A Life, Forward

Rowan Sloane #2

by Tracy Hewitt Meyer

Rowan Slone has left her dysfunctional, violent past behind. College is looming on the horizon, she has a new job that she loves, and a safe place to call home. Rowan is close to achieving everything she's ever wanted-a sense of family, a sense of purpose, and a sense of self. But there are cracks in Rowan's life as relationship issues threaten to send her future crumbling to the ground. When her long-held secret is discovered, Rowan must find the courage to fight for the most important thing yet-herself.

Genres: Young Adult, New Adult, Romance, Contemporary

220 pages, Paperback

First published April 4, 2014

About the author

I am the award-winning author of YA and contemporary fiction, and gothic thrillers.

When not writing, I work as a mental health therapist.

I love to write almost as much as I love to read. Sometimes more. Life is a story. Hang on and enjoy the ride!

Cheers, Tracy

Reviews

[vic · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you NetGalley and BHC Press for providing me with an eArc in exchange for an honest review.

I am so frustrated with this book, I'm going to make it quick here. Even though if it were written with respect and sensibility for the topics it touches on this book could've been a very raw story about overcoming and getting help, it fails at being a story and just uses its tragedies to manipulate the reader. There's no story here, just cheaply and disgustingly used trauma.

You can read my full rant review here: https://booksandmate.wordpress.com/20...

TW for: rape, domestic abuse, a child's death, drug abuse, and self-harm.

[Abi · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating - 3.5

I thought Rowan might have been able to move on with her life after the ending of book one, but she had even more problems in this one!
I felt really sorry for her best friend Jess too. The way she was treated when she was dealing with a hard situation was awful.

This was another decent read, and I'm looking forward to see how things will turn out for Rowan and Jess in book three.

[Sarah Elizabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

(Read using Kindle Unlimited)

This was a good second book in the series, and it was good to find out what happened to Rowan after the events of book 1.

I once again felt sorry for Rowan in this story, she had even more problems to deal with, and even more grief to bear. As if she didn’t have enough to deal with.
I also felt really sorry for Rowan’s friend Jess and the way Paul treated her.

The storyline in this once again dealt with grief, unwanted pregnancy, self-harm, and romantic problems too. Dealing with the death of her father was difficult for Rowan, and I was really disappointed that she broke up with Mike. Mrs Anderson being nice to Trina and believing her lies was a bit of a slap in the face as well.
I am interested to see what happens to Rowan in the next book in the series,
6.5 out of 10

[Paula M · Rating 3 out of 5]

"My outside is smooth,
With only a glimpse of pain.
But underneath, I am raw..
Terrified, Streaming crimson tears.
Where will I go from here?
With all my fears..
Fears..Fears"

Rowan's story continues. This one's bittersweet for me. Just when I thought that Rowan's life would be okay now.


Rowan fought a different war in A Life, Forward… A war within herself. I saw a character development with Rowan here. It just shows how those things that happened to Rowan has a side effect on her way of thinking. This story tells how a damaged, traumatized girl overcome her fears. Rowan learned how to forgive, be stronger, not only for herself but also for those people who she cares about. But most importantly, she learned how to move forward.

[InD'tale Magazine · Rating 4 out of 5]

“A Life, Forward” is a gritty YA read.

Read full review in the 2014 August issue of InD’tale Magazine.

[Katie · Rating 5 out of 5]

After reading A Life, Redefined, I needed a breather before diving back into the series - the first book completely wrecked me.
I remember not particularly liking Rowan at first, though I was completely drawn in by the gorgeous writing. As the story continues, though, I grew to appreciate her more. The prose remains just as beautiful, but Rowan matures, becoming more grounded and increasingly in control of herself. Not entirely, of course - but that’s totally understandable. I really enjoyed watching her navigate her new-ish life, and I’m excited to see what the future holds for her.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a well written story of growing up and overcoming abuse

[Alexis · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book is all over the place, but i guess that's an accurate depiction of life.

[Courtney Tremble · Rating 3 out of 5]

As if Rowan hadn’t already been through a life time of pain, heartbreak and grief, continuing on her journey of healing and finding herself along the way. Describing how she feels in the different stages shows how complex the healing process can be. No one emotion, or conversation, or person can instantly change how you react. But having the support, constant reassurance, and knowledge that they’re there, along with believing in yourself, can change everything if you let it.

[Alexandra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual rating: 3.5

For this full review--as a part of the A Life, Freed blog tour--as well as other reviews and features go to SleepsOnTables.

In A Life, Forward we pick up where we left off which was with Rowan’s life practically going to hell in a hand basket. Rowan is trying to move past everything that happened to her in book 1, she’s focusing on school, she works a job that she loves, and she’s distancing herself from those in her family that hurt her by living with the Andersons. You really couldn’t think that things could get worse, but of course they do.

Rowan is still struggling to come to terms with what has happened to her and that is only made more stressful by the growing distance between her and her boyfriend, Mike. He is away at college and seems to talk to her less and less with each passing day. They go practically a whole term without seeing each other and this confuses Rowan so much. She begins to wonder what would happen if her and Mike broke up. He’s the one who ‘saved’ her from her old life and she doesn’t know what she would do without him. Not to mention she’s living in his house too. This thing, this obsession, that Rowan has with Mike is a bit disconcerting. The girl just got away from one horrible relationship with her family, she doesn’t need to be in another one-sided possibly unhealthy one.

I think we can all agree from book 1 that Trina sucks and we hate her right? Well I didn’t think that hatred could get any worse but alas it did. She works her magic wrapping the adults around her finger again in A Life, Forward all the while participating in very unacceptable behavior. Behavior that’s unacceptable not only for her age, but also because it’s illegal. Trina is trying to play the part of hurt little sister who just wants her family back together and it’s disgusting because all the adults buy it. Luckily though, Rowan sees Trina for who she really is and is sure to watch her back whenever her sister is near.

The best part about A Life, Forward is the ending. No matter what seems to happen in this girl’s life, she manages to fight her way through it tooth and nail to get where she wants to be in life. The ending shows how far Rowan has come and displays in the best way possible how she takes another step on the road to recovery from everything that has happened in her life. This is a good second book in Rowan’s story and I’m excited and nervous to read what happens next in her life.

[Jennifer Ricketts (Donnie Darko Girl) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a copy of this book for my stop on the blog tour at Donnie Darko Girl.

Rowan is on her way to achieving her goals in A Life, Forward, but she begins to fall into her old ways of unhealthy coping. The relationship that she has with Mike is crumbling before her eyes, and with him away at college, it's awkward at times living with his parents. She doesn't feel like she fits into their life and doesn't want to be known as that girl with all the problems.

Knowing her history, Mike was a lot less empathetic in this novel than he was in the first one. I felt like I didn't know the character anymore because the careless way he treated Rowan wasn't the way he would have treated her in the first novel. College changes people but not that much, and I was disappointed with him. He should have been much more sensitive.

With the huge lie Rowan's sister spread in the first novel, I wondered how she could be walking around their small town with absolutely no consequences for her lie? Shouldn't she be the town pariah? But she's going to parties and is still ultra-popular at school. Shouldn't everyone hate her? I wish that had been explored.

I was sad and scared to see Rowan heading back down the path she had just escaped from - feeling alone and overwhelmed. I could empathize with her, knowing what it's like to feel alone even when you're surrounded by people. She isn't an insecure and clingy girlfriend to Mike even after living with open hostility from her family for so many years. He's the person who worked tirelessly to find out what was going on and just happens to also be her boyfriend. They began heading down two different paths, and to me, it was too soon for that to happen.

Shocking secrets are revealed, and after the fallout, I felt like I was dealing with the aftermath just as much as the characters. A Life, Forward is a novel I recommend reading (once you've read the first one of course!) that is emotionally raw and powerful. if you want to understand how someone could cut herself and feel alone in a crowd of people.

[zapkode · Rating 5 out of 5]

{My Thoughts} – Rowan, such a sweet yet incredibly troubled girl. I understand how she feels, I get what she has had to deal with and is forced to deal with. She has one bang up family that is for certain. My heart breaks just reading about all the pain she has had to endure over the years. Things don’t seem to get much easier for her in this book. She still is forced to deal with so much pain, but she has found better ways in which she manages to cope with that pain. Poetry is a good coping method and even though it is short and brief, the poems used, you can still feel the pain beneath them, the pain that they are portraying. The pain that she is forced to feel and shows in her words.

I really enjoyed this book, it let us learn more about Rowan and her relationship with Mike and his parents. It also let us learn about Jess her best friend. I really like her because she is a bookworm and well she’s got interesting fashion sense. Like Rowan, Jess is one confused girl, both girls are just trying to sort out their lives, to figure out what is next for them once they leave High School.

Rowan hasn’t had much in the family support department from her own family, but she has tons from Mikes. I suppose it helped her out a lot that they fell for one another since his mom had empty nest syndrome going on. It’s amazing how lucky some individuals can be when they fall in with the right people. Sometimes being noticed by the right person can be a good thing and in her case I think it was. It got her out of her families care where she’d been poorly treated and into a house that taught her about love and better ways to be around people that care about you.

I laughed some, I cried some, but mostly I just related with Rowan and Jess and their story within the pages of this book. If you enjoyed the first book I am sure that you will without a doubt enjoy this book. I look forward to reading the next book in this series!

[Rachel Marie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book. I liked Rowan in the previous book because of what a strong complex character she was, however, I did not see that as much in this one. Rowan has been through some horrible things, but she is trying to move on and get through them. Which is a long process. But Rowan makes it through and by the end, I was happy.

My biggest issue, I think, how Rowan was so obsessed with Mike. Like, she always needed him. And I get it, the long distance is hard and she never gets to see him. And I know how much he helped, how much he meant in the last book. But her neediness bordered on unhealthy, and prevented Rowan from finding herself.

To make things worse, her sister Trina is acting up, her friend Jess shares some shocking news, Rowan is starting to feel like an outsider in the Anderson's home... and then her father comes back. And wants to see her. I did feel like there were maybe too many things thrown in this one, but it wasn't overpowering.

I was riveted, though, always needing to know what happened next. And I loved how Rowan grows and changes with this one. How she learns to find herself and live her own life. Outside of her screwed up family, outside of Mike. Rowan has spent a lot of time, I felt like, looking to the circumstances to make her feel whole and complete, but she finally gets that only she can do so.

Coming off of what Rowan has been through is a healing process, and I do think that was showcased. Rowan constantly feels like she's not making any progress, but she learns that's just how it goes. She isn't completely better by the end of the book, but she's getting there.

This book will take you on an emotional roller coaster. And I can't wait for the next book.

I received a copy from the author, this did not affect my honest opinion.
This review first appears on The NerdHerd Reads

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rowan is slowly getting her life back together. Her boyfriend Mike has gone away to university and she rarely sees him anymore leaving her to cope with the mess that is her family life. In order to keep from falling back into old patterns she has distanced herself from her remaining family members as much as she can,not yet ready to forgive and forget the lies that were told and the blame/shame that was mercilessly thrown on top of a young girls shoulders.
Once again I think the author did a great job of describing Rowans emotions, she is depressed, she is lonely, frustrated and yet still determined to get out there and make something of herself and do whats right for her for once even if not everyone agrees or likes her decisions. When her father comes back to town and tells her he is dying of lung cancer Rowan is once again thrown in turmoil caught between the conflicting emotions of both loving and hating the man that has mentally and physically abused her. When Mike discovers her secrets carved out on her arm, its the beginning of the end and she needs to learn to stand on her own two feet. I really enjoyed the 2nd book almost more than the first. Emotions are messy and the author did a great job with Rowan and her conflicting emotions dealing with her family and her boyfriend. I liked how not everything has a happy ending but with determination and support of the right people Rowan was able to have a happy beginning. I think this would be a great YA book for teenagers to read, and I definitely urge you guys to get yourself a copy of both books and read them.

I gave this book a 4 out of 5 star rating
I was gifted a reviewers copy of A Life Forward in exchange for an honest unbiased review as part of the YA Reads A Life Forward Blog Tour.

[Paula Phillips · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rowan's life is starting to look up with her mother in jail and her father elsewhere and she is happy living with her new family - the Andersons. Life should be great and heading forward for Rowan. However, things aren't all peachy keen as secrets from her past threaten to re-surface and if they do , will she lose everything she has tried so hard to work for ? What will happen when they start bubbling to the surface ? Can Rowan cope with all the stress or will her bad habits of cutting and self-harm from three years ago come creeping back into action when she spots Mike's razor just sitting there in the bathroom cupboard . Also it seems that Rowan can never catch a break and in a way I feel sorry for her character as her sister Trina who is a b***h and in some ways reminds me of my sister sets her up to fail and look bad . Also in Book #2 Rowan will have to cope with another death in the family. Is this enough to push her over the edge or will she discover that this time around - she actually has people who care about her and who can help pull her up from the depths of her worries.

Find out in Book #2 A Life Forward by Tracy Hewitt Meyer where Rowan will learn that no matter how far you try to distance yourself from your past - it is always there hiding around the corner and the only way to move on is to accept what has happened and process from there as no matter what happens , it will always find a way to sneak back up on you.

This series is perfect for those who love Teenage/New Adult Grittiness.

[Merissa (Archaeolibrarian) · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received this book from YA Reads as part of the blog tour in return for a fair and honest review.

The second in the series sees Mike off at university and Rowan trying to finish her last year of school. She is still living with the Andersons and is trying to ignore her family as best she can. She is doing a pretty good job of it too until she hears her father is back in town and then it all goes belly up. Trina reappears and makes herself a nuisance as usual, and as usual, it appears that only Rowan and her friend Jess, can see what she's up to. Everyone else is taken in and fooled by her deceptions.

This book is just as raw as the first one although the circumstances are now slightly different. You will still feel for Rowan as she tries to do the right thing and make her house of cards as stable as possible. I was very pleased with the outcome of her relationship with Mike although I won't say more than that to ensure I don't spoil it for anyone one. Rowan certainly grows in this book and I was pleased to see her making plans for herself and looking to the future.

This series is one that is raw, gritty and full of pain. It is also an exceedingly good read that will draw you in and make you feel the main female's emotions.

[Leah · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will start this off with this book made me cry, big, fat, ugly tears. SO if you are in the mood for a cheery book then maybe this isn't the ideal choice. Overall the book is hopeful, but it has its moments.

This is the second book in the Rowan Slone series, I didn't actually read them in order, but I stopped about 1/4 way in and read the first. It might not have been required but it definitely helped to read them in order as a lot of stuff goes down in the first that really explains where you find Rowan in this one.

This is a great continuation of Rowan's story. I loved to see how she coped with the fallout from everything in the first book and even more hard balls lobbed at her in this book. She is maybe not perfect but resilient and just endearing as heck. I rarely root for a heroine as hard as a I find myself rooting for her. It's so hard to write a good review without adding spoilers, but if you liked the first book I think you will definitely like this one just as much.

*I received this book as part of the Goodreads First Reads program.

[WTF Are You Reading? · Rating 4 out of 5]

Resuming Rowan's story immediately after the heart-stopping conclusion of A Life, Redefined.
A Life, Forward, finds Rowan alone and in flux.
Having chosen to leave the horrors and betrayals of her family behind.
She runs to the safety and stability of the one place that she has ever felt safe.
The home of her boyfriend, Mike.
But with Mike away at college and a seeming greater distance growing in
their relationship by the day.
Rowan realizes that everything that she ever wanted is on the cusp of becoming a
reality.
If that is...she can break the chains of her past to claim the freedom promised in her future.
This is the book where readers are really allowed to see Rowan
come into the sense of self that she needs.
She succeeds in distancing herself from the pain of her past,
and heal old wounds.
She is not only able to accomplish what she needs for herself,
but she is also able to be the support that her best friend needs
as events unfold that change her life forever.
This story is one of hope, perserverence, and the finding the power to believe
in one's self.

[Joood Hooligan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given a copy of this in exchange for an honest review.

It's been about 100 books since I listened to the first book on Audible, and I wasn't sure if I would be able to pick it up easily. I usually don't like waiting so long between books in a series because I forget too much.

That was definitely not the case here. It was easy to get back into the story and I felt like I had just finished book one, it was all so fresh in my mind. I was quite impressed with how well the author transitioned between the two.

Oh my gawd, the drama. I loved it! I could hardly put it down. I wanted so badly to just get inside the book and punch certain people in the face. I was actually shaking with anger at one point. That's how cool I am.

I'm glad I agreed to continue this series. It was worth the read, and I absolutely cannot wait to begin the next book.

http://www.platypire.com/j-hooligan/a...

[Lisa Shambrook · Rating 4 out of 5]

What I love about Hewitt Meyer’s writing is her raw honesty.

This is the second book in the Rowan Slone series and Rowan is struggling with the consequences of the cards her life has dealt. Rowan has to decide whether she can forgive her family, and there's nothing twee about her feelings and reactions. Hewitt Meyer keeps it real and shows the pain and conflict in Rowans life with great writing and compassion.

In real life resolution comes slowly and sometimes not at all, and you'll feel for Rowan as her life refuses to move as she wishes it would.

Rowan's life on the page is real, as real as any teen's life today. You will be moved as she tries to come to terms with her new and changing world. These characters are people who will remain in your mind as deeply the author's authenticity.

This book is a real page-turner and its heartfelt beauty will draw you in as you find out if Rowan can get her life back on track...

[Kattie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this book for free in exchange for an honest review. This is book 2 in the Rowan Slone series. I had to read it to find out what happened to Rowan after the first book. Things are both better and worse for Rowan in the story. I wish Rowan was more independent in this book. I thought she was going to be after the first book, because everything seemed to being going much better for her. Her long distance relationship with Mike is taking it's toll on their relationship, but also on Rowan. Find out what else I thought on December 10th at www.vivacioushobo.com

[Catherine Yezak · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read an advanced copy and absolutely loved this book. It felt like my story being told as I followed Rowan struggle to cone to terms with her past and make a bright future for herself. I couldn't help but cheer as Rowan struggles to find herself and a new life while her old one of pain, fear, and anger doesn't want to let go. Rowan finds herself as she helps her best friend cope with an unexpected pregnancy and the love of the unwanted animals she cares for. This may be a young adult story, but it will resonant with readers of all ages.

[Kimberly Butler · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is wonderful!! I love books with a happy ending!! I also love how Rowan faced the obstacles in her life head on and is such a positive role model to young people who might read this book!! It's not just full of problems she has, but also positive ways she works thru them!! I highly recommend this book to young people needing realistic, positive influences.

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

So...for the majority of this book I really didn't like Rowan. I honestly don't know what it was but something about her bothered me. The last 30% or so though, there was a change. I could really see that character growth and I loved it. I can't wait to see what future Rowan has in store for herself.

[Sophie Moss · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the ending. Made me a bit teary-eyed. Great wrap up to book 2 in the series.

[Sarah]

Read my review in the August release of InD'Tale's magazine. http://indtale.com/

[Kim · Rating 5 out of 5]

Hewitt-Meyer has an incredible gift of character development.

Excited to read my eARC of the final book of this trilogy!