Hello Friends!
I hope your Saturday is going well, and that this week has been kind. Today I bring you some reviews, and I hope you are ready.
“Surviving Me“, written by Jo Johnson, is a Women’s fiction novel, published on November 14th 2019 by Unbound Digital.
I want to thank Rachel, at Rachel’s Random Resources, and Jo Johnson 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.
Synopsis
Deceit has a certain allure when your life doesn’t match up to the ideal of what it means to be a modern man.
Tom’s lost his job and now he’s been labelled ‘spermless’. He doesn’t exactly feel like a modern man, although his double life helps. Yet when his secret identity threatens to unravel, he starts to lose the plot and comes perilously close to the edge.
All the while Adam has his own duplicity, albeit for very different reasons, reasons which will blow the family’s future out of the water.
If they can’t be honest with themselves, and everyone else, then things are going to get a whole lot more complicated.
This book tackles hard issues such as male depression, dysfunctional families and degenerative diseases in an honest, life-affirming and often humorous way. It focuses particularly on the challenges of being male in today’s world and explores how our silence on these big issues can help push men to the brink.
Purchase Links: Amazon UK | Amazon US
Author Bio
I’m very excited that my debut novel ‘Surviving Me’ is due to be published on the 14 November. The novel is about male minds and what pushes a regular man to the edge. The novel combines all the themes I can write about with authenticity.
I qualified as a clinical psychologist in 1992 and initially worked with people with learning disabilities before moving into the field of neurology in 1996. I worked in the NHS until 2008 when i left to write and explore new projects.
I now work as an independent clinical psychologist in West Sussex.
~ Jo Johnson
Jo speaks and writes for several national neurology charities including Headway and the MS Trust. Client and family related publications include, “Talking to your kids about MS”, “My mum makes the best cakes” and “Shrinking the Smirch”.
In the last few years Jo has been offering psychological intervention using the acceptance and commitment therapeutic model (ACT) which is the most up to date version of CBT. She is now using THE ACT model in a range of organisations such as the police to help employees protect their minds in order to avoid symptoms of stress and work related burnout.
Social Media Links: Facebook | Goodreads
My Review
Personally, I decided this year to try and read more books out of my comfort zone, books that talk about topics that I haven’t read a lot about, or read books that make me think about the world, life and us as a global society with different cultures, political views and religions. When I read the blurb of this novel, I realized I hadn’t read many books that talked about male depression, so I was intrigued. I had to join in and I had to learn more about it.
Depression is a subject that is close to my family, not just because of the women in my family (including me) that are dealing with it, but also men. Yes, I have a big family, and I counting my second and third cousins in the mix, nevertheless this book got me thinking about everyone I know and that has to deal with all the issues talked about in this story.
I’m not a man, and I don’t pretend to know what it’s like, but I try to empathize and understand their point of view, just like I want others to understand and respect mine. With this novel as we follow Tom, we are taken into a journey. We end up explore the male view on these issues.
I could talk about the personal experiences I have with talking to family members or what I have watch during my 25 years in this Earth, but that’s not really the point. What made me love about this book was that it openly talked about things that I know a lot of times are silenced, are deemed unimportant and untrue. And I have seen that happened. I do believe this book could teach a lot of people about these issues.
It’s a beautifully written novel, with characters that are complex and that could be real life people. We care for them, we want the best for them, and that connection makes the storytelling even more powerful. We get to feel as though we are a part fo the book, and it was an emotional and insightful reading.
Overall, it was the kind of book I needed to read. It was thought-provoking, it was brilliantly created, with a plot that had multiple ‘obstacles’ that are talked about and that open our eyes to the society represented in the pages of this novel. Do I recommend it? Sure, if you want to read a book that has all the characteristic this one has, in terms of: mental health and suicidal ideation, infertility, neurological disease, Faith… Then go for it.
Giveaway
For a Chance to Win two signed copies of “Surviving Me” & five “Surviving Me” fridge magnets Enter Here.
(Open International)
1st Prize – 2 winners each winning a signed copy of Surviving Me
5 Runners Up – each winning a Surviving Me Fridge Magnet
*Terms and Conditions –Worldwide entries welcome. Please enter using the Rafflecopter box below. The winner will be selected at random via Rafflecopter from all valid entries and will be notified by Twitter and/or email. If no response is received within 7 days then Rachel’s Random Resources reserves the right to select an alternative winner. Open to all entrants aged 18 or over. Any personal data given as part of the competition entry is used for this purpose only and will not be shared with third parties, with the exception of the winners’ information. This will passed to the giveaway organiser and used only for fulfilment of the prize, after which time Rachel’s Random Resources will delete the data. I am not responsible for despatch or delivery of the prize.
Don’t forget to check out all the other bloggers that given their contribute in this Blog Tour.
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.
If you are an author or publisher and want me to do a review of a book please check out my Request Review page to learn more about the reviewing policies.
I always welcome new books to add to my list and I’m always excited to do reviews and read books. And I’m open to debate and exchange opinions, so let’s talk.
Also, 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 