Scan barcode
A review by darquedreamer
Father Figure by James J. Cudney
5.0
Father Figure is powerful, emotional, and breath taking! With a hard-hitting story line, and amazingly dynamic characters, this one is sure to impress! For those who love stories of struggle, heartache, and overcoming obstacles, you need to pick this one up!
Oh my word, I loved this one so much! This may be the fastest that I have ever finished a 400+ page book because it was so damn good! I was pulled in from page one and gripped until the very end!
The story was told from two different character perspectives, in two different time periods. We learned of Amalia's struggles with growing up with an abusive, super religious, mother in the 80's. We learned of Brianna's struggles, almost 20 years in the future, of finding herself and her own sexuality all while trying to search for the father she never met. And, we saw how each of these strong, brave girls battled their obstacles and tried to grow and overcome social and moral issues.
This was an incredibly powerful story. So much of it was unpredictable, and gave those "ohhhh," moments. James found so many ways to leave bread crumbs in the story that foreshadowed upcoming events without making those events lack luster or unsurprising. There was never a dull moment, but at the same time, the story was never too overwhelming for me. Everything felt perfectly placed.
The subject matter, though definitely not overly graphic, is meant for mature audiences, and those who don't have strong triggers (which is never a bad thing, just something to consider). It was a heartbreaking story of abuse, confusion and experimentation with budding sexuality, rape, and loss. It was how Jay went about these issues that made the story so powerful and emotional, and worth the read. He approached these issues with sensitivity, and brought them to light as reoccurring issues that still need to be discussed and taken seriously, but he also made something beautiful come out of these issues and created a story that could touch hearts and lives.
As I read this, I pictured an amazing Lifetime movie in my head. I could see everything so clearly, and the characters, and story, really came to life. There was sarcasm, wit, humor, passion, heartache, loss, love, and friendship. It has been a while since a book has left me this hungover! If you love hard hitting fiction, and don't have triggers from the above mentioned content, then I'd highly recommend this book! It was one of the best I have read in quite a while, and I can tell it's going to stick with me!
Thank you to the author for providing me with this free e-copy in exchange for my honest review!
Oh my word, I loved this one so much! This may be the fastest that I have ever finished a 400+ page book because it was so damn good! I was pulled in from page one and gripped until the very end!
The story was told from two different character perspectives, in two different time periods. We learned of Amalia's struggles with growing up with an abusive, super religious, mother in the 80's. We learned of Brianna's struggles, almost 20 years in the future, of finding herself and her own sexuality all while trying to search for the father she never met. And, we saw how each of these strong, brave girls battled their obstacles and tried to grow and overcome social and moral issues.
This was an incredibly powerful story. So much of it was unpredictable, and gave those "ohhhh," moments. James found so many ways to leave bread crumbs in the story that foreshadowed upcoming events without making those events lack luster or unsurprising. There was never a dull moment, but at the same time, the story was never too overwhelming for me. Everything felt perfectly placed.
The subject matter, though definitely not overly graphic, is meant for mature audiences, and those who don't have strong triggers (which is never a bad thing, just something to consider). It was a heartbreaking story of abuse, confusion and experimentation with budding sexuality, rape, and loss. It was how Jay went about these issues that made the story so powerful and emotional, and worth the read. He approached these issues with sensitivity, and brought them to light as reoccurring issues that still need to be discussed and taken seriously, but he also made something beautiful come out of these issues and created a story that could touch hearts and lives.
As I read this, I pictured an amazing Lifetime movie in my head. I could see everything so clearly, and the characters, and story, really came to life. There was sarcasm, wit, humor, passion, heartache, loss, love, and friendship. It has been a while since a book has left me this hungover! If you love hard hitting fiction, and don't have triggers from the above mentioned content, then I'd highly recommend this book! It was one of the best I have read in quite a while, and I can tell it's going to stick with me!
Thank you to the author for providing me with this free e-copy in exchange for my honest review!