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Soaring Alone
Handsome husband? Check. Adorable son? She’s got that too. Quiet, suburban life? Absolutely.
Looking in, Rachel James has everything a woman could want. Yet she’s plagued with feelings of insecurity and invisibility that have bothered her since childhood. The ultimatum her husband gave her before their son was born only adds to her frustration. When the FBI shows up and throws a wrench into the life she’s barely living, Rachel has to make choices. The family who raised her? Or this other one she’s only just met? Thankfully she has a devoted husband…assuming he can forgive the past she never told him about.
Looking in, Rachel James has everything a woman could want. Yet she’s plagued with feelings of insecurity and invisibility that have bothered her since childhood. The ultimatum her husband gave her before their son was born only adds to her frustration. When the FBI shows up and throws a wrench into the life she’s barely living, Rachel has to make choices. The family who raised her? Or this other one she’s only just met? Thankfully she has a devoted husband…assuming he can forgive the past she never told him about.
- GenresContemporary
349 pages, Kindle Edition
Published March 14, 2016
4 people are currently reading
13 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 13, 2016
Rachel James is one emotionally bottled individual. She's in therapy - something her husband insisted on if she intended to go through with the adoption - but opening up to even the therapist is an impossible feat. And then she finds out that she's not Rachel James. Born Maggie Dawson, Rachel was stolen and raised in a family not her own. The Watkins - the family that raised her - are incredibly dysfunctional, and when she says she'd like to meet the Dawsons, the Watkins basically disown her. But the Dawson's aren't the fairy tale family she'd always hoped for either. With her marriage starting to crumble under the pressure of an old secret and a baby dependent on her, Rachel's emergence from her emotional cocoon is fraught with danger and disappointment. Somehow, she must find the reality of her new life and in the process, find herself as well.
This was an interesting read. I think I got it for free as a bonus somewhere, because I don't recall purchasing or requesting it, but the cover was gorgeous. I found myself a little confused at times, as the story see-saws between present and past events (even mid event) and skips between characters. The viewpoint changes aren't bad, so much as they're not always clear, and since the author had a propensity to use pronouns, it could be a while before you realize that the viewpoint had been changed and who was talking.
Overall, though, there was a very real emotional pull that kept me turning pages. I wanted to hurt the Watkins and the Dawsons for what they did to Rachel. I nicknamed the story the "series of unfortunate people," because it seemed like everyone who put their hands on that child were kind of horrible. Infidelity, selfishness, anger, drugs, manipulation - you name it, it probably touched the child in some way. Obviously, the child survives, but if you're sensitive to babies in vulnerable positions, this may not be the book for you. If you like the horrific kind of scandal that keeps you glued to the drama, then you'll love Soaring Alone.
This was an interesting read. I think I got it for free as a bonus somewhere, because I don't recall purchasing or requesting it, but the cover was gorgeous. I found myself a little confused at times, as the story see-saws between present and past events (even mid event) and skips between characters. The viewpoint changes aren't bad, so much as they're not always clear, and since the author had a propensity to use pronouns, it could be a while before you realize that the viewpoint had been changed and who was talking.
Overall, though, there was a very real emotional pull that kept me turning pages. I wanted to hurt the Watkins and the Dawsons for what they did to Rachel. I nicknamed the story the "series of unfortunate people," because it seemed like everyone who put their hands on that child were kind of horrible. Infidelity, selfishness, anger, drugs, manipulation - you name it, it probably touched the child in some way. Obviously, the child survives, but if you're sensitive to babies in vulnerable positions, this may not be the book for you. If you like the horrific kind of scandal that keeps you glued to the drama, then you'll love Soaring Alone.
July 5, 2016
A story of the pull between what was, what might have been, and what can be...
This storyline floored me with a detailed web of interactions and relationships that surround the story of a baby taken from the hospital thirty years ago and never found. The opening dialogue was dry, expected from a young woman feeling removed and alienated in her own life. As the story progresses, we join Rachel James on a roller coaster of emotions and discovery that would have anyone seeing a therapist. Feeling out of place and isolated in her own skin, Rachel is further set adrift with the unraveling story of this baby gone missing. Torn between the family she was raised in but that constantly leaves a distaste in her mouth, and the family she should have/ could have had, Rachel struggles to find herself in the land of in-between, and her place with the husband and cute baby she has now.
The story is told through endless perspectives, and at different points in the present and past, which occasionally interrupted the flow of the story for me. Despite that, each of the characters that were telling part of the story were tied together skillfully, with a thread surrounding the missing baby, and each given depth and time to get me invested in their perspective. I felt like there were a few dangling ends that never got wrapped up because of the complexity, though that complexity is what made it an intriguing read. For instance, I really wanted to hear the police chief’s talk with a surprise caller. I also wondered what happened to the birth father of the stolen baby. But despite these loose ends, the book was definitely enjoyable and I look forward to reading more from Vickie Miller.
**Please note that I received a complementary copy of this work in exchange for my honest review.**
This storyline floored me with a detailed web of interactions and relationships that surround the story of a baby taken from the hospital thirty years ago and never found. The opening dialogue was dry, expected from a young woman feeling removed and alienated in her own life. As the story progresses, we join Rachel James on a roller coaster of emotions and discovery that would have anyone seeing a therapist. Feeling out of place and isolated in her own skin, Rachel is further set adrift with the unraveling story of this baby gone missing. Torn between the family she was raised in but that constantly leaves a distaste in her mouth, and the family she should have/ could have had, Rachel struggles to find herself in the land of in-between, and her place with the husband and cute baby she has now.
The story is told through endless perspectives, and at different points in the present and past, which occasionally interrupted the flow of the story for me. Despite that, each of the characters that were telling part of the story were tied together skillfully, with a thread surrounding the missing baby, and each given depth and time to get me invested in their perspective. I felt like there were a few dangling ends that never got wrapped up because of the complexity, though that complexity is what made it an intriguing read. For instance, I really wanted to hear the police chief’s talk with a surprise caller. I also wondered what happened to the birth father of the stolen baby. But despite these loose ends, the book was definitely enjoyable and I look forward to reading more from Vickie Miller.
**Please note that I received a complementary copy of this work in exchange for my honest review.**
March 29, 2016
How does one rediscover themselves and pick up the tragic pieces of the past?
Soaring Alone is the first book I have read by this author. I was sucked in from the start. I thought Mrs. Miller conveyed how emotionless this character seems and through an intricate series of flashbacks and other perspectives, the story unfolds on how this came to be. Why Rachel James became so alienated in her own skin and her journey to connecting with herself and others again. I truly enjoyed how the story unfolded and the twists and turns it took all the way to the end. This is really a story on the rediscovery of self and becoming who you were always meant to be or, at least, picking up the pieces and becoming something more after a tragic beginning in life. I cannot wait for the authors next novel. She has a unique voice that I love and other readers will love too.
Soaring Alone is the first book I have read by this author. I was sucked in from the start. I thought Mrs. Miller conveyed how emotionless this character seems and through an intricate series of flashbacks and other perspectives, the story unfolds on how this came to be. Why Rachel James became so alienated in her own skin and her journey to connecting with herself and others again. I truly enjoyed how the story unfolded and the twists and turns it took all the way to the end. This is really a story on the rediscovery of self and becoming who you were always meant to be or, at least, picking up the pieces and becoming something more after a tragic beginning in life. I cannot wait for the authors next novel. She has a unique voice that I love and other readers will love too.
May 31, 2016
This suspense novel has a great premise, but I thought there were a few too many holes in the plot or things that didn't get explained thoroughly enough. Rachel, a young wife and mom who's already in therapy, receives a phone call telling her that she had been kidnapped from the hospital as an infant, that the media already knows this and that her birth mom wants to meet her. As a reader, I wanted more detail about how Rachel got from the kidnapper to the family who raised her, and less about her (completely explainable, given the circumstances) psychological troubles.
February 24, 2016
An intriguing tale by a great storyteller. Vickie S. Miller's Soaring Alone was a pleasure to read and I was easily swept up in her words. I'm looking forward to more from this author.
May 21, 2016
There were many things to love about this book, but Winston alone made it worth reading. I highly recommend it.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews