Hello Friends!
First of all, I need to apologize to Sarahlyn. I know I was in the blog tour for a review on the 14th but things got out of control. I will explain later because I want every reader of this blog to immediately read the blurb for this book and the review, but I promise I will explain later.
This review is of a touching Contemporary Women’s Fiction book called “Designer You“, written by Sarahlyn Bruck. Published by Crooked Cat Books in August 31, 2018.
I want to thank Rachel, at Rachel’s Random Resources, and Sarahlyn Bruck for the eCopy of this book and for allowing me to join in the fun and by being a part of the blog tour with my honest review of the book.
Blurb
Pam Wheeler checked every box: Happy marriage? Check. Fantastic kid? Check. Booming career? Check.
So when her husband dies in a freak accident and their DIY empire goes on life support, Pam must fix the relationship with her troubled and grief-stricken daughter and save the family business.
Pam and Nate were a couple who just couldn’t get away from each other, sharing not only their bed, but also a successful lifestyle empire as DIY home renovators, bloggers, podcasters, and co-authors.
When Nate dies in a freak accident, Pam becomes a 44-year-old widow, at once too young and too old—too young to be thrust into widowhood and too old to rejoin the dating pool.
Now the single mother of a headstrong and grief-stricken teenager, Pam’s life becomes a juggling act between dealing with her loss and learning how to parent by herself. On top of all that she also must reinvent herself or lose the empire that she and Nate had built so carefully.
It is time for Pam to seize the opportunity to step up as a mother, come out from behind Nate’s shadow, and rise as the sole face of the Designer You brand, and maybe, possibly, hopefully, find love again.
Purchase Link – Amazon
Author Bio
Sarahlyn Bruck writes contemporary women’s fiction and lives in Philadelphia with her husband and daughter. She is the author of DESIGNER YOU, published by Crooked Cat Books on August 31, 2018. Sarahlyn teaches writing and literature at a local community college and also coaches writers for Author Accelerator.
DESIGNER YOU is Sarahlyn’s debut, and she is hard at work on her next book. Want the latest updates? Follow along for news, events, and announcements at sarahlynbruck.com. You can sign up for her monthly newsletter there, too.
Social Media Links – Website | Facebook | Twitter | Instagram | Goodreads
My Review
For some reason books that talk about loss and the life after, always breaks my heart and touches my soul. Well, it may be because it reminds me of all the loved ones I have lost in the past, more recently my grandpa. So I can say that in a way I could connect with the grieving of the characters.
It was sad, of course, but it sounded real. Each person grieves in their own way and you could see that in Pam and Grace, and if you have ever lost a loved one you know how you processed it all and how you grieved. When grandpa died I couldn’t sleep and I had to stay busy. I cleaned the house, I made breakfast for everyone and I had to keep moving. We all do different things as a coping mechanism.
Besides that, we also grieve in group, as a family. And that is a different process too. There are those that isolate themselves, and those that choose to celebrate the life of that loved one. You can see the interaction between mother and daughter and you see how hard it can be sometimes, because each person feels a different way.
So, overall, this book made me thing about my own experiences and I can understand a bit of what the characters went through, at least in terms of relating to others that are also grieving. Losing a family member is tough, especially when it’s the spouse, parent or child. So, of course that it impacts the family relationships and routine. And that was something I liked in this book, because it showed us that.
The book had the bad and ugly of grief, but also the good. And by good I mean the connection between the people that stayed, the ones that are now having to adjust to the lost and keep moving forward, and feeling “Saudade” (that’s a Portuguese word).
It was relatable, it was well written, and even though I sometimes wanted to scream at Grace, I could understand why Pam and Grace were acting and feeling like that. It was a great book and I’m curious to know what’s next in Sarahlyn Bruck’s future in terms of books.
Don’t forget to check out all the other bloggers that given their contribute in this Blog Tour, from reviews and basic promo/spotlight posts.
Explanation why I was late with the post:
Since it was my birthday week, I was busy and didn’t schedule posts in advance. Then on the 13th I was planning to write the review and get the post going for the next day, but all day I was helping out with the preparations for the party and when I got home after dinner, the storm (Leslie was the name of the hurricane) was full blown and there was no electricity.
To Sarahlyn and Rachel, I’m sorry. I was helping out with clean up all day and the afternoon my dad was on the roof and the ceiling gave in and he fell down. Thankfully the car helped with the fall. Nothing broken and he only had to get four stitches on his head. He’s home now, resting and the doctor gave him a paper and he has to stay home for twelve days. Then we will see if he can go to work or not.
I did communicate with Rachel once the storm started and I still had cell service and internet on my phone and I talked to her yesterday too, but I wanted to apologize. Although, family, health and safety comes first and we have no way of controlling Mother Nature, so I know it’s okay and that it happens, but I would have my conscience at ease if I didn’t explained what happened.
That been said, to everyone in Portugal that had damage to their homes like my family and I had, my heart goes to all of you. And more importantly, to every firefighter and EMT in Portugal, and especially the hard working firefighters in Vieira de Leiria (my hometown): Thank you!
Don’t forget to comment, don’t be stranger. If you have any book recommendation you can leave a message using the form on my Contact Me page.
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I always welcome new books to add to my list and I’m always excited to do reviews and read books.
And if you would like to join me as a guest on my blog, check out the Guests Post page to know more and contact me so we can start planing your visit.
Love,
Jess
Jess Bookish Life 