Lovely

by Autumn J. Bright

They say bad things happen to good people, but that old cliché doesn’t bring much comfort to Lovely Duval. In a time of fading innocence, at a young age, Lovely takes on a life of responsibility after a tragic accident strikes home. And although performing household duties and helping out with a terminally ill parent on a daily basis is sometimes hard work for the preteen, she embraces it all with a positive attitude simply out of sheer love and devotion.

But when a nomadic family member returns to small-town Willisburg, South Carolina, her challenges escalate—cutting her childhood short and propelling her down a path of binge eating and self-destruction. Now a young woman, Lovely has to make a decision. Will she succumb to the demons of her past? Or will she fight for change and allow love to heal her heart?

Genres: Fiction

318 pages, Paperback

Published November 7, 2017

About the author

Autumn J. Bright is an American author. Her debut novel, Love Sick, was called “Searing” by Publishers Weekly and Kirkus Reviews magazine listed it as a recommended read. And her second novel, Lovely, received praise from Booklist. When not dreaming up storylines or writing revisions, you can find Autumn being active in many things or simply binging on streaming TV shows.

Reviews

[Rljulie · Rating 2 out of 5]

An epic coming-of-age that follows the protagonist from childhood through tumultuous teenage years and into young adulthood, whose far reach exceeds its narrative strength. The old writing teacher's maxim "Show, don't tell" would have been put to good advantage in this novel. Between the first-person perspective and a disconcertingly shallow glossing over of far too many subjects (from death, child abandonment and sexual molestation to drug use, homosexuality, AIDS, and disordered eating), this felt like a recitation: "One thing happened, and then another..." The author lists sequential dramatic moments, but without enough depth to involve the reader in any one of them. Characters come and go with very little lasting impact to the protagonist. Some seem to be meaningful when introduced, only to vanish without further mention. Scenes that could have been emotionally wrought and higly dramatic are instead summarily wrapped up in short sentences describing levels of emotion that even the characters don't feel. The supposed emotion, told rather than shown, just can't seem to make it off the page. The protagonist is too self-absorbed to either appreciate the characters around her, or even, in the first-person retelling of her life story, respect her audience enough to involve them fully in the telling. A real dud.

[Keshia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lovely is the story of a young girl in the 1980's who was left on a doorstep to be loved by another family and then her coming to age in the 1990s. She is brave, confidant and strong yet as the years go on and different issues happen in her life she finds herself in a different state of mind. Lovely goes back and forth trying to figure out life and truly find herself. Her character is written so well and I found myself just wanting to hug her at times. I loved Miss Delores and yearned for and felt that motherly love from her. This book was truly a gem to read. It's both heart breaking and heart warming and I love it even more for that. You can't have the sweet without a little salty I suppose. Lovely brings up childhood nostalgia, awkward teenage romances, heart wrenching loss, sexual abuse, grief, mental illnesses, friendship, love, adult sexual awareness, the list goes on...I mean you truly get the full package. Lovely is beautiful and damaged but the entire time...Lovely. A must read just for those happy feels. 5 stars.

[Dennise Pendergrass · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a beautiful story. Lovely is one of those rare people that is truly good. She does all the right things, has all the right priorities... but her life is full of loss, disappointment, trauma, and sadness. There are so many different aspects of life that this book covers. I really enjoyed seeing Lovely's evolution from child to adult. Seeing her fight her own demons. It was very touching.

[Kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was able to get an advance copy from the author.
Lovely is so real and endearing. She will capture your heart and you will find yourself rooting for her from beginning to end. There is a bit of all of us in Lovely.

[TJ Mayo · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a "Lovely" story!
Autumn J. Bright delivers yet another engaging read. As I turned to the final page, I found myself tenderly invested in the lead character's well being; I yearned to know where her life was headed. I highly recommend adding this gem to your "Must Read" list.

[Doreen Ashbrook · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderful, very human characters, with an interesting story line and a feel-good ending. Thank you Goodreads Giveaways.

[Amy Ingalls · Rating 2 out of 5]

I won this book in a giveaway. I enjoyed Lovely's story to a point. This book spanned her life from age 11 to age 24. Life happened during those years-- deaths, illnesses, beginnings, endings. I should have been fully invested in her story-- other books that span an entire decade+ in a character's life have impacted me in profound ways. This one did not. I'm a cryer; the sad things in this book did not make me cry. And they should have. Something was just off in the telling. So even though I liked the characters and was rooting for Lovely, I had to rate it only 2 stars.

[Nancy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book had been on my Kindle forever .... since February 2018. Finally got to read it and it is a sweet story of Lovely growing up in a small SC town. She faces challenges, struggles and grows. Good read.

[jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good read

This was very good book. I would recommend this book. It was little at the end.but it page turned. Because you want no what happens

[Miranda · Rating 4 out of 5]

It reminded me of my teen and preteen years growing up, so it brought back some nostalgia and made me smile. But A lot of loss for one person to bear.

[Kimberly D. Askins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great read

I fell in love with Lovely as I watch her grow up into a strong woman. So many different emotions brought out.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Had a hard time getting into this one at the beginning, but I kept reading. Once I got a little ways in it was better and easier to hold my attention. Good read overall.

[Artemis]

Excited to read your book, Autumn!