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The Summer Remains #1.5
Autumn Rising
Autumn Mahal and Hank Basara know they should stay away from each other. Both recovering from the loss of a mutual friend, and each bearing scars of their own, they know their love would look like a worn cliché, a trite romance novel for teens, some crappy made-for-TV movie languishing on your great aunt’s DVR. But as summer gives way to September and flirtation leads to something deeper, they learn there are some types of love you cannot run from, no matter how hard you try to flee.
Hilarious, touching and hopeful, Autumn Rising is a novella about the happiness we ruin for ourselves, the truths we can’t hide with a filter, and that elusive and victorious moment when we let love rush in and carry us to the sky. In a world of constant TMI, prepare to feel a story worth sharing – a story that will stay with you long after the summer fades to autumn.
Hilarious, touching and hopeful, Autumn Rising is a novella about the happiness we ruin for ourselves, the truths we can’t hide with a filter, and that elusive and victorious moment when we let love rush in and carry us to the sky. In a world of constant TMI, prepare to feel a story worth sharing – a story that will stay with you long after the summer fades to autumn.
121 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 16, 2015
6 people are currently reading
721 people want to read
About the author
Seth King
53 books1,869 followersSeth King is a twenty-eight-year-old American author.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 58 reviews
September 17, 2017
After reading Summer Remains by Seth King, I knew I had to read anything and everything else he put out. I love his writing, the poetic and beautiful style he has. He’s one of those authors that I highlight the heck out of while reading. I was so happy to get more of these characters we've met in his other work. This novella is about Autumn and Hank, both of who we meet in Summer Remains.
I’m not gonna lie. When I first met Autumn, she got on my nerves. Heck- she got on my nerves some in this book. But I liked her so much more than I thought I would. She’s sarcastic, she’s funny and she’s overly opinionated. She’s a girl who only knows how to be herself. She struggles with thoughts of her future, she doesn’t like looking back to her past because all she can think about is the loss.
Then there is Hank. Hank is a character I loved right away. He has been through some tough things. He’s suffered a lot of loss and his life hasn’t been easy, but he’s moving forward. He and Autumn find each other and she needs him more than ever. He accepts Autumn and all her crazy. In fact, he loves her for it. Hank has issues of his own, but he always seems to be able to put them aside and be there for Autumn. Even though these two seemed like an unlikely pair, they were kind of perfect together.
I love that this novella packed so much emotion into such a small amount of pages. It made me tear up, but it also made me laugh and smile. I hope we get to read more about Hank and Autumn in the future- I’d really like to see more of their story.
July 21, 2015
3.75 ~ 4 Stars
Seth King delivers the love story of Hank and Autumn who are both struggling in their own lives and both feeling the loss of Summer.
"He was damaged and she was diseased. They were built to fall apart, and if they weren't, Autumn would wreck them herself."
This novella had humor, heartbreak and a one trying heroine who at times pushed the hero away to the point of this reader's frustration. Autumn was funny and likable and terrified of love and loss. These two made a great couple and I hope we hear more about them in the future.
"We are not what we lose in life. We are what is left of us."
Seth King delivers the love story of Hank and Autumn who are both struggling in their own lives and both feeling the loss of Summer.
"He was damaged and she was diseased. They were built to fall apart, and if they weren't, Autumn would wreck them herself."
This novella had humor, heartbreak and a one trying heroine who at times pushed the hero away to the point of this reader's frustration. Autumn was funny and likable and terrified of love and loss. These two made a great couple and I hope we hear more about them in the future.
"We are not what we lose in life. We are what is left of us."
July 18, 2015
There are some books out there that you wish you could gift to every person you know just so they can experience the pure brilliance of them. They give you hope, make you change your thinking about life, love and living. That was how I felt after reading The Summer Remains by Seth King. So when I had the opportunity to read his new novella, Autumn Rising, I pushed everything aside and dove in immediately. I am thrilled to say that Seth has blown me away once again.
Autumn Rising is the story of Autumn, Summer’s best friend, and Hank, another member of Summer’s group—an unlikely pair, yet a perfect match in my eyes. She has cancer and Hank suffered a life-changing injury during the war.
“And then it occurred to Autumn just how close it could bring two people, to have loved the same person.”
They turn to each other in grief, hoping that with the other’s help, they will heal somehow.
“When you find someone who understands your pain, who looks into your eyes and sees what you are feeling, you don’t have to say anything. They know.”
But how do you survive loss? How do you mend your heart? How do you move on when someone so significant is no longer part of your life. The dark hole is so close, you have no idea how it just doesn’t swallow you and keep you captive. Yes there are days where you may see a little bit of light, but then it’s back and you have no idea how to work your way out. Autumn and Hank are each other’s light, each other’s strength, but is that enough? Maybe the blackness just too deep and too vast that it’s just impossible to escape. Maybe there is no hope.
Seth has a gift. His words are like pure magic, making you feel like you are one with the characters. As if you’re there experiencing every moment with them. He blends the perfect amount of humor, sadness and angst. Just when you think your heart is going to explode out of your chest, he takes a turn and gives you hope.
I think there is a lot to say about hope in books. The word is a very scary place. It’s often hard to have hope in humanity, when everywhere you turn there is chaos. You need an escape. A place you can go where you can completely turn your mind over to another time and place. Seth gives you that gift. He bundles it up in a beautiful package with a gorgeous cover and you are lost to the words within.
And in Seth’s words:
“yes, this, THIS is the world I’ve been waiting for… the book that jumped out at you and simply made you want to live a better life and be a better human; the book that landed uncomfortably close to a basic human truth that you didn’t want to admit to yourself and made you sputter and reread an entire paragraph. The one that made you say, “Yes, this is a thing that is true, a thing that has never been said before, not like this.” Books were friends. Books were there for you. Books were love, forever.”
And there you have it. No truer words have ever been spoken. This is why you NEED a Seth King book in your life.
July 21, 2015
Ohh, I love a good surprise and Seth King dropped this bad boy in my email and I was all OMG, what is this!? Autumn and Hank! (from The Summer Remains) They are getting their own book! YES! So as soon as I could, I put everything aside and picked up this novella that I was sure was going to ruin me. Because The Summer Remains, it hurt me so good, you know, in the way that us book nerds love. It had all of the feels. But this book, Autumn Rising, it had all the feels too, but it had so much hope and hilarity, and just amazing damn writing!
After all, it is not until the sunset that we even bother looking at the sky.
So this short novella beat out The Summer Remains for me by just a bit and here is why; Seth's writing is even better this time around. It was flowery and emotion provoking and I simply love his writing style in third person. This book did not have a ton of dialogue and usually this is a big pet peeve of mine but somehow I was lost in Autumns mind which is a fantastically ridiculous place to be and I adored her. And that brings us to another big reason why I loved this book. Autumn. This girl is a hot mess of contradictions. She is snarky, sassy, and self sabotaging like nobody's business. And Hank. Well Hank is just so sweet and he has a disability which I strangely love in my book boyfriends.
But she knew she would not sleep with him tonight, even though she really wanted to. She was a lady with morals, and also, Hank hadn't given her any gifts yet.
Goodness, this book made me feel so much. But the main theme here was HOPE! Because these two damaged ostracized people who were not beautiful, beefy, or perfect found each other.
They didn't care if they were rejects in the eyes of the rest of the world: to each other, they were perfect. And for now, that was enough for them.
While this book had many many sad subjects, I did not find myself feeling sorry or sad for Hank or Autumn. If anything, I felt hopeful, and giddy, and giggly. Seth did such a fabulous job of making this book uplifting and inspirational. Even in the end, I had nothing but good feelings about where these two were going and the things they were going to do. ALL. THE. FEELS. And the writing was just magnificent. Seth's peek into a young woman's mind is scarily accurate and hilarious! I sure hope I hear more from Hank and Autumn in Cooper's book! Thanks for the surprise, Seth!
Because that's what love does - gives you wings, makes you soar, makes you crash, makes you fly again.
~Amie
After all, it is not until the sunset that we even bother looking at the sky.
So this short novella beat out The Summer Remains for me by just a bit and here is why; Seth's writing is even better this time around. It was flowery and emotion provoking and I simply love his writing style in third person. This book did not have a ton of dialogue and usually this is a big pet peeve of mine but somehow I was lost in Autumns mind which is a fantastically ridiculous place to be and I adored her. And that brings us to another big reason why I loved this book. Autumn. This girl is a hot mess of contradictions. She is snarky, sassy, and self sabotaging like nobody's business. And Hank. Well Hank is just so sweet and he has a disability which I strangely love in my book boyfriends.
But she knew she would not sleep with him tonight, even though she really wanted to. She was a lady with morals, and also, Hank hadn't given her any gifts yet.
Goodness, this book made me feel so much. But the main theme here was HOPE! Because these two damaged ostracized people who were not beautiful, beefy, or perfect found each other.
They didn't care if they were rejects in the eyes of the rest of the world: to each other, they were perfect. And for now, that was enough for them.
While this book had many many sad subjects, I did not find myself feeling sorry or sad for Hank or Autumn. If anything, I felt hopeful, and giddy, and giggly. Seth did such a fabulous job of making this book uplifting and inspirational. Even in the end, I had nothing but good feelings about where these two were going and the things they were going to do. ALL. THE. FEELS. And the writing was just magnificent. Seth's peek into a young woman's mind is scarily accurate and hilarious! I sure hope I hear more from Hank and Autumn in Cooper's book! Thanks for the surprise, Seth!
Because that's what love does - gives you wings, makes you soar, makes you crash, makes you fly again.
~Amie
June 15, 2016
If you're a big Indie romance reader, you've no doubt heard of Seth King by now. And if I've chatted about books with you over the past 6 months, I've no doubt raved about his book The Summer Remains to you. Several times. Autumn Rising is a surprise novella that Seth wrote as a thank you to his fans. If you've read The Summer Remains, you'll be happy to know that this book is a spinoff with Summer's best friend Autumn, and Hank from their anti-support group. If you've wanted to read The Summer Remains to see what all the fuss was all about, but were afraid of the ugly cry that you heard it was, then this is the perfect book for you.
This is a lighter, often times laugh out loud funny book. Seth just keeps the one-liners coming, and I love his sarcastic sense of humor. But it's still a romance with his spectacular writing that I fell in love with in The Summer Remains.
"She saw the tangerine traces of a July sunset melting into the treetops over the fence and felt that thing they shared, the terror of what was in front of them, the devastation at what was behind them, and she wanted to run back in time and hug them both, tell them love was on the way, and warn them not to run from it."
"Because life breaks your heart. That is how this place works. What you must do is find someone who will fall into bed next to you every night and stare at you with burning eyes and put you back together again."
(Insert swoony sigh....)
Autumn is jealous, insecure and often times annoyingly frustrating. She hides her fears and insecurities behind snarky, cynical comments. She's rude, obnoxious and many times flat out mean. I imagined her as Mindy Kaling's character Kelly on The Office, but on steroids. She has a lot of issues to work through.
"Because all her life, Autumn had been plagued by some deep and desperate fear that she would never be enough. That whatever she was, whoever she was, would never be satisfactory. That if people got to know her, if they moved too close, they would be disappointed and turn away - that they would show up looking for Niagara Falls and find an afternoon puddle instead."
Hank is a wounded veteran with plenty of his own issues to deal with. I really don't know what he saw in Autumn. But he was interested in cracking her hardened exterior for whatever reason, and he succeeded for a while. And so their journey began.
"He looked at her, and to Autumn it wasn't hard to see where the shrapnel from the bomb had landed. It was in his eyes."
"How stupid Autumn had been, to assume they could outrun their monsters together. You could never escape the fear. It was just there, a dormant volcano, two tectonic plates about to explode with pent-up pressure. The earthquake was coming."
I don't want to give too much of the story away, you'll have to find out for yourself how it ends (and oh, that ending!!!!). I will say that I finished the book with my heart in my throat, bursting with emotion. Seth took me on yet another beautiful journey and as far as where this story takes us to next....I. CAN'T. WAIT!!!!
This is a lighter, often times laugh out loud funny book. Seth just keeps the one-liners coming, and I love his sarcastic sense of humor. But it's still a romance with his spectacular writing that I fell in love with in The Summer Remains.
"She saw the tangerine traces of a July sunset melting into the treetops over the fence and felt that thing they shared, the terror of what was in front of them, the devastation at what was behind them, and she wanted to run back in time and hug them both, tell them love was on the way, and warn them not to run from it."
"Because life breaks your heart. That is how this place works. What you must do is find someone who will fall into bed next to you every night and stare at you with burning eyes and put you back together again."
(Insert swoony sigh....)
Autumn is jealous, insecure and often times annoyingly frustrating. She hides her fears and insecurities behind snarky, cynical comments. She's rude, obnoxious and many times flat out mean. I imagined her as Mindy Kaling's character Kelly on The Office, but on steroids. She has a lot of issues to work through.
"Because all her life, Autumn had been plagued by some deep and desperate fear that she would never be enough. That whatever she was, whoever she was, would never be satisfactory. That if people got to know her, if they moved too close, they would be disappointed and turn away - that they would show up looking for Niagara Falls and find an afternoon puddle instead."
Hank is a wounded veteran with plenty of his own issues to deal with. I really don't know what he saw in Autumn. But he was interested in cracking her hardened exterior for whatever reason, and he succeeded for a while. And so their journey began.
"He looked at her, and to Autumn it wasn't hard to see where the shrapnel from the bomb had landed. It was in his eyes."
"How stupid Autumn had been, to assume they could outrun their monsters together. You could never escape the fear. It was just there, a dormant volcano, two tectonic plates about to explode with pent-up pressure. The earthquake was coming."
I don't want to give too much of the story away, you'll have to find out for yourself how it ends (and oh, that ending!!!!). I will say that I finished the book with my heart in my throat, bursting with emotion. Seth took me on yet another beautiful journey and as far as where this story takes us to next....I. CAN'T. WAIT!!!!
July 18, 2015
"Find a love that replenishes you - the rest will figure itself out."
I didn't know I wanted to read more about Autumn and Hank stories until I have started this novella.They felt so real that the only thing I could do was keep reading and cheering for both of them.I wished that they found out the best way to live their lives,maybe together,maybe apart,but mostly I hoped they started to LIVE without any fear and ghosts from the past.
I usually don't rate novellas with 5 stars because I always feel them too short and rushed but this one is so well written that deserves the highest rating for me.
Thank you Seth for being so crazy to write this story during your spare time and in between other books you are working on.
"That's just more words than you've probably said in years."
"Well I finally found someone worth saying them to."
"Books were friends.Books were there for you.Books were love,forever."
July 18, 2015
A surprise novella release by Seth King! What more could a girl ask for? A book from the same author as my #1 read this year (The Summer Remains) (Check out our reviews HERE) - You need to read The Summer Remains before this novella - Available on AMAZON
So, how do you follow-up The Summer Remains? How do you even compare to the complex feelings that Seth brought to my life with The Summer Remains? Well, he did it with Autumn Rising.
Mr. King has taken it just one step further. How do you "get over" losing your best friend? How do you move on? How do you live without such an important part of you missing? Mr. King has done exactly that with Autumn Rising. He has done this with grace, tears and even a few laughs. Mr. King is witty and funny!
"A girl from high school, Victoria...suffered from a condition Autumn liked to call Kayne face, wherein someone looked so smug and obnoxious all the time, you got the urge to punch them in the face even when they weren't saying anything."
We have Autumn and Hank, two lives that were brought together by Summer and losing her could possibly bring them together and then tear them apart. Learning to heal from Summer's death, learning to live with the constant scare of her cancer returning and Hank's loss of his arm...these obstacles will make being together difficult, but is it possible they can heal each other?
"Because life breaks your heart. That is how this place works. What you must do if find someone who will fall into bed next to you every night and stare at you with burning eyes and put you back together again. Find a love that replenishes you..."
At times you may find the angst level to be unbearable. I think we may have a new "KING OF ANGST"! At times I wanted to strangle Autumn, the decisions she makes made me shiver, cringe and cry. Mr. King has the ability to make your heart hurt and make you want to give up on the belief that love can fix all things. You feel it all while reading this book.
The only problem I had with it? I NEED more. I will always needs more from this beautiful cast of characters. They have enlighten my spirit. They have changed my outlook on life. I dare to say, they have made me a better person. Bring on some Cooper next!!
Thank you Seth for sharing your words, your feelings and your brother's life through your words. I feel honored to share them with you. I can almost guarantee you that he is smiling down upon you at this moment. He is smiling at your through his children eyes each day. You have most definitely made him proud.
Note: I am sure many see a young man writing a romance novel as not believable. But I would hope you would not allow that prejudice to sway you from reading this. This young man has put into words how many of us have felt while falling in love, growing up being the "not so popular girl", and overall self deprecating beings that many women find themselves. How he has this insight is beyond me, but he is on point so many times, it's as if he's has snuck into my thoughts and read my mind.
So, how do you follow-up The Summer Remains? How do you even compare to the complex feelings that Seth brought to my life with The Summer Remains? Well, he did it with Autumn Rising.
Mr. King has taken it just one step further. How do you "get over" losing your best friend? How do you move on? How do you live without such an important part of you missing? Mr. King has done exactly that with Autumn Rising. He has done this with grace, tears and even a few laughs. Mr. King is witty and funny!
"A girl from high school, Victoria...suffered from a condition Autumn liked to call Kayne face, wherein someone looked so smug and obnoxious all the time, you got the urge to punch them in the face even when they weren't saying anything."
We have Autumn and Hank, two lives that were brought together by Summer and losing her could possibly bring them together and then tear them apart. Learning to heal from Summer's death, learning to live with the constant scare of her cancer returning and Hank's loss of his arm...these obstacles will make being together difficult, but is it possible they can heal each other?
"Because life breaks your heart. That is how this place works. What you must do if find someone who will fall into bed next to you every night and stare at you with burning eyes and put you back together again. Find a love that replenishes you..."
At times you may find the angst level to be unbearable. I think we may have a new "KING OF ANGST"! At times I wanted to strangle Autumn, the decisions she makes made me shiver, cringe and cry. Mr. King has the ability to make your heart hurt and make you want to give up on the belief that love can fix all things. You feel it all while reading this book.
The only problem I had with it? I NEED more. I will always needs more from this beautiful cast of characters. They have enlighten my spirit. They have changed my outlook on life. I dare to say, they have made me a better person. Bring on some Cooper next!!
Thank you Seth for sharing your words, your feelings and your brother's life through your words. I feel honored to share them with you. I can almost guarantee you that he is smiling down upon you at this moment. He is smiling at your through his children eyes each day. You have most definitely made him proud.
Note: I am sure many see a young man writing a romance novel as not believable. But I would hope you would not allow that prejudice to sway you from reading this. This young man has put into words how many of us have felt while falling in love, growing up being the "not so popular girl", and overall self deprecating beings that many women find themselves. How he has this insight is beyond me, but he is on point so many times, it's as if he's has snuck into my thoughts and read my mind.
July 18, 2015
This new novella takes place following the events of The Summer Remains. Firstly, if you haven’t read TSR yet there are spoilers in the novella. You’ve been warned.
Here, we follow along the stories of friends of Summer Johnson. Autumn and Hank were a part of her life and have been for a long time.
Autumn has been struggling for a long time - with her history of cancer, her life not going the way she dreamed and also her innate yearning for love. After suffering a loss which overwhelms her, she finds comfort and possibility in the arms of Hank, a fellow damaged human being who has also yearned for love. But things aren’t easy for these two. Whether it’s their memories of things that haunt them, the ongoing shadows of Autumn’s health or their own personality clashes, their attachment is bound to hit a few bumps.
So no surprises that it’s chock-full of emotion, and I just loved it. The Summer Remains brought emotion in spades, of course, but somehow this one just really got me almost deeper. Part of that was due to the character of Autumn, quite different from most of the female leads that we see. Women like her - loud, opinionated, often cringe-worthy - often make it as a side character, but here she is, front and centre. We see into her head, her thoughts, her fears, her misery and her needs. And as her relationship with Hank unfolds, it just sheds a whole new light on her, and on the choices she makes.
Autumn is just so … human. It’s hard to find another word for her. She is that girl you sometimes feel nervous around because you never can tell just what is about to come out of her mouth, or whether she is going to have people staring at you or even if she’s about to get you thrown out. You love her for her bluntness, yet cringe at her lack of filter. And at the root of it all, you hope for her happiness, because it’s clear she has the biggest heart. In the words of Hank:
Hank was a bit of a mystery to me in The Summer Remains, but there was always something so achingly endearing about him, and that is no less the case here. From the start, he makes plain his adoration of Autumn, and honestly he is so sweet, it’s hard not to love the guy.
And at the heart of it, both Autumn and Hank are grieving. Not just dealing with their own demons, of which there are plenty, but they are both suffering from loss and they rely upon each other for their healing, perhaps a little too much.
Is this a perfect love story? Depends on your meaning. Was it smooth sailing, are both sides perfect, do the stars align for them from the word ‘go’? Yeah… no. It’s not always pretty, that’s for sure. It’s gritty, at times cringeworthy, and ultimately that’s what makes it a great and wrenching story. Seth has done it again.
I received an advance copy of Autumn Rising for review purposes. Reviewed for Owl Book Corner blog
Here, we follow along the stories of friends of Summer Johnson. Autumn and Hank were a part of her life and have been for a long time.
Autumn has been struggling for a long time - with her history of cancer, her life not going the way she dreamed and also her innate yearning for love. After suffering a loss which overwhelms her, she finds comfort and possibility in the arms of Hank, a fellow damaged human being who has also yearned for love. But things aren’t easy for these two. Whether it’s their memories of things that haunt them, the ongoing shadows of Autumn’s health or their own personality clashes, their attachment is bound to hit a few bumps.
So no surprises that it’s chock-full of emotion, and I just loved it. The Summer Remains brought emotion in spades, of course, but somehow this one just really got me almost deeper. Part of that was due to the character of Autumn, quite different from most of the female leads that we see. Women like her - loud, opinionated, often cringe-worthy - often make it as a side character, but here she is, front and centre. We see into her head, her thoughts, her fears, her misery and her needs. And as her relationship with Hank unfolds, it just sheds a whole new light on her, and on the choices she makes.
Autumn is just so … human. It’s hard to find another word for her. She is that girl you sometimes feel nervous around because you never can tell just what is about to come out of her mouth, or whether she is going to have people staring at you or even if she’s about to get you thrown out. You love her for her bluntness, yet cringe at her lack of filter. And at the root of it all, you hope for her happiness, because it’s clear she has the biggest heart. In the words of Hank:
"You are a picnic," he said. "It's just a picnic in the middle of a raging storm, in a muddy field, during an earthquake, with a mudslide on the way."
Hank was a bit of a mystery to me in The Summer Remains, but there was always something so achingly endearing about him, and that is no less the case here. From the start, he makes plain his adoration of Autumn, and honestly he is so sweet, it’s hard not to love the guy.
And at the heart of it, both Autumn and Hank are grieving. Not just dealing with their own demons, of which there are plenty, but they are both suffering from loss and they rely upon each other for their healing, perhaps a little too much.
Is this a perfect love story? Depends on your meaning. Was it smooth sailing, are both sides perfect, do the stars align for them from the word ‘go’? Yeah… no. It’s not always pretty, that’s for sure. It’s gritty, at times cringeworthy, and ultimately that’s what makes it a great and wrenching story. Seth has done it again.
I received an advance copy of Autumn Rising for review purposes. Reviewed for Owl Book Corner blog
July 27, 2015
5 +++++ stars!
“Abso- fucking- lutely.” magnificent!
The writing was flawless, characters so real, written with soul about real life issues.
Reading a Seth King's book is challenging and it gets me every time.
I need to process my thoughts before writing my review but thank you so much for this wonderful gift!
Can't wait for the next one! I am still speechless ... but keep writing books!
**********************************************************
The writing was flawless, characters so real, written with soul about real life issues.
Reading a Seth King's book is challenging and it gets me every time.
Seth King is a to go author to me. Since I've read The Summer Remains, I couldn't help to think about this book, because I was so impressed by his poetic and so real writing.
Then a few months after, we've got the chance to have an other story, a gift for the fans and people who was so moved by his last novel, and then again It was striking and breathtaking, and I was again swimming into the sea of this intense and so short journey of Autumn and Hank.
You knew from the start that the path to grief is gonna be strewn with pitfalls. Autumn and Hank aren't a conventional couple, they are kinda doomed, both by their condition.Autumn is a survivor as much as Hank, and both of them went through so much for their young age, a little bit offbeat.This girl is so cynical, self-centered and with a quirky mind!Hank is a character that I immediately liked from the first page. He's so sweet, passionate, funny and sarcastic. Totally endearing!
These two damaged souls were trying to heal together in a devastating way. Even with the dramatic side of the story, I laughed and smile a lot. Autumn and Hank are the bomb, characters with flaws and with physical imperfections, just real. From the first page, I was hooked into their banter, surprised by the honesty and straightforwardness tone of their relationship.
I really liked how the author could write about regular people and making them so special, with a sincerity so striking!His writing spoke to me, this story was funny, and heartbreaking. It was a beautiful story about loss, grief and love, written with wisdom.
“Abso- fucking- lutely.” magnificent!
The writing was flawless, characters so real, written with soul about real life issues.
Reading a Seth King's book is challenging and it gets me every time.
I need to process my thoughts before writing my review but thank you so much for this wonderful gift!
Can't wait for the next one! I am still speechless ... but keep writing books!
**********************************************************
The writing was flawless, characters so real, written with soul about real life issues.
Reading a Seth King's book is challenging and it gets me every time.
Seth King is a to go author to me. Since I've read The Summer Remains, I couldn't help to think about this book, because I was so impressed by his poetic and so real writing.
Then a few months after, we've got the chance to have an other story, a gift for the fans and people who was so moved by his last novel, and then again It was striking and breathtaking, and I was again swimming into the sea of this intense and so short journey of Autumn and Hank.
You knew from the start that the path to grief is gonna be strewn with pitfalls. Autumn and Hank aren't a conventional couple, they are kinda doomed, both by their condition.Autumn is a survivor as much as Hank, and both of them went through so much for their young age, a little bit offbeat.This girl is so cynical, self-centered and with a quirky mind!Hank is a character that I immediately liked from the first page. He's so sweet, passionate, funny and sarcastic. Totally endearing!
These two damaged souls were trying to heal together in a devastating way. Even with the dramatic side of the story, I laughed and smile a lot. Autumn and Hank are the bomb, characters with flaws and with physical imperfections, just real. From the first page, I was hooked into their banter, surprised by the honesty and straightforwardness tone of their relationship.
I really liked how the author could write about regular people and making them so special, with a sincerity so striking!His writing spoke to me, this story was funny, and heartbreaking. It was a beautiful story about loss, grief and love, written with wisdom.
More reviews at :
July 19, 2015
This wonderful little surprise dropped last night, and I put everything on hold to devour it as fast as possible. The Summer Remains has become one of my all-time favorite books. I don’t call it THE BOOK for nothing. It was so beautiful and poignant and made me look at life in a completely different way. As a thank you to his readers and all the fans of TSR, Seth wrote this novella to continue the story of two of the characters we met in that book, Autumn and Hank, and to show us how they are faring in the aftermath of losing a dear friend.
I have to be honest, I did not care for Autumn in TSR at all. She was a way over the top about a lot of things. She was completely obsessive about seemingly everyone around her getting married when she was alone. She was narcissistic and brash, and she really didn’t have a filter. Sometimes her words were hurtful when she really didn't mean them to be. As for Hank, we didn’t get to see a lot of him in TSR except to find out he was a disabled Army vet who had lost his arm in a roadside bomb attack. He was broody and angry and thought himself to be in love with Summer.
But somehow, in a way only Seth can, he made me fall madly in love with Autumn and Hank. He shows us that Autumn’s audacious attitude is a defense mechanism. She’s extremely insecure and scared of a lot of things, so she attempts to hide that behind a tough exterior. And Hank is extremely sweet once he opens up and allows himself to care for people. He speaks one of my favorite lines early on in the novella, “I’m all dark, and you’re a kaleidoscope.” Seth's description of Hank’s transformation is perfect, “Soon he found the suit of armor that was his past falling away, the force field of Grumpy Army Hank shattering, and he was freed of the empty persona the world had forced him to become.”
While there is some angst to be dealt with between these two damaged souls, there is lots of funny stuff, too. I was outright laughing at so many of the lines that I’m sure anyone around me thought I was nuts. Seth’s wit definitely comes out in this one. A couple more of my favorite lines: “She was sweating like a Kardashian in church.” and “Autumn’s face had only two modes: resting bitch face, or batshit crazy lunatic.”
Be sure and stay all the way to the end, too, because there is a little taste of what’s coming next.
Whatever you do, don’t pass up this gem of a novella. I am forever a fan of Seth’s amazing writing, and I’m sure you will be won over as well.
I have to be honest, I did not care for Autumn in TSR at all. She was a way over the top about a lot of things. She was completely obsessive about seemingly everyone around her getting married when she was alone. She was narcissistic and brash, and she really didn’t have a filter. Sometimes her words were hurtful when she really didn't mean them to be. As for Hank, we didn’t get to see a lot of him in TSR except to find out he was a disabled Army vet who had lost his arm in a roadside bomb attack. He was broody and angry and thought himself to be in love with Summer.
But somehow, in a way only Seth can, he made me fall madly in love with Autumn and Hank. He shows us that Autumn’s audacious attitude is a defense mechanism. She’s extremely insecure and scared of a lot of things, so she attempts to hide that behind a tough exterior. And Hank is extremely sweet once he opens up and allows himself to care for people. He speaks one of my favorite lines early on in the novella, “I’m all dark, and you’re a kaleidoscope.” Seth's description of Hank’s transformation is perfect, “Soon he found the suit of armor that was his past falling away, the force field of Grumpy Army Hank shattering, and he was freed of the empty persona the world had forced him to become.”
While there is some angst to be dealt with between these two damaged souls, there is lots of funny stuff, too. I was outright laughing at so many of the lines that I’m sure anyone around me thought I was nuts. Seth’s wit definitely comes out in this one. A couple more of my favorite lines: “She was sweating like a Kardashian in church.” and “Autumn’s face had only two modes: resting bitch face, or batshit crazy lunatic.”
Be sure and stay all the way to the end, too, because there is a little taste of what’s coming next.
Whatever you do, don’t pass up this gem of a novella. I am forever a fan of Seth’s amazing writing, and I’m sure you will be won over as well.
August 15, 2015
It's not often I get 'review nerves' when trying to put my thoughts onto paper when it comes to books I've read, but in this instance I do not believe anything I write can give Seth King's writing the justice it deserves. He is a poet. A word weaver of the highest calibre as his words bleed onto the page to the rhythm of a beating heart. Yes, that may sound flowery and a little OTT but it's the only way I can describe his craft.
Autumn and Hank's story is not a fairytale, it isn't swarming with heart and flowers and sexual gymnastics but that doesn't mean to say it is any less profound, or beautiful.
After losing a best friend, finding your feet and letting go of that grief is not only hard, it is life changing. Learning to walk alone, each step taken with trepidation and fear.
Summer Johnson wasn't supposed to die at the hands of a doctor. The botched surgery didn't just extinguish the light of a beautiful and strong girl but it took everything from those that knew her best.
Hank, an Army Veteran came back from Iraq minus an arm and it almost destroyed him. Summer was his voice of reason, a friend who walked him out of the darkness and planted herself firmly into his friend zone.
Summer was also the only one who understood Autumn's health trials. Her best friend having battled breast cancer from the age of 17, she helped Autumn cope through the hard times but with her now gone and Summer's funeral looming, Autumn is lost.
This is a story of two grieving souls coming together after a great loss. It is also a story of survivors guilt and fear at the possibility of change.
Autumn is wacky, gifted and real, my goodness, I loved her sass, and with Hank being the more level headed of the pair, just gave this relationship great balance. However, they are both completely shattered and a little broken in their own individual ways and only having death and disease as a common denominator paves a way to internal self destruction. The question is... do they have what it takes to save each other?
Autumn Rising is a deeply profound story that takes the reader on a soulful journey of life and death, love and fear, friendship and hope... and bravery, as two broken and depleted souls find light in the Summer that still remains.
Autumn and Hank's story is not a fairytale, it isn't swarming with heart and flowers and sexual gymnastics but that doesn't mean to say it is any less profound, or beautiful.
After losing a best friend, finding your feet and letting go of that grief is not only hard, it is life changing. Learning to walk alone, each step taken with trepidation and fear.
Summer Johnson wasn't supposed to die at the hands of a doctor. The botched surgery didn't just extinguish the light of a beautiful and strong girl but it took everything from those that knew her best.
Hank, an Army Veteran came back from Iraq minus an arm and it almost destroyed him. Summer was his voice of reason, a friend who walked him out of the darkness and planted herself firmly into his friend zone.
Summer was also the only one who understood Autumn's health trials. Her best friend having battled breast cancer from the age of 17, she helped Autumn cope through the hard times but with her now gone and Summer's funeral looming, Autumn is lost.
This is a story of two grieving souls coming together after a great loss. It is also a story of survivors guilt and fear at the possibility of change.
Autumn is wacky, gifted and real, my goodness, I loved her sass, and with Hank being the more level headed of the pair, just gave this relationship great balance. However, they are both completely shattered and a little broken in their own individual ways and only having death and disease as a common denominator paves a way to internal self destruction. The question is... do they have what it takes to save each other?
Autumn Rising is a deeply profound story that takes the reader on a soulful journey of life and death, love and fear, friendship and hope... and bravery, as two broken and depleted souls find light in the Summer that still remains.
July 21, 2015
If you have read The Summer Remains, then you know what kind of heaven you're in for when you open the first page of this Seth King novella.
I fell in love with Autumn in TSR; she is one of those characters that just stuck with me ever since. I was SO elated to find out that this book was about her and Hank! She is unlike any character I have EVER had the pleasure to meet. She is someone I truly wish I could be friends with in real life. She's witty, snarky, honest, and FUNNY AS HELL. But, we also get to really know her. We get to know her fears, her concerns about her life (we all have them don't we?), and we get the scoop on her day to day dilemmas. When she stumbles across Hank at a funeral, she doesn't have a clue what she's in for with him. This unlikely pair had me intrigued from the second they started conversing. I wanted so much for them, sitting here on the other side of the pages. I rooted for them from the very start. One thing I also want to mention is the honesty. There is SO much truth in this story. In life, there are always lessons to be learned and I found many of them within the pages of this beautiful book. It feels as though the author writes with the wisdom of a thousand lives. Seth King is not just raising the bar, he's smashing it.
If you want a story that truly has it all, this is IT! It's spectacular!
I fell in love with Autumn in TSR; she is one of those characters that just stuck with me ever since. I was SO elated to find out that this book was about her and Hank! She is unlike any character I have EVER had the pleasure to meet. She is someone I truly wish I could be friends with in real life. She's witty, snarky, honest, and FUNNY AS HELL. But, we also get to really know her. We get to know her fears, her concerns about her life (we all have them don't we?), and we get the scoop on her day to day dilemmas. When she stumbles across Hank at a funeral, she doesn't have a clue what she's in for with him. This unlikely pair had me intrigued from the second they started conversing. I wanted so much for them, sitting here on the other side of the pages. I rooted for them from the very start. One thing I also want to mention is the honesty. There is SO much truth in this story. In life, there are always lessons to be learned and I found many of them within the pages of this beautiful book. It feels as though the author writes with the wisdom of a thousand lives. Seth King is not just raising the bar, he's smashing it.
If you want a story that truly has it all, this is IT! It's spectacular!
November 4, 2015
Another extraordinary story from Seth
Prior to reading this, no one will ever be able to explain to you the feelings and/or wounds, Seth will open for you. I honestly don't think I have ever connected with a character more than I have with Autumn. I feel like I read my best friends diary. You feel so close to these characters. Every feeling. Every word. Every single emotion. You feel it. The beauty in the way he lays down his words is something I've never seen before. I still miss Summer so much as if she were my best friend also. It's basically taking over my life. It's eating me up inside like Autumn eating Krispy Kremes. Although this book offered so much love for Autumn and Hank and a tremendous amount of giggles because Autumn is simply awesome and inappropriate in the best way, I can't seem to break free from Summer and Cooper. Autumn did rise. That I'm definitely grateful for. That's something I'll hold onto forever. I don't think I can ever forget Seth's words. Not one single word.
Prior to reading this, no one will ever be able to explain to you the feelings and/or wounds, Seth will open for you. I honestly don't think I have ever connected with a character more than I have with Autumn. I feel like I read my best friends diary. You feel so close to these characters. Every feeling. Every word. Every single emotion. You feel it. The beauty in the way he lays down his words is something I've never seen before. I still miss Summer so much as if she were my best friend also. It's basically taking over my life. It's eating me up inside like Autumn eating Krispy Kremes. Although this book offered so much love for Autumn and Hank and a tremendous amount of giggles because Autumn is simply awesome and inappropriate in the best way, I can't seem to break free from Summer and Cooper. Autumn did rise. That I'm definitely grateful for. That's something I'll hold onto forever. I don't think I can ever forget Seth's words. Not one single word.
August 24, 2015
5 Crazy Ass Stars!!!!!
I really enjoyed reading this. I didn't read The Summer Remains but after reading this, I just 1-clicked it and I will be reading it the first chance I get a break in my schedule. This story had me crying, laughing and wanting to pull my hair out or smack the crap out of one of the characters. It pulled me in and it was so easy to get lost in Autumn and Hank's world. I will definitely be re-reading this one after I read The Summer Remains.
I'm looking forward to reading more from Seth King!
I really enjoyed reading this. I didn't read The Summer Remains but after reading this, I just 1-clicked it and I will be reading it the first chance I get a break in my schedule. This story had me crying, laughing and wanting to pull my hair out or smack the crap out of one of the characters. It pulled me in and it was so easy to get lost in Autumn and Hank's world. I will definitely be re-reading this one after I read The Summer Remains.
I'm looking forward to reading more from Seth King!
August 7, 2015
3.5 stars for the story and the extra 1/2 star for the glimpse of Cooper's book.
Autumn actually annoyed me through a lot of this but I think her issues are more common than what anyone is willing to admit. I found myself enjoying Hank a lot! Maybe if this was from Hank's POV I would have enjoyed it more since I think he's a very intriguing character.
Autumn actually annoyed me through a lot of this but I think her issues are more common than what anyone is willing to admit. I found myself enjoying Hank a lot! Maybe if this was from Hank's POV I would have enjoyed it more since I think he's a very intriguing character.
October 25, 2015
Review coming soon
August 14, 2015
Seth always knows how to break my heart. Can't wait to see what he does next. Loved this book so much
September 6, 2015
Very emotional roller coaster, but it was a perfect sequel to his wonderful book, The Summer Remains. Thank you Seth King for your gift of sharing such a beautiful story.
May 15, 2017
2 Stars
I feel really bad for giving this novella such a low rating but it just wasn't the book for me.
Autumn was a secondary character in The Summer Remains and I honestly didn't like her very much there. I thought it would change in her own novella, but it didn't, unfortunately. Autumn is a real difficult character and too depressing and negative for my liking. I had a hard time finishing this novella and I almost gave up.
I only read Seth King's first novel a few days ago and I fell in love with Summer and Cooper. Although this novella was a let down, it won't keep me from picking up other Seth King books. :)
I feel really bad for giving this novella such a low rating but it just wasn't the book for me.
Autumn was a secondary character in The Summer Remains and I honestly didn't like her very much there. I thought it would change in her own novella, but it didn't, unfortunately. Autumn is a real difficult character and too depressing and negative for my liking. I had a hard time finishing this novella and I almost gave up.
I only read Seth King's first novel a few days ago and I fell in love with Summer and Cooper. Although this novella was a let down, it won't keep me from picking up other Seth King books. :)
August 24, 2015
ASHLEY'S REIVEW
4.5 STARS
Effing A! When I started reading this, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The Summer Remains had gutted me, torn me to pieces, and affected me in a way that I can’t find words to describe. So, I tried to go into this one without expectations.
Of course, that was impossible. And although Autumn and Hank’s story did not send me on the same roller coaster of emotion that Summer and Cooper’s story did, this one almost hurt more…because there was so much of ME in Autumn and Hank’s story.
There was this one particular moment in the story that kicked me in the hind end. Simply put, it was this:
And these are the ultimate tragedies of the human race: that we run from what we love, that we embrace what is bad for us, and that we battle against what scares us.
For too much of our lives, we let fear control us, and we drown ourselves in self-deprecation, to a point that is not only unattractive, but where we truly believe it about ourselves. And Autumn (and a little bit Hank) does the same.
But I promise, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, a reminder of what we should be all about:
I’d rather bomb at something I loved than win at something that made me miserable. Because that’s not winning. That’s just misery.
Even if you haven’t read The Summer Remains (which I TOTALLY think you should) you should pick this one up and read it. It can remind us all of some valuable life lessons…even if it hurts to remember them.
AMY E'S REVIEW
4 STARS
Autumn is an anomaly in the book world. She isn't traditionally beautiful, she isn't sweet, shy, or thoughtful. She is loud, brash, judgemental, and self centered. She does what she wants with no regard to how it affects others and I loved everything about her.
Hank is reserved, dark, and quiet. He doesn't say a lot but when he does speak you should listen. His life hasn't gone how he wanted it to and he's still angry about it.
Together they are perfect and beautiful as they navigate they difficulties and joys in their lives. They balanced each other and the story perfectly. I was on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next.
I LOVE how Seth King doesn't sugar coat his stories. They are hard hitting, truthful, emotional, and true to life. Not everything is perfect, not everyone is perfect, life isn't perfect and in his books that works.
CRISTINA'S REVIEW
3.5 STARS
I am all over the place with this one. It had so many different moments presented that at some points I felt sort of lost. It was quirky, it was misgiving, the need to want to be normal, and just not give up due to the life they were handed with. Overall though, as the story progressed it had serve a purpose and to look at life in a more positive way.
Two people, Autumn Mahal and Hank Basra who are opposites in many ways but have one thing in common: the passing of a dear close friend who had impacted their lives. This is their story of facing that lost in hopes that they will be able to move on (whether it was together or alone) and to continue their life without feeling adrift.
The 3.5 stars read was one that I was not expecting. Autumn was a toss up with her constant change in attitude and Hank liked and dealt with it when it came to her. The inner working minds of both characters reasonings were interesting. It had points where it was randomly funny then serious one moment and then moments that got pretty deep making me confused on how to feel about certain parts of the story. It was a mix of so many things going on at once leading to look profoundly at the words being said. The story had a lot of heart making me view the bigger picture of life. It is the perfect book of grieving, to overcome fear of living, and opening your eyes to love.
4.5 STARS
Effing A! When I started reading this, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The Summer Remains had gutted me, torn me to pieces, and affected me in a way that I can’t find words to describe. So, I tried to go into this one without expectations.
Of course, that was impossible. And although Autumn and Hank’s story did not send me on the same roller coaster of emotion that Summer and Cooper’s story did, this one almost hurt more…because there was so much of ME in Autumn and Hank’s story.
There was this one particular moment in the story that kicked me in the hind end. Simply put, it was this:
And these are the ultimate tragedies of the human race: that we run from what we love, that we embrace what is bad for us, and that we battle against what scares us.
For too much of our lives, we let fear control us, and we drown ourselves in self-deprecation, to a point that is not only unattractive, but where we truly believe it about ourselves. And Autumn (and a little bit Hank) does the same.
But I promise, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, a reminder of what we should be all about:
I’d rather bomb at something I loved than win at something that made me miserable. Because that’s not winning. That’s just misery.
Even if you haven’t read The Summer Remains (which I TOTALLY think you should) you should pick this one up and read it. It can remind us all of some valuable life lessons…even if it hurts to remember them.
AMY E'S REVIEW
4 STARS
Autumn is an anomaly in the book world. She isn't traditionally beautiful, she isn't sweet, shy, or thoughtful. She is loud, brash, judgemental, and self centered. She does what she wants with no regard to how it affects others and I loved everything about her.
Hank is reserved, dark, and quiet. He doesn't say a lot but when he does speak you should listen. His life hasn't gone how he wanted it to and he's still angry about it.
Together they are perfect and beautiful as they navigate they difficulties and joys in their lives. They balanced each other and the story perfectly. I was on the edge of my seat wondering what would happen next.
I LOVE how Seth King doesn't sugar coat his stories. They are hard hitting, truthful, emotional, and true to life. Not everything is perfect, not everyone is perfect, life isn't perfect and in his books that works.
CRISTINA'S REVIEW
3.5 STARS
I am all over the place with this one. It had so many different moments presented that at some points I felt sort of lost. It was quirky, it was misgiving, the need to want to be normal, and just not give up due to the life they were handed with. Overall though, as the story progressed it had serve a purpose and to look at life in a more positive way.
Two people, Autumn Mahal and Hank Basra who are opposites in many ways but have one thing in common: the passing of a dear close friend who had impacted their lives. This is their story of facing that lost in hopes that they will be able to move on (whether it was together or alone) and to continue their life without feeling adrift.
The 3.5 stars read was one that I was not expecting. Autumn was a toss up with her constant change in attitude and Hank liked and dealt with it when it came to her. The inner working minds of both characters reasonings were interesting. It had points where it was randomly funny then serious one moment and then moments that got pretty deep making me confused on how to feel about certain parts of the story. It was a mix of so many things going on at once leading to look profoundly at the words being said. The story had a lot of heart making me view the bigger picture of life. It is the perfect book of grieving, to overcome fear of living, and opening your eyes to love.
January 15, 2017
This novella was a gift from Seth, written, edited and published by himself as a surprise for his dedicated readers who had been moved so much by The Summer Remains. This book follows Autumn, Summer's best friend and although this book can be read as a standalone I would very much recommend reading The Summer Remains first.
Autumn is such a fascinating and infuriating character. Her personality is totally crazy and I spent the book between laughing at her wit and totally confused by her snarky and cynical comments. On the outside she is colour and craziness, obnoxious and (at times )mean, but on the inside there is such insecurity and fear that reading from her POV made my heart break. She wasn't the easiest of characters for me to connect with, just because she was so "out there" (like a puppy on steroids!), but we seemed to find this middle ground and I let her take me on this whirlwind journey.
"If you hold onto one thing in this life, hold onto love."
Hank was someone that I didn't feel I knew too much about after the first book, and even after this book I feel like there is still so much to learn about him and his past, there is so much he keeps hidden. But what he doesn't keep hidden is his love for Autumn and for someone so damaged, both physically and mentally, his heart has got to be one of the most beautiful things.
This was a different kind of story. I went into it thinking it was going to be a story of Autumn dealing with the events of the last book and a potential romance with Hank. But it was so much more then that and I'm finding it so hard to find the words to describe exactly what it was. It was funny and heartbreaking and there were times when I was so infuriated with these characters and their fear of the past and the future and there were times when I was really scared about what was coming in the next few pages. But I finished it with that same sense of contentment and inspiration that The Summer Remains gave me, and for that I loved it.
"I don't know. I guess because I think about your future a lot. I kind of want to be your future actually."
Seth King is one of those writers who puts his whole self into a book. After finishing The Summer Remains I was a mess, and I turned the page to find his author note, which I read and then proceeded to fall apart completely. I love that he wrote, edited and published this book all by himself, with no agents or publishers or anything, as a gift to his readers who The Summer Remains had meant so much to. This is the kind of author that I love and who I cannot praise and recommend enough for his beautiful stories.
Autumn lived for the moment when she would pick up a book and think, “yes, this, THIS is the world I’ve been waiting for – I would give my left ear to step into this place and live there forever.” The book that made your whole world seem lacking. The book that made you want to track down its author on social media and annoy the hell out of them even if it made you look like a stalker, and then congratulate their parents on giving birth to them. The book that was so good it made you set aside a weekend to just get lost in it; the book that jumped out at you and simply made you want to live a better life and be a better human; the book that landed uncomfortably close to a basic human truth you didn’t want to admit to yourself and made you sputter and re-read an entire paragraph. The one that made you say, “Yes, this is a thing that is true, a thing that has never been said before, not like this.” Books were friends. Books were there for you. Books were love, forever.
You can find more of my reviews at Broc's Bookcase
Autumn is such a fascinating and infuriating character. Her personality is totally crazy and I spent the book between laughing at her wit and totally confused by her snarky and cynical comments. On the outside she is colour and craziness, obnoxious and (at times )mean, but on the inside there is such insecurity and fear that reading from her POV made my heart break. She wasn't the easiest of characters for me to connect with, just because she was so "out there" (like a puppy on steroids!), but we seemed to find this middle ground and I let her take me on this whirlwind journey.
"If you hold onto one thing in this life, hold onto love."
Hank was someone that I didn't feel I knew too much about after the first book, and even after this book I feel like there is still so much to learn about him and his past, there is so much he keeps hidden. But what he doesn't keep hidden is his love for Autumn and for someone so damaged, both physically and mentally, his heart has got to be one of the most beautiful things.
This was a different kind of story. I went into it thinking it was going to be a story of Autumn dealing with the events of the last book and a potential romance with Hank. But it was so much more then that and I'm finding it so hard to find the words to describe exactly what it was. It was funny and heartbreaking and there were times when I was so infuriated with these characters and their fear of the past and the future and there were times when I was really scared about what was coming in the next few pages. But I finished it with that same sense of contentment and inspiration that The Summer Remains gave me, and for that I loved it.
"I don't know. I guess because I think about your future a lot. I kind of want to be your future actually."
Seth King is one of those writers who puts his whole self into a book. After finishing The Summer Remains I was a mess, and I turned the page to find his author note, which I read and then proceeded to fall apart completely. I love that he wrote, edited and published this book all by himself, with no agents or publishers or anything, as a gift to his readers who The Summer Remains had meant so much to. This is the kind of author that I love and who I cannot praise and recommend enough for his beautiful stories.
Autumn lived for the moment when she would pick up a book and think, “yes, this, THIS is the world I’ve been waiting for – I would give my left ear to step into this place and live there forever.” The book that made your whole world seem lacking. The book that made you want to track down its author on social media and annoy the hell out of them even if it made you look like a stalker, and then congratulate their parents on giving birth to them. The book that was so good it made you set aside a weekend to just get lost in it; the book that jumped out at you and simply made you want to live a better life and be a better human; the book that landed uncomfortably close to a basic human truth you didn’t want to admit to yourself and made you sputter and re-read an entire paragraph. The one that made you say, “Yes, this is a thing that is true, a thing that has never been said before, not like this.” Books were friends. Books were there for you. Books were love, forever.
You can find more of my reviews at Broc's Bookcase
July 30, 2015
Author Seth King dropped a surprise earlier this week, posting that something was coming but it wasn’t what we would think. He could not have been more on the money. After my heart was torn out of my chest, stomped on and somewhat placed back in but a little less whole when I finished The Summer Remains, I was truly hoping to read more about the swoon worthy wordsmith Cooper Nichols. But alas the wait continues. However, I was pleasantly surprised to learn that Seth’s book is a beautiful story about Autumn and Hank called Autumn Rising.
If you’ve read The Summer Remains (also known as TSR), you may remember Autumn was Summer’s BFF and Hank was a member of Summer’s Anti-Support group. Hank is a war veteran amputee and Autumn is a breast cancer survivor as well as an intense whirlwind of a young woman. She’s snarky, funny, cynical, abrasive, brutally honest, self-loathing, rude and absolutely terrified. And, Hank, well I was a fan of his in TSR and being able to learn his story only made me adore him more.
We revisit Autumn and Hank at the gathering after Summer’s funeral. As they begin to spend more time together and open up to one another, Autumn starts to really “see” Hank. And poor Hank gets a taste of whirlwind Autumn. “What do you mean, ‘what?’ I’m sitting here with hot sauce dribbling down my chin. My hair is a catastrophe. I’m swimming in a boring ocean of depression. And when I sit down, my stomach rolls over on itself. Are you really asking me out right now?” So many parts of this book are laugh out loud funny which was pretty unexpected and a relief at the same time. Do not go into this book thinking it will be another TSR. Because it isn’t.
Seth King is an incredibly gifted storyteller. His captivating words draw you into the story and the characters. Nothing in this book is sugarcoated because pretty much nothing in real life is sugarcoated. Grief is real. Self-loathing is real. Fear and doubt are real. And while sometimes it’s nice to escape in a book and read about billionaires, rock stars and vampires, it’s also captivating to read a story with relatable situations and feelings. And that’s what Seth King writes about. Real people. Real situations. Real emotions. Through his characters he shows us the astonishing ability of the human spirit to heal, to accept, to grow and to love. And maybe for some of us, to be a bit more kind toward others.
Get this book. You know you want to! You won’t regret it.
If you’ve read The Summer Remains (also known as TSR), you may remember Autumn was Summer’s BFF and Hank was a member of Summer’s Anti-Support group. Hank is a war veteran amputee and Autumn is a breast cancer survivor as well as an intense whirlwind of a young woman. She’s snarky, funny, cynical, abrasive, brutally honest, self-loathing, rude and absolutely terrified. And, Hank, well I was a fan of his in TSR and being able to learn his story only made me adore him more.
We revisit Autumn and Hank at the gathering after Summer’s funeral. As they begin to spend more time together and open up to one another, Autumn starts to really “see” Hank. And poor Hank gets a taste of whirlwind Autumn. “What do you mean, ‘what?’ I’m sitting here with hot sauce dribbling down my chin. My hair is a catastrophe. I’m swimming in a boring ocean of depression. And when I sit down, my stomach rolls over on itself. Are you really asking me out right now?” So many parts of this book are laugh out loud funny which was pretty unexpected and a relief at the same time. Do not go into this book thinking it will be another TSR. Because it isn’t.
Seth King is an incredibly gifted storyteller. His captivating words draw you into the story and the characters. Nothing in this book is sugarcoated because pretty much nothing in real life is sugarcoated. Grief is real. Self-loathing is real. Fear and doubt are real. And while sometimes it’s nice to escape in a book and read about billionaires, rock stars and vampires, it’s also captivating to read a story with relatable situations and feelings. And that’s what Seth King writes about. Real people. Real situations. Real emotions. Through his characters he shows us the astonishing ability of the human spirit to heal, to accept, to grow and to love. And maybe for some of us, to be a bit more kind toward others.
Get this book. You know you want to! You won’t regret it.
August 26, 2015
Autumn Rising By Seth King.
I was introduced to Seth King by a friend, and I think I have spent the last 12 hours thanking her, I first read The Summer remains and then moved straight into Autumn Rising.
Autumn rising starts exactly where The summer remains leaves off and it focuses on the lives of Autumn and Hank. Autumn and Hank meet during Summer’s support group and have been through more tragedy and trauma then anyone there age deserves, Autumn is in “remission” for breast cancer and lives with the constant fear of it returning and Hank lost his arm while serving his country in Iraq, these two make a unlikely match but are thrown together in tragedy and realise that they have something huge in common “Grief”.
What starts off as two friends helping each other in a flirty way quickly develops into a beautiful love story, these two are so different that they really do bring new meaning to the saying opposites attract, there summer continues with them falling into a happy routine but the upheavel that they have been through has also left some scars especially on Autumn who is hell bent on destroying her own happiness as she thinks it will hurt her if she doesn’t.
Autumn is a character that is easy to relate to, she pushes at people if they get too close and has an acid tongue at times too, her heart is made of solid gold but she puts up a shield as she doesn’t think she is worthy.
Autumn and Hanks romance is also full of great comedy too and I really felt their Chemistry jump from the pages.
I don’t want to give too much away as these books both have to be read and experienced, I certainly am not the same person who started these books, I have cried, laughed, hugged my kindle and hugged my Man cause Seth teaches you to grab at life and not let chances pass you by!!!
Seth’s writing is heartbreaking and tender and really touches your heart and I for one am his fangirl!!!
I will leave you with a quote I love from Autumn Rising…”The book that jumped out at you and simply made you want to live to be a better human: the book that landed uncomfortably close to a basic human truth you didn’t want to admit to yourself and made you sputter and re-read and entire paragraph. Books were there for you, books were love, forever”- this may be a quote from the book, but it’s exactly how I feel about the book! Phenomenal and WOW….Book hangover here I come!! Thank you Seth!!
I was introduced to Seth King by a friend, and I think I have spent the last 12 hours thanking her, I first read The Summer remains and then moved straight into Autumn Rising.
Autumn rising starts exactly where The summer remains leaves off and it focuses on the lives of Autumn and Hank. Autumn and Hank meet during Summer’s support group and have been through more tragedy and trauma then anyone there age deserves, Autumn is in “remission” for breast cancer and lives with the constant fear of it returning and Hank lost his arm while serving his country in Iraq, these two make a unlikely match but are thrown together in tragedy and realise that they have something huge in common “Grief”.
What starts off as two friends helping each other in a flirty way quickly develops into a beautiful love story, these two are so different that they really do bring new meaning to the saying opposites attract, there summer continues with them falling into a happy routine but the upheavel that they have been through has also left some scars especially on Autumn who is hell bent on destroying her own happiness as she thinks it will hurt her if she doesn’t.
Autumn is a character that is easy to relate to, she pushes at people if they get too close and has an acid tongue at times too, her heart is made of solid gold but she puts up a shield as she doesn’t think she is worthy.
Autumn and Hanks romance is also full of great comedy too and I really felt their Chemistry jump from the pages.
I don’t want to give too much away as these books both have to be read and experienced, I certainly am not the same person who started these books, I have cried, laughed, hugged my kindle and hugged my Man cause Seth teaches you to grab at life and not let chances pass you by!!!
Seth’s writing is heartbreaking and tender and really touches your heart and I for one am his fangirl!!!
I will leave you with a quote I love from Autumn Rising…”The book that jumped out at you and simply made you want to live to be a better human: the book that landed uncomfortably close to a basic human truth you didn’t want to admit to yourself and made you sputter and re-read and entire paragraph. Books were there for you, books were love, forever”- this may be a quote from the book, but it’s exactly how I feel about the book! Phenomenal and WOW….Book hangover here I come!! Thank you Seth!!
August 22, 2015
5 Not so Perfect But Actually Perfect Stars
So I have been following Seth on Instagram for over a year and I alway wondered what kind of book did he write. So when given the chance to read and review one of his book I jumped and the chance. I now have a new author that I must read all his book s and future books! Seth has such a talent of writing beautiful elegant stories of not so perfect people but oh so perfect stories!
Autumn is in a tailspin she has just lost her best friend, she is afraid of her cancer coming back, and she thinks she is not worth ever find a HEA.
"Autumn has always been plagued by some deep and desperate fear that she would never be enough. That whatever she was, whoever she was, would never be satisfactory."
Hank is an ornery, pessimistic, disabled vet. hank has an opinion on everything and he has no problem voicing it.
When the death of a mutual friend throws these two together and after getting drunk together on the night of the funeral these two begin to share how much their friend meant to them. After some liquid courage of alcohol has been consumed Hank decide to to ask Autumn she could hang out with him.
This book is a beautiful story of how two completely different people who are both so insecure can some how build each other up and fill voids in each other lives that neither actual knew they had. They different individuals yet ever so perfectly complete each other.
Can they find their way to love one another or will their insecurities take over and destroy any kind of future life together? Can they both over come the hurtles they have placed in their world to keep their bubble free from pain and love? Are they willing to go beyond their comfort zone to find their HEA?
This is a beautiful story about learning and accepting people who are imperfect yet deserve to find love. I am a Seth King fan for life now!!!
So I have been following Seth on Instagram for over a year and I alway wondered what kind of book did he write. So when given the chance to read and review one of his book I jumped and the chance. I now have a new author that I must read all his book s and future books! Seth has such a talent of writing beautiful elegant stories of not so perfect people but oh so perfect stories!
Autumn is in a tailspin she has just lost her best friend, she is afraid of her cancer coming back, and she thinks she is not worth ever find a HEA.
"Autumn has always been plagued by some deep and desperate fear that she would never be enough. That whatever she was, whoever she was, would never be satisfactory."
Hank is an ornery, pessimistic, disabled vet. hank has an opinion on everything and he has no problem voicing it.
When the death of a mutual friend throws these two together and after getting drunk together on the night of the funeral these two begin to share how much their friend meant to them. After some liquid courage of alcohol has been consumed Hank decide to to ask Autumn she could hang out with him.
This book is a beautiful story of how two completely different people who are both so insecure can some how build each other up and fill voids in each other lives that neither actual knew they had. They different individuals yet ever so perfectly complete each other.
Can they find their way to love one another or will their insecurities take over and destroy any kind of future life together? Can they both over come the hurtles they have placed in their world to keep their bubble free from pain and love? Are they willing to go beyond their comfort zone to find their HEA?
This is a beautiful story about learning and accepting people who are imperfect yet deserve to find love. I am a Seth King fan for life now!!!
July 22, 2015
If you know me, you have heard me sing the praises of Seth King—and it’s because he writes books like THIS! Autumn Rising is heartwarming, inspiring, and laugh-out-loud funny. Once again this brilliant author has broken the mold in the romance genre with a story that touched my soul.
Autumn and Hank are an unlikely pair. Both are physically and emotionally damaged and find their way to each other in the wake of grief. Autumn wasn’t easy for me to love. My feelings for her were all over the place. She’s a shallow mess, has no filter and is very frustrating, but she won me over. She’s snarky and hilarious, and when she’s laid bare, you just “get” her. Where Autumn lives out loud, Hank is dark and gruff. But when he opens up, he is romantic at heart. He had me all teary-eyed and swooning. I fell in love with this couple! Autumn and Hank’s love story filled my heart and left me wrapped in warmth and feeling full of hope.
Seth’s writing leaves me in awe. He captures life—the love, loss, optimism, cynicism—with words we feel but can't articulate on our own. It’s the way his characters see the world—the way he describes it. You know how YOU feel, and he puts it into words in his unique and poetic way that you just say, “YES! That’s exactly it!” He captures emotion in a raw, no-hold-barred way and stamped with his brand of humor. He’s fearless and just lays it out there. He makes you really FEEL. I truly laughed and cried and even raged. He makes you face the beauty and the ugliness in life, and you emerge a better person.
Thank you, Seth King, for sharing another beautiful and life changing story.
Autumn Rising is a novella and a gift to the readers of The Summer Remains. If you haven’t read TSR yet, there will be spoilers.
Autumn and Hank are an unlikely pair. Both are physically and emotionally damaged and find their way to each other in the wake of grief. Autumn wasn’t easy for me to love. My feelings for her were all over the place. She’s a shallow mess, has no filter and is very frustrating, but she won me over. She’s snarky and hilarious, and when she’s laid bare, you just “get” her. Where Autumn lives out loud, Hank is dark and gruff. But when he opens up, he is romantic at heart. He had me all teary-eyed and swooning. I fell in love with this couple! Autumn and Hank’s love story filled my heart and left me wrapped in warmth and feeling full of hope.
Seth’s writing leaves me in awe. He captures life—the love, loss, optimism, cynicism—with words we feel but can't articulate on our own. It’s the way his characters see the world—the way he describes it. You know how YOU feel, and he puts it into words in his unique and poetic way that you just say, “YES! That’s exactly it!” He captures emotion in a raw, no-hold-barred way and stamped with his brand of humor. He’s fearless and just lays it out there. He makes you really FEEL. I truly laughed and cried and even raged. He makes you face the beauty and the ugliness in life, and you emerge a better person.
Thank you, Seth King, for sharing another beautiful and life changing story.
Autumn Rising is a novella and a gift to the readers of The Summer Remains. If you haven’t read TSR yet, there will be spoilers.
August 22, 2015
4.5 Stars
Effing A! When I started reading this, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The Summer Remains had gutted me, torn me to pieces, and affected me in a way that I can’t find words to describe. So, I tried to go into this one without expectations.
Of course, that was impossible. And although Autumn and Hank’s story did not send me on the same roller coaster of emotion that Summer and Cooper’s story did, this one almost hurt more…because there was so much of ME in Autumn and Hank’s story.
There was this one particular moment in the story that kicked me in the hind end. Simply put, it was this:
"And these are the ultimate tragedies of the human race: that we run from what we love, that we embrace what is bad for us, and that we battle against what scares us."
For too much of our lives, we let fear control us, and we drown ourselves in self-deprecation, to a point that is not only unattractive, but where we truly believe it about ourselves. And Autumn (and a little bit Hank) does the same.
But I promise, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, a reminder of what we *should* be all about:
"I’d rather bomb at something I loved than win at something that made me miserable. Because that’s not winning. That’s just misery."
Even if you haven’t read The Summer Remains (which I TOTALLY think you should) you should pick this one up and read it. It can remind us all of some valuable life lessons…even if it hurts to remember them.
Reviewed for FMR Book Grind
Effing A! When I started reading this, I wasn’t sure what to expect. The Summer Remains had gutted me, torn me to pieces, and affected me in a way that I can’t find words to describe. So, I tried to go into this one without expectations.
Of course, that was impossible. And although Autumn and Hank’s story did not send me on the same roller coaster of emotion that Summer and Cooper’s story did, this one almost hurt more…because there was so much of ME in Autumn and Hank’s story.
There was this one particular moment in the story that kicked me in the hind end. Simply put, it was this:
"And these are the ultimate tragedies of the human race: that we run from what we love, that we embrace what is bad for us, and that we battle against what scares us."
For too much of our lives, we let fear control us, and we drown ourselves in self-deprecation, to a point that is not only unattractive, but where we truly believe it about ourselves. And Autumn (and a little bit Hank) does the same.
But I promise, there’s a light at the end of the tunnel, a reminder of what we *should* be all about:
"I’d rather bomb at something I loved than win at something that made me miserable. Because that’s not winning. That’s just misery."
Even if you haven’t read The Summer Remains (which I TOTALLY think you should) you should pick this one up and read it. It can remind us all of some valuable life lessons…even if it hurts to remember them.
Reviewed for FMR Book Grind
August 13, 2015
First let me say that I rarely ever rate a novella or short story higher than 4 stars. Autumn Rising may be classified as a novella, but it reads like a full length novel. I have no idea how Seth manages to pack so much emotion and story into so few pages. The only explanation is that he's a literary genius. Plain and simple.
Autumn Rising is Autumn and Hank's story. They are both dealing with the loss of Summer (as we all are) and are trying to find some comfort within each other. Their story is funny, beautiful and sad. I found myself, once again, crying my eyes out (thank God I have a door on my office!). The book really hit home for me this time. I too lost a best friend just a month ago. I miss her everyday. This passage in the book particularly hit home for me, it is said by Autumn's Uncle during one of their chats:
"I know. Anyway, it took me forever to understand that remembering them quietly is the best thing to do. You don't have to cover your room in posters of them and make a new Facebook status about them everyday, and what not. But then again, you don't have to pretend like they'd never been born, never suffered, never died. Keep a candle for them, but don't let it engulf your life, and don't let it blow out."
Beautiful words of wisdom.
I seriously can't say enough about Seth's writing. There are very few male authors that I love. Seth has climbed his way to the top of this exclusive list with his poetic words.
5+++++ Stars for Autumn Rising!
Autumn Rising is Autumn and Hank's story. They are both dealing with the loss of Summer (as we all are) and are trying to find some comfort within each other. Their story is funny, beautiful and sad. I found myself, once again, crying my eyes out (thank God I have a door on my office!). The book really hit home for me this time. I too lost a best friend just a month ago. I miss her everyday. This passage in the book particularly hit home for me, it is said by Autumn's Uncle during one of their chats:
"I know. Anyway, it took me forever to understand that remembering them quietly is the best thing to do. You don't have to cover your room in posters of them and make a new Facebook status about them everyday, and what not. But then again, you don't have to pretend like they'd never been born, never suffered, never died. Keep a candle for them, but don't let it engulf your life, and don't let it blow out."
Beautiful words of wisdom.
I seriously can't say enough about Seth's writing. There are very few male authors that I love. Seth has climbed his way to the top of this exclusive list with his poetic words.
5+++++ Stars for Autumn Rising!
August 21, 2015
I am all over the place with this one. It had so many different moments presented that at some points I felt sort of lost. It was quirky, it was misgiving, the need to want to be normal, and just not give up due to the life they were handed with. Overall though, as the story progressed it had serve a purpose and to look at life in a more positive way.
Two people, Autumn Mahal and Hank Basra who are opposites in many ways but have one thing in common: the passing of a dear close friend who had impacted their lives. This is their story of facing that lost in hopes that they will be able to move on (whether it was together or alone) and to continue their life without feeling adrift.
The 3.5 stars read was one that I was not expecting. Autumn was a toss up with her constant change in attitude and Hank liked and dealt with it when it came to her. The inner working minds of both characters reasonings were interesting. It had points where it was randomly funny then serious one moment and then moments that got pretty deep making me confused on how to feel about certain parts of the story. It was a mix of so many things going on at once leading to look profoundly at the words being said. The story had a lot of heart making me view the bigger picture of life. It is the perfect book of grieving, to overcome fear of living, and opening your eyes to love.
Two people, Autumn Mahal and Hank Basra who are opposites in many ways but have one thing in common: the passing of a dear close friend who had impacted their lives. This is their story of facing that lost in hopes that they will be able to move on (whether it was together or alone) and to continue their life without feeling adrift.
The 3.5 stars read was one that I was not expecting. Autumn was a toss up with her constant change in attitude and Hank liked and dealt with it when it came to her. The inner working minds of both characters reasonings were interesting. It had points where it was randomly funny then serious one moment and then moments that got pretty deep making me confused on how to feel about certain parts of the story. It was a mix of so many things going on at once leading to look profoundly at the words being said. The story had a lot of heart making me view the bigger picture of life. It is the perfect book of grieving, to overcome fear of living, and opening your eyes to love.
July 18, 2015
The Autumn Remains By: Seth King
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B011V0Y...
I found this book today since I had seen these little hints on Seth's Instagram page he was working on and about to release something new. Still not 100% sure this is what he meant or if it is what he said is supposed to release soon or if it's like in the afterword where we will see Cooper's story. The things I love in this novella are. . . Sweating like a Kardashian in church. . . The first time this book made me giggle out loud. "What is you most basic truth" a simple question that leads to so much more. And yet a question that is so important to the rest of this novella. Somehow I connected more to the story of Autumn and Hank more than Summer and Cooper. While the "Summer Remains" left me upset this one left me gutted! Because the what if? Totally affects me, there were so many questions left at the end of this novella I hope that after all the heartbreak that Autumn and Hank get some resolution and hopefully a happier ending. I have the feeling we will see in the next book how things evolve and wrap up .
Amazon Link: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B011V0Y...
I found this book today since I had seen these little hints on Seth's Instagram page he was working on and about to release something new. Still not 100% sure this is what he meant or if it is what he said is supposed to release soon or if it's like in the afterword where we will see Cooper's story. The things I love in this novella are. . . Sweating like a Kardashian in church. . . The first time this book made me giggle out loud. "What is you most basic truth" a simple question that leads to so much more. And yet a question that is so important to the rest of this novella. Somehow I connected more to the story of Autumn and Hank more than Summer and Cooper. While the "Summer Remains" left me upset this one left me gutted! Because the what if? Totally affects me, there were so many questions left at the end of this novella I hope that after all the heartbreak that Autumn and Hank get some resolution and hopefully a happier ending. I have the feeling we will see in the next book how things evolve and wrap up .
July 19, 2015
I got a huge surprise when I found 'Autumn Rising' on amazon. The Summer Remains is one of my favourite books of all time, and Autumn Rising is like the icing on the cake.
Seth King is my new go to author. It seems everything he writes, no matter what genre is brilliant and this book is no exception. I devoured this book in one night and loved every word.
Autumn and Hanks story is one where I had no idea how it was going to end. It kept me guessing right till the end and I couldn't get enough of it. Their story is real life, nothing is sugar coated and I am still amazed at how Seth can write about a female character so precisely. I know girls like Autumn. I have had thoughts like Autumn. He has a knack for making us fall in love with his characters, empathising with them and comparing ourselves to them.
The dedication and authors notes in this book are beautiful and had me reaching for the tissues.
Autumn Rising is for Seth's readers, his fans, his believers and I can definitely say, I believe in Seth King. This man has a gift that should be witnessed by the world. Do yourself a favour, read The Summer Remains and enjoy with all your heart, Autumn Rising.
Seth King is destined for big things. Watch this space.
Seth King is my new go to author. It seems everything he writes, no matter what genre is brilliant and this book is no exception. I devoured this book in one night and loved every word.
Autumn and Hanks story is one where I had no idea how it was going to end. It kept me guessing right till the end and I couldn't get enough of it. Their story is real life, nothing is sugar coated and I am still amazed at how Seth can write about a female character so precisely. I know girls like Autumn. I have had thoughts like Autumn. He has a knack for making us fall in love with his characters, empathising with them and comparing ourselves to them.
The dedication and authors notes in this book are beautiful and had me reaching for the tissues.
Autumn Rising is for Seth's readers, his fans, his believers and I can definitely say, I believe in Seth King. This man has a gift that should be witnessed by the world. Do yourself a favour, read The Summer Remains and enjoy with all your heart, Autumn Rising.
Seth King is destined for big things. Watch this space.
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