Starting Over

by J.H. Morgan

Jen never understood why her father despised her, but she spent years bearing the brunt of his contempt—and his fists. Years of abuse come to a head one terrible night, after which Jen bolts from her midwestern town, escaping to the coast.

There, Jen finds shelter with her childhood friend Rachelle, Rachelle’s boyfriend, and their roommate, Derek, until events cause her to spiral into a self-destructive pattern of drugs and partying.

Jen claws her way back to sobriety only to experience betrayal, physical and emotional pain, and a crisis that pulls her back into her family’s world. She seems destined to live life in despair, but then what seems to be yet another tragedy offers her salvation in the form of an infant desperately in need of a mother.

Determined to start again and make a better life for the child she now cares for, Jen struggles to improve her life. A romance with an older man provides a contented state she’s never felt before.

Jen’s life finally seems to be on the right track when a figure from her past reappears. Now she must choose between her heart and her head—and risk everything in the process.

470 pages, Kindle Edition

Published September 30, 2016

About the author

J H Morgan has, like all woman, many labels: Mother, (which of course has many of its own sub-labels: nursemaid, chef, personal driver, wrangler of horses, etc...), daughter, sister, wife, friend, business owner, ADHD, depressed, insomniac, and all-around weirdo, to name a few. Of the many labels Morgan has, there are some that she has spent a lifetime trying to deny, trying to hide from. The label of victim and that of survivor.
'No one wants to be a survivor, it means that you went through something that you never should have, something that changed you so deeply, so completely that the person you were before is as good as dead. And learning to come to terms with the "new' version of you is the journey of survival. People never see you the same as before, you walk around with an invisible barrier between yourself and the world around you. Who the f*#k wants that?' J H Morgan, 2018, on her novel, 'The Long Road Home."
As her five children grew into young adults however, Morgan realised that keeping quiet and hiding her story was allowing shame to rule her life and choices.
Morgan's novels often contain graphic content, which can be unsettling but are the blunt truths and which provide an honest and unflinching representation of what being a survivor of trauma really feels like. They don't sugarcoat the realities of living as survivors, but focus instead on the strength, determination, and bonds created by women who have no option but to keep on going.
Morgan lives in the Kingdom of Eswatini with her husband, five children, and countless pets, (seriously, it's impossible to keep track). While dedicating the majority of her time to her family, Morgan has worked in several fields but focuses now on the family business and obtaining her veterinary doctorate. Morgan has a passion for animals and has been rehabilitating and fostering animals for nearly three decades.

Reviews

[Aleksandra Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The only thing stopping her was the knowledge that she wouldn’t rest until she made something of herself—proved to herself that she was more than her father’s opinion of her."

Oh, wow! I did not expect such an emotional roller coaster! I'm emotional drained. I bought this book knowing nothing about it. I usually don't do this but I really don't know what changed my mind. I found this book by coincidence on Amazon and synopsis grabbed me right away. And I'm so happy I bought it Because it is my kind of a book.

First I'm going to say there are two things that bothered me and that's why I couldn't give 5 stars. The book is written in 3rd person, which doesn't bother me at all. But what bothered me are mixed POVs. Even though the book is in 3rd person we still get characters' POV/thoughts. And one sentence is one character's POV and the next sentence is another character's POV. At the beginning it was confusing but later you kind of get used to it. The other thing that bothered me is that the synopsis reveals the entire plot/storyline. I'm not an expert but the point of synopsis is that should pique readers' interest and that's all. Maybe it should be something like how Jen's life wasn't always easy living with an abusive father and when finally getting free instead of blooming she falls in the world of drugs.Life keps hitting her. And when she tries to pick up, it is anything but easy. Because while reading the book I kind of knew what would happened next because of the synopsis and that bothered me. But still this didn't stop me for loving this book. Because OMG, what a journey. This isn't a small book but I read it in one day. My heart broke for Jen. Life kept hitting her over and over again. There was one time when I started yelling "enough is enough." But she's my hero. After every hit she just got up and kept going. But my heart broke for her, my heart was bleeding for her. She went through so much heartache I had no idea how she'll survive.
It's definitely one of the most emotional books I've ever read. And definitely one of the most memorable books I've ever read. I love 'all the feels' books. They are my jam.

"When I look back at my life, it’s like a series of awful things that happen just as I’m getting my life together, and then I have to start all over again. It feels like I spend half my life starting over.”

This book is definitely not for everyone. It's ugly, it's brutal. And yet filled with hope. All the characters are full of mistakes and flaws. And that's what makes this story so special. It's real and gritty. I love how book was focused on Jen, but we still followed her friends's lives through the years. It's a book about life, heartaches, survival, friends and love.

"“What’s happened up until now was out of your control. What you chose to do now is totally up to you.”

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great read .all you want to do is find out what happens next!

[Lori Brickey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Amazing

When I first started reading this book, I didn’t think I was going to like this book. Let me say fortunately I was so very wrong, this book had me on an emotional roller coaster. I laughed, I cried, I even held my breath a few times. The story of Jen and her tragically beautiful life is one for the ages. J. H. Morgan takes you on a journey that has you in the edge of your seat the whole time.
Jen goes from a troubled teen with a troubled family life, to making life decisions no 17 year old should have to make. Then she has to go through a loss caused by a family member, and going on a downhill spiral. Every time I thought things were going to to be to much for Jen she would pick herself up and win against all the odds. A truly amazing story and a wonderful heartfelt story, I having truly enjoyed the journey.

[ANGELA OBERNDORFER · Rating 3 out of 5]

Missing something

The story just didn’t flow well and was too far out there to really believe for me to continue after the first few chapters.

[Tracey Le · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic book. Well written with a very good story line. Just when you think you have reached a peak - another surprise comes along. I would definitely recommend this book!