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I picked this audiobook as a “blind read.” Life’s demands and this unshakable flu have only allowed me to listen to it in bits here and there. But every time I had to put it on pause, no matter how much time lapsed, I’d think about the characters. The author does a beautiful job in weaving a character (a different one for each chapter) into another chapter and spotlighting the human condition, good, bad and indifferent. Their stories of struggle, pain and resilience will stay with you.

The first chapter grabbed my attention, but I found the rest to be a little slow paced. Although each of the characters get a lot of time on paper, I just couldn’t connect or care for any of them. The tone was to be a sad, full of grief, but it was written in such a sterile way that the emotion just wasn’t there (not for me anyway).

I plodded through it, but it came close to ending up in the DNF pile. A shame because the storyline, though a bit unbelievable, is pretty good. This could have been a thrilling mystery mixed with romance, grief and family dynamics, but it misses the mark in a disappointing way.

Or maybe I read this at the tail-end of a slump and am a little grumpy that it has overshadowed the 5 star book I recently read that got me out of it. I feel like I’m in quicksand and hope this book doesn't pull me back into that slump

From Sam Cooke to The Chainsmokers, songs, as we know them, are reimagined as Shakespearean sonnets. I wanted to include one in my review, but couldn’t decide on the perfect one. Some are clever, others, a bit saucy, most are pretty much a good laugh. If you need some light reading, a palate cleanser, or something with a bit of humor that can help pull you out of a slump, pick this one up. The book is divided into five parts:

Sonnets of Love

Sonnets of Despair

Songs of Time and Morality

Rogues, Rascals, and Wanton Women

Ballads of Heroes

“It’s about the blatant criticism of girls who were victims of manipulation. It’s about holding the right person accountable for the crime he committed. It’s about corporations attempting to silence victims and continuing to profit off the very monster they helped create.”

When Korey tells of his first time at 14 with an older woman, Enchanted is devastated for him because he was groomed and had not realized it. Meanwhile, he’s doing the exact thing to her, but he’s so smooth at what he does that she can’t recognize it for what it is. It broke my heart.

The parent’s guilt also got to me. They knew deep inside not to let her go, but when your child wants something so very much, you’d do almost anything to make it happen and Korey took advantage of their love for their daughter. You hear stories of groomers playing the long game to build that trust slowly over time, but it can also happen in the blink of an eye. My heart goes out to all victims and the families who’ve had to endure such pain, betrayal, doubt, and humiliation.

Maureen describes David’s eyes as dark and brown, but in Book #2 Queenie described them as a bright blue, like Harold’s. I wonder if this was a little mistake made by the author, or if the women’s experiences and love for the men made them both see David differently. At any rate, it was a beautiful and bittersweet journey for Harold, Queenie and Maureen in working through their grief and wanting to right their wrongs. A solid little series that reminds us not to take for granted all the beautiful gifts we have been given.

“Without any exchange of words, they had taken up each other’s loss, and given meaning to what was unbearable.”