Jamie Beck (1)

Recommended: yep
For a book about a person writing a book, for some free therapy, for two characters who blend beautifully well, for a nuanced look at mental illness (Specifically one that's usually played for laughs, dismissed, feared, etc)

Thoughts:
If you read the blurb for this and worried that the character with kleptomania would be the all-too-common rep of a quirky mental illness that gets her into awkward shoplifting situations, etc: you are happily incorrect in that fear. I feel like show more it's important to start with this, because the book itself even acknowledges how often that's done in books, movies, and other media. The author in the book learns a lesson about it, and that allows readers to as well (if they need to). I really appreciated that it felt like a truly nuanced look at how it affects people who have it as well as those they love and are around them.

Now, if you looked at the blurb and thought that the contrast in personality of the two main characters was going to be delightful -- as I did -- you are happily correct this time! Wendy and Harper are fairly far apart in age, but are especially far apart in their lifestyles. Of course they manage to find some common ground and revel in their often opposing viewpoints, and doesn't that just make for the best friendship? I adored their interactions, and especially how much they each learned about themselves by opening up to the other honestly.

The story alternates pretty evenly between Harper and Wendy for the narrative perspective, which I enjoyed because I could see how each of them felt about their interactions. They each had so much personal reflection going on that I felt like I was getting therapy second hand from hearing how they came to understand their own conflicts and seeing what resonated with me personally as well.

There's romance as an element to this story, but it's definitely not the focus. It's shown more as a piece of their lives that helps them understand the rest. And of course there's Harper trying to write her book, so this had a strange meta feeling at times where she would discuss writing about her characters, who were based on Wendy and Harper -- our characters -- and it was a surreal roundabout where our book characters were analyzing themselves as characters. 😅

Overall I enjoyed this story and got a lot of feelings from reading it. It also read easily because I was invested from early on in both of them.

Thank you to Sparkpoint Studio for a free advanced copy. This is my honest review!  show less

Awesome Yet Also Problematic. This story is Beck's usual excellence as far as storytelling itself goes. Beck sucks you in with the aftermath of almost a Hangover (movie) type night (though to be clear, not *that* wild) where three women - two sisters and their friend - have made life-changing decisions... and now have to handle the repercussions. We open the story the morning after, and only ever get the high level details of what happened that night - the story is about life *after*. And show more for two of the three women, Beck does *amazing* work showing that even in screw-ups, good things can happen. The other lady's story is the more problematic one, and it comes from Beck's own unfamiliarity with the growing subculture of the childfree. Seeming without meaning to, Beck confronts this particular issue as much of society at large does... and unwittingly causes many eyes to roll. Having been a part of this community for several years (I'm a 38yo DINK - Dual Income No Kids and happily childfree), know that if you're a part of this community and in particular a woman in it, this storyline is going to make you want to throw this book off the nearest dam or into the nearest bonfire. But don't, because the other two subplots are truly excellent, and even this one is dealt with *some* degree of realism. Overall an excellent book, and let's face it - even with its growing popularity, the life of the childfree isn't exactly dominant yet. Meaning most readers will enjoy all three subplots very much. Very much recommended. show less

Amazing Social Examination While Telling Solid Story. I gotta admit, when I first heard about this story featuring "a teen party with a tragic outcome", I was a bit scared that Beck was about to go preachy. More than a bit, if I'm being perfectly honest. But I've come to truly appreciate her strength as a storyteller, and I knew that no matter how preachy she may have gotten, it was going to be a truly excellent story that allowed her to do it.

And yall: She didn't get preachy. At all. show more Instead, what we get is a truly balanced, truly nuanced look at how even local politics and tragedies can tear even decades long confidante level friendships to shreds. What we get is two very realistic approaches to parenting - I've seen both even within my own family. What we get is two mothers fighting for their sons who happen to be on opposite sides of both the local political issue and the tragedy. And we see in depth the love and devotion each mother has to her son - and what each is willing to do to try to help.

Beck's older books - romances - were still excellent stories, even if constrained by that particular genre's (some would argue obsessive and insane) rules. Now unconstrained by those rules and able to tell exactly the story she wants to tell in exactly the way she wants to tell it, this already strong storyteller shows that she is truly a master of her craft. Very much recommended. show less

The Promise of Us by Jamie Beck
Book #2: Sanctuary Sound Series
Source: NetGalley and Montlake Romance
Rating: 3/5 stars

**MINI-REVIEW**

The Bottom Line: It makes me feel truly crappy and like a very bad person when I so aggressively dislike a character who has been through as much as Claire McKenna has in book two of the Sanctuary Sound series. Claire survived a life-altering tragedy and though she has recovered in many ways, she has not in other critical areas. It is this lack of recovery, show more refusal to seek helps, and Claire’s truly terrible attitude that had me angry with her from her introduction in book one all the through the end of book two. Claire has used her tragedy as an excuse for a great deal of bad behavior and cruel words and that I found to be completely off putting. In fact, even when Claire began to work on her issues, I found I couldn’t overlook her past behaviors as they were so awful and so pronounced.

With the above having been written, how am I still at a 3-star rating? Logan! Logan Prescott may be something of a playboy, but he presents himself as anything but in this read. Logan is kind, caring, patient, talented, and likely the only man who can break through Claire’s horrifying attitude. I found Logan to be a wonderful character with a strength of character that was quite refreshing. I liked his attitude, his actions, his words, and his devotion to his sister. Hands down and without doubt, Logan saved this read for me and kept me from dropping below three stars. show less