Review of As the Light Fades by Catherine West #LightFadesTour

On Tour with Prism Book Tours

Welcome to the book tour for As the Light Fades by Catherine West! This is a book that is going to stay with me for quite some time. Read my full review below and then follow the tour for more reviews and some excerpts. And there is an amazing giveaway at the end!

As the Light Fades
By Catherine West
Women's Fiction
Paperback & ebook, 362 Pages
September 10th 2019 by KDP

Sometimes we’re placed in the strangest of circumstances for the most important reasons.

After her carefully constructed life crumbles, Liz Carlisle finds herself back on Nantucket, picking up the pieces. With the family estate under renovations, the solitude she craves seems out of reach.

Matthew Stone intends to steer clear of his new tenant. She’s carrying a load of baggage, but as long as she pays the rent, he’ll let her be. He’s got enough to deal with caring for his wayward niece, Mia.

Liz doesn’t have time for teenagers and her track record with men is abysmal, but an unlikely friendship forms between the three.

When her former boyfriend is charged with assault, Liz is called to testify against him. But he knows the darkest secrets of her life—secrets she’d hoped to keep buried forever, and he’s ready to reveal them. Telling the truth is the right thing to do, but it may cost her everything she’s worked so hard for, and all she’s come to love.

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**My thoughts**

This book hurt me a bit to read, but not in a bad way. It was because I related to it so well and I absolutely loved it.

Liz has had a rough time lately and has come home to essentially start over again. She has left behind an abusive fiance. Her father has recently been placed in a nursing home with Alzheimer's. And she has basically already been kicked out of her childhood home while her siblings are having it remodeled into a B&B. Her siblings all seem to have their ducks in a row and she still feels like she is floundering.

She ends up renting a small place from Matt, who has also returned to Nantucket to essentially start over, but with his moody niece Mia in tow. She is understandably angry at her situation and is also struggling.

This story is one where these broken people are brought together by fate and end up healing each other in more ways than they could ever imagine. Families finally find ways to make amends for past misunderstandings. Friends learn the importance of friendship and just being there for each other. Individuals are finally able to reach deep inside and finally find their inner strength. And romances are a more realistic slow burn of caution and the creation of a solid foundation.

I loved all of these characters and really felt their pain and journeys.

The parts that hurt me the most were the chapters told from the point of view of Liz's father, who has Alzheimer's. I felt like the author really captured that ebb and flow between confusion and clarity that plagues people who suffer from this horrid disease. I sobbed every tie, because I lost my mother to Alzheimer's last year, and I vividly remember her days like this. Also, Drake is an artist, specializing in landscapes, as was my late father. So this beautiful story just made me nostalgic for my own family, while reminding me of my own journey.

It was well done and I loved soaking up every word of it.

I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

About the Author

Catherine West is an award-winning author of contemporary women’s fiction. When she’s not at the computer working on her next story, you can find her taking her Border Collie for long walks or reading books by her favorite authors. She and her husband reside in Bermuda, and have two adult children and one beautiful granddaughter. Catherine is the winner of the 2015 Grace Award (Bridge of Faith) and the Romance Writers of America’s Faith, Hope & Love Reader’s Choice Award (The Things We Knew). Where Hope Begins released May 2018, and her latest novel, As the Light Fades, releases September 2019.

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Tour Schedule

Tour Giveaway

One winner will receive a $75 Amazon Gift Card and a copy of The Things We Knew by Catherine West (print to US/CAN, ebook to INT)

Ends October 23, 2019

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'Fragile Line' by Brooklyn Skye Release Day Launch

Fragile Line Synopsis:

It can happen in a flash. One minute she’s kissing her boyfriend, the next she’s lost in the woods. Sixteen-year-old Ellie Cox is losing time. It started out small…forgetting a drive home or a conversation with a friend. But her blackouts are getting worse, more difficult to disguise as forgetfulness. When Ellie goes missing for three days, waking up in the apartment of a mysterious guy—a guy who is definitely not her boyfriend, her life starts to spiral out of control.

Perched on the edge of insanity, with horrific memories of her childhood leaking in, Ellie struggles to put together the pieces of what she’s lost—starting with the name haunting her, Gwen. Heartbreakingly beautiful, this poignant story follows one girl’s harrowing journey to finding out who she really is.

Book links

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Brooklyn Skye Bio:

Brooklyn Skye grew up in a small town where she quickly realized writing was an escape from small town life. Really, she’s just your average awkward girl who’s obsessed with words. She writes young adult and new adult fiction. You can follow her on Twitter as @brooklyn__skye or visit her web site for updates, teasers, giveaways, and more. www.brooklyn-skye.com


Links:
Blog: http://brooklynskye.wordpress.com/
Twitter: www.twitter.com/brooklyn__skye
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/pages/Brooklyn-Skye/527916810618631
Author Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6967637.Brooklyn_Skye
Fragile Line Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18516005-fragile-line
Instagram: BrooklynSkyeWrites

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Review of Born, Not Raised

The population of kids who are currently being serviced by juvenile halls seems like an underrepresented population, at least in a positive light. All that the media seems to focus on is their horrible crimes. No one seems to pay much attention to the individuals and their fear, nor how to help them to prevent it all from happening again.

I was drawn to Born, Not Raised in part because my late father's job in his golden years was working at the local juvenile hall. While he couldn't discuss the details of any of the cases, he often had a random story about an exchange with one of the kids. When any of them died or otherwise slipped, he felt it personally. He really cared about his job.


Susan Madden Lankford earned herself access to the inside of these facilities, to bring about more awareness. Her black and white photography emphasizes the loneliness and the pain of being inside them. To make it even more emotional, she includes reactions and handwritten notes from the some of the incarcerated kids. Your heartstrings are tugged as you realize how confusing it is for them and how they struggle to find the right kind of help. She also includes interviews with some of the kids, as well as many of the professionals who work with them.

Many of these kids have great potential, which Lankford attempts to highlight as she includes their stories and essays written as sort of assignments. On the flipside, many of these kids are depressed and feel that they will never be able to change their lives. They have been conditioned to believe there is no hope. When they are released from Juvey, they often end up going right back to the place from which they came and those problems rear their ugly heads all over again. It becomes an endless cycle.

Lankford also spends some time discussing these children with other professionals, such as psychologists. They discuss the impacts of the family situations, based on current psychological research. It really is a sobering picture.

Questions are asked that demand answers. What those answers are, you will not not find in this book. Instead, this feels like a call to action for both the juvenile halls and society in general.

Reading A to Z: H is for Hornby

Nick Hornby is my other male British chick-lit-with-a-male-protagonist love in life. You know him, too, even if you don't realize it. Do you remember John Cusack's movie High Fidelity? That was based on a Hornby book. How about Fever Pitch with Drew Barrymore and Jimmy Fallon? That was based on Hornby's book, also, that was actually somewhat of a memoir. And then there was About a Boy that starred Hugh Grant. See?



You also know of him for adapting the screenplay for the Oscar-nominated film An Education. He has also regularly contributed to the magazine The Believer. I have read him all over the place.



When I was perusing websites to help me keep track of some of his other books, I came across a tidbit that says that Johnny Depp is going to produce A Long Way Down. That book wrecked me. A group of people all want to commit suicide on New Years Eve, and end up saving each other. There's even a bit of humor thrown in there. It will be interesting to see how that movie pans out.



My least favorite book by Nick Hornby was Juliet, Naked. It's about a woman who ends up corresponding with Tucker Crowe, who is her boyfriend Duncan's favorite musician. Duncan is obsessed with Tucker, to the point where he starts to ignore Annie. But Annie finds herself drawn to Tucker, creating quite the interesting love triangle. Somehow, I felt unsatisfied when it ended.



One of my all-time favorites is actually a young adult novel of his called Slam. It's about teenage pregnancy, told from the boy's point-of-view. Sam obviously isn't ready to become a dad at the tender age of 16, especially not with his now EX-girlfriend. This book is a coming-of-age kind of story that takes a fresh look at a common topic, from a different point-of-view.



Nick Hornby is a great storyteller, whose characters are often real and can ersonate with both men and women. I love him for a relaxing escape.

Torn by Amber Lehman

Torn by Amber Lehman is the story of fourteen year-old Krista McKinley, who has transferred from Catholic school in Ohio to public school in California. Talk about culture shock! But she quickly finds friends in Carrie and Brandon and makes her place in the school society.

Those early teenage years are already confusing enough as it is. But add sexual ambiguity and experimentation to the mix, and welcome to a scary spiral of self-doubt and questioning.

Krista's first bout with confusion comes when she realizes that Brandon is actually gay, even though every girl in school seems to want him. He throws men and boys away as easily as he throws his money around, seeming to not care what damage is created. Yet, she is highly devoted to him.

Then comes an intoxicated experiment with Carrie, that brings their relationship to a new level for them both. How should it really be defined now? What do they really owe each other? What is normal?

Seeking answers is difficult, as her father has long disappeared, her mother is doing missionary work overseas. Her brothers are wrapped up in their own worlds, and would freak out if they knew what she was really doing. And then she is highly attracted to her virginal almost-30 year-old Bible Study leader, who is also the older brother of one of her other friends.

Relationships between the friends become increasingly complex as they struggle to answer these and many other questions about life, love, and lust. Their predicaments, while possibly extreme in the wealthy California setting, can probably found in just about any town in America, though it used to not be at such a young age. These types of games and experiments used to only happen during the freedom of college.

Amber Lehman herself said that though the characters in this book are in high school, it is actually written for the 17 and older crowd. The topics presented within are quite mature and would probably be better for a slightly younger crowd if read with a trusted adult.

Nevertheless, I found it to be a very good read. I had a hard time putting it down once I got started. And I am sure I will read it again some day.

I received a copy of this book for the purposes of reviewing it, from the author, Amber Lehman.

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