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28-year-old Beth Harmon has made her professional home at the Washington D.C. anti-hunger nonprofit Safety Net following an extended job hunt. Although discouraged by her limited role after four years, Beth finds comfort in Safety Net’s predictability in the face of life’s upheavals - including a roommate on the verge of moving out, a work friend on the verge of moving on, and a man who (despite her best efforts) Beth is on the verge of falling in love with.
When Beth is offered a larger role in Safety Net’s biggest fundraiser of the year, she dives headfirst into the new challenge. But such a dive means working against her own anxieties. As Beth navigates challenges both in and out of the office, she must confront the prospect of losing predictable constants in her life - and must decide which ones she wants to save, and which are worth walking away from.
When Beth is offered a larger role in Safety Net’s biggest fundraiser of the year, she dives headfirst into the new challenge. But such a dive means working against her own anxieties. As Beth navigates challenges both in and out of the office, she must confront the prospect of losing predictable constants in her life - and must decide which ones she wants to save, and which are worth walking away from.
444 pages, Paperback
Published December 19, 2017
12 people want to read
About the author
Sonora Taylor
35 books159 followersSonora Taylor is the award-winning author of Little Paranoias: Stories, Without Condition, The Crow’s Gift and Other Tales, Please Give, and Wither and Other Stories. Her short stories have appeared in multiple publications, including Camden Park Press’s Quoth the Raven, Kandisha Press’s Women of Horror Vol. 2: Graveyard Smash, The Sirens Call, Frozen Wavelets, Mercurial Stories, Tales to Terrify, and the Ladies of Horror fiction podcast. Her latest book, Seeing Things, is now available on Amazon. She lives in Arlington, Virginia, with her husband.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
March 23, 2020
It was a little difficult to read about a character who claims to be awful at relationships (romantic and otherwise) interact so maturely with people for so long.
It was also the sort of difficult that some readers (myself included) probably need more of -- especially in the romance genre.
There are points in the dialogue where things feel over-explained, or unnatural, and it seems like characters are too capable of retroactive self-awareness. But that's coming from someone who, like the narrator of the book, has really had to struggle to try and improve communication skills. It's hard to read about, but I do wish more romances portrayed that struggle in this sort of light.
Please Give shows that there is hope for self-improvement, and that sometimes it's gradual. One of the things that made it frustrating to read is that it was realistic in that regard, and that's not something I'm used to reading. I think it's a healthy change, and I wish more romance arcs were approached this way.
I don't know if I would have selected this book to read at this point in my life had I known what it was about going in, but I'm really glad that I happened upon it. It gave me a lot to think about and I did really care about the characters.
It was also the sort of difficult that some readers (myself included) probably need more of -- especially in the romance genre.
There are points in the dialogue where things feel over-explained, or unnatural, and it seems like characters are too capable of retroactive self-awareness. But that's coming from someone who, like the narrator of the book, has really had to struggle to try and improve communication skills. It's hard to read about, but I do wish more romances portrayed that struggle in this sort of light.
Please Give shows that there is hope for self-improvement, and that sometimes it's gradual. One of the things that made it frustrating to read is that it was realistic in that regard, and that's not something I'm used to reading. I think it's a healthy change, and I wish more romance arcs were approached this way.
I don't know if I would have selected this book to read at this point in my life had I known what it was about going in, but I'm really glad that I happened upon it. It gave me a lot to think about and I did really care about the characters.
February 26, 2021
Disclaimer: The author is a friend, and friends get five-starred unless they pull something truly egregious.
That said, Sonora's book is a great love story but it's the workplace and character study elements that make it sing. Beth's work life is portrayed with excruciatingly relatable detail (that's a compliment); her thought process and aversion to standing out for herself and what she wants is appropriately frustrating at times; supporting characters aren't overly explained or introduced but each is vibrant and none read as one-note.
Recommended, especially if you've got office experience.
That said, Sonora's book is a great love story but it's the workplace and character study elements that make it sing. Beth's work life is portrayed with excruciatingly relatable detail (that's a compliment); her thought process and aversion to standing out for herself and what she wants is appropriately frustrating at times; supporting characters aren't overly explained or introduced but each is vibrant and none read as one-note.
Recommended, especially if you've got office experience.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews