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A review by jennastopreading
This Close to Okay by Leesa Cross-Smith
emotional
reflective
sad
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
I received this book in a giveaway shortly after it published and my biggest regret surrounding it was waiting so long to read it.
This book is mostly set in Louisville, KY, the city I spent the first 23 years of my life in, and this helped me connect to the story right out the gates, but the characters and their soul did the rest. Tallie has to be one of the most uniquely intriguing fictional women that I've ever read. She's emotionally intelligent, kind hearted, independent, and successful. In another life, maybe I could be more like her when I grew up. On a rainy night in October, she stops when she sees a man about to jump off a bridge into the Ohio River, and in turn, her world changes forever.
Instead of calling 9-1-1 or giving up, she brings the man she affectionately starts off referring to as "Bridge" into her home, and he makes his way into her heart. As a reader, this was a lyrical story of respect, connection, and mutual adoration unfolding between two strangers. As Tallie and Bridge get to know one another, and the layers of the onion of each of their stories are peeled back, I grew more and more attached to both of them.
A fantastic story by Leesa Cross-Smith that left me with goosebumps and a lump in my throat. I will absolutely be reading more of her work in the future!
This book is mostly set in Louisville, KY, the city I spent the first 23 years of my life in, and this helped me connect to the story right out the gates, but the characters and their soul did the rest. Tallie has to be one of the most uniquely intriguing fictional women that I've ever read. She's emotionally intelligent, kind hearted, independent, and successful. In another life, maybe I could be more like her when I grew up. On a rainy night in October, she stops when she sees a man about to jump off a bridge into the Ohio River, and in turn, her world changes forever.
Instead of calling 9-1-1 or giving up, she brings the man she affectionately starts off referring to as "Bridge" into her home, and he makes his way into her heart. As a reader, this was a lyrical story of respect, connection, and mutual adoration unfolding between two strangers. As Tallie and Bridge get to know one another, and the layers of the onion of each of their stories are peeled back, I grew more and more attached to both of them.
A fantastic story by Leesa Cross-Smith that left me with goosebumps and a lump in my throat. I will absolutely be reading more of her work in the future!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Infidelity, Mental illness, Racism, Suicidal thoughts, Grief, Suicide attempt, and Fire/Fire injury
Moderate: Child death, Sexual content, Medical content, and Pregnancy
Minor: Cursing and Miscarriage