Soul's Choice

Soul's Choice #1

by Kerri Davidson

Three souls, changed forever.

Amelia Clarke is dead. But she's not gone. She has an Earth family to watch over, new worlds to explore, and mind-blowing discoveries to make. Her husband Jason and teenage daughter Amy have their own problems as they struggle to come together and live in a world without her.

Amy. Sweet sixteen and never been kissed. She'll soon find out this is the least of her troubles. Life hasn't even begun to heap its miseries upon her. Overweight, socially awkward, and now motherless... Will she be able to rise above and find her place in the universe?

Soul's Choice is set in both the afterlife and the world as we know it. This story follows the journey of three souls and the choices they make in the face of disaster, despair, and the underlying but always present Rules.

Ebook available at Bagoflettuce.com, KerriDavidsonBooks.com, Barnes and Noble, Apple, Kobo, Angus and Robertson.

Genres: Fiction

263 pages, Kindle Edition

Published October 3, 2019

Reviews

[Veronica Barton · Rating 5 out of 5]

A mother’s death and passage into the afterlife leaves her daughter and husband in limbo on Earth as they try to figure out what to do with their lives. Writer/mother Amelia dies unexpectedly in a tragic accident. She watches her family’s movements, witnessing the pangs of their despair and floundering, unable to help them from her perch in the beyond.

Teenage daughter Amy struggles with her self esteem, feeling listless in her life after her mother’s passing. She’s eating herself into oblivion, trying to dull the pain. Her police officer father, Jason, is lost as well, missing his wife and having no idea what to do with his daughter. He proposes a move back to his home town so that Amy can be around family members, but will the move ease their pain and open a door to the living again?

Author Davidson takes us on a unique paranormal journey into the afterlife as Amelia explores her soul’s options and witnesses the heartbreaking events of her family’s struggle back on Earth. Things appear to get better, but life (and death) always seems to present twists and turns that can suck the spirit out of you. Soul’s Choice is a page turning read, with an original twist I think is quite brilliant. I cannot wait to read the sequel–highly recommended!

[J.R. Schuyler · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow, what an emotional rollercoaster. “Soul’s Choice” is a paranormal novel that realistically depicts the various facets of grief and loss. It also has an interesting and unique perspective on the afterlife.

The book switches perspectives between Amelia (who is dead), her daughter (Amy), and her husband (Jason). Amelia’s chapters are written in first-person, and they really drew me in. The other chapters are in third-person. To be honest, I was apprehensive of those chapters at first because I felt distant from Amy and Jason. As the story progressed, though, I realized that the distance actually works brilliantly because it reflects the kind of distance that Amelia has from her family. And regardless of the distance, the characters are very well-developed.

Amy was a thoroughly obnoxious character early on, but despite that, she was still my favorite. I really, really wanted to know what she would do next in her downward spiral. I’m not sure I entirely believed her redemption arc--the issues she faced tend to be deeper seated than anything a single event could fix. On the other hand, grief can make people do a 180 in terms of personality. So while I find it unlikely, it’s certainly not impossible.

The writing style was great, the plot was engaging, and I didn’t find a single grammatical error. It’s rare to find something so well-edited these days, so major props to the author for that. The ending was unexpected but very fitting.

Do I recommend this book? ABSOLUTELY. I finished the whole thing in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. If you enjoy paranormal fiction, you won't regret picking up this gem.

[Tabatha Shipley · Rating 4 out of 5]

February Bonus Wheel: Choose by Cover!

What I Did Like:
-Emotional. This is one that is almost hard to read because the emotions are so raw. The guilt, the self-loathing, the grief -- they’re all laid bare in this one and you feel them with the characters. Well written emotion. This one is like a gut punch.
-That first line. Oof. I even posted it on Instagram. Basically, this opening leaves no doubt about what you’re dropping into. It’s a great opener that makes the paranormal stuff take a front seat.
-That ending. You all know what kind of endings I like. I like to have a lot of things left up in the air, I like to be left thinking about these characters. I don’t want all the answers. If that’s your kind of ending, you’ll love this one! If not … I hear there’s a second book. Maybe just buy both and be ready!

Who Should Read This One:
-Readers who like intriguing tales involving the afterlife. This is a great take on that!
-Contemporary fans who like stories about families, specifically ones that focus on a family dealing with grief.

My Rating: 4 Stars. HIGHLY recommended for fans of afterlife stories. This one is a new fav!

For Full Review: https://youtu.be/8wYuuMSAma4

[J. Mills · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is such a well thought out book. There's many things that jump out in this paranormal story that differs from a wide variety of the genre. Kerri Davidson does an excellent job on exploring the idea of loss and pain through multiple facets that makes the reader become lost in the book. It's heavily realistic, and all the characters goals are clear and heavily explored since there's so many layers and depths to them all.
If you're wanting to read something very different and not quite like most books, especially when it comes to the ethereal side of existence, then I'm sure any reader will get the best out of both worlds. It's not often I'd want to give 6 stars for a book, but this is definitely one of them.

The description is clear, even in the semi-surreal scenes, and all the characters are explored so heavily with the themes that linger and become interwoven in the work. It's such a beautiful story.

[Tyerone Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

“Soul’s Choice” by Kerri Davidson follows recently-deceased Amelia as she adjusts to the afterlife, while watching over her husband Jason and teenage daughter Amy.
This story was more a slice-of-life than a standard fantasy novel and alternated between Amelia, Jason, and Amy as the point-of-view character, with Amelia as the narrator.

I normally don’t read books like this, but to my surprise, I enjoyed it. However, I did find Amelia and Jason’s reaction to Amy’s acting out disgusting, especially Amelia who went on and on about how Amy wasn’t her daughter and was a monster.

My two biggest complaints are that several of the plot points were predictable to the point they were obvious, and that the story ended on a massive cliffhanger.

That being said, I did find myself invested in the lives (and afterlife) of the characters, and already bought the next book in the series.

Overall, I give “ Soul’s Choice” 3.8 out of 5.0 stars.

[R.J. Sorrento · Rating 5 out of 5]

What caught my attention with Soul’s Choice is her creative take on the afterlife. After the death of main character Amelia Clarke, we are with her soul as she navigates her new plane of existence, watching her grieving daughter Amy and husband Jason on Earth.

This book is a rollercoaster of emotions, and as a parent myself, I was moved by Amelia’s urgent need to watch over her family, despite the pull of many doors to other worlds. Her bond is strong with her husband and daughter, and she fights to stay connected to them.

If you’re ready for a paranormal book with plenty of heart, I highly recommend Soul’s Choice.

To read my full review, visit my blog: https://www.rjsorrento.com/blog/souls...

[Dizzy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Grief hits people in so many different ways. And Kerry Davidson explores how three people deal with the death of Amelia in Soul’s Choice. Her husband, her daughter, and surprisingly, Amelia herself! Soul’s Choice is written as if Amelia is telling the story and that makes you feel like you are actually living it with them!

Whether you like paranormal books or not, this one should definitely be on your to read book. I could NOT put it down!

[Caroline Rebisz · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting take on death and grief. I enjoyed the story from Amelia's viewpoint as she watched her family deal with her death. The examination of grief and the afterlife was really powerful.

[Petrina Binney · Rating 5 out of 5]

There aren’t enough stars for this book.

Ladies and gentlemen, I have a new favourite writer. In Soul’s Choice, Kerri Davidson has created an utterly beautiful depiction of the afterlife, balanced expertly with one of the finest descriptions of grief and its after-effects that I’ve ever read.

Spiritual rather than religious, in the story, we meet Amelia - recently deceased and looking in on her family, while facing a number of new realities into which she can be born. Each of these is viewable by Amelia through a series of doors. She has no physical form any longer, and recognises people who’ve gone before by the colours of their souls.

Grieving for her are her husband, Jason, completely shellshocked by his loss, and their teenage daughter, Amy. In the face of grief, Amy shuts down. She consoles herself with food, shoplifting, theft and surly behaviour. Having been a grieving teenager, I can attest to the accuracy of this depiction. Frankly, Amy’s a bit of a monster.

In the beginning of the book, Amy wound me right up. Her closed and selfish behaviour is maddening. The horribly practical manner in which she deals with her mother’s possessions left me aghast. However, as she hit rock bottom, my heart went out to her and I finished up, loving her more than I would have expected.

I felt very deeply for Jason. A committed police officer, he works too much, drinks too much, and is dealing with not only his own devastation, but an emotionally disconnected child. It all felt very real.

I love the idea that the people who matter will always matter, regardless of which life a person happens to be living at the time. Amelia’s encounters in the afterlife were intriguing, uplifting and profound, and I am jealous as holy hell for not having written this story myself. The ending was incredible. I had an idea of where the story might be heading and I couldn’t have been more wrong.

Congratulations, Kerri. This book is a delight.

Highly recommended and looking forward to the next.

[H.R.R. Gorman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy mother of God (or of atheism, if that's your thing) - this book was an absolute whirlwind. Roller coaster. Emotional disastrophe. 

And I mean that in a good way. The *best* of ways.

From the very beginning, Davidson's book grips you with a family situation that is difficult to watch but impossible to turn away from. With her mother, Amelia, dead and watching from "heaven", Amy Clarke must find her own path through the world. Her dad, Jason, is a cop who's trying his best to make it through. But with Amelia's death, the two are facing down monumental levels of depression, lack of self-confidence, and other health issues. 

The side characters in this book are phenomenal. People like Stacey, who only shows up intermittently as a foil, are still so vivid even without much description. The way everything leads down its path to the end just amazed me.

Small spoiler, though: the end was a cliffhanger, but it was actually something I found not-too-bad. I'm not a fan of cliffhanger endings, but the book did wrap up several plot lines and had left off at a point where it was almost complete. The cliffhanger was more one of those little additions to the end where you're like "Oh snap! There's got to be another book after this." So take that into consideration. 

However, book is not for the faint of heart. I didn't quite realize that going in, and not realizing how intense it was is probably my biggest complaint. Perhaps it's just because I expected something different because Davidson had previously published humorous graphic novels, but I should have known. 

[Sam Weiss · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never thought I would feel so many feelings reading a book. I laughed. I choked up. My usual iron-clad eyes leaked tears. I rooted for characters I once hated.
Although I despised her for most of the novel, Amy was the character I was most invested in. I was even on her side for a while until she made her usual Amy decisions and disappointed me once again.
And the ending! I still haven’t figured out what it means! Kept me up half the night thinking about the last few chapters. I need a sequel!
If I could, I would have read this book in one day. Alas, I settled for staying up way too late every night to finish it.
10/10 recommend

[Jessica Piro · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whew. I didn't expect to go on an emotional rollercoaster. BE READY, FUTURE READERS!
Regardless, Soul's Choice was a superb read. It was edited very well - if there mistakes, they didn't distract from the story.

[Bibiana Krall · Rating 5 out of 5]

review in progress.

[Mads Kyron · Rating 3 out of 5]

- this review is intended to be constructive -

Formatting: 9/10
It was clean, consistent throughout the book, and readable. Two minor issues I did notice were that the page gutters seemed too big and all of the 'first paragraphs' (paragraphs at the start of new chapters or sections) were indented when they should have been flush. This isn't a hard rule as far as I'm aware, but it is what you see most often in fiction books.

Mechanics: 8/10
This book could have used another proofread by a professional editor. There were some minor grammar mistakes; missing commas, a backwards quotation mark on page 4, and somewhere in the book the term 'CartoonWorld' becomes 'Cartoonworld'. But the thing that gave me the most difficulty as a reader were the sporadic unnecessary line breaks (spaces between the paragraphs meant that suggest a scene change) and the switching of POVs midchapter. It was frustrating to get halfway through a chapter and suddenly have the metaphorical camera switch to the Dad's perspective, or to Amy's and I wish the author had committed to one perspective per chapter, and maybe blocked out the scenes a little better.

Style: 5/10
This is where it falls apart a bit. The story is written with a heavy dose of telling over showing, and as a result there was never a point where I felt immersed in the story. There was also a lack of physical descriptors. I got an alright idea of the basic appearance of most of the characters, and a vague idea of the settings, but nothing to make the world come alive in my head. Remember, physical description doesn't stop at visual; it's also the slight chill in the air, the sound of water dripping in the distance, and the smell of damp leaves. Stuff like that.

Apart from that, the only word I can think of to describe the writing style is clumsy. And it's hard to put a finger on exactly why. I have in my notes that "the arcs are... floppy?" and I'm not exactly sure how to phrase that better. The author mentions in the back of the book that it was drafted as part of a challenge to write a book in a year, and it definitely has that vibe. Like it never got planned all the way through. All the threads gap instead of being knit tight.

There were a lot of loose ends by the end, but there are two more books in this series and plenty of time for those to get taken care of.

Content: 7/10
The core concepts of the story are super interesting. The author's take on souls and reincarnation are cool to read and it works well as a story idea. The other half of the story focuses on the effects of grief, and that paired really well with the soul concept. It seemed like a lot of research went into this. Amy's behaviours in response to the death of her mom were realistic, and I liked that the author let her be a shitty person and face the consequences of that as part of her healing journey. The development of her eating disorder also seemed realistic, although towards the end I had a hard time determining whether the author was presenting it as a good thing or not? In my opinion, Amy was still suffering from an ED by the end of the book and it's hard to tell if the positive wording around her continued weight loss is a result of Amy's distorted view of herself, or the author's.

I also have to make a note about this because of how much it stood out: The scenes with Aunt Robin and Uncle Ian read like a parody of the infamous fanfic "Hogwart's School of Prayer and Miracles", if Aunt Robin were Aunt Petunia and Uncle Ian were Uncle whatshisface.

Overall...
It eked out an average rating but it needed way more work.

[Claudia Brooke · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book. Amelia Clarke dies but can't move on. She's too worried about her family, as well she should be.

Her daughter, Amy, is rapidly skidding from unhappy to miserable I've known kids like Amy, despite feeling sorry for her, she's hard to like. And that's what makes the story so good. Kerri Davidson makes you root for her in spite of her prickly personality. I kept hoping, throughout the book, that somehow, her poor mother Amelia, stuck in the Inbetween while she frets about her husband who wasn't coping well either, and her daughter would somehow be able to comfort them.

But nope. Amy and her dad careen from one disaster to another, while you hang on for the ride. It's was often hard to read because as a parent yourself you're furious with or heartbroken for Amy, or your heart is breaking for her dad who is doing the best he can, or because the emotions portrayed are so raw. But I kept reading, hoping for a happy ending. But this is book 1 in a series, I was left waiting for it

if you are a fan of afterlife stories, dysfunctional family stories, stories about families coping with loss, this one is for you.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I absolutely love that Kerri Davidson is a Saskatchewan author. That was really cool to see! I actually really enjoyed the plot and found the story interesting enough that it drew me in. The fact that I didn’t want to put the book down is definitely a good sign.
I wasn’t a huge fan of some of the formatting, and I think the book could have used some more editing.
I was also surprised it’s classified as adult fiction because, in my opinion, it feels much more like young adult fiction.
The biggest thing I struggled with was Amy’s horrible selfish character and her weight and body image storyline. Amy losing around 75 pounds in four months was pretty unbelievable, and I didn’t love the message it sent to teens. I also found it unrealistic that she seemed to overcome her food addiction so quickly.
The ending was pretty heartbreaking, but overall I liked the book. It was an interesting and slightly unusual read. 3.75/5

[Roy McCarthy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh, a YA. I chose it by accident having been drawn in by the promise of an afterlife dimension (which was actually quite interesting). I plodded through the opening chapters, always wanting to give a book a chance. The observations of the dead Amelia plus the very well-drawn MC Amy kept me going through some predictable storytelling. And I must say I ended up enjoying reading of the extended family dynamics, but most of all Amy's journey as a troubled teenager - she became someone to cheer for. And just as I was thinking of 3* the last page had my eyes as wide as saucers. Well written Ms Davidson and I might even buy #2 to see what happens next.

[C.M. Rosens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok I wasn’t expecting this to hit all my emotional triggers at once but it did and I finished it, although I had to skim some parts. It’s an unguarded reflection on the impact of death and absence on a family, which I was hesitant to read for various personal reasons.

Amy is a teenager battling her weight and related self-esteem issues, makes bad decisions, and has to cope with this on top of the death of her mother, Amelia. Part One was difficult to read.

Part Two has some high points of victory, but Amy’s journey is not an arc, more of a series of peaks and troughs, a real-life rollercoaster rather than a struggle towards her HEA.

Meanwhile, her dad Jason struggles being a single parent, and her mum Amelia watches her family falling apart while also exploring the world around her in the afterlife.

The ending was a bit heart wrenching and mirrored Amelia’s recollections of depression and sense of disconnect from her daughter while she was alive.

There is going to be a sequel - I hope that there will be more upbeats in the next one!