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Letting Go
Jake Butler’s life is a lie! Join him as he learns about the optical illusions of love and deceit. Nothing is as it seems. An undeniable page-turner!
244 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2010
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
November 9, 2025
Ginnie is a truly gifted writer. Her characters are so well developed they feel like real people you might actually know. She could describe a plain gray rock and somehow make it fascinating. I especially loved her choice to alternate between Sara’s and Jake’s points of view—each voice felt distinct and authentic.
Even though the story centers on them, I can’t stop thinking about Erika. For most of the book, I despised her, yet I can’t help but wonder if she, too, was a victim of circumstance. Then again, maybe that’s true for all the characters in their own ways. She’s cold and often mistreats Jake, but it’s clear she loves him—even if she isn’t very good at loving anyone but herself.
An excellent story with a perfectly fitting title. Five stars, without question!
And Ginnie—sorry it took me so long to finally read your work. It was absolutely worth the wait.
Even though the story centers on them, I can’t stop thinking about Erika. For most of the book, I despised her, yet I can’t help but wonder if she, too, was a victim of circumstance. Then again, maybe that’s true for all the characters in their own ways. She’s cold and often mistreats Jake, but it’s clear she loves him—even if she isn’t very good at loving anyone but herself.
An excellent story with a perfectly fitting title. Five stars, without question!
And Ginnie—sorry it took me so long to finally read your work. It was absolutely worth the wait.
June 26, 2013
Reviewed by Michael McManus for Reader's Favorite.
Jake is a starry-eyed adolescent, who is so in love with Erika that he cannot see that they are drifting apart. He is caught up with school and work and planning a life in their little Illinois town, with its bandstand park and its quaintly little Main Street. Erika, who loves him dearly and has since they were very young, has other plans. As a talented musician, she has the opportunity to go to the big town and participate in the excitement and glamour of life in Chicago. Try as she might, she finds Jake resisting a move with her out of his idyllic surroundings and the safe harbor of their little hamlet.
Jake’s grandmother, Sara, who has raised him since his mother died in a car accident when he was a toddler, has doubts about Erika’s sincerity. Having never liked the girl, Sara, believes it is best for Jake to forget her and move on with his life. Conflict arises between Jake and Sara over their disconnect about Erika and Jake’s future together, but an undercurrent of deception and the development of unexpected circumstances change their lives far more than a break-up with a first love.
“Letting Go” by Virginia C. Foley is written in the first person from the point of view of two of the characters in the book, Jake and his grandmother, Sara. By shifting focus from one character’s perspective to the other, she builds drama, as she works through the tensions that each is feeling from the events that are detailed in the story. I really like this technique. It added depth to the story that would not have been there if it were narrated by a single voice. I happily recommend this story. The characters are real. The dialog is believable and the situations are current and familiar.
Jake is a starry-eyed adolescent, who is so in love with Erika that he cannot see that they are drifting apart. He is caught up with school and work and planning a life in their little Illinois town, with its bandstand park and its quaintly little Main Street. Erika, who loves him dearly and has since they were very young, has other plans. As a talented musician, she has the opportunity to go to the big town and participate in the excitement and glamour of life in Chicago. Try as she might, she finds Jake resisting a move with her out of his idyllic surroundings and the safe harbor of their little hamlet.
Jake’s grandmother, Sara, who has raised him since his mother died in a car accident when he was a toddler, has doubts about Erika’s sincerity. Having never liked the girl, Sara, believes it is best for Jake to forget her and move on with his life. Conflict arises between Jake and Sara over their disconnect about Erika and Jake’s future together, but an undercurrent of deception and the development of unexpected circumstances change their lives far more than a break-up with a first love.
“Letting Go” by Virginia C. Foley is written in the first person from the point of view of two of the characters in the book, Jake and his grandmother, Sara. By shifting focus from one character’s perspective to the other, she builds drama, as she works through the tensions that each is feeling from the events that are detailed in the story. I really like this technique. It added depth to the story that would not have been there if it were narrated by a single voice. I happily recommend this story. The characters are real. The dialog is believable and the situations are current and familiar.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews