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A review by ssebens
No Ordinary Life by Suzanne Redfearn
3.0
I don't normally read this genre of book. I'm more of a historical fiction, fantasy, sci fi reader. But I figured, Goodreads giveaways would be the perfect opportunity to expand my literary tastes. I could hopefully find some new authors that I liked and it would give me a break from historical fiction. At first, I didn't think this book was going to be one that I enjoyed. While the idea seemed interesting, (a single mom struggling to make ends meet until, out of nowhere, Hollywood comes calling) I almost immediately disliked the mom.
I have a little boy and I would defend him with my life. I'm not a terribly confrontational person, but if I felt he wasn't getting fair treatment or his life was in danger, I would become a different person. The mother in this book is a self described pushover. She doesn't become the overbearing stage mom, she just lets her children be put into situations where they aren't safe or where all the rules are bent and her four year old becomes exhausted. And her youngest child's career outshines everything so she completely ignores her eldest child, leading to that girl's self destruction. But, you know what, I became impressed by her anyway. She tried so darn hard. Originally, she let her youngest be swept into Hollywood because it was more money than she could imagine and her daughter was enjoying the job. Along the way, she slowly comes to realize the toll that a life of fame would take on her family and the consequences of being a child star. At that point, she realizes they have to escape.
So the question became, if I was all alone and broke and I really did have a fear of confrontation that was almost too hard to overcome, would I have acted any differently? She makes mistakes, she makes lots of mistakes, and some of them have terrible repercussions. But she really does try to be a good mom and she has some really hard things to deal with. I ended the book with more respect for her than I expected and I really enjoyed myself.
I would also like to mention that the author is an expert at getting you hooked and the adrenaline going. The chapters are short which encourages you to read "just one more" and I always needed to find out what happened next. It is really well written and I couldn't put it down. So thank you to Goodreads and the author for giving me the chance to win this book and try it. I definitely would recommend it.
I have a little boy and I would defend him with my life. I'm not a terribly confrontational person, but if I felt he wasn't getting fair treatment or his life was in danger, I would become a different person. The mother in this book is a self described pushover. She doesn't become the overbearing stage mom, she just lets her children be put into situations where they aren't safe or where all the rules are bent and her four year old becomes exhausted. And her youngest child's career outshines everything so she completely ignores her eldest child, leading to that girl's self destruction. But, you know what, I became impressed by her anyway. She tried so darn hard. Originally, she let her youngest be swept into Hollywood because it was more money than she could imagine and her daughter was enjoying the job. Along the way, she slowly comes to realize the toll that a life of fame would take on her family and the consequences of being a child star. At that point, she realizes they have to escape.
So the question became, if I was all alone and broke and I really did have a fear of confrontation that was almost too hard to overcome, would I have acted any differently? She makes mistakes, she makes lots of mistakes, and some of them have terrible repercussions. But she really does try to be a good mom and she has some really hard things to deal with. I ended the book with more respect for her than I expected and I really enjoyed myself.
I would also like to mention that the author is an expert at getting you hooked and the adrenaline going. The chapters are short which encourages you to read "just one more" and I always needed to find out what happened next. It is really well written and I couldn't put it down. So thank you to Goodreads and the author for giving me the chance to win this book and try it. I definitely would recommend it.