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cathharris1625's review
emotional
funny
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
cmmiller406's review against another edition
emotional
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
5.0
suzysuzy34's review against another edition
5.0
This is the first book I’ve read in a long time as my mind has been all over the place since the COVID 19 outbreak and the story has totally taken my mind of things. I loved Jamie and Kyle and Jamie reminded me the the heroine on “Our Girl”, tough, strong, independent and didn’t want to rely on anyone. In the end she finally realises it’s Kyle she loves and wants to be with. Great story, I really liked reading about the experiences they had in Afghanistan. Would definitely read more from this author.
nessyfg's review
3.0
I was going to rate it 5 stars, but I didn't like what happened towards the ending of the story. It felt so cliche and non natural for the protagonist to suddenly change her mind about everything just because of a man and what he wanted from life. Jake Tanner was endgame for me though
ohheyitsmel's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
emotional
funny
hopeful
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
Went through years really fast and sometimes felt too fast. The ending was sweet but felt kind of hollow
sonja_ahrb's review
5.0
A few years ago I read my first Kate McCarthy book, Fighting Redemption. It was easily the best book I’d read that year, by a mile. When I saw there was a new book with these interconnected characters, I knew I absolutely had to read it.
While at certain parts I knew what was coming, it did not take away from the emotion I felt. Experiencing that poignant moment through another character’s POV was just as devastating as it was in the first book.
Don’t get me wrong, there were certain parts where I wanted to smack the heroine and throw my kindle, but the author handled those beautifully and in the end, left me very satisfied and closing the book with a big smile on my face.
I adore Kate’s books. My only wish? She wrote faster. What a fantastic follow up!
~ Lia, 5 Stars
While at certain parts I knew what was coming, it did not take away from the emotion I felt. Experiencing that poignant moment through another character’s POV was just as devastating as it was in the first book.
Don’t get me wrong, there were certain parts where I wanted to smack the heroine and throw my kindle, but the author handled those beautifully and in the end, left me very satisfied and closing the book with a big smile on my face.
I adore Kate’s books. My only wish? She wrote faster. What a fantastic follow up!
~ Lia, 5 Stars
natasha29's review
I’ve come to realise I don’t like books about the army and people being in relationships with a person in the army.
So I can’t really give this a fair rating.
So I can’t really give this a fair rating.
klindtvedt's review
5.0
One of the Most Powerful Stories of Love I've Read This Year...
I am a voracious reader; I normally plow through books at a breakneck speed of one every other day. But this one, this one has stopped me cold, making me need time to think and recover from the overwhelming journey contained within it. “Fighting Absolution” by Kate McCarthy has captured my very soul and broken me open. It has absolutely wrecked me and it will wreck you too.
The story of Jamie and Kyle, “Little Warrior” and “Bear”, childhood friends unknowingly bonded in the pain and grief of loss. Both running from emotional ghosts, and the shared trauma of their initial parting as kids. They separately join the Australian Army in hopes of escaping their pasts and finding their individual places in the world. Their story is one of unspeakable pain, guilt, self-loathing, the true horrors of dealing with day-to-day living as soldiers thrust into war, and the loneliness and longing that comes with closing yourself off to the world in order to cope. It is also the story of all those who surround them, the “chosen family” who love them fiercely, and endure the equal pain of watching them both struggle, all the while, knowing they are helpless to break the emotional armor they've both built.
It is a breathtaking story about emotional brokenness, about the masks people wear to hide the pain deep within, the lies we tell ourselves to run from our own truths, and the struggle to put yourself back together even when all of your instincts scream at you to retreat behind the mask and remain deep inside the safety of the darkness. It is also a story about hope, redemption, of pure love, unadulterated loyalty, and a lesson in true family.
It is without a doubt, one of the most commanding books I've read this year. McCarthy’s expertly written prose so powerful, it planted within me a seed of loss so strong it ripped open something inside of me long forgotten, and turned me into a sniveling mess. Like the flesh of a walnut plucked from its shell, this book plunged itself deep into my chest, cracked beyond meticulously placed walls, and ripped the remains of long dormant traumas from my body. Not for many years have I felt such grief, such pure, unadulterated emotional pain.
Jamie and Kyle, characters of enormous depth, experiencing senses of emotional brokenness so familiar in pain to my own it gave me chills. Rarely have I felt so connected to a literary character. From within the pages of this soul tearing book I see myself staring back, lost, hurting, broken, using humor and steely arrogance to keep myself at arm’s length from all around me. I relate to Jamie’s learned trait of swallowing pain, bottling it up so deep inside the well of her soul, stealing her spine to the outside world, that she almost doesn’t recognize herself in the mirror. I too learned to keep the world at bay so my emotional armor never cracked, working, and working, and working, always alone, trying to absolve myself of things that were never really my doing to begin with. And I relate to Kyle and Jamie’s need to flee, always moving forward, and trying to escape or find answers to the pain in places they don't exist.
As a result, both during and since reading this book, I see Little Warrior and Bear in my head. I feel them both in my heart, and in my soul. And I can say without a shadow of a doubt, I always will. They will always be with me. That is how powerful this book is. And there are simply not enough stars in the literary world to do this book justice because it deserves them all.
I am a voracious reader; I normally plow through books at a breakneck speed of one every other day. But this one, this one has stopped me cold, making me need time to think and recover from the overwhelming journey contained within it. “Fighting Absolution” by Kate McCarthy has captured my very soul and broken me open. It has absolutely wrecked me and it will wreck you too.
The story of Jamie and Kyle, “Little Warrior” and “Bear”, childhood friends unknowingly bonded in the pain and grief of loss. Both running from emotional ghosts, and the shared trauma of their initial parting as kids. They separately join the Australian Army in hopes of escaping their pasts and finding their individual places in the world. Their story is one of unspeakable pain, guilt, self-loathing, the true horrors of dealing with day-to-day living as soldiers thrust into war, and the loneliness and longing that comes with closing yourself off to the world in order to cope. It is also the story of all those who surround them, the “chosen family” who love them fiercely, and endure the equal pain of watching them both struggle, all the while, knowing they are helpless to break the emotional armor they've both built.
It is a breathtaking story about emotional brokenness, about the masks people wear to hide the pain deep within, the lies we tell ourselves to run from our own truths, and the struggle to put yourself back together even when all of your instincts scream at you to retreat behind the mask and remain deep inside the safety of the darkness. It is also a story about hope, redemption, of pure love, unadulterated loyalty, and a lesson in true family.
It is without a doubt, one of the most commanding books I've read this year. McCarthy’s expertly written prose so powerful, it planted within me a seed of loss so strong it ripped open something inside of me long forgotten, and turned me into a sniveling mess. Like the flesh of a walnut plucked from its shell, this book plunged itself deep into my chest, cracked beyond meticulously placed walls, and ripped the remains of long dormant traumas from my body. Not for many years have I felt such grief, such pure, unadulterated emotional pain.
Jamie and Kyle, characters of enormous depth, experiencing senses of emotional brokenness so familiar in pain to my own it gave me chills. Rarely have I felt so connected to a literary character. From within the pages of this soul tearing book I see myself staring back, lost, hurting, broken, using humor and steely arrogance to keep myself at arm’s length from all around me. I relate to Jamie’s learned trait of swallowing pain, bottling it up so deep inside the well of her soul, stealing her spine to the outside world, that she almost doesn’t recognize herself in the mirror. I too learned to keep the world at bay so my emotional armor never cracked, working, and working, and working, always alone, trying to absolve myself of things that were never really my doing to begin with. And I relate to Kyle and Jamie’s need to flee, always moving forward, and trying to escape or find answers to the pain in places they don't exist.
As a result, both during and since reading this book, I see Little Warrior and Bear in my head. I feel them both in my heart, and in my soul. And I can say without a shadow of a doubt, I always will. They will always be with me. That is how powerful this book is. And there are simply not enough stars in the literary world to do this book justice because it deserves them all.