ashtxnmae is interested in reading...

Pretty Dead Things: A Novel
Kelsey Cox
ashtxnmae started reading...

Portrait of a Thief
Grace D. Li
Post from the Wuthering Heights forum
ashtxnmae started reading...

Wuthering Heights
Emily Brontë
ashtxnmae wrote a review...
This story moved me for a lot of reasons, but I think the biggest contributor was the way the author handled the topic of emotional abuse in relationships. The anxiety and the guilt and the denial throughout felt very real and, at times, frustrating. From the outside looking in, it's very clear what's happening, and it's easy to say that the victim should just leave. Obviously, in practice, that gets a little more complicated. It was a struggle to keep that in mind as I was reading at times, as you'll see if you read any of my posts in the forum (😅).
I think this is a great entry point for young adults and those who haven't experienced a relationship like this – it's building awareness in a way that's easy to understand and compelling. I wanted to read this day and night, during the breaks in my work day, before I fell asleep. It's always the best when you find a book that makes you want to stop mindlessly scrolling on your phone.
To put on my critique hat, I'd say that I wish we got to see the main character reunite with more of the people she pushed away because the abuse. I also feel like the author did a good job at making some minor commentary on how we eat up true crime like it's reality tv with the social media and news article snippets, but I wish we'd gotten to see the main character struggling with it mentally a little more – like what do you do when the world is painting you out to be terrible when you know you're innocent? My last thing is that I didn't love one of the side characters; I found her to be a little annoying and not quite fleshed out enough.
I want to end on a positive note, so I'll just add that I'm glad I picked this one up and I'm excited to see what Kara A. Kennedy puts out next.
ashtxnmae finished a book

I Will Never Leave You
Kara A. Kennedy
Post from the I Will Never Leave You forum
Post from the I Will Never Leave You forum
Post from the I Will Never Leave You forum