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heabooknerd 's review for:
Invitation to the Blues
by Roan Parrish
INVITATION TO THE BLUES was a tough but beautiful book to read and Roan Parrish spins an emotional tale about accepting yourself, even when the person you are is imperfect. I knew going in this would cover a lot of hard topics but overall I felt the story was very uplifting and hopeful. Though I have no personal experience with depression, Parrish writes Jude's experience so well and the reader can really understand the spiraling nature of depression and anxiety. One small complaint -- the more flowery prose to some of Parrish's writing made it difficult to completely grasp everything Jude was going through.
I enjoyed both Jude and Faron as individual characters and as a couple. Jude came across younger than this actual age but this comes mostly from his vulnerability and his natural gentle nature. Jude isn't miraculously cured by the end of the book but you can tell that he's found acceptance in his story and that he's not going to give up on himself or on his relationship with Faron. Since this is told completely from Jude's point of view we really get in his head and I wish we had this deep connection with Faron as well. As Jude and Faron spend more time together we learn about Faron's history and some of his struggles and I felt that depth but I wanted to know about Faron's thoughts and emotions too. His support of Jude and his understanding of how to be with Jude, even when the depression gets the best of him, makes Faron seem almost too perfect. Intellectually, I know that Faron must have concerns and doubts and fears but we don't see that -- we only see his near perfect reactions to everything.
I so enjoyed the bonus of seeing Ginger and Christopher from SMALL CHANGE, especially because it was clear how much Christopher loved his brother and wanted him to be happy. I'm really looking forward to more in this series because we've met some pretty intriguing characters along the way and I can't wait for more!
Content Warning: Discussion of depression, anxiety, attempted suicide, and feelings of worthlessness; discussion of anti-military beliefs
I enjoyed both Jude and Faron as individual characters and as a couple. Jude came across younger than this actual age but this comes mostly from his vulnerability and his natural gentle nature. Jude isn't miraculously cured by the end of the book but you can tell that he's found acceptance in his story and that he's not going to give up on himself or on his relationship with Faron. Since this is told completely from Jude's point of view we really get in his head and I wish we had this deep connection with Faron as well. As Jude and Faron spend more time together we learn about Faron's history and some of his struggles and I felt that depth but I wanted to know about Faron's thoughts and emotions too. His support of Jude and his understanding of how to be with Jude, even when the depression gets the best of him, makes Faron seem almost too perfect. Intellectually, I know that Faron must have concerns and doubts and fears but we don't see that -- we only see his near perfect reactions to everything.
I so enjoyed the bonus of seeing Ginger and Christopher from SMALL CHANGE, especially because it was clear how much Christopher loved his brother and wanted him to be happy. I'm really looking forward to more in this series because we've met some pretty intriguing characters along the way and I can't wait for more!
Content Warning: Discussion of depression, anxiety, attempted suicide, and feelings of worthlessness; discussion of anti-military beliefs