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sbauer16's review
5.0
I've been in a book funk for WEEKS and The Way Back Home cured me in the first chapter. It's really no surprise since Carmen Jenner has been one of my favorite authors. I'm worried I might be put BACK into a book funk though after reading this.
I can be like an Energizer Bunny and go on and on AND ON about this book. I'll only list a few so I don't give much away.
The Way Back Home was a GRIPPING, POWERFUL, and EMOTIONAL read that will bring you to tears. I know I cried SO MANY TIMES. I know I want to be like Olivia when I grow up. She was such an INSPIRATION for everything she did involving Paws for Cause, and stood up for herself and others when the situation called for it. The slow burn between her August made me wish I was in her shoes.
So far my favorite book by Carmen was Toward the Sound of Chaos, but it may have been beat with this one. It's an AWFULLY close call. It doesn't help that Ellie, Jake, and Spencer made an appearance. BOTH books had my favorites in it: marines, animals (especially dogs), and kids. The Way Back Home DID have more kids in it along with a cute little piglet named Betty. After reading I SO WANT a piglet now as I'm sure you will too.
I believe I just convinced myself that this book is my NEW FAVORITE of Carmen's and one of my TOP READS of the YEAR.
I can be like an Energizer Bunny and go on and on AND ON about this book. I'll only list a few so I don't give much away.
The Way Back Home was a GRIPPING, POWERFUL, and EMOTIONAL read that will bring you to tears. I know I cried SO MANY TIMES. I know I want to be like Olivia when I grow up. She was such an INSPIRATION for everything she did involving Paws for Cause, and stood up for herself and others when the situation called for it. The slow burn between her August made me wish I was in her shoes.
So far my favorite book by Carmen was Toward the Sound of Chaos, but it may have been beat with this one. It's an AWFULLY close call. It doesn't help that Ellie, Jake, and Spencer made an appearance. BOTH books had my favorites in it: marines, animals (especially dogs), and kids. The Way Back Home DID have more kids in it along with a cute little piglet named Betty. After reading I SO WANT a piglet now as I'm sure you will too.
I believe I just convinced myself that this book is my NEW FAVORITE of Carmen's and one of my TOP READS of the YEAR.
dragonflyreads's review against another edition
5.0
4.5 stars
The Way Back Home is Carmen Jenner's latest standalone release. It doesn't connect with characters from any of her previous books. I have to mention that as an Aussie author, Carmen captured southern charm really well here! Our Alabama characters were well written and easy to love.
We're met with Olivia who is moving to a new town to expand her dog shelter. She trains dogs as service animals for PTSD veterans. She loves her job and is determined to make a difference in her new town and to the loves of the vets there. She's got trouble everywhere she turns as the women of Magnolia Springs don't like the new girl and refuse to help when needed.
August is back in Magnolia Springs caring for his little sister after the sudden death of his parents. He's still recovering from his last tour of duty that led him to losing his leg and suffering from PTSD. He's bitter and hurt and has no idea Olivia has come to live at his family's B&B until she's knocking on his doorstep.
The Way Back Home is so much more than a romance novel. It hits on notes of depression, abuse, suicide, and PTSD with class and heart. It's a slow burn with a lot of angst but the story is just so good. From Olivia and August's tumultuous and inevitable relationship, to August's sweet little sister Bettina, and all the animals, every character plays an integral roll in this sweet and heartfelt story.
The Way Back Home is Carmen Jenner's latest standalone release. It doesn't connect with characters from any of her previous books. I have to mention that as an Aussie author, Carmen captured southern charm really well here! Our Alabama characters were well written and easy to love.
We're met with Olivia who is moving to a new town to expand her dog shelter. She trains dogs as service animals for PTSD veterans. She loves her job and is determined to make a difference in her new town and to the loves of the vets there. She's got trouble everywhere she turns as the women of Magnolia Springs don't like the new girl and refuse to help when needed.
August is back in Magnolia Springs caring for his little sister after the sudden death of his parents. He's still recovering from his last tour of duty that led him to losing his leg and suffering from PTSD. He's bitter and hurt and has no idea Olivia has come to live at his family's B&B until she's knocking on his doorstep.
The Way Back Home is so much more than a romance novel. It hits on notes of depression, abuse, suicide, and PTSD with class and heart. It's a slow burn with a lot of angst but the story is just so good. From Olivia and August's tumultuous and inevitable relationship, to August's sweet little sister Bettina, and all the animals, every character plays an integral roll in this sweet and heartfelt story.
paddlefoot55's review against another edition
5.0
ARC received for an honest review
Where do I start with this book?
The Way Back Home is a romance story, but it is so much more than that. In fact, at times I felt that the romance took a back seat in this story, and what was happening around Olivia and August took the main stage.
August Cotton, ex Marine, a broken man.
Olivia - the woman tasked to bring him back into the world.
Throw a spanner in the works, a horrible Southern town (southern hospitality my ar$e) and what you get is a story of loss, heartbreak, pain - and hope.
Oh the emotions that I felt whilst reading. The back and forth, the anger, the hurt - gah, it got me right in the feels.
I want these two broken people to make it so much.
"Back and forth, we continue to hurt one another. We push and shove, scratch and claw until we're both broken and bleeding, a never-ending cycle of paint and hurt and torment."
There is so much I could say about this book, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone.
Buy it. Read it.
I can't wait to see what Ms Jenner brings us next.
Where do I start with this book?
The Way Back Home is a romance story, but it is so much more than that. In fact, at times I felt that the romance took a back seat in this story, and what was happening around Olivia and August took the main stage.
August Cotton, ex Marine, a broken man.
Olivia - the woman tasked to bring him back into the world.
Throw a spanner in the works, a horrible Southern town (southern hospitality my ar$e) and what you get is a story of loss, heartbreak, pain - and hope.
Oh the emotions that I felt whilst reading. The back and forth, the anger, the hurt - gah, it got me right in the feels.
I want these two broken people to make it so much.
"Back and forth, we continue to hurt one another. We push and shove, scratch and claw until we're both broken and bleeding, a never-ending cycle of paint and hurt and torment."
There is so much I could say about this book, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone.
Buy it. Read it.
I can't wait to see what Ms Jenner brings us next.
meegzreads's review against another edition
5.0
*5 Stars*
Whoa. This is an intense book, and a very interesting look into life for soldiers after war, dealing with injuries and PTSD.
August Cotton is one hell of a gruff man, and a real asshole to start with, to be frank. Olivia plops onto his doorstep at the very worst time (unknown to her), and things get off to a really rocky start, to say the least.
Liv has runs Paws for Cause, a company that rescues and trains dogs, and pairs them up as emotional support dogs, and August is next in her sights to try to help and get into her program. Whilst running into many obstacles, she stands tall and proud, and strong through everything. She's a really great female lead, and when you find out even more detail about her past, you realise just how strong she has turned out to be.
Of course, we also learn more and more about August's story as we go, and one can only imagine what that would be like for a soldier/Marine to deal with. But August is still here, and with his 4 year old sister to care for at that. Little Bett is a damned adorable character in this, and one of the highlights of the story. She is so precious!
We get a bunch of other secondary characters who turn out to be different people by the end, and quite a few serious events take place in the novel as well. At times, this can be quite hard to read and contemplate how one deals with these issues. Everything in this book is very real, and the fact that people really do have to go through these things is hard as a reader to take in.
I really loved how everything played out in this story (give or take a couple of parts, which you will understand as you go), and these two have a depth to them that makes them really great characters. I really enjoyed this book, and I devoured it in under 24 hours. There is something so real about it, and I just couldn't wait to find out how things would end.
Highly recommend.
Review also on my blog - The Way Back Home by Carmen Jenner
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Whoa. This is an intense book, and a very interesting look into life for soldiers after war, dealing with injuries and PTSD.
August Cotton is one hell of a gruff man, and a real asshole to start with, to be frank. Olivia plops onto his doorstep at the very worst time (unknown to her), and things get off to a really rocky start, to say the least.
Liv has runs Paws for Cause, a company that rescues and trains dogs, and pairs them up as emotional support dogs, and August is next in her sights to try to help and get into her program. Whilst running into many obstacles, she stands tall and proud, and strong through everything. She's a really great female lead, and when you find out even more detail about her past, you realise just how strong she has turned out to be.
Of course, we also learn more and more about August's story as we go, and one can only imagine what that would be like for a soldier/Marine to deal with. But August is still here, and with his 4 year old sister to care for at that. Little Bett is a damned adorable character in this, and one of the highlights of the story. She is so precious!
We get a bunch of other secondary characters who turn out to be different people by the end, and quite a few serious events take place in the novel as well. At times, this can be quite hard to read and contemplate how one deals with these issues. Everything in this book is very real, and the fact that people really do have to go through these things is hard as a reader to take in.
I really loved how everything played out in this story (give or take a couple of parts, which you will understand as you go), and these two have a depth to them that makes them really great characters. I really enjoyed this book, and I devoured it in under 24 hours. There is something so real about it, and I just couldn't wait to find out how things would end.
Highly recommend.
Review also on my blog - The Way Back Home by Carmen Jenner
Follow me on:
lenoreo's review against another edition
3.0
https://celebrityreaders.wordpress.com/2017/09/08/the-way-back-home-by-carmen-jenner/
3.5 stars -- OK, first things first, YAY to the author for putting the potential trigger warning! I don't actually experience triggers, but I kind of thought that this one might have potential (it does deal with the difficult subject of war, ptsd, and suicide).
OK, so wanna hear the weird thing about this one? I LOVED so much of this book, but the one thing I was meh on? The romance. *rolls eyes* Like seriously, isn't that odd? It's kind of a romance book. It's not the whole point, but it's kind of a main point. *sigh* I was going to leave that til the end like I've been doing lately, but how about we just get it out of the way and end on a high note?
I 100% felt the lust and attraction between Olivia and August. I did. It made it a little frustrating that this ended up being a slow burn book, and that the author tended to rely heavily on the interruption to stop things from going in a physical direction (I can't even tell you how many times they were about to kiss and someone/something interrupted them). I don't mind that in general, but if it's multiple times, I tend to start rolling my eyes. My problem was not in their physical chemistry, it was that I didn't completely follow the development of their feelings and emotions. I got some of it, but these two were just so ridiculously damaged that they were just not healthy with each other. I mean, like I said to my husband, it was quite a bit of hate boinking (except I used a more colourful word that definitely won't make it past the 'zon's approval process). I know some people really enjoy those kinds of angsty relationships, and I honestly actually got how it made sense in some ways, given what they'd been through in each of their pasts, but it just kind of leaves me feeling icky and unsatisfied. And it probably didn't help that I didn't understand the point where Olivia got fed up...it didn't feel like it fit, I didn't understand how she got to the end of her rope. Oh well, sometimes I am dense. And I *really* didn't like how she handled the PTSD stuff with both August and Dalton. Honestly, I was a bit surprised how often she made really silly mistakes, and then the author would excuse it away as she should know better...but for realz people, SHE DOES THIS FOR A LIVING. She *should* know better. I didn't buy being distracted by her feelings for August. It was just too much to watch her constantly putting herself in dangerous situations.
OK! Now onto the fun stuff!! Well, and heartbreak. But the good heartbreak. The elements that put this book up there for me are actually kind of diverse. I actually thought Olivia was hilarious and sassy and in general she had an amazingly tender heart. It's kind of a strange mixture actually. But I just fell in love with the way she took in strays, from animals to humans. I loved the way she interacted with many of the strong secondary characters. She was wonderful with Bettina (though can I just say I'm never a fan of writing out 4 year old dialogue with the lisps included? Personal preference). I was pleasantly surprised with the way her relationship with Josiah progressed, and my heart ached in that storyline (though I will admit I read another review that mentioned some race issues, and in the end I agree with that reviewer, even though my little white reader self didn't completely ferret that out on my own). I thought Josiah and Beau added to this full, hilarious household. And, being an animal lover, I ADORED Betty, Zora, and the bit we saw of Xena.
And while I never really felt like I got to know August quite as much, and particularly not until the second half, I loved a lot of what I got to see in his story. I felt for him with the Jude/Sav storyline. But where he really shone was in watching him with his dogs (either Havoc or Zora). I felt like I learned a LOT about Marine Working Dogs, and how that all works, and while heartbreaking at times, it was also fascinating and gave me EVEN MORE respect for both the animals and handlers.
So yeah. It's weird when you like characters on their own, but when they don't bring out the best in each other. Or at least not in my opinion. So, needless to say, this book left me feeling very mixed. The parts I loved I REALLY LOVED. But if I can't connect on a romance in a romance book, well...I don't know. It's a bummer, at minimum.
3.5 stars -- OK, first things first, YAY to the author for putting the potential trigger warning! I don't actually experience triggers, but I kind of thought that this one might have potential (it does deal with the difficult subject of war, ptsd, and suicide).
OK, so wanna hear the weird thing about this one? I LOVED so much of this book, but the one thing I was meh on? The romance. *rolls eyes* Like seriously, isn't that odd? It's kind of a romance book. It's not the whole point, but it's kind of a main point. *sigh* I was going to leave that til the end like I've been doing lately, but how about we just get it out of the way and end on a high note?
I 100% felt the lust and attraction between Olivia and August. I did. It made it a little frustrating that this ended up being a slow burn book, and that the author tended to rely heavily on the interruption to stop things from going in a physical direction (I can't even tell you how many times they were about to kiss and someone/something interrupted them). I don't mind that in general, but if it's multiple times, I tend to start rolling my eyes. My problem was not in their physical chemistry, it was that I didn't completely follow the development of their feelings and emotions. I got some of it, but these two were just so ridiculously damaged that they were just not healthy with each other. I mean, like I said to my husband, it was quite a bit of hate boinking (except I used a more colourful word that definitely won't make it past the 'zon's approval process). I know some people really enjoy those kinds of angsty relationships, and I honestly actually got how it made sense in some ways, given what they'd been through in each of their pasts, but it just kind of leaves me feeling icky and unsatisfied. And it probably didn't help that I didn't understand the point where Olivia got fed up...it didn't feel like it fit, I didn't understand how she got to the end of her rope. Oh well, sometimes I am dense. And I *really* didn't like how she handled the PTSD stuff with both August and Dalton. Honestly, I was a bit surprised how often she made really silly mistakes, and then the author would excuse it away as she should know better...but for realz people, SHE DOES THIS FOR A LIVING. She *should* know better. I didn't buy being distracted by her feelings for August. It was just too much to watch her constantly putting herself in dangerous situations.
OK! Now onto the fun stuff!! Well, and heartbreak. But the good heartbreak. The elements that put this book up there for me are actually kind of diverse. I actually thought Olivia was hilarious and sassy and in general she had an amazingly tender heart. It's kind of a strange mixture actually. But I just fell in love with the way she took in strays, from animals to humans. I loved the way she interacted with many of the strong secondary characters. She was wonderful with Bettina (though can I just say I'm never a fan of writing out 4 year old dialogue with the lisps included? Personal preference). I was pleasantly surprised with the way her relationship with Josiah progressed, and my heart ached in that storyline (though I will admit I read another review that mentioned some race issues, and in the end I agree with that reviewer, even though my little white reader self didn't completely ferret that out on my own). I thought Josiah and Beau added to this full, hilarious household. And, being an animal lover, I ADORED Betty, Zora, and the bit we saw of Xena.
And while I never really felt like I got to know August quite as much, and particularly not until the second half, I loved a lot of what I got to see in his story. I felt for him with the Jude/Sav storyline. But where he really shone was in watching him with his dogs (either Havoc or Zora). I felt like I learned a LOT about Marine Working Dogs, and how that all works, and while heartbreaking at times, it was also fascinating and gave me EVEN MORE respect for both the animals and handlers.
So yeah. It's weird when you like characters on their own, but when they don't bring out the best in each other. Or at least not in my opinion. So, needless to say, this book left me feeling very mixed. The parts I loved I REALLY LOVED. But if I can't connect on a romance in a romance book, well...I don't know. It's a bummer, at minimum.
suzy76's review against another edition
5.0
Carmen Jenner did it again. I could not put this down and she made me cry dammit. All the love for this book and these characters and for the wonderful author that Carmen is.
nicspears's review against another edition
5.0
You know when you read a book that is so beautiful and thought provoking you have to sit down for a good few hours after just to process what you've read???
Carmen has delivered that kind of book.
This a powerful story of the realistic results of war and PTSD, healing and two broken souls finding their way back home.
We are getting more and more military based books being released and some of which tackle the effects PTSD has on a soldier, but I have found none have quite gotten it so realistic until Carmen released 'Toward The Sound Of Chaos' and now 'The Way Back Home'.
The love, research and respect that has gone into writing this book shines through the pages and you know that Carmen had given her all to these characters and to show just how much of a struggle life after war can be. Not only to veterans but to those around them as well.
This is a book you will not forget, but it's one you shouldn't forget. This is a book and subject that needs to be savoured and shared.
Every word. Every emotion that pours out of the pages and into your heart...savour it and never forget!!!
Carmen, I am in awe of you and the respectful and loving way you have delivered this book and I take my hat off to you.
A definite, definite must read from me and one that will always hold a special place in my heart.
Carmen has delivered that kind of book.
This a powerful story of the realistic results of war and PTSD, healing and two broken souls finding their way back home.
We are getting more and more military based books being released and some of which tackle the effects PTSD has on a soldier, but I have found none have quite gotten it so realistic until Carmen released 'Toward The Sound Of Chaos' and now 'The Way Back Home'.
The love, research and respect that has gone into writing this book shines through the pages and you know that Carmen had given her all to these characters and to show just how much of a struggle life after war can be. Not only to veterans but to those around them as well.
This is a book you will not forget, but it's one you shouldn't forget. This is a book and subject that needs to be savoured and shared.
Every word. Every emotion that pours out of the pages and into your heart...savour it and never forget!!!
Carmen, I am in awe of you and the respectful and loving way you have delivered this book and I take my hat off to you.
A definite, definite must read from me and one that will always hold a special place in my heart.
tracy81's review against another edition
5.0
5 amazing beautiful stars, how can you review a book when you can't find any words to express how good this book was.
This was a beautiful story of how to broken souls find each other and go on a journey to heal each other.
I loved them both, they were both so very unique and written beautifully that I felt I lived every page with them from start to finish and the emotion that Carmen wrote into every page was truly spellbinding that you can't help rooting for them both but in totally different ways.
For me I don't know if Carmen will ever top this book it's definitely found a place in my best books ever shelf, but the beauty of books is I can't wait to find out!
This was a beautiful story of how to broken souls find each other and go on a journey to heal each other.
I loved them both, they were both so very unique and written beautifully that I felt I lived every page with them from start to finish and the emotion that Carmen wrote into every page was truly spellbinding that you can't help rooting for them both but in totally different ways.
For me I don't know if Carmen will ever top this book it's definitely found a place in my best books ever shelf, but the beauty of books is I can't wait to find out!
kaity_b's review against another edition
3.0
2.5-3 stars....(sorry......McKenna and Ali)
Okay a few thoughts about this book.
First, there were waaaaay too many big topics throughout this book ( these are the topics, you can look for TW or if you want to know them ahead of time:rape, suicide, PTSD, child abuse and neglect, cheating, drugs, mental health and more ) and because of that I felt like none of them were flushed out enough. It would go from a really serious topic being discussed to then them either joking right after or just blowing past the topic.
The main place that this really stood out to me was when Olivia told August that we was raped by her mom's drug dealer at 17 and then became pregnant. And she was in a really dark place that she wanted to take her own life. And after that whole thing and you getting the emotions from Olivia, August gives her a hug and says "you done good princess". And Olivia's internal thoughts were "...I just poured my heart out to this man, and I know he'll never let himself open up to me" And then it was the start of the next chapter.
And I sat there like, we just got an emotional bomb dropped on us and it was skimmed over. It was kind like whiplash, where we would get smacked with an emotional sob story one page and then bam it's like nothing ever happened in the next.
Second, I didn't really feel the chemistry between August and Olivia. I felt it at the beginning when they were trying to feelers from each other. But then as the story continues it was a lot of "yes I am in to you... No I am not good for you, but I want you... " I was like I get it for the first half of the book, but I swear that happened up until the end where I couldn't feel that true chemistry with the characters because they kept just being surface level with each other. I say that even though they divulged really deep secrets with each other, but they didn't talk about those secrets that to me it felt like they didn't even say them.
Third, for being someone who can help Marines with PTSD, Olivia had a hard time showing that throughout the story. That is one thing that really frustrated me, since she had this reputable business that was in magazines, and she had multiple locations throughout the south, this book didn't highlight that at all. She saw that August was having a hard time, but we didn't see any tools on how to help him cope.
The character that I loved the most was Josiah, he was a misunderstood teenager that is taken under Olivia's wing. Their friendship was more believable to me than the love relationship with Olivia and August. The way that Olivia was protective of Josiah was great and wanted to help him no matter how their friendship started. I kept reading to see what happened with his life, he really made the story enjoyable, I wish there was more interactions with him.
Also there was a lot of town drama at the beginning that didn't do anything to the plot of the story, it was just to show how they were outcasted but it wasn't brought up again after the couple chapters that it happened.
Overall I had really high expectations for this book, I love military romances, and this one didn't do it for me. I wanted to badly to love it, but it just fell short for me.
If you are looking for a really good military romance look no further than [a:Rebecca Yarros|7539785|Rebecca Yarros|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1542433723p2/7539785.jpg], since she is a military wife she can really capture the experience and the trials and tribulations that they have to go through.
Okay a few thoughts about this book.
First, there were waaaaay too many big topics throughout this book ( these are the topics, you can look for TW or if you want to know them ahead of time:
And I sat there like, we just got an emotional bomb dropped on us and it was skimmed over. It was kind like whiplash, where we would get smacked with an emotional sob story one page and then bam it's like nothing ever happened in the next.
Second, I didn't really feel the chemistry between August and Olivia. I felt it at the beginning when they were trying to feelers from each other. But then as the story continues it was a lot of "yes I am in to you... No I am not good for you, but I want you... " I was like I get it for the first half of the book, but I swear that happened up until the end where I couldn't feel that true chemistry with the characters because they kept just being surface level with each other. I say that even though they divulged really deep secrets with each other, but they didn't talk about those secrets that to me it felt like they didn't even say them.
Third, for being someone who can help Marines with PTSD, Olivia had a hard time showing that throughout the story. That is one thing that really frustrated me, since she had this reputable business that was in magazines, and she had multiple locations throughout the south, this book didn't highlight that at all. She saw that August was having a hard time, but we didn't see any tools on how to help him cope.
The character that I loved the most was Josiah, he was a misunderstood teenager that is taken under Olivia's wing. Their friendship was more believable to me than the love relationship with Olivia and August. The way that Olivia was protective of Josiah was great and wanted to help him no matter how their friendship started. I kept reading to see what happened with his life, he really made the story enjoyable, I wish there was more interactions with him.
Also there was a lot of town drama at the beginning that didn't do anything to the plot of the story, it was just to show how they were outcasted but it wasn't brought up again after the couple chapters that it happened.
Overall I had really high expectations for this book, I love military romances, and this one didn't do it for me. I wanted to badly to love it, but it just fell short for me.
If you are looking for a really good military romance look no further than [a:Rebecca Yarros|7539785|Rebecca Yarros|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1542433723p2/7539785.jpg], since she is a military wife she can really capture the experience and the trials and tribulations that they have to go through.
bellefarren's review against another edition
2.0
2/5 stars
trigger warning: suicide (descriptive), mental illness, rape and abuse.
this is kinda a long review lol, 1k plus words of how much I did not like the representation of a so called experienced 'professional' in the mental health field and their way of 'helping' a PTSD sufferer.
This was a very highly anticipated read for me, I love a book that features a realistic interpretation of what veterans suffer with when they come home from war. And although I feel this did a pretty good job in representing that, no love cures severe and paralysing PTSD to be seen around here, I just didn't enjoy the characters one bit. And I am so disappointed because I feel as if this book had the potential to be a favourite.
This story follows Olivia Anders, the owner of a non-for-profit that pairs unwanted dogs from the pound with veterans having a tough time adjusting to civilian life. She wanders into Magnolia Springs to set up another 'Paws For Cause' and immediately sets her eyes on wounded veteran August Cotton, who had just lost his parents and become guardian to his baby sister.
Olivia was my biggest issue in this story, her and I were not on the same page and I often wanted to shake some common sense into that self absorbed, overly teased, southern head of hers.
By her own definition, she was well versed in dealing with veterans who suffered from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder is a particular set of reactions that can develop in people who have been through a traumatic event which threatened their life or safety, or that of others around them) and yet she made so many unknowledgeable mistakes that she claimed she made "in the moment" and "without thinking".
Again and again she put her own safety at risk to reach out and touch August Cotton, a man who suffered from PTSD and would often have violent outburst towards people who startled or frightened him. While he was in the throws of a flashback, she repeatedly touched or tried to break him out of the flashbacks, resulting in him either holding her in a choke hold or holding a knife to her throat.
Honestly, it was frustrating to watch a 'professional' in the field (who also hinted that she had a background in psychology) make such dangerous mistakes. It took me 0.2 seconds on google to find articles talking about how to approach a person suffering PTSD who is displaying signs of violence:
A threatened Marine = a violent Marine. I don't know about you, but that seems like a basic equation that only takes a smidgen of common sense to answer.
And she often lamented that she 'knew better' and yet made the same mistake again and again. Not only did she make the mistake, she then constantly blamed August for the consequences. I do believe that it wasn't just Olivia to blame for this, it was clear that August refused to seek help or accept it when offered, but for Olivia to constantly be blaming him for "always hurting her" was plain infuriating. And there wasn't even the excuse that he was a risk to himself or others during those flashbacks.
Olivia clearly made August seem like a pity project throughout the entire book and I was not a fan of it, I did not want the two to end up together and the only reason I continued to read was because I became attached to the side characters and animals that filled this book. August's little sister Bettina and the two delinquent boys, Josiah and Beau were pure and beautiful characters, I adored them to no end.
I also felt like the author tried to cram WAY too many significant topics all in one (kinda short) book. For example some of the strong themes and plot points were:
● PTSD
● general mental health issues
● suicide attempts (quite descriptive)
● abuse
● neglect of a minor
● drugs
● rape (and a resulting pregnancy)
● cheating
● grief
And these are just naming a few, I'm sure if I went back and highlighted all the themes I would come back with a much longer list. There was no cohesion with all these strong topics and the author used flashback chapters (for both Olivia and August) to the past to add more 'drama' into the story. I think a lot of the these themes were used to create sympathy and feeling towards certain characters and it felt like a cheats way of making readers feel something towards a character.
I think it's hard enough for an author to do two or three of these themes in a book, let alone a whole list of them.
I just had too many issues with the story to rate it any higher, the writing was enjoyable but the plot and characters just didn't mesh well. I am so disappointed that I didn't enjoy this book, I had even gone a far as to pre-order it and it just didn't meet my expectations.
If you want a good romance book that deals with wounded veterans from war I would highly recommend [b:Embattled Hearts|17340459|Embattled Hearts (Lost and Found, #1)|J.M. Madden|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1360286447s/17340459.jpg|24076139], the series covers a whole range of different disabilities (mental and physical) that vets come back with and it creates a romance that is a perfect fit.
trigger warning: suicide (descriptive), mental illness, rape and abuse.
this is kinda a long review lol, 1k plus words of how much I did not like the representation of a so called experienced 'professional' in the mental health field and their way of 'helping' a PTSD sufferer.
This was a very highly anticipated read for me, I love a book that features a realistic interpretation of what veterans suffer with when they come home from war. And although I feel this did a pretty good job in representing that, no love cures severe and paralysing PTSD to be seen around here, I just didn't enjoy the characters one bit. And I am so disappointed because I feel as if this book had the potential to be a favourite.
This story follows Olivia Anders, the owner of a non-for-profit that pairs unwanted dogs from the pound with veterans having a tough time adjusting to civilian life. She wanders into Magnolia Springs to set up another 'Paws For Cause' and immediately sets her eyes on wounded veteran August Cotton, who had just lost his parents and become guardian to his baby sister.
Olivia was my biggest issue in this story, her and I were not on the same page and I often wanted to shake some common sense into that self absorbed, overly teased, southern head of hers.
By her own definition, she was well versed in dealing with veterans who suffered from PTSD (post-traumatic stress disorder is a particular set of reactions that can develop in people who have been through a traumatic event which threatened their life or safety, or that of others around them) and yet she made so many unknowledgeable mistakes that she claimed she made "in the moment" and "without thinking".
Again and again she put her own safety at risk to reach out and touch August Cotton, a man who suffered from PTSD and would often have violent outburst towards people who startled or frightened him. While he was in the throws of a flashback, she repeatedly touched or tried to break him out of the flashbacks, resulting in him either holding her in a choke hold or holding a knife to her throat.
Honestly, it was frustrating to watch a 'professional' in the field (who also hinted that she had a background in psychology) make such dangerous mistakes. It took me 0.2 seconds on google to find articles talking about how to approach a person suffering PTSD who is displaying signs of violence:
Give the person space. Avoid crowding or grabbing the person. This can make a traumatized person feel threatened.
Put safety first. If the person gets more upset despite your attempts to calm him or her down, leave the house or lock yourself in a room. Call 911 if you fear that your loved one may hurt himself or others.
A threatened Marine = a violent Marine. I don't know about you, but that seems like a basic equation that only takes a smidgen of common sense to answer.
And she often lamented that she 'knew better' and yet made the same mistake again and again. Not only did she make the mistake, she then constantly blamed August for the consequences. I do believe that it wasn't just Olivia to blame for this, it was clear that August refused to seek help or accept it when offered, but for Olivia to constantly be blaming him for "always hurting her" was plain infuriating. And there wasn't even the excuse that he was a risk to himself or others during those flashbacks.
Olivia clearly made August seem like a pity project throughout the entire book and I was not a fan of it, I did not want the two to end up together and the only reason I continued to read was because I became attached to the side characters and animals that filled this book. August's little sister Bettina and the two delinquent boys, Josiah and Beau were pure and beautiful characters, I adored them to no end.
I also felt like the author tried to cram WAY too many significant topics all in one (kinda short) book. For example some of the strong themes and plot points were:
● PTSD
● general mental health issues
● suicide attempts (quite descriptive)
● abuse
● neglect of a minor
● drugs
● rape (and a resulting pregnancy)
● cheating
● grief
And these are just naming a few, I'm sure if I went back and highlighted all the themes I would come back with a much longer list. There was no cohesion with all these strong topics and the author used flashback chapters (for both Olivia and August) to the past to add more 'drama' into the story. I think a lot of the these themes were used to create sympathy and feeling towards certain characters and it felt like a cheats way of making readers feel something towards a character.
I think it's hard enough for an author to do two or three of these themes in a book, let alone a whole list of them.
I just had too many issues with the story to rate it any higher, the writing was enjoyable but the plot and characters just didn't mesh well. I am so disappointed that I didn't enjoy this book, I had even gone a far as to pre-order it and it just didn't meet my expectations.
If you want a good romance book that deals with wounded veterans from war I would highly recommend [b:Embattled Hearts|17340459|Embattled Hearts (Lost and Found, #1)|J.M. Madden|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1360286447s/17340459.jpg|24076139], the series covers a whole range of different disabilities (mental and physical) that vets come back with and it creates a romance that is a perfect fit.
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