Blurb:
There are some things you just can't walk away from.
When sleeping in vacant warehouses and dark alleys becomes preferable to living at home, something is seriously wrong. But when word reaches Allie that her mother is facing a life threatening illness, she has no choice but to return to the place of nightmares. Leaving wasn't a choice, it was a necessity, and if returning hadn't been equally necessary, Allie never would have set foot back inside that hell-hole.
Dean is no stranger to hardship, but the day Allie walked out of his life, taking his heart right along with her, was hands-down the most frustrating. Six months later, she's back and Dean refuses to rest until he figures out exactly what the hell happened.
Now, Allie's drowning. Drowning in lies. Drowning in the truth. Drowning in pain, and anger, and fear. But there comes a time when every drowning person must decide whether they will . . . Sink or Swim?
When sleeping in vacant warehouses and dark alleys becomes preferable to living at home, something is seriously wrong. But when word reaches Allie that her mother is facing a life threatening illness, she has no choice but to return to the place of nightmares. Leaving wasn't a choice, it was a necessity, and if returning hadn't been equally necessary, Allie never would have set foot back inside that hell-hole.
Dean is no stranger to hardship, but the day Allie walked out of his life, taking his heart right along with her, was hands-down the most frustrating. Six months later, she's back and Dean refuses to rest until he figures out exactly what the hell happened.
Now, Allie's drowning. Drowning in lies. Drowning in the truth. Drowning in pain, and anger, and fear. But there comes a time when every drowning person must decide whether they will . . . Sink or Swim?
Review:
This was the most emotional read I have EVER read!! I was bawling almost the whole time. I hadn't planned on reading more than a few chapters before bed just to get it started even though I was exhausted. In between crying and yawning I finished in just a few hours because I couldn't stop no matter how much my eyes drooped. From the beginning you get sucked in and attached to the characters. It was so sad yet an amazingly beautiful story.
Allie goes through things that no person should ever have to endure yet it happens too often. She finally finds the strength to leave to protect not only herself but those she loves. But finding out about her mother's cancer sends her back to her nightmare of a life. Not only does she have to keep her heart at a distance, but watching her mother slowly dieting and caring for her is no easy task.
Throughout this story Allie finds out what she's made of. Once the truth comes to light those around her are forced to see everything they missed. I can't even tell you how many times I held my breathe throught reading this. There really are no words to describe the emotional experience you will go through reading this. The only way to understand is to dive in for yourself. There are times when you need an emotionally stirring read to break up the monotonous ones that you seem to find yourself stuck in. This, this is that read! this is the one that will leave you hung over for days! There is no cliffhanger, you get an ending.
The only thing I can really say is BEAUTIFUL! On the top of my favorite reads this year.
Rating 5 stars
*** I was provided an ARC in exchange for an honest review ***
Cheers,
Erika
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EXCERPT:
Dean’s hand traveled lightly up and down her spine and she tried not flinch. His gentle, repetitive touch felt strangely comforting. Her eyes drifted shut and she was beginning to doze when he reached the bottom of her spine near her belt and hesitated.
When he swept his hand back up, he took the hem of her shirt with him and sucked in a sharp breath. High flying fuck!
“Allie!” He scooted his chair back and lightly smacked her hands away when she tried to pull her shirt back down. “What the hell is that? Don’t even fucking try to tell me you got that helping your mother out of bed!”
She hadn’t actually gotten a look at the damage herself, but she could imagine what the bruise must look like. She’d seen enough of them. Shit!
“Dean, keep it down!” Allie finally succeeding in getting the shirt away from him and tugged it back into place.
“Keep it down?” He was incredulous. “What the hell happened to you? Who—Did yourfather do that?”
“No!”
Dean’s eyes flared. He knew. He knew. Shit, he knew.
Author Bio:
Jamie Canosa is a full time author of YA literature, which she absolutely loves. When she’s not writing or spending time with her family, she can usually be found with her nose in a book. She currently resides in Ravena, NY with her wonderful husband and three crazy kids . . . plus the dog, the bird and the rabbit.
Author links:
FB- https://www.facebook.com/AuthorJamieCanosa?ref=hl
blog- http://jamiecanosa.blogspot.com/
GR- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6150972.Jamie_Canosa
Twitter- https://twitter.com/JL_Canosa
blog- http://jamiecanosa.blogspot.com/
GR- http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/6150972.Jamie_Canosa
Twitter- https://twitter.com/JL_Canosa
Book trailer for Sink or Swim: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZKz6mO-0F38 Add a comment »
