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Winter Flower
From the best-selling author of
Just Remember to Breathe
and
The Last Hour
, a shocking and poignant story of a family on the brink of destruction and the transformational events that could bring them back together - or tear them apart.
Every day, Cole Roberts reminds himself that life wasn’t always this bleak. He was once passionately in love with Erin. Sam used to be an artistic and lively kid. They hadn’t always lived in a shabby two-room house in rural Alabama, where he runs a mediocre restaurant in the middle of nowhere.
That was before Brenna disappeared. It was before Cole lost his job and they lost their home.
Every day it gets worse. Erin drinks wine out of the bottle and spends her days with a tormented expression, searching the web for signs of their daughter. Sam hides in his room and rarely speaks. And Cole works himself to a stupor for a paycheck a fraction of the size of his old salary.
Until one day, a phone call changes everything.
Winter Flower is at once a tragic tale of the disappearance of a child; struggling with gender identity; of the dark world of sex-trafficking and the transformation and healing of a family. Sheehan-Miles' longest novel delves into the depths of family life - and how, sometimes, we can heal and find restoration.
Every day, Cole Roberts reminds himself that life wasn’t always this bleak. He was once passionately in love with Erin. Sam used to be an artistic and lively kid. They hadn’t always lived in a shabby two-room house in rural Alabama, where he runs a mediocre restaurant in the middle of nowhere.
That was before Brenna disappeared. It was before Cole lost his job and they lost their home.
Every day it gets worse. Erin drinks wine out of the bottle and spends her days with a tormented expression, searching the web for signs of their daughter. Sam hides in his room and rarely speaks. And Cole works himself to a stupor for a paycheck a fraction of the size of his old salary.
Until one day, a phone call changes everything.
Winter Flower is at once a tragic tale of the disappearance of a child; struggling with gender identity; of the dark world of sex-trafficking and the transformation and healing of a family. Sheehan-Miles' longest novel delves into the depths of family life - and how, sometimes, we can heal and find restoration.
- GenresFictionContemporary
Audible Audio
Published August 23, 2019
27 people are currently reading
529 people want to read
About the author
Charles Sheehan-Miles
46 books1,551 followersCharles Sheehan-Miles has been a soldier, computer programmer, short-order cook and non-profit executive, and is the author of several fiction and non-fiction books, including the indie bestsellers Just Remember to Breathe and Republic: A Novel of America's Future. Charles and his wife Andrea Randall live and write together in South Hadley, Massachusetts.
Find out more at http://www.sheehanmiles.com
You're also invited to join the Remember to Breathe Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/remem...
Find out more at http://www.sheehanmiles.com
You're also invited to join the Remember to Breathe Facebook group at https://www.facebook.com/groups/remem...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 74 reviews
June 2, 2019
5 stars
5 stars
Winter Flower is not an easy read, in fact, I'd say it it's an extremely heavy read that weighted on my heart. It's a book about a family and the story is written from the pov of all four family members. All of these family members have their own issues and imperfections. Things seem to be bad in some way or another for all of them. But what happens next, it shakes them all to their very core and it changes everything.
One moment in time, on decision, it changes all four of these lives forever. This book is their journey. There isn't much I want to say about the plot because I feel it's much more powerful to read it blind. That's what I did and I was glad I didn't know much about what was going on.
The characters in this book are all endearing in their own ways. I truly adored Sam. Breanna, her parts just broke me, and Erin was frustrating at times, but I could understand why she was the way she was. This book is full of imperfect and real characters and their story is raw. Also, Cole's dad was a stand out character. Also, his best friend Jeremiah. I just wanted to hug him.
One thing I really loved about this book was the growth of Cole. Cole is a character I didn't love at first, but the more of his chapters I read and the more I saw him change... I think he ended up being my favorite character. He took thoughts and ideas he once had and presented with new information and dealing with something on a personal level had him changing everything he ever thought.
This book wrecked me. For a solid hour while reading, tears just streamed down my face. My heart hurt so much, but by the the end, I felt closure and honestly, I was really happy with the way it ended.
Charles Sheehan-Miles is such a talented author and doesn't get near enough recognition for that. Every book of his I've read has been wonderful. Reading this book, it just solidified it even more. Winter Flower is a story of survival. It's a story of the power of love, family, and acceptance. It's also a story of hardships and tragedy. This is a book that will make you think, make you feel, and demands to be read. It was all consuming for me and I can't recommend it enough!!
5 stars
Winter Flower is not an easy read, in fact, I'd say it it's an extremely heavy read that weighted on my heart. It's a book about a family and the story is written from the pov of all four family members. All of these family members have their own issues and imperfections. Things seem to be bad in some way or another for all of them. But what happens next, it shakes them all to their very core and it changes everything.
One moment in time, on decision, it changes all four of these lives forever. This book is their journey. There isn't much I want to say about the plot because I feel it's much more powerful to read it blind. That's what I did and I was glad I didn't know much about what was going on.
The characters in this book are all endearing in their own ways. I truly adored Sam. Breanna, her parts just broke me, and Erin was frustrating at times, but I could understand why she was the way she was. This book is full of imperfect and real characters and their story is raw. Also, Cole's dad was a stand out character. Also, his best friend Jeremiah. I just wanted to hug him.
One thing I really loved about this book was the growth of Cole. Cole is a character I didn't love at first, but the more of his chapters I read and the more I saw him change... I think he ended up being my favorite character. He took thoughts and ideas he once had and presented with new information and dealing with something on a personal level had him changing everything he ever thought.
But now, I was faced with dealing with this on a personal level, with someone who I cared about, with someone who I loved, it forced me to rethink everything.
This book wrecked me. For a solid hour while reading, tears just streamed down my face. My heart hurt so much, but by the the end, I felt closure and honestly, I was really happy with the way it ended.
Charles Sheehan-Miles is such a talented author and doesn't get near enough recognition for that. Every book of his I've read has been wonderful. Reading this book, it just solidified it even more. Winter Flower is a story of survival. It's a story of the power of love, family, and acceptance. It's also a story of hardships and tragedy. This is a book that will make you think, make you feel, and demands to be read. It was all consuming for me and I can't recommend it enough!!
September 8, 2019
This is a chunker of a book.
600 pages.
But it went by fast.
I so recall the first book I ever read by this author. It was book 1 in a series. I’d been new at reading and reviewing books online. What do remember was the impact it had on me.
This book was a long awaited book. I wondered if he had given up writing suddenly but so pleased to hear this was released.
He’s an author that doesn’t just churn out books, he’s a real quality writer that produces excellent heartfelt quality reads and stands out miles ( no pun intended) as he’s clear, precise, you can feel the characters and what he’s transmitting to his readers through the pages.
It’s a heartbreaking read at times but totally down to earth and so realistic. It could happen to you, it could happen to me.
The only thing that kept me going was “hope” for this family.
I loved it! It was like a family saga, no, much more than that.
I warmed to some characters better than others.
I’ve enjoyed this so much. An author that is underrated and needs more recognition.
This story may have taken time to write, it’s been well worth waiting for.
I’ll wait patiently again for his next one.
Recommend to those who like a good story, family drama, heartfelt emotions and sincerity.
600 pages.
But it went by fast.
I so recall the first book I ever read by this author. It was book 1 in a series. I’d been new at reading and reviewing books online. What do remember was the impact it had on me.
This book was a long awaited book. I wondered if he had given up writing suddenly but so pleased to hear this was released.
He’s an author that doesn’t just churn out books, he’s a real quality writer that produces excellent heartfelt quality reads and stands out miles ( no pun intended) as he’s clear, precise, you can feel the characters and what he’s transmitting to his readers through the pages.
It’s a heartbreaking read at times but totally down to earth and so realistic. It could happen to you, it could happen to me.
The only thing that kept me going was “hope” for this family.
I loved it! It was like a family saga, no, much more than that.
I warmed to some characters better than others.
I’ve enjoyed this so much. An author that is underrated and needs more recognition.
This story may have taken time to write, it’s been well worth waiting for.
I’ll wait patiently again for his next one.
Recommend to those who like a good story, family drama, heartfelt emotions and sincerity.
June 29, 2019
4 Stars ⭐️
May 29, 2019
❝I attracted cruelty instead of love, brutality rather than care, scorn instead of respect. And I didn't know why.❞
I'm not really sure how to review this book because if I say too much, I will spoil the story for you. There are multiple storylines and multiple character POVs, with each character's story having a beginning, middle and somewhat of an ending. At times it felt like I was reading a screenplay for a tv family drama series. The one thing I do need to make clear to my romance-loving friends, who loved this author’s previous books, is this is NOT a romance novel. It is a story about family and all the tragedy, trouble, and exhilaration that go along with being in one and surviving one.
Sheehan-Miles's writing, as always, is brilliant. I love this author's voice and writing style. There's an honesty to his storytelling which I think is why he is so good at conveying emotions and is why, with every book he's written, including this one, I find myself crying while reading his words. This book is long, 600 pages, long. It probably could have been broken into two or even made into multiple books with each character having their own, but I appreciate the authors choice to allow the reader to experience each character in a continued timeline and experience the way each character's POV enriched the other's arc.
Winter Flower is an exploration of family dynamics; the push and pull, the power and lack thereof. It explores how tragedy affects the family as a whole and dives deeper into how it affects each family member.
I was provided a review copy by the author; this did not influence my opinion of the book nor my review.
June 18, 2019
It’s not often that I’m simply blown away by a book. My reading friends know I’m picky and can be rather harsh when it comes to reading 🙊so when I find something that’s amazing I whole heartedly mean it and I likely won’t shut up about it. 😝 Charles Sheehan Miles I commend you for this incredible story with an authentic voice. Winter Flower is an important book and one that should be read by all and without question easily my favorite book of the year.
May 1, 2019
This was an incredible book . If you’ve read anything else by Charles , you’ll know that he has an amazing talent to make you care so much about his characters . They seem to rise off the page and appear before you. This book addressed certain topics that I felt strongly about . It focused on specific prejudices that I felt very set in my ways about and his characters changed my opinion completely . I saw how wrong I was and this book has stayed with me for several months now . Charles gets better with each novel and this was NO exception . I look forward to reading this again soon .
February 5, 2020
I preordered this because I'm a fan of Charles Sheehan-Miles' other books, but I didn't get around to reading it until now. My mistake as it's such a good book.
It's a story about a family in crisis, parents Cole and Erin and their children Brenna and Sam. Their family was already pretty fractured, but then Brenna disappeared everything got so much worse. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, I feel like that would be a disservice to the story.
The book changes POV between the four family members, Sam was my favorite but Cole showed the most growth. There's a lot of heartbreak, but there are also glimpses of joy.
Just read it, it'll be well worth your time.
It's a story about a family in crisis, parents Cole and Erin and their children Brenna and Sam. Their family was already pretty fractured, but then Brenna disappeared everything got so much worse. I don't want to give away too much of the plot, I feel like that would be a disservice to the story.
The book changes POV between the four family members, Sam was my favorite but Cole showed the most growth. There's a lot of heartbreak, but there are also glimpses of joy.
Just read it, it'll be well worth your time.
May 28, 2019
Charles Sheehan-Miles, America's most criminally-underappreciated writer, gave me an advanced reader's copy of his new novel Winter Flower. I've just finished it and am starting my PR blitz on it.
The novel is the story of the Roberts family. When the book opens, we see Cole Roberts working his butt off managing a Waffle House in rural Alabama. It's a huge comedown from his six-figure job in IT. This is something the author has had some personal experience. We learn quickly that Cole's daughter Brenna disappeared two years ago on the night of her 16th birthday. This triggered a series of events that put Cole on probation and broke and sees his wife drinking wine out of a bottle and their younger son Sam a picked-upon recluse. Then things get worse.
What Charles is very good at is taking ordinary people and throwing them into extraordinary circumstances. That's exactly what he does in Winter Flower. All of his characters are at one point or another in life-threatening situations. They have to deal with them without superpowers or Navy SEAL training. They also have very real and very human frailties and faults which sometimes cause them to make bad decisions. In fact, all four of the Roberts family has made at least one bad decision in the book. But they continue on and try to do the best that they can.
I found the ending of this book surprising and unexpected but very believable. This is also a book with two endings - there's the end of the life-threatening stuff and then a realistic ending dealing with the aftermath. This book is just really damn good!
The novel is the story of the Roberts family. When the book opens, we see Cole Roberts working his butt off managing a Waffle House in rural Alabama. It's a huge comedown from his six-figure job in IT. This is something the author has had some personal experience. We learn quickly that Cole's daughter Brenna disappeared two years ago on the night of her 16th birthday. This triggered a series of events that put Cole on probation and broke and sees his wife drinking wine out of a bottle and their younger son Sam a picked-upon recluse. Then things get worse.
What Charles is very good at is taking ordinary people and throwing them into extraordinary circumstances. That's exactly what he does in Winter Flower. All of his characters are at one point or another in life-threatening situations. They have to deal with them without superpowers or Navy SEAL training. They also have very real and very human frailties and faults which sometimes cause them to make bad decisions. In fact, all four of the Roberts family has made at least one bad decision in the book. But they continue on and try to do the best that they can.
I found the ending of this book surprising and unexpected but very believable. This is also a book with two endings - there's the end of the life-threatening stuff and then a realistic ending dealing with the aftermath. This book is just really damn good!
May 28, 2019
I feel emotionally wrecked in the best way.
What a ride with the Roberts’ family I had. From characters I wanted to hug so hard I would likely hurt them physically to the “villains” that I wanted to actually injure, this book had me. Had me from beginning to end.
It will make you more aware of words, regardless of how simple they seem at the time, could be life altering. It will make you realize that one small decision can alter the course of someones life. It will make you more aware of hate and make you want to hug your family. Hug anybody.
This was more than a book, it was an experience.
What a ride with the Roberts’ family I had. From characters I wanted to hug so hard I would likely hurt them physically to the “villains” that I wanted to actually injure, this book had me. Had me from beginning to end.
It will make you more aware of words, regardless of how simple they seem at the time, could be life altering. It will make you realize that one small decision can alter the course of someones life. It will make you more aware of hate and make you want to hug your family. Hug anybody.
This was more than a book, it was an experience.
June 28, 2019
I’ve read and absolutely loved previous books by this author so I was super excited to read the authors latest novel. Let me say I wasn’t disappointed.
As with a lot of my reviews I’m not going to go into the storyline. This is another book that you need to feel the story, be with the characters.
I didn’t read this in one sitting as it was a heavy kinda read. It was one of those stories that had me stop and think.
This was a big read which was great. The pace was on point with no lagging.
Let me just say this book pulled on all my emotions
I did hope while reading this that the characters would find some hope, that they’d find peace.
Charles has written an amazing story about a family that will stay with me for a long time. Highly recommend this gem.
As with a lot of my reviews I’m not going to go into the storyline. This is another book that you need to feel the story, be with the characters.
I didn’t read this in one sitting as it was a heavy kinda read. It was one of those stories that had me stop and think.
This was a big read which was great. The pace was on point with no lagging.
Let me just say this book pulled on all my emotions
I did hope while reading this that the characters would find some hope, that they’d find peace.
Charles has written an amazing story about a family that will stay with me for a long time. Highly recommend this gem.
May 13, 2019
First and foremost, this story is about family. The story follows each family member, switching between past and present, and not only shows how they are dealing with Brenna’s disappearance, but how they are each dealing with their own personal issues as well. I should start off by mentioning that if you are a reader that needs to know about possible trigger warnings, then this book is not for you. This story deals with a lot of hard topics including rape, physical and mental abuse, and drug use, just to name a few. It’s often times difficult to read. It brings to light things most people don’t think about in their day-to-day lives, and it’s unimaginable to me how there can be this much depravity in the world. The last 25% or so of this book is highly suspenseful. It kept me on the edge of my seat, with my heart breaking and my stomach in knots. Nothing can prepare you for this book, but it is certainly a book that must be read.
ARC kindly provided by the author.
ARC kindly provided by the author.
December 28, 2019
Holy smokes, this was an intense read!! Pulling together multiple sensitive subjects - gender identity, sex trafficking, bullying, cheating - the author presented each with the sensitivity they deserve. My heart was held in a vice like grip for over 400 pages, not letting up until the final pages.
The Roberts family is one that is in turmoil, and each member is struggling day to day, and lacking the support they desperately need. And that's before September 14th happens, a day when the already fragile walls around the family begin to cave in.
My heart broke for each member of this family, for very different reasons.
***Brenna - the birthday girl makes a tragic decision in her desire for attention, that haunts her and her family. For a good part of the book, we only get the POVs from the other family members and how they are handling her disappearance. But eventually we get Brenna's POV and learn of the days leading up to her disappearance, and ultimately, her new fate. To avoid spoilers, I won't go any further, but it is truly gut wrenching.
***Sam - this may be the toughest, yet best delivered part of the story. Sam is Brenna's younger brother, but he has a big secret, he identifies differently. While the subject of gender identity has been explored in a couple books I've read, none have gone into this much depth to discuss all of the implications for a young teen. I thought the author did an amazing job with his/her storyline, and it is one of the main reasons I'd highly recommend this book to others.
***Cole - this father does his best to keep things together as his world falls apart before him. On top of the family issues, his personal actions have put them in a tougher position, although I completely understood why he did what he did. His ego and position have fallen dramatically, but he does his best to still provide for his family. While he made some mistakes with regards to the marriage, how he handles the drama at his work, along with the revelations about Sam, won me over. He's a good guy at heart, who just made some bad choices and is trying to make up for those mistakes.
***Erin - I connected the least with this mother initially. The grief of Brenna's disappearance, and her deteriorating relationship with Cole, has left her feeling hopeless, without direction. Instead of doing something to help her family, she turns to the bottle, night after night. But ultimately, her persistence in not giving up on finding her daughter, won my admiration.
What is so profound about this story, is how this family handles all of the tragic events that have befallen them. They’ve already hit rock bottom and can’t possibly withstand more. With time, they find a way to forgive one another, set aside judgement, and use the tragedy to become stronger as a unit. A key to any recovery. I loved how the author slowly put this family back together.
This is a beautifully told story that packs a punch. The author took on some very difficult subjects with care, giving them more emotional weight. This is far from a light read, but it is one, everyone should experience.
Powerful.
Thoughtful.
Poignant.
Perfect.
For more reviews, visit
The Roberts family is one that is in turmoil, and each member is struggling day to day, and lacking the support they desperately need. And that's before September 14th happens, a day when the already fragile walls around the family begin to cave in.
My heart broke for each member of this family, for very different reasons.
***Brenna - the birthday girl makes a tragic decision in her desire for attention, that haunts her and her family. For a good part of the book, we only get the POVs from the other family members and how they are handling her disappearance. But eventually we get Brenna's POV and learn of the days leading up to her disappearance, and ultimately, her new fate. To avoid spoilers, I won't go any further, but it is truly gut wrenching.
***Sam - this may be the toughest, yet best delivered part of the story. Sam is Brenna's younger brother, but he has a big secret, he identifies differently. While the subject of gender identity has been explored in a couple books I've read, none have gone into this much depth to discuss all of the implications for a young teen. I thought the author did an amazing job with his/her storyline, and it is one of the main reasons I'd highly recommend this book to others.
***Cole - this father does his best to keep things together as his world falls apart before him. On top of the family issues, his personal actions have put them in a tougher position, although I completely understood why he did what he did. His ego and position have fallen dramatically, but he does his best to still provide for his family. While he made some mistakes with regards to the marriage, how he handles the drama at his work, along with the revelations about Sam, won me over. He's a good guy at heart, who just made some bad choices and is trying to make up for those mistakes.
***Erin - I connected the least with this mother initially. The grief of Brenna's disappearance, and her deteriorating relationship with Cole, has left her feeling hopeless, without direction. Instead of doing something to help her family, she turns to the bottle, night after night. But ultimately, her persistence in not giving up on finding her daughter, won my admiration.
What is so profound about this story, is how this family handles all of the tragic events that have befallen them. They’ve already hit rock bottom and can’t possibly withstand more. With time, they find a way to forgive one another, set aside judgement, and use the tragedy to become stronger as a unit. A key to any recovery. I loved how the author slowly put this family back together.
This is a beautifully told story that packs a punch. The author took on some very difficult subjects with care, giving them more emotional weight. This is far from a light read, but it is one, everyone should experience.
Powerful.
Thoughtful.
Poignant.
Perfect.
For more reviews, visit
June 13, 2019
This book is one of those books that is SO incredibly hard to read. Yet, it’s one of those books that I think all parents and anyone who is wanting to be a parent should read.
It took me longer than normal to read this book, but all of the emotions it evokes were the reason. It is so wonderfully written that I felt as if I were Brenna’s parent(s).
The descriptive words. The situations that you are forced into. It’s all just SO much, in the most delicious way possible. Charles Miles is a master of words, of that I’m convinced.
It took me longer than normal to read this book, but all of the emotions it evokes were the reason. It is so wonderfully written that I felt as if I were Brenna’s parent(s).
The descriptive words. The situations that you are forced into. It’s all just SO much, in the most delicious way possible. Charles Miles is a master of words, of that I’m convinced.
July 13, 2019
I write this review as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team, and I freely chose to review an ARC copy of this novel.
This is the first novel I read by Charles Sheehan-Miles, who is a brand new author to me, although he has published a large number of books, and from the comments I guess he has a legion of fans that were surprised by this book, as it is not a romance. I cannot compare it to his previous work, but I agree with the warning. If readers from his previous books approach this novel as a romance, they will be shocked, because it is far from it.
This is a long book (over 600 pages long), divided up into four parts, with a prologue set two years before the main action of the book, although there are flashbacks (memories) narrated in the first-person by the four main characters —all members of the same family— that offer readers a good understanding of the background to the current situation and help them get to grips with their circumstances, their pasts, and who they are. This is the story of a family, a married couple and their two children, on the brink of collapse due to a terrible tragedy that took place two years before the action we follow chronologically. Or so it seems. (The truth is a bit more complicated than that). Sam and Brenna, the children (adolescents by the time we met them) are close, and Brenna has always willingly played the role of big sister to Sam, there to protect and guide. Until she disappears. Carrying on without her puts a big strain on a family we soon learn was going through difficulties already (some more out in the open than others), and whose communication had ground almost to a halt. The parents, Cole and Erin, are living example of the “opposites attract” edict, at least from a political perspective (Cole, the father, who as a young man decided formal education wasn’t for him and moved up the corporate ladder at lightning speed, is conservative as can be, while Erin, the mother, a college graduate, is a convinced liberal who sacrificed her career to look after her children), and although the story opens up with Sam’s narration, we soon get to read their own perspective on the matter, and the kind of traps they find themselves in.
This is a story that deals in many important subjects, and it could have been told in a variety of ways, but I am impressed not only by the subjects (adultery and its toll on family relationships, sex trafficking, rape, prostitution, bullying, harassment and violence against the LGBT community, missing youths, the isolation of the trans-gender experience for young people, prejudice and harassment at work…) and the sensitive and enlightening way they are handled, but also by the way the story is told. The author allows each character to tell his/her own story, and that makes us walk a mile in their shoes, no matter how uncomfortable they might feel. I am sure many readers will think, as they read, that they would have never reacted in a certain way, or allowed their circumstances to deteriorate to such an extent, but, do we truly know? Although, as the author reminds us in the final note, the events in the book are far from unique (yes, it is a work of fiction, but many individuals and families unfortunately will go through similar experiences to those depicted in the book), many of us will never have been in close contact with somebody in such dire circumstances, much less be directly affected by it, so, how do we know what we would do? The characters are not necessarily the most likeable when we meet them (drinking heavily, harassed, afraid for their lives, paralysed and frozen, unable to make decisions and move on), and they are all closed off from each other, trapped, physically or mentally, sometimes by others and their preconceptions, sometimes by their own fears and inability to grief and forgive. The author also makes a conscious decision to introduce the rest of the family —the parents and Sam— first, so we get to see the effect her loss has had on the family, before we meet Brenna, the missing girl. Her situation is heart-wrenching, and the most extreme and difficult to read about, although none of the characters have an easy ride.
Thankfully, the author manages to achieve a difficult balance between telling the story, not pulling any punches, making sure people can understand and empathise with what the characters are going through, while avoiding extremely graphic scenes (both of sex and violence), and gratuitous iterations and repetitions of the abuse, which would risk further exploitation rather than facilitating understanding and empathy. Don’t get me wrong; this is a hard read, and readers with triggers arounds topics such as child abuse, rape, bullying, violence against women and the LGTB community, and racism need to be aware of it. Even people who don’t have such triggers will find it a tough read, but, on the other hand, this is a book with a big heart, and the individual journey of each character, and of the family as a whole, make for an inspiring and hopeful read.
I have already talked about how impressed I am by the story and the way it is told. I grew fond of all the members of the family by the end of the book (it’s impossible for our hearts not to go out to Sam and Brenna, but we get to appreciate their parents as well), and I particularly enjoyed the journey of enlightenment Cole’s father goes through. The author includes most of the reactions we can imagine to these subjects, from the sublime to the ridiculous, (not everybody changes and accepts either. Bigotry remains alive and well, as we all know), and they all felt true. I was particularly fond of Jeremiah and his wife — almost too good to be true— who are an ideal we should all aspire to. I also liked the fact that the story does not stop when most readers would expect it to, and even Sam makes comments on that. There is no magical happy ending here that just makes everything right again. All the members of the family will have to keep working at their relationship and supporting each other, but that is as it should be.
There were no negative reviews of the book at the time I wrote this, and the only objections (apart from the warning that it is not a romance) some people had referred to were Sam’s virtual game playing (that a reader didn’t feel added anything to the novel. Personally, I think it helps readers understand what life is like for the character and experience the kind of coping strategies adolescents in similar circumstances might use), and some others felt the book could have been shorter and still managed to tell the same story. That might be true, but I suspect some of the nuances would have been lost.
This is an excellent book that manages to combine complex and credible characters with a plot that deals with several difficult subjects, without becoming preachy or too graphic. It is horrifying, touching, and insightful all at the same time, and it makes readers witness the highs and lows of the human condition. I recommended it to readers interested in the subjects, but I advise those who might worry about possible triggers to proceed with caution. The author adds some resources (links to websites) for people who need more information about some of the issues raised in the book, and I thought the final conversation of the book, between Brenna and her grandfather in the garden —when the grandfather talks about the snapdragon, and how it grows back after getting rid of the dead stuff, stronger and more beautiful— stands as a great metaphor for the story. Highly recommended.
This is the first novel I read by Charles Sheehan-Miles, who is a brand new author to me, although he has published a large number of books, and from the comments I guess he has a legion of fans that were surprised by this book, as it is not a romance. I cannot compare it to his previous work, but I agree with the warning. If readers from his previous books approach this novel as a romance, they will be shocked, because it is far from it.
This is a long book (over 600 pages long), divided up into four parts, with a prologue set two years before the main action of the book, although there are flashbacks (memories) narrated in the first-person by the four main characters —all members of the same family— that offer readers a good understanding of the background to the current situation and help them get to grips with their circumstances, their pasts, and who they are. This is the story of a family, a married couple and their two children, on the brink of collapse due to a terrible tragedy that took place two years before the action we follow chronologically. Or so it seems. (The truth is a bit more complicated than that). Sam and Brenna, the children (adolescents by the time we met them) are close, and Brenna has always willingly played the role of big sister to Sam, there to protect and guide. Until she disappears. Carrying on without her puts a big strain on a family we soon learn was going through difficulties already (some more out in the open than others), and whose communication had ground almost to a halt. The parents, Cole and Erin, are living example of the “opposites attract” edict, at least from a political perspective (Cole, the father, who as a young man decided formal education wasn’t for him and moved up the corporate ladder at lightning speed, is conservative as can be, while Erin, the mother, a college graduate, is a convinced liberal who sacrificed her career to look after her children), and although the story opens up with Sam’s narration, we soon get to read their own perspective on the matter, and the kind of traps they find themselves in.
This is a story that deals in many important subjects, and it could have been told in a variety of ways, but I am impressed not only by the subjects (adultery and its toll on family relationships, sex trafficking, rape, prostitution, bullying, harassment and violence against the LGBT community, missing youths, the isolation of the trans-gender experience for young people, prejudice and harassment at work…) and the sensitive and enlightening way they are handled, but also by the way the story is told. The author allows each character to tell his/her own story, and that makes us walk a mile in their shoes, no matter how uncomfortable they might feel. I am sure many readers will think, as they read, that they would have never reacted in a certain way, or allowed their circumstances to deteriorate to such an extent, but, do we truly know? Although, as the author reminds us in the final note, the events in the book are far from unique (yes, it is a work of fiction, but many individuals and families unfortunately will go through similar experiences to those depicted in the book), many of us will never have been in close contact with somebody in such dire circumstances, much less be directly affected by it, so, how do we know what we would do? The characters are not necessarily the most likeable when we meet them (drinking heavily, harassed, afraid for their lives, paralysed and frozen, unable to make decisions and move on), and they are all closed off from each other, trapped, physically or mentally, sometimes by others and their preconceptions, sometimes by their own fears and inability to grief and forgive. The author also makes a conscious decision to introduce the rest of the family —the parents and Sam— first, so we get to see the effect her loss has had on the family, before we meet Brenna, the missing girl. Her situation is heart-wrenching, and the most extreme and difficult to read about, although none of the characters have an easy ride.
Thankfully, the author manages to achieve a difficult balance between telling the story, not pulling any punches, making sure people can understand and empathise with what the characters are going through, while avoiding extremely graphic scenes (both of sex and violence), and gratuitous iterations and repetitions of the abuse, which would risk further exploitation rather than facilitating understanding and empathy. Don’t get me wrong; this is a hard read, and readers with triggers arounds topics such as child abuse, rape, bullying, violence against women and the LGTB community, and racism need to be aware of it. Even people who don’t have such triggers will find it a tough read, but, on the other hand, this is a book with a big heart, and the individual journey of each character, and of the family as a whole, make for an inspiring and hopeful read.
I have already talked about how impressed I am by the story and the way it is told. I grew fond of all the members of the family by the end of the book (it’s impossible for our hearts not to go out to Sam and Brenna, but we get to appreciate their parents as well), and I particularly enjoyed the journey of enlightenment Cole’s father goes through. The author includes most of the reactions we can imagine to these subjects, from the sublime to the ridiculous, (not everybody changes and accepts either. Bigotry remains alive and well, as we all know), and they all felt true. I was particularly fond of Jeremiah and his wife — almost too good to be true— who are an ideal we should all aspire to. I also liked the fact that the story does not stop when most readers would expect it to, and even Sam makes comments on that. There is no magical happy ending here that just makes everything right again. All the members of the family will have to keep working at their relationship and supporting each other, but that is as it should be.
There were no negative reviews of the book at the time I wrote this, and the only objections (apart from the warning that it is not a romance) some people had referred to were Sam’s virtual game playing (that a reader didn’t feel added anything to the novel. Personally, I think it helps readers understand what life is like for the character and experience the kind of coping strategies adolescents in similar circumstances might use), and some others felt the book could have been shorter and still managed to tell the same story. That might be true, but I suspect some of the nuances would have been lost.
This is an excellent book that manages to combine complex and credible characters with a plot that deals with several difficult subjects, without becoming preachy or too graphic. It is horrifying, touching, and insightful all at the same time, and it makes readers witness the highs and lows of the human condition. I recommended it to readers interested in the subjects, but I advise those who might worry about possible triggers to proceed with caution. The author adds some resources (links to websites) for people who need more information about some of the issues raised in the book, and I thought the final conversation of the book, between Brenna and her grandfather in the garden —when the grandfather talks about the snapdragon, and how it grows back after getting rid of the dead stuff, stronger and more beautiful— stands as a great metaphor for the story. Highly recommended.
May 13, 2019
**I received and unedited ARC of this book from the author for an honest review**
I honestly don’t know how to put my thoughts and feelings about this book into words, but I’m most definitely going to try! I was anxiety ridden, terrified, at times sick to my stomach.... I cried tears of sadness, heartbreak, fear.... I cheered, I celebrated, I was a member of the Roberts family!!! Their life, their wins, their losses were all mine!! This book is so raw and real in so many ways! If you never read anything else by this author, which would just not be smart, READ THIS BOOK!!!!!
I honestly don’t know how to put my thoughts and feelings about this book into words, but I’m most definitely going to try! I was anxiety ridden, terrified, at times sick to my stomach.... I cried tears of sadness, heartbreak, fear.... I cheered, I celebrated, I was a member of the Roberts family!!! Their life, their wins, their losses were all mine!! This book is so raw and real in so many ways! If you never read anything else by this author, which would just not be smart, READ THIS BOOK!!!!!
June 24, 2019
Charles Sheehan-Miles once again delivered another thought-provoking, heart-pounding novel laced with so much reality that would keep his readers on the edge of their seats.
The Roberts family was just an ordinary family. He was in love with his wife, and his son, Sam, used to be an artistic and happy kid. They have a nice house in a nice neighborhood. He has a great job, and Erin was a stay at home mom. But everything went down the drain when their daughter, Brenna disappeared. He lost his job, they lost their home.
They end up in the middle of nowhere Alabama, in a worn-out house, where from his executive table, he runs a small restaurant. Everyday, their lives just spiral, Erin is finding comfort at the bottom of the double, while spending her days trying to find their daughter through the internet. Sam is keeping things to himself, and not talking to any of them. And him? He works himself to tiredness for a meager salary to support his family.
You can’t help but get the feels and submerge yourself with the characters as all of them try to survive. Cole, Erin, Sam and Brenna. This wasn’t for the faint of heart. The journey was not a walk in the park. It was hard, there were loads of bumps in the roads, and mistakes were done.
But what I love about this book is despite all the things that happened is the amount of support that surrounded the family. In their own small or big way, people helped, and it made all the difference in the world.
Especially with Sam and his secrets. I think he was the most affected when Brenna disappeared. He did not just lost his sister. He lost his best friend and his confidant. No one understood him better than his sister.
And Brenna, she’d been through hell, and I was glad our author did not sugarcoat it. It was painful to read and just heartbreaking. And perhaps what makes it so painful is the fact that this is happening in our society, and not all are lucky enough to find their daughters and bring them back into their homes. You can see her journey right from the start, and the rescue wasn’t really the end. There was so much more to do after she’d found her way back to her family. It was hard, but they were all working on it.
This book is all about love, family, survival, acceptance and forgiveness. This is something that would stay with your for a very long time and would tickle not only your senses, but your awareness of the things that is happening around us. Charles Sheehan-Miles managed to packed several social topics that are considered taboos into one book, and making it into one, big giant emotional rollercoaster ride, which was way worth it.
The Roberts family was just an ordinary family. He was in love with his wife, and his son, Sam, used to be an artistic and happy kid. They have a nice house in a nice neighborhood. He has a great job, and Erin was a stay at home mom. But everything went down the drain when their daughter, Brenna disappeared. He lost his job, they lost their home.
They end up in the middle of nowhere Alabama, in a worn-out house, where from his executive table, he runs a small restaurant. Everyday, their lives just spiral, Erin is finding comfort at the bottom of the double, while spending her days trying to find their daughter through the internet. Sam is keeping things to himself, and not talking to any of them. And him? He works himself to tiredness for a meager salary to support his family.
You can’t help but get the feels and submerge yourself with the characters as all of them try to survive. Cole, Erin, Sam and Brenna. This wasn’t for the faint of heart. The journey was not a walk in the park. It was hard, there were loads of bumps in the roads, and mistakes were done.
But what I love about this book is despite all the things that happened is the amount of support that surrounded the family. In their own small or big way, people helped, and it made all the difference in the world.
Especially with Sam and his secrets. I think he was the most affected when Brenna disappeared. He did not just lost his sister. He lost his best friend and his confidant. No one understood him better than his sister.
And Brenna, she’d been through hell, and I was glad our author did not sugarcoat it. It was painful to read and just heartbreaking. And perhaps what makes it so painful is the fact that this is happening in our society, and not all are lucky enough to find their daughters and bring them back into their homes. You can see her journey right from the start, and the rescue wasn’t really the end. There was so much more to do after she’d found her way back to her family. It was hard, but they were all working on it.
This book is all about love, family, survival, acceptance and forgiveness. This is something that would stay with your for a very long time and would tickle not only your senses, but your awareness of the things that is happening around us. Charles Sheehan-Miles managed to packed several social topics that are considered taboos into one book, and making it into one, big giant emotional rollercoaster ride, which was way worth it.
July 15, 2019
Cole and Erin are trying to rebuild their broken relationship when their 16-year-old daughter Brenna goes missing. Losing precious time because the local police think she's a runaway at first, their daughter slips further from their grasp. Meanwhile, their son Sam is having a really rough time without his sister, his only supporter in his dark secret that he's keeping from everyone. Because Sam is a girl, and she has to hide who she really is. We follow this family through a mountain of troubles, in their path to be reunited and made whole.
I hadn't read Sheehan-Miles before, this is my first book of his, and with it, he's made a new fan. First, let's talk about how inclusive this book is. It's got a broken relationship and two broken daughters, each in their own ways. The subject material is heavy because we learn that Brenna isn't just kidnapped, but she's been trafficked. We also have Sam's struggle in school with bullying, in accepting who she is and feeling like she needs to keep this secret to herself. She had good reason because her parents never gave off the "you can be who you want to be" vibe. Sadly, that's pretty typical with teens who are struggling with living the wrong identity.
The author doesn't hold back in his writing, and he doesn't make it easy. There is no perfect little bow because that wouldn't be realistic, and I greatly appreciated that. The characters and storyline got intense, and it made them that much more real. While I couldn't relate to the characters, it didn't mean they didn't stand out, because they had big personalities. Their struggles are very real, and I know I keep mentioning this, but it needs to be said, the author, in telling this story, is giving voice to multiple issues that often don't get talked about enough.
Winter Flower is a compelling read, the truth of it hits you hard and stays with you. It's over 400 pages, so it's substantial in length and subject material. You find yourself feeling the emotions of the characters, drawn in by their hardships. Well-written and inclusive, it ticks the boxes for a wide variety of readers, a must-read.
I hadn't read Sheehan-Miles before, this is my first book of his, and with it, he's made a new fan. First, let's talk about how inclusive this book is. It's got a broken relationship and two broken daughters, each in their own ways. The subject material is heavy because we learn that Brenna isn't just kidnapped, but she's been trafficked. We also have Sam's struggle in school with bullying, in accepting who she is and feeling like she needs to keep this secret to herself. She had good reason because her parents never gave off the "you can be who you want to be" vibe. Sadly, that's pretty typical with teens who are struggling with living the wrong identity.
The author doesn't hold back in his writing, and he doesn't make it easy. There is no perfect little bow because that wouldn't be realistic, and I greatly appreciated that. The characters and storyline got intense, and it made them that much more real. While I couldn't relate to the characters, it didn't mean they didn't stand out, because they had big personalities. Their struggles are very real, and I know I keep mentioning this, but it needs to be said, the author, in telling this story, is giving voice to multiple issues that often don't get talked about enough.
Winter Flower is a compelling read, the truth of it hits you hard and stays with you. It's over 400 pages, so it's substantial in length and subject material. You find yourself feeling the emotions of the characters, drawn in by their hardships. Well-written and inclusive, it ticks the boxes for a wide variety of readers, a must-read.
June 23, 2019
Amazing book
I love this author and his latest novel Winter Flower didn't disappoint. The characters were well fleshed out and distinct. The story was a heartbreaking roller coaster of emotion. I cried and I gasped at the horrific experiences both Sam and Brenna went through. As much as you want to say "it's just a story" the events are all too real. Anyone with teens should read this. And try to be more involved with your children. Talk to them, be there for them, support them. Love them.
Bravo!
I love this author and his latest novel Winter Flower didn't disappoint. The characters were well fleshed out and distinct. The story was a heartbreaking roller coaster of emotion. I cried and I gasped at the horrific experiences both Sam and Brenna went through. As much as you want to say "it's just a story" the events are all too real. Anyone with teens should read this. And try to be more involved with your children. Talk to them, be there for them, support them. Love them.
Bravo!
July 18, 2019
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
This book wrecked me. It was so good. So heartbreaking.
I hadn't read anything by Charles Sheehan-Miles until now, and I will for sure be reading more.
The characters were wonderfully written. The pace of the story was fantastic. It took me a bit to finish it because it really is a heavy story and I needed breaks for my own health.
Highly, highly recommend this book. I can't stop telling people about it.
This book wrecked me. It was so good. So heartbreaking.
I hadn't read anything by Charles Sheehan-Miles until now, and I will for sure be reading more.
The characters were wonderfully written. The pace of the story was fantastic. It took me a bit to finish it because it really is a heavy story and I needed breaks for my own health.
Highly, highly recommend this book. I can't stop telling people about it.
August 5, 2019
Great, multi-faceted characters. Very interesting plot. Vivid descriptions. I felt every emotion. A GREAT read!
*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
*I received a complimentary ARC of this book in order to read and provide a voluntary, unbiased and honest review, should I choose to do so.
June 11, 2019
Well, what a story! I've loved Charles Miles writing since I stumbled upon the Thompson Sisters books, starting with Just Remember to Breathe. I devoured all of the books and eagerly awaited each new release. As I have with this great book.
So whilst this amazing story, full of angst, love, hate, family, friendship and even dark times was a long time coming.
Charles Miles always delivers thought provoking stories, bearing real life situations and very highly charged with emotion. I think I went through all the emotions along with the characters. He set the scenes up beautifully, we experienced the parents (Erin and Cole) younger lives alongside their current lives, how they were before and after loosing a well loved member of the family and the not knowing of what has happened.
The younger characters; Breanna and Sam, went through so much together but even more apart.
You get quite a lot packed into Charles Miles books, Family, politics, love and life in general...
I loved all of the characters who all grew so much throughout the book, we followed each of the 4 main characters through their ordeals, their trials and tribulations, their understanding of what's happening as well as their joys and fears and their triumphs.
This book have you reaching for the tissues, but it also has you laughing out loud.
i've been in a serious reading funk, for a number of months, and this book definitely kept me turning the pages, albeit slowly; this definitely keeps you invested and has you willing each of them on.
This will keep you in their world, leaves you wanting more and also wanting the best for Erin, Cole, Breanna and Sam. A dysfunctional family dealing with their lives as best they can.
This book is in 4 parts, and the final part leaves you all warm and fuzzy, tying up some loose ends, but then leaving other parts unanswered.... (room for a sequel? :) )
A gritty, angsty, thrilling story. Un-put-down-able.
So whilst this amazing story, full of angst, love, hate, family, friendship and even dark times was a long time coming.
Charles Miles always delivers thought provoking stories, bearing real life situations and very highly charged with emotion. I think I went through all the emotions along with the characters. He set the scenes up beautifully, we experienced the parents (Erin and Cole) younger lives alongside their current lives, how they were before and after loosing a well loved member of the family and the not knowing of what has happened.
The younger characters; Breanna and Sam, went through so much together but even more apart.
You get quite a lot packed into Charles Miles books, Family, politics, love and life in general...
I loved all of the characters who all grew so much throughout the book, we followed each of the 4 main characters through their ordeals, their trials and tribulations, their understanding of what's happening as well as their joys and fears and their triumphs.
This book have you reaching for the tissues, but it also has you laughing out loud.
i've been in a serious reading funk, for a number of months, and this book definitely kept me turning the pages, albeit slowly; this definitely keeps you invested and has you willing each of them on.
This will keep you in their world, leaves you wanting more and also wanting the best for Erin, Cole, Breanna and Sam. A dysfunctional family dealing with their lives as best they can.
This book is in 4 parts, and the final part leaves you all warm and fuzzy, tying up some loose ends, but then leaving other parts unanswered.... (room for a sequel? :) )
A gritty, angsty, thrilling story. Un-put-down-able.
June 11, 2019
* A review copy was provided by the author in exchange for an honest review. *
~ 3.5 - 4 Stars ~
I don't even know what to think after reading this story. I will start by saying THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE book. If you are looking for a romantic story or even a HEA in the traditional sense, then you won't find that here.
Now that is not to say this book wasn't a good story. It truly was. But it is not what I normally read. This book took me to some deep dark places and was gut wrenching at times. I am thankful that the author wasn't overly graphic when depicting some of this story. He played out the scene with enough that the reader knew what was happening without describing it in detail.
This is NOT a light and fluffy read. It is real, raw, gritty and like I said, gut wrenching. Some very serious topics are played out in this story. Some trigger warnings are going to be geared towards, bullying, sexual assault and ones own sexuality. If any of these things are topics you don't like to read about, then this isn't the book for you.
This is also a very long story. I believe it is over 600 pages in length. It is filled with jaw dropping stuff, but I felt that at times it dragged a little too much for my liking. I really didn't think this book needed to be this long. I think it could've been shorter and still gotten the same message across.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read something outside of the normal book out there. This definitely was a unique and captivating storyline, but it is one that will hit you in both the gut and the heart.
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~ 3.5 - 4 Stars ~
I don't even know what to think after reading this story. I will start by saying THIS IS NOT A ROMANCE book. If you are looking for a romantic story or even a HEA in the traditional sense, then you won't find that here.
Now that is not to say this book wasn't a good story. It truly was. But it is not what I normally read. This book took me to some deep dark places and was gut wrenching at times. I am thankful that the author wasn't overly graphic when depicting some of this story. He played out the scene with enough that the reader knew what was happening without describing it in detail.
This is NOT a light and fluffy read. It is real, raw, gritty and like I said, gut wrenching. Some very serious topics are played out in this story. Some trigger warnings are going to be geared towards, bullying, sexual assault and ones own sexuality. If any of these things are topics you don't like to read about, then this isn't the book for you.
This is also a very long story. I believe it is over 600 pages in length. It is filled with jaw dropping stuff, but I felt that at times it dragged a little too much for my liking. I really didn't think this book needed to be this long. I think it could've been shorter and still gotten the same message across.
I would recommend this book to anyone who likes to read something outside of the normal book out there. This definitely was a unique and captivating storyline, but it is one that will hit you in both the gut and the heart.
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July 13, 2019
I write this review as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team, and I freely chose to review an ARC copy of this novel.
This is the first novel I read by Charles Sheehan-Miles, who is a brand new author to me, although he has published a large number of books, and from the comments I guess he has a legion of fans that were surprised by this book, as it is not a romance. I cannot compare it to his previous work, but I agree with the warning. If readers from his previous books approach this novel as a romance, they will be shocked, because it is far from it.
This is a long book (over 600 pages long), divided up into four parts, with a prologue set two years before the main action of the book, although there are flashbacks (memories) narrated in the first-person by the four main characters —all members of the same family— that offer readers a good understanding of the background to the current situation and help them get to grips with their circumstances, their pasts, and who they are. This is the story of a family, a married couple and their two children, on the brink of collapse due to a terrible tragedy that took place two years before the action we follow chronologically. Or so it seems. (The truth is a bit more complicated than that). Sam and Brenna, the children (adolescents by the time we met them) are close, and Brenna has always willingly played the role of big sister to Sam, there to protect and guide. Until she disappears. Carrying on without her puts a big strain on a family we soon learn was going through difficulties already (some more out in the open than others), and whose communication had ground almost to a halt. The parents, Cole and Erin, are living example of the “opposites attract” edict, at least from a political perspective (Cole, the father, who as a young man decided formal education wasn’t for him and moved up the corporate ladder at lightning speed, is conservative as can be, while Erin, the mother, a college graduate, is a convinced liberal who sacrificed her career to look after her children), and although the story opens up with Sam’s narration, we soon get to read their own perspective on the matter, and the kind of traps they find themselves in.
This is a story that deals in many important subjects, and it could have been told in a variety of ways, but I am impressed not only by the subjects (adultery and its toll on family relationships, sex trafficking, rape, prostitution, bullying, harassment and violence against the LGBT community, missing youths, the isolation of the trans-gender experience for young people, prejudice and harassment at work…) and the sensitive and enlightening way they are handled, but also by the way the story is told. The author allows each character to tell his/her own story, and that makes us walk a mile in their shoes, no matter how uncomfortable they might feel. I am sure many readers will think, as they read, that they would have never reacted in a certain way, or allowed their circumstances to deteriorate to such an extent, but, do we truly know? Although, as the author reminds us in the final note, the events in the book are far from unique (yes, it is a work of fiction, but many individuals and families unfortunately will go through similar experiences to those depicted in the book), many of us will never have been in close contact with somebody in such dire circumstances, much less be directly affected by it, so, how do we know what we would do? The characters are not necessarily the most likeable when we meet them (drinking heavily, harassed, afraid for their lives, paralysed and frozen, unable to make decisions and move on), and they are all closed off from each other, trapped, physically or mentally, sometimes by others and their preconceptions, sometimes by their own fears and inability to grief and forgive. The author also makes a conscious decision to introduce the rest of the family —the parents and Sam— first, so we get to see the effect her loss has had on the family, before we meet Brenna, the missing girl. Her situation is heart-wrenching, and the most extreme and difficult to read about, although none of the characters have an easy ride.
Thankfully, the author manages to achieve a difficult balance between telling the story, not pulling any punches, making sure people can understand and empathise with what the characters are going through, while avoiding extremely graphic scenes (both of sex and violence), and gratuitous iterations and repetitions of the abuse, which would risk further exploitation rather than facilitating understanding and empathy. Don’t get me wrong; this is a hard read, and readers with triggers arounds topics such as child abuse, rape, bullying, violence against women and the LGTB community, and racism need to be aware of it. Even people who don’t have such triggers will find it a tough read, but, on the other hand, this is a book with a big heart, and the individual journey of each character, and of the family as a whole, make for an inspiring and hopeful read.
I have already talked about how impressed I am by the story and the way it is told. I grew fond of all the members of the family by the end of the book (it’s impossible for our hearts not to go out to Sam and Brenna, but we get to appreciate their parents as well), and I particularly enjoyed the journey of enlightenment Cole’s father goes through. The author includes most of the reactions we can imagine to these subjects, from the sublime to the ridiculous, (not everybody changes and accepts either. Bigotry remains alive and well, as we all know), and they all felt true. I was particularly fond of Jeremiah and his wife — almost too good to be true— who are an ideal we should all aspire to. I also liked the fact that the story does not stop when most readers would expect it to, and even Sam makes comments on that. There is no magical happy ending here that just makes everything right again. All the members of the family will have to keep working at their relationship and supporting each other, but that is as it should be.
There were no negative reviews of the book at the time I wrote this, and the only objections (apart from the warning that it is not a romance) some people had referred to were Sam’s virtual game playing (that a reader didn’t feel added anything to the novel. Personally, I think it helps readers understand what life is like for the character and experience the kind of coping strategies adolescents in similar circumstances might use), and some others felt the book could have been shorter and still managed to tell the same story. That might be true, but I suspect some of the nuances would have been lost.
This is an excellent book that manages to combine complex and credible characters with a plot that deals with several difficult subjects, without becoming preachy or too graphic. It is horrifying, touching, and insightful all at the same time, and it makes readers witness the highs and lows of the human condition. I recommended it to readers interested in the subjects, but I advise those who might worry about possible triggers to proceed with caution. The author adds some resources (links to websites) for people who need more information about some of the issues raised in the book, and I thought the final conversation of the book, between Brenna and her grandfather in the garden —when the grandfather talks about the snapdragon, and how it grows back after getting rid of the dead stuff, stronger and more beautiful— stands as a great metaphor for the story. Highly recommended.
This is the first novel I read by Charles Sheehan-Miles, who is a brand new author to me, although he has published a large number of books, and from the comments I guess he has a legion of fans that were surprised by this book, as it is not a romance. I cannot compare it to his previous work, but I agree with the warning. If readers from his previous books approach this novel as a romance, they will be shocked, because it is far from it.
This is a long book (over 600 pages long), divided up into four parts, with a prologue set two years before the main action of the book, although there are flashbacks (memories) narrated in the first-person by the four main characters —all members of the same family— that offer readers a good understanding of the background to the current situation and help them get to grips with their circumstances, their pasts, and who they are. This is the story of a family, a married couple and their two children, on the brink of collapse due to a terrible tragedy that took place two years before the action we follow chronologically. Or so it seems. (The truth is a bit more complicated than that). Sam and Brenna, the children (adolescents by the time we met them) are close, and Brenna has always willingly played the role of big sister to Sam, there to protect and guide. Until she disappears. Carrying on without her puts a big strain on a family we soon learn was going through difficulties already (some more out in the open than others), and whose communication had ground almost to a halt. The parents, Cole and Erin, are living example of the “opposites attract” edict, at least from a political perspective (Cole, the father, who as a young man decided formal education wasn’t for him and moved up the corporate ladder at lightning speed, is conservative as can be, while Erin, the mother, a college graduate, is a convinced liberal who sacrificed her career to look after her children), and although the story opens up with Sam’s narration, we soon get to read their own perspective on the matter, and the kind of traps they find themselves in.
This is a story that deals in many important subjects, and it could have been told in a variety of ways, but I am impressed not only by the subjects (adultery and its toll on family relationships, sex trafficking, rape, prostitution, bullying, harassment and violence against the LGBT community, missing youths, the isolation of the trans-gender experience for young people, prejudice and harassment at work…) and the sensitive and enlightening way they are handled, but also by the way the story is told. The author allows each character to tell his/her own story, and that makes us walk a mile in their shoes, no matter how uncomfortable they might feel. I am sure many readers will think, as they read, that they would have never reacted in a certain way, or allowed their circumstances to deteriorate to such an extent, but, do we truly know? Although, as the author reminds us in the final note, the events in the book are far from unique (yes, it is a work of fiction, but many individuals and families unfortunately will go through similar experiences to those depicted in the book), many of us will never have been in close contact with somebody in such dire circumstances, much less be directly affected by it, so, how do we know what we would do? The characters are not necessarily the most likeable when we meet them (drinking heavily, harassed, afraid for their lives, paralysed and frozen, unable to make decisions and move on), and they are all closed off from each other, trapped, physically or mentally, sometimes by others and their preconceptions, sometimes by their own fears and inability to grief and forgive. The author also makes a conscious decision to introduce the rest of the family —the parents and Sam— first, so we get to see the effect her loss has had on the family, before we meet Brenna, the missing girl. Her situation is heart-wrenching, and the most extreme and difficult to read about, although none of the characters have an easy ride.
Thankfully, the author manages to achieve a difficult balance between telling the story, not pulling any punches, making sure people can understand and empathise with what the characters are going through, while avoiding extremely graphic scenes (both of sex and violence), and gratuitous iterations and repetitions of the abuse, which would risk further exploitation rather than facilitating understanding and empathy. Don’t get me wrong; this is a hard read, and readers with triggers arounds topics such as child abuse, rape, bullying, violence against women and the LGTB community, and racism need to be aware of it. Even people who don’t have such triggers will find it a tough read, but, on the other hand, this is a book with a big heart, and the individual journey of each character, and of the family as a whole, make for an inspiring and hopeful read.
I have already talked about how impressed I am by the story and the way it is told. I grew fond of all the members of the family by the end of the book (it’s impossible for our hearts not to go out to Sam and Brenna, but we get to appreciate their parents as well), and I particularly enjoyed the journey of enlightenment Cole’s father goes through. The author includes most of the reactions we can imagine to these subjects, from the sublime to the ridiculous, (not everybody changes and accepts either. Bigotry remains alive and well, as we all know), and they all felt true. I was particularly fond of Jeremiah and his wife — almost too good to be true— who are an ideal we should all aspire to. I also liked the fact that the story does not stop when most readers would expect it to, and even Sam makes comments on that. There is no magical happy ending here that just makes everything right again. All the members of the family will have to keep working at their relationship and supporting each other, but that is as it should be.
There were no negative reviews of the book at the time I wrote this, and the only objections (apart from the warning that it is not a romance) some people had referred to were Sam’s virtual game playing (that a reader didn’t feel added anything to the novel. Personally, I think it helps readers understand what life is like for the character and experience the kind of coping strategies adolescents in similar circumstances might use), and some others felt the book could have been shorter and still managed to tell the same story. That might be true, but I suspect some of the nuances would have been lost.
This is an excellent book that manages to combine complex and credible characters with a plot that deals with several difficult subjects, without becoming preachy or too graphic. It is horrifying, touching, and insightful all at the same time, and it makes readers witness the highs and lows of the human condition. I recommended it to readers interested in the subjects, but I advise those who might worry about possible triggers to proceed with caution. The author adds some resources (links to websites) for people who need more information about some of the issues raised in the book, and I thought the final conversation of the book, between Brenna and her grandfather in the garden —when the grandfather talks about the snapdragon, and how it grows back after getting rid of the dead stuff, stronger and more beautiful— stands as a great metaphor for the story. Highly recommended.
November 6, 2020
Winter Flower was given to me in the form of a digital ARC by BookSirens, and I'm very fortunate to have come across such a strong book.
TW/CW: Rape, drugs, underage drinking, underage smoking, pedophilia, sex trafficking, sexual assault and domestic assault, abuse, violence, all of which can be extremely graphic towards part two and three of the novel. Tread carefully.
Winter Flower, the title of which that comes oddly into fruition at the very end of the novel and has nothing to do with the overall arc, was a strong book that kept me hooked and made me feel very emotional. Overall, the author was diligent in giving every meaningful character, each family member, important perspectives as certain events; such as the break of their family, the affair, the jail time and the violence from two timelines.
It's not just about Brenna, the sixteen year old girl who went missing for two years. It was also about the father who had an affair, the mother who becomes an alcoholic due to the grief of her daughter, the distance for her younger daughter Sam who she does not know is facing bullying and the emotions of being a closeted transgender young girl, and the husband she cannot trust anymore. Simply, the family falls apart. When Brenna goes missing, the father assaults his daughter's ex boyfriend who, almost rightfully, deserved some sort of understanding that he was dating an underage girl of fifteen while he was over the age of twenty. He gets shipped off the jail and fortunately for him, he has a best friend who happened to save up thousands of dollars just to give to him and his family.
The family before and after.
The novel starts off showing us a glimpse two years after. Then, backwards in time we go to the start, with Brenna turning sixteen. And then, things go horribly wrong.
At first I could not put myself in the place of Brenna who made almost comically the most atrocious decisions I've ever read, hair pulling worthy. But again, she was fifteen and we all know we were that kid, thinking we were bigger, stronger and smarter than anyone else. Like we knew we were right about everything.
Although, at times, it felt like she was TOO naïve. Regardless, Brenna's life more than upside down, when she disappeared.
Part one of this book is slow going. We get an idea of the liberal mother whose strong and fiery spirited and who loves and adores her family, though her husband less after his affair. We get an idea of the father whose republican, whose parents are set in their conservative ways, and both he and his wife fight constantly, thus leading their two kids Brenna and Sam to battle that negative space.
It's at first about a family on the brink of falling apart. And when Brenna disappears, they do.
Part two and part three gripped me, especially when we spent a long time in Brenna and Sam's perspective. First, let's talk about Sam. Sam, the the fourteen year old girl who admired her strong, punk sister who protected her. Although fearing that she would be outed to her school peers and parents in the south, at that time and this time it is still taboo to be anything but white and cis, Sam finds comfort in Brenna's presence, where she is rightfully respected.
Sam is who we all used to be at some point. Stuck in our room, avoiding dinner, being moody. She's being bullied at school, her sister has disappeared, and her mother sleeps on the couch drinking wine rather than sleeping in the same room as her father. They went from being rich, with her father who moved up in his own company, to being... piss poor.
Sam plays games all day and all night on her computer, and wonders if her sister will come back. Then, throughout the novel, we see her branch out, protect herself and her new friend Hayley, from violence and bigotry. We see a young girl blossom, to the age of sixteen, when she brings her father and mother together before and after they hear that Brenna is alive and they're going to bring her home.
Sam was a brilliant character. As myself being trans, although I didn't have the experience of knowing it as a kid until it was too late, I think many can relate. I thought the experiences she had were universal, caring, treated well by the author. However? There was a point in this novel where she experienced unnecessary, dramatic and traumatic violence that did nothing to further the plot, only for the benefit of worrying the reader into thinking it was a life or death. Now, this does happen in real life. The experience of transphobia is more than often life threatening and terrifying. However, the author did it in a way that served to say, "This isn't for the book, I'm trying to make a point by torturing this character" when, say, the bullying got to enough of an extent to exert the point. I thought the scene was... incredibly noisy.
Nonetheless, I loved Sam's character and development.
Now, Brenna.
Brenna went, as we all know very well, a bratty teenage girl to someone who experiences mental, physical, psychological and sexual abuse. Then, we see her heal. The scenes in which she had to survive, and live, and experience these things, was heartbreaking and true. The reality is that this happens to millions of children, teens and adults every year. Every day. Every breathing moment. It is the most terrifying nightmare and it's a topic most don't talk about. Brenna was an incredibly character to see throughout the novel, and I adored the development towards the end, the look into the aftermath of trauma.
I thought Brenna and Sam were written well, kindly. This author took time into educating himself on these topics and I think they were done exceptionally.
Now, onto other things.
The writing style is hard to get used to at first, especially the long info-dumps and character histories that lasted chapters. This is, by all accounts, a four-hundred and twenty something page book, and it feels like it. However, it's good.
I enjoyed seeing the characters from the family's past come to life, such as friends and relationships with relatives, the events of abuse being acknowledged and lead to justice, such as the young girl who gets away from her abusive father, the grandfather who stands up for his family and is there for the kids, growing from judgement to acceptance.
I thought the characters, though slow paced, were brilliantly done in the end.
I was satisfied finishing this book and I absolutely recommend to anyone who wants a thoughtful, heartbreaking, heart-attack waiting to happen inducing novel that will keep you up all night. I recommend having tissues every now and then to clean up the mess that will be your tears and snot.
Although it is definitely not for the faint of heart, and though it may not be groundbreaking in any sense, I adored living it. These characters grow, protect, break, fear, commit cruel crimes, and yet they love.
I'm happy to have picked up this book, I look forward to preaching about it, and I hope you give it a chance and enjoy it too.
TW/CW: Rape, drugs, underage drinking, underage smoking, pedophilia, sex trafficking, sexual assault and domestic assault, abuse, violence, all of which can be extremely graphic towards part two and three of the novel. Tread carefully.
Winter Flower, the title of which that comes oddly into fruition at the very end of the novel and has nothing to do with the overall arc, was a strong book that kept me hooked and made me feel very emotional. Overall, the author was diligent in giving every meaningful character, each family member, important perspectives as certain events; such as the break of their family, the affair, the jail time and the violence from two timelines.
It's not just about Brenna, the sixteen year old girl who went missing for two years. It was also about the father who had an affair, the mother who becomes an alcoholic due to the grief of her daughter, the distance for her younger daughter Sam who she does not know is facing bullying and the emotions of being a closeted transgender young girl, and the husband she cannot trust anymore. Simply, the family falls apart. When Brenna goes missing, the father assaults his daughter's ex boyfriend who, almost rightfully, deserved some sort of understanding that he was dating an underage girl of fifteen while he was over the age of twenty. He gets shipped off the jail and fortunately for him, he has a best friend who happened to save up thousands of dollars just to give to him and his family.
The family before and after.
The novel starts off showing us a glimpse two years after. Then, backwards in time we go to the start, with Brenna turning sixteen. And then, things go horribly wrong.
At first I could not put myself in the place of Brenna who made almost comically the most atrocious decisions I've ever read, hair pulling worthy. But again, she was fifteen and we all know we were that kid, thinking we were bigger, stronger and smarter than anyone else. Like we knew we were right about everything.
Although, at times, it felt like she was TOO naïve. Regardless, Brenna's life more than upside down, when she disappeared.
Part one of this book is slow going. We get an idea of the liberal mother whose strong and fiery spirited and who loves and adores her family, though her husband less after his affair. We get an idea of the father whose republican, whose parents are set in their conservative ways, and both he and his wife fight constantly, thus leading their two kids Brenna and Sam to battle that negative space.
It's at first about a family on the brink of falling apart. And when Brenna disappears, they do.
Part two and part three gripped me, especially when we spent a long time in Brenna and Sam's perspective. First, let's talk about Sam. Sam, the the fourteen year old girl who admired her strong, punk sister who protected her. Although fearing that she would be outed to her school peers and parents in the south, at that time and this time it is still taboo to be anything but white and cis, Sam finds comfort in Brenna's presence, where she is rightfully respected.
Sam is who we all used to be at some point. Stuck in our room, avoiding dinner, being moody. She's being bullied at school, her sister has disappeared, and her mother sleeps on the couch drinking wine rather than sleeping in the same room as her father. They went from being rich, with her father who moved up in his own company, to being... piss poor.
Sam plays games all day and all night on her computer, and wonders if her sister will come back. Then, throughout the novel, we see her branch out, protect herself and her new friend Hayley, from violence and bigotry. We see a young girl blossom, to the age of sixteen, when she brings her father and mother together before and after they hear that Brenna is alive and they're going to bring her home.
Sam was a brilliant character. As myself being trans, although I didn't have the experience of knowing it as a kid until it was too late, I think many can relate. I thought the experiences she had were universal, caring, treated well by the author. However? There was a point in this novel where she experienced unnecessary, dramatic and traumatic violence that did nothing to further the plot, only for the benefit of worrying the reader into thinking it was a life or death. Now, this does happen in real life. The experience of transphobia is more than often life threatening and terrifying. However, the author did it in a way that served to say, "This isn't for the book, I'm trying to make a point by torturing this character" when, say, the bullying got to enough of an extent to exert the point. I thought the scene was... incredibly noisy.
Nonetheless, I loved Sam's character and development.
Now, Brenna.
Brenna went, as we all know very well, a bratty teenage girl to someone who experiences mental, physical, psychological and sexual abuse. Then, we see her heal. The scenes in which she had to survive, and live, and experience these things, was heartbreaking and true. The reality is that this happens to millions of children, teens and adults every year. Every day. Every breathing moment. It is the most terrifying nightmare and it's a topic most don't talk about. Brenna was an incredibly character to see throughout the novel, and I adored the development towards the end, the look into the aftermath of trauma.
I thought Brenna and Sam were written well, kindly. This author took time into educating himself on these topics and I think they were done exceptionally.
Now, onto other things.
The writing style is hard to get used to at first, especially the long info-dumps and character histories that lasted chapters. This is, by all accounts, a four-hundred and twenty something page book, and it feels like it. However, it's good.
I enjoyed seeing the characters from the family's past come to life, such as friends and relationships with relatives, the events of abuse being acknowledged and lead to justice, such as the young girl who gets away from her abusive father, the grandfather who stands up for his family and is there for the kids, growing from judgement to acceptance.
I thought the characters, though slow paced, were brilliantly done in the end.
I was satisfied finishing this book and I absolutely recommend to anyone who wants a thoughtful, heartbreaking, heart-attack waiting to happen inducing novel that will keep you up all night. I recommend having tissues every now and then to clean up the mess that will be your tears and snot.
Although it is definitely not for the faint of heart, and though it may not be groundbreaking in any sense, I adored living it. These characters grow, protect, break, fear, commit cruel crimes, and yet they love.
I'm happy to have picked up this book, I look forward to preaching about it, and I hope you give it a chance and enjoy it too.
June 2, 2019
**Spoiler Free** I will admit that I have been a longtime fan of Charles Sheehan-Miles' books, but I did hesitate on getting an early review copy of this one. I was concerned because I knew it was a long book(and worried about my own attention span), difficult subject matter, and a genre change(this is not a romance book). And I am a mother of a teenage daughter myself so the subject itself is my worst nightmare. But I also trust Charles to write compelling and intriguing stories.
I pre-ordered it because I still wanted to read it(but did not want to be obligated to write a review if I was disappointed). But then I started reading his chapter excerpts on Facebook each day and I got totally hooked! I think maybe that helped ease my fears because suddenly I was interested in these characters and each one drew me in more and more. He ended up sending me a review copy anyway with no pressure to review, and once I picked it up, I could not put it down.
There are so many layers to this story and it shows how life can change in an instant. The characters are very well developed and their emotions bleed off the page. They are a family left in crisis and no one seems to know how to fix the void left by Brenna who disappeared at sixteen years old. Cole is a father who had money, career, the perfect family, and he is in a completely different place now...partly due to his own poor choices. Erin is so angry and so heartbroken that she copes in unhealthy ways. Their other child, Sam, is left to deal with significant personal issues, and the loss of a sister and lack of parental attention. They are flawed, hurt, struggling, defeated, and lost. It is told in multiple points of view so you get to see how they are all trying to cope with a terrible situation.
But then a call comes that begins a cycle of change.
This story sucked me in, captivated me, broke my heart, then put it back together. It is hard, realistic, gritty, and suspenseful, but it is tempered by hope and determination. It deals with some current topics that you see in the news daily...not just the main plot point of the story, but there are other important side topics weaved in. One of these issues is actually very relevant in my family, and I thought the author handled it realistically and with respect for the individuals. But he also illuminated the negative stereotypes, discrimination, fear, and stress that it causes for the person and their family.
At the core of this story is the importance of actually being present for family and establishing true connections. It is easy to get distracted by daily life, work, and expectations, but you could be missing moments that you will never get back. It illustrates the need for communication, acceptance, support, family, and friendships. Yes, it is a longer book (600 or so pages), but due to the short chapters and multiple points of view, it does not drag and it kept my attention and interest throughout. The story telling is honest and riveting, and the characters and plot feel like it all could be real...the good and the bad.
So after my initial reservations, I can honestly say that I was wrong. I can recommend this book to anyone that is interested in an engrossing and current story. It is a powerful and emotional read that is also both hopeful and inspiring. Even at the end, I was not sure I was ready to let these characters go and would have liked to have had a few more chapters or epilogue farther out in time. It is certainly a story that I will never forget.
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Follow Me: Reviews by Tammy & Kim (Rachel and Jay) | Facebook | Twitter
I pre-ordered it because I still wanted to read it(but did not want to be obligated to write a review if I was disappointed). But then I started reading his chapter excerpts on Facebook each day and I got totally hooked! I think maybe that helped ease my fears because suddenly I was interested in these characters and each one drew me in more and more. He ended up sending me a review copy anyway with no pressure to review, and once I picked it up, I could not put it down.
There are so many layers to this story and it shows how life can change in an instant. The characters are very well developed and their emotions bleed off the page. They are a family left in crisis and no one seems to know how to fix the void left by Brenna who disappeared at sixteen years old. Cole is a father who had money, career, the perfect family, and he is in a completely different place now...partly due to his own poor choices. Erin is so angry and so heartbroken that she copes in unhealthy ways. Their other child, Sam, is left to deal with significant personal issues, and the loss of a sister and lack of parental attention. They are flawed, hurt, struggling, defeated, and lost. It is told in multiple points of view so you get to see how they are all trying to cope with a terrible situation.
But then a call comes that begins a cycle of change.
This story sucked me in, captivated me, broke my heart, then put it back together. It is hard, realistic, gritty, and suspenseful, but it is tempered by hope and determination. It deals with some current topics that you see in the news daily...not just the main plot point of the story, but there are other important side topics weaved in. One of these issues is actually very relevant in my family, and I thought the author handled it realistically and with respect for the individuals. But he also illuminated the negative stereotypes, discrimination, fear, and stress that it causes for the person and their family.
At the core of this story is the importance of actually being present for family and establishing true connections. It is easy to get distracted by daily life, work, and expectations, but you could be missing moments that you will never get back. It illustrates the need for communication, acceptance, support, family, and friendships. Yes, it is a longer book (600 or so pages), but due to the short chapters and multiple points of view, it does not drag and it kept my attention and interest throughout. The story telling is honest and riveting, and the characters and plot feel like it all could be real...the good and the bad.
So after my initial reservations, I can honestly say that I was wrong. I can recommend this book to anyone that is interested in an engrossing and current story. It is a powerful and emotional read that is also both hopeful and inspiring. Even at the end, I was not sure I was ready to let these characters go and would have liked to have had a few more chapters or epilogue farther out in time. It is certainly a story that I will never forget.
I received this book for free from the author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Follow Me: Reviews by Tammy & Kim (Rachel and Jay) | Facebook | Twitter
September 19, 2020
Brenna goes missing on her 16th birthday. Left behind are her father Cole, her mother Erin and younger sibling Sam, each of whom is battling their own problems in the aftermath of that shocking incident. Cole loses his job, Erin starts looking at alcohol as a balm, and Sam wrestles with a deep identity crisis of being a girl trapped in a boy's body. Now after two years, there is finally some information. What happens next? Can the family recover from the trauma of the last two years? Will they reunite?
In spite of being 430 pages long, the book goes by quickly. The author maintains the momentum for most part of the book so you don't feel the length of the read at all. Also, the story is told from multiple perspectives and that helps a lot to get an insight into the family members and their individual struggles.
The story could easily have been a 5 star read for me for the way it unfolds. The characters are human enough and you really connect with their struggles.
However, there are certain areas where the book could have been better.
1. There are too many characters introduced in the initial chapters and it takes time to get your bearings about who is who.
2. The povs sometimes change too frequently. It's tough to keep shifting the narrative focus within a chapter. I'd have preferred if an entire chapter would have been from one character's pov.
3. The book seems to tackle quite a lot of serious topics within its pages: Gender identification issues, parental abuse, domestic violence, racial abuse, sexual abuse, drug abuse, abuse of power & position, bullying, child trafficking,.... It felt like viewing a daily soap where everything bad happens to a single family or the people around them. While the issues are tackled decently, it would have been better to focus on 3-4 issues and go into them in detail.
4. Editing: Some glaring mistakes in the book which should have been caught by the editor. Here's one example.
"Ashamed and unable to look at Mrs. Mullins, I looked away and nodded.
Mrs. Mullen said, “Sam, I’m sorry that happened...“
I was screwed. While I couldn’t blame Miss Mullins—she’d done what she thought was the right thing—there was no question in my mind that this was going to make things very difficult for me."
One character, three different names within a couple of paragraphs.
Overall, it is still a very good book for readers who want to go for a literary fiction type of thriller. There are quite a few trigger warnings you need to be aware of if you are going for this book. It's not a cushy read. I can't list them here as they would be spoilers. But I feel most dramatic thriller lovers would enjoy this book.
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. The above opinion of the book is mine alone.
*************************************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
In spite of being 430 pages long, the book goes by quickly. The author maintains the momentum for most part of the book so you don't feel the length of the read at all. Also, the story is told from multiple perspectives and that helps a lot to get an insight into the family members and their individual struggles.
The story could easily have been a 5 star read for me for the way it unfolds. The characters are human enough and you really connect with their struggles.
However, there are certain areas where the book could have been better.
1. There are too many characters introduced in the initial chapters and it takes time to get your bearings about who is who.
2. The povs sometimes change too frequently. It's tough to keep shifting the narrative focus within a chapter. I'd have preferred if an entire chapter would have been from one character's pov.
3. The book seems to tackle quite a lot of serious topics within its pages: Gender identification issues, parental abuse, domestic violence, racial abuse, sexual abuse, drug abuse, abuse of power & position, bullying, child trafficking,.... It felt like viewing a daily soap where everything bad happens to a single family or the people around them. While the issues are tackled decently, it would have been better to focus on 3-4 issues and go into them in detail.
4. Editing: Some glaring mistakes in the book which should have been caught by the editor. Here's one example.
"Ashamed and unable to look at Mrs. Mullins, I looked away and nodded.
Mrs. Mullen said, “Sam, I’m sorry that happened...“
I was screwed. While I couldn’t blame Miss Mullins—she’d done what she thought was the right thing—there was no question in my mind that this was going to make things very difficult for me."
One character, three different names within a couple of paragraphs.
Overall, it is still a very good book for readers who want to go for a literary fiction type of thriller. There are quite a few trigger warnings you need to be aware of if you are going for this book. It's not a cushy read. I can't list them here as they would be spoilers. But I feel most dramatic thriller lovers would enjoy this book.
I received a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review. The above opinion of the book is mine alone.
*************************************
Join me on the Facebook group, Readers Forever! , for more reviews, book-related discussions and fun.
December 30, 2019
Winter Flower by Charles Sheehan-Miles is a book I admittedly dragged my feet on reviewing because it was too intense, too emotional, to heavy for me to simply shrug it off with a few words. It is so very much the opposite of the kind of books I am generally drawn to. I needed to sit with it, think it over, and try to find some way into the dramatic mess of lives and life that it represents. I will be honest. I hated it at times and loathed it at others. I just wanted it to end, because I wanted the pain to end. I admired it more than just about any book this year, and I have the utmost respect for the author and what he accomplished here, but it was not a read I enjoyed. It reminds me of that TV show, This is Us, that I have watched a few times with my beloved and wondered why people flock to something so depressing.
Were it not for Sam, I would have given up on this early on, but I wanted to see how she fared, to find out whether she found the acceptance the world so cruelly denied her. I needed to know that she would be okay, that she could navigate the cruelties of the world without the one person who understood, accepted, and supported her. There are some good people in the story and there is some warmth and joy to be found, but it takes wading through a lot of transphobia to get there. It was a difficult read, but with some tightening of the narrative, a little more focus on the present, and the right casting, this could make a brilliant film.
https://bibrary.blogspot.com/2019/12/...
Were it not for Sam, I would have given up on this early on, but I wanted to see how she fared, to find out whether she found the acceptance the world so cruelly denied her. I needed to know that she would be okay, that she could navigate the cruelties of the world without the one person who understood, accepted, and supported her. There are some good people in the story and there is some warmth and joy to be found, but it takes wading through a lot of transphobia to get there. It was a difficult read, but with some tightening of the narrative, a little more focus on the present, and the right casting, this could make a brilliant film.
https://bibrary.blogspot.com/2019/12/...
June 14, 2019
This book is a departure from the authors usual style and I think he should pat himself on the back for taking this risk. This book was engaging in a heart wrenchingly way and as a parent it hit on the fears all of us have. Kidnapping and sex trafficking have unfortunately been brought to my attention since I moved to North Carolina 7+ years ago. This is a real and predominant problem in our society and one I am sickened and appalled by.
I normally read to escape the everyday trials and tribulations of life and this story is anything but that escape. With that being said, this is one of the best books I've ever read. Its raw and it's real. It's a story of family life when you don't all look like a Hallmark movie. It's a reminder to not take the people in your life for granted and that life can be altered by a single act. It's also a story of being true to yourself even if that means doing the scariest thing you can possibly think of.
It makes you think and it makes you feel and as a reader what else can you ask for?
I normally read to escape the everyday trials and tribulations of life and this story is anything but that escape. With that being said, this is one of the best books I've ever read. Its raw and it's real. It's a story of family life when you don't all look like a Hallmark movie. It's a reminder to not take the people in your life for granted and that life can be altered by a single act. It's also a story of being true to yourself even if that means doing the scariest thing you can possibly think of.
It makes you think and it makes you feel and as a reader what else can you ask for?
June 11, 2019
I’ve been beta reading for Charles Sheehan-Miles for years, and he’s never written a book I didn’t love. This one, though, this one is different. It’s heart wrenching and devastating, and lovely and healing all in one book. This one isn’t a romance. It’s about a family torn apart by a parent’s worst fear, and their journey through impossible odds. It’s truly a beautiful story.
Charles has always written books that pull you straight into the characters’ lives, and this one is no exception. It made me feel SO many emotions. And I do admit that it was hard to read. I had to put it down and come back to it, but only because the feelings are so intense.
This is yet another example of what Charles does so well. Characters that are so well written they become real people, situations so raw they take your breath, and words that move your soul.
Charles has always written books that pull you straight into the characters’ lives, and this one is no exception. It made me feel SO many emotions. And I do admit that it was hard to read. I had to put it down and come back to it, but only because the feelings are so intense.
This is yet another example of what Charles does so well. Characters that are so well written they become real people, situations so raw they take your breath, and words that move your soul.
June 11, 2019
I normally read only romance books but I love all of Charles's book and was offered to read an unedited copy. Even though this is NOT a romance book I am very glad I read it. It deals with dark but important issues like depression, bullying, sex trafficking and more. But the whole book isn't all doom and gloom. The book gives you hope and shows how everyone can make a difference in someone else's life. It is hard for me to give a good description about the characters and what they went though without spoiling it. I can only say you won't be sorry you read it.
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