me think.
There are a few niggles; I wanted Cassandra to be stronger, she doesn’t take active steps to fight her husband’s manipulations, there are times I wanted to push her to approach the police, but this doesn’t happen till the last few chapters. Also, I didn’t see Cassandra working, to earn money to think about a career, in the days she spends in her aunt’s home. I would have liked her to be a much stronger, independent woman. But those are just minor points, they do not detract attention from Grace Greene’s writing.
As always, there is a depth in the prose, there are emotions in the heart, and there is always self-confidence and hope in all of Grace’s books.
My rating : 3.5 stars
About the Author
Grace Greene is an award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of women’s fiction and contemporary romance set in the bucolic reaches of her native Virginia (Kincaid’s Hope, Cub Creek) and the breezy beaches of Emerald Isle, North Carolina (Beach Rental, Beach Winds). Her debut novel, Beach Rental, and the sequel, Beach Winds, were both Top Picks by RT Book Reviews magazine.
Book blurb
A Sandra Hurst has left her husband. Again. After dropping out of college to marry Trent, divorcing him, then remarrying him, she’s shown up on her parents’ doorstep nursing her wounds. But her parents refuse to help this time—emotionally or financially.
Desperate to earn money and determined to start over, she accepts an offer from her aunt to house-sit at the old family home, Cub Creek, in ruggedly beautiful rural Virginia. But when Sandra arrives, she finds the house has grown shabby, her aunt’s dog is missing, and the garden is woefully overgrown. And she suspects her almost-ex-husband is on her trail. But Sandra discovers that to move on from the pain of her past, she must embrace the beauty of her future.
Getting back to her roots maybe just what Sandra needs. And this final chance could lead to regaining her self-respect, making peace with her family, discovering what she’s truly made of…and becoming the woman she was always meant to be. And along the way, she just might find a bit of happiness in each day.
Product Details
Publication date : 31st January 2017
Publisher : Lake Union Publishing
Language : English
Available on Amazon; free with Kindle Unlimited
A journey of courage and hope, from broken to healed
41 Responses
Good morning dear friend
Good morning Alpesh
Beautiful review, Shalini! Intrigued to read this one. It sounds nice 🙂
Thank you Noriko. I like Grace Greene’s books. There is a depth in her writing. Whenever I want to read a feel good book on relationships I read hers
Grace Greene, although I have never heard of her, now I’ll keep an eye out for her! Thanks, Shalini <3
Free on kindle unlimited, if you have subscribed to it. And she is sweet author too
Oooh, now I think I’ll need to subscribe Kindle Unlimited!! lol You’ve got me there, Shalini!
I thought you had audible in some countries they are linked. So I assumed you had KU too
Nope. I used to when the service became available in Japan a year ago, but I had canceled it.
There are some good books on KU too. So I read them too. I like the selection of books in KU.
😉
Beautiful writing..
Happy-go-lucky
😊👌👌👌
Aww… Thank you.. That’s so sweet of you
😊
Sweet sweet chocolate…
🍫🍫🍫😋😊👌💖
Huhh??? You want chocolate???
Yes… Give me.. 🍫😋😋😋
Sorry I don’t like chocolate
But give me.. Me like me eating..
😊🍫😋😋😋💖
Hahaha I don’t buy things I don’t like. Ab bolo
But I like… Aap ko to deni pade gi…
😊🍫🍫🍫😋
I don’t like, so aapko dena meri fitrat main nahi hai
Kyu Kyu… 😊…. Muje chocolate deni Hai pade gi… 😊🎐😋🍫🍫🍫🍫
Haha kyun kyun deni padegi???
Friends he to… Etna to Hak Mera Banta he.. Ki. Me chocolate Ki bat to Kar Hai sakta hu..
Vese Bhi me chota hu…
Aapko to chocolate DE NI pade gi
.. 😊🍫🍫🍫
Friends kaun hai?? I know you are around 30 years younger to me so friends bahut dur ki baat hai abhi
Don’t worry 😕😑
See? Another one?
Even i wanted the woman to be stronger, but I guess I shouldn’t make statements before reading the book which again brings me to the question. when exactly would I do that 😀
When you identify yourself with the character in my review, then you can make such statements. You have to find time to read.
By the way, all your comments went into the spam folder 😨😨😱😱😂😂
Yes, I realised the spam glitch. Thought you’d find it rude to have not found a reply😅
Not my fault though.
Hahaha… Nah I thought you were budy
😇
See? Another one??
Even i wanted the woman to be stronger, but I guess I shouldn’t make statements before reading the book which again brings me to the question. when exactly would I do that 😀
Nice one. Good afternoon mam
Thank you. Good evening sir
Good night mam
Reblogged this on Die Erste Eslarner Zeitung – Aus und über Eslarn, sowie die bayerisch-tschechische Region!.
Thank you
Thank you. I want to read this book now.
Yp it’s a great book
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Great review of this book. You definitely drew my attention in and will be putting this on my book list. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your kind words. Yp it’s a good book