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Never Look Back
In a world painted in shades of grief, hearts flicker on the brink of darkness.
Jason, haunted by the echo of a lost love and trapped in the suffocating grasp of an abusive father, exists in a state of fear and dread. His only escape lies in the whispering leaves of his secret treehouse, where he seeks solace in his art, the arms of someone not good for him, and the rustling shadows.
Across the schoolyard, Trace, a budding soccer star grappling with his own problems, navigates the treacherous waters of high school and the brutal sting of bullying. When their paths collide, a spark ignites, threatening to expose their vulnerabilities and ignite a torrent of consequences.
As secrets twist and betray, the darkness encroaches, engulfing Trace in a relentless storm of torment and pushing Jason to the edge of his fractured sanity. The world they knew unravels, leaving them clinging to scraps of hope amidst the ashes.
Will the darkness extinguish their flames forever or can they find the strength to break free from their pasts and never look back?
Abuse, bullying, grief, mental health struggles, homophobia.
Jason, haunted by the echo of a lost love and trapped in the suffocating grasp of an abusive father, exists in a state of fear and dread. His only escape lies in the whispering leaves of his secret treehouse, where he seeks solace in his art, the arms of someone not good for him, and the rustling shadows.
Across the schoolyard, Trace, a budding soccer star grappling with his own problems, navigates the treacherous waters of high school and the brutal sting of bullying. When their paths collide, a spark ignites, threatening to expose their vulnerabilities and ignite a torrent of consequences.
As secrets twist and betray, the darkness encroaches, engulfing Trace in a relentless storm of torment and pushing Jason to the edge of his fractured sanity. The world they knew unravels, leaving them clinging to scraps of hope amidst the ashes.
Will the darkness extinguish their flames forever or can they find the strength to break free from their pasts and never look back?
Abuse, bullying, grief, mental health struggles, homophobia.
299 pages, Kindle Edition
Published November 15, 2024
2 people are currently reading
2 people want to read
About the author
Eric Dakota
2 books5 followersEric is a Texas native – born and bred, growing up in the suburbs of Houston, with family in the Midland area.
Eric has a BS in Theatre and has worked in regional theatre as an audio engineer as well as designing and installing audio-visual systems in corporate environments.
Like many kids Eric was forced out of the closet by circumstances outside his control – at least as far as to his parents. The experience wasn’t horrid, but it was still not the ideal coming-out experience. At the end of his senior year of high school he was brave enough to come out to one of his close friends – which went much better than he could have hoped.
At university Eric was out, unconcerned with what people thought of the whole situation. He had many great, and some not-so-great times in college – many of which have informed the stories that he is telling now through his writing.
His debut novel, Except for Cough Drops, marks a significant milestone in his creative journey. As a proud gay author, he’s poured his heart and soul into crafting a story that embraces honesty and self-discovery.
When he’s not lost in the world of words, he’s a dedicated companion to two amazing dogs who bring immeasurable joy to life.
Eric has a BS in Theatre and has worked in regional theatre as an audio engineer as well as designing and installing audio-visual systems in corporate environments.
Like many kids Eric was forced out of the closet by circumstances outside his control – at least as far as to his parents. The experience wasn’t horrid, but it was still not the ideal coming-out experience. At the end of his senior year of high school he was brave enough to come out to one of his close friends – which went much better than he could have hoped.
At university Eric was out, unconcerned with what people thought of the whole situation. He had many great, and some not-so-great times in college – many of which have informed the stories that he is telling now through his writing.
His debut novel, Except for Cough Drops, marks a significant milestone in his creative journey. As a proud gay author, he’s poured his heart and soul into crafting a story that embraces honesty and self-discovery.
When he’s not lost in the world of words, he’s a dedicated companion to two amazing dogs who bring immeasurable joy to life.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 12, 2024
🇬🇧ENG REVIEW
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🕯️A statement to go forword in life even if everything trying to put you down…
❤️🩹This isn’t a piece of cake of a story…it’s hearthbreaking and somehow also healing of a story.
We have various path and pov from different characters in theirs teenage years…
🎨The character i prefer the most was (obviously) Jason.
Jason and his strenght, his art, his hungriness for life.
🧑🧑🧒In this book we have an adult sistem that sometimes is a backup for the terribile situations and sometimes it’s the problem itself.
🫧The story show us how life isn’t easy but everyone needs to be loved and everyone has someone somewhere ready to love them.
💕This is quite a hopeful message, because everyone of us sometimes feels lonely none the less.
🎈So, even if it isn’t easy, go forword and never…never look back, never lead the burden of your past to trap you in place… because only like that you can find a little piece of pace and happiness.
🇮🇹ITA Review
.
.
🖌️Jason è avvolto da un’oscurità accecante, frutto del suo contesto familiare abusivo…l’unica via di fuga sono la sua arte, la sua casa sull’albero e le braccia di qualcuno che Jason crede essere adatto.
⚽️Trace dalla sua, si ritrova a dover valutare nuovamente tutto se stesso. Chi è? Cosa vuole dalla vita?
🏫Le loro strade collidono nel contesto scolastico; tra lotte con i bulli e omofobia, la storia di questi adolescenti prende piede e si fa strada nel cuore del lettore.
Una storia a tratti straziante che vorresti solo giungesse ad un meritato lieto fine ❤️🩹
🫧Il titolo suggerisce di non guardarsi indietro, inteso come motto per non lasciare che gli avvenimenti nefasti del passato facciano presa su di te nel presente rovinando le tue prospettive future.
❤️🩹Questa storia ci insegna che nonostante le atrocità bisogna aver fame di vita, di amore e per questo è necessario non smettere mai di lottare!
.
.
🕯️A statement to go forword in life even if everything trying to put you down…
❤️🩹This isn’t a piece of cake of a story…it’s hearthbreaking and somehow also healing of a story.
We have various path and pov from different characters in theirs teenage years…
🎨The character i prefer the most was (obviously) Jason.
Jason and his strenght, his art, his hungriness for life.
🧑🧑🧒In this book we have an adult sistem that sometimes is a backup for the terribile situations and sometimes it’s the problem itself.
🫧The story show us how life isn’t easy but everyone needs to be loved and everyone has someone somewhere ready to love them.
💕This is quite a hopeful message, because everyone of us sometimes feels lonely none the less.
🎈So, even if it isn’t easy, go forword and never…never look back, never lead the burden of your past to trap you in place… because only like that you can find a little piece of pace and happiness.
🇮🇹ITA Review
.
.
🖌️Jason è avvolto da un’oscurità accecante, frutto del suo contesto familiare abusivo…l’unica via di fuga sono la sua arte, la sua casa sull’albero e le braccia di qualcuno che Jason crede essere adatto.
⚽️Trace dalla sua, si ritrova a dover valutare nuovamente tutto se stesso. Chi è? Cosa vuole dalla vita?
🏫Le loro strade collidono nel contesto scolastico; tra lotte con i bulli e omofobia, la storia di questi adolescenti prende piede e si fa strada nel cuore del lettore.
Una storia a tratti straziante che vorresti solo giungesse ad un meritato lieto fine ❤️🩹
🫧Il titolo suggerisce di non guardarsi indietro, inteso come motto per non lasciare che gli avvenimenti nefasti del passato facciano presa su di te nel presente rovinando le tue prospettive future.
❤️🩹Questa storia ci insegna che nonostante le atrocità bisogna aver fame di vita, di amore e per questo è necessario non smettere mai di lottare!
December 13, 2024
Fantastic sequel. Eric Dakota writes beautiful, coming of age stories full of heart and feelings. Definitely recommend the true colors series.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews