Hurt, angry, and full of pain, Sara has a guard up higher than the Eiffel Tower and she refuses to let it down for anyone, that is until she met and fell in love with Jonas, who by the way, is my type of guy, an avid reader, writer, and poet. Plus, he adores the ground she and her son walk on. *insert me swooning*

 

This was a hard read and when I say, “hard read”, I do not mean “hard read” like a Shakespeare play, I mean “hard” as in absorbing some of Sara’s traumas that mirror mine. I saw a lot of me in Sara, a lot!

 

Although full of pain and trauma, this book was overflowing with love. This is one of those books you do not want to put down until the last word is read on the final page. AND then you want to pick it up and read it again just in case you missed anything.

 

The characters were carefully crafted and intertwined into an emotional roller coaster ride. I wanted to cry, scream, laugh, clap, and at times kick Sara’s ass! And don’t get me started on Amos, Mama Sugar’s good-for-nothing son!

 

This book felt like home. I wanted to share a laugh with Mama Sugar’s husband, have tea with Cora, read books with William, drink whiskey with Larry, discuss literature with Jonas, and give Mama Sugar a big bear hug!

 

The story did not end as I wanted it to, but it was a reminder that life does not always go as planned, and that, in the words of the author, Catherine Adel West, “There's the world we want, and the world we get."

 

And it aint always pretty.