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A review by kfriend
Save Me by S.A. Mackenzie
5.0
Emotional, raw, honest, and gripping- Save Me is hands down S.A. Mackenzie’s best work to date, and I suspect it will be a career defining moment for her as a newly established author. You can feel Mackenzie’s heart and soul bleeding out on the page with every word. This story hurts, it’s traumatic in places and heartbreaking in others, but there is a beautiful beacon of hope that permeates it, too. Because at its heart, this is a story (or at least the start of one) about healing and the power of connection in the face of incredible pain, grief, and trauma.
Please do take note of the trigger warnings. SA brings a brutal but important realness to this story when it comes to dealing with sensitive topics- she goes there, she does not hold back. PTSD, abuse, suicide, emotional and physical trauama, and dark elements all make their way to the pages of this story. SA is giving us an unflinching look that characters are in varying degrees of despair and emotional rock bottomness. It is hauntingly beautiful and tragic, and it is emotionally consuming and heavy. But her honesty pays off- as long as you are a reader who can handle these triggers. This is by far her most complex, most emotionally dynamic cast of characters to date. They are so real, so captivating, and so honest. There is a real integrity to the story telling- these are characters confronting their own pain from both the past and the present- and we FEEL it all.
This is also a slower burn- and one that I think makes a lot of sense for who these characters are. The result is that SA really invests in their emotional chemistry- she doubles down on the emotional intimacy that our heroine and heroes develop as they start to open up and lean on each other, as they become more vulnerable. And it’s really a beautiful thing- I feel so hard for our heroes, and I feel such a kinship for Alayna. They do connect quickly, but SA then builds dynamics and nuance to their original spark. And, when we start to understand more about everyone and their own baggage, we start to see how they feel such affinity for one another- because of their connection to emotional pain and loss.
As the story progresses, we also start to see some dark mystery and suspense unfold, a nice parallel to the emotional journey of our characters. As they continue to confront the parts of their past weighing them down in the present, our present day mystery action will likely not only catalyze that growth but also inspire more closeness among them.
While I know this story will get much harder emotionally before these characters find a semblance of an HEA, I’m ready for more. This is powerful and vulnerable story telling, and most certainly is a testament to talents of SA Mackenzie and what we can expect in this next chapter of her writing career.
Please do take note of the trigger warnings. SA brings a brutal but important realness to this story when it comes to dealing with sensitive topics- she goes there, she does not hold back. PTSD, abuse, suicide, emotional and physical trauama, and dark elements all make their way to the pages of this story. SA is giving us an unflinching look that characters are in varying degrees of despair and emotional rock bottomness. It is hauntingly beautiful and tragic, and it is emotionally consuming and heavy. But her honesty pays off- as long as you are a reader who can handle these triggers. This is by far her most complex, most emotionally dynamic cast of characters to date. They are so real, so captivating, and so honest. There is a real integrity to the story telling- these are characters confronting their own pain from both the past and the present- and we FEEL it all.
This is also a slower burn- and one that I think makes a lot of sense for who these characters are. The result is that SA really invests in their emotional chemistry- she doubles down on the emotional intimacy that our heroine and heroes develop as they start to open up and lean on each other, as they become more vulnerable. And it’s really a beautiful thing- I feel so hard for our heroes, and I feel such a kinship for Alayna. They do connect quickly, but SA then builds dynamics and nuance to their original spark. And, when we start to understand more about everyone and their own baggage, we start to see how they feel such affinity for one another- because of their connection to emotional pain and loss.
As the story progresses, we also start to see some dark mystery and suspense unfold, a nice parallel to the emotional journey of our characters. As they continue to confront the parts of their past weighing them down in the present, our present day mystery action will likely not only catalyze that growth but also inspire more closeness among them.
While I know this story will get much harder emotionally before these characters find a semblance of an HEA, I’m ready for more. This is powerful and vulnerable story telling, and most certainly is a testament to talents of SA Mackenzie and what we can expect in this next chapter of her writing career.