Blog Tour ~ Review ~ Holding On and Letting Go (The Ties That Bind Us #1) by Lucy A. Kelly

I'm so excited to be a part of this tour for this incredibly moving book!
I have a review for you today - enjoy! :D

Title: Holding On and Letting Go (The Ties That Bind Us #1)

Author: Lucy A. Kelly

Published: March 10, 2013

Pages: 186

Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance

Average Rating: 4.76 / 5

My Rating: 5 / 5
Blog Tour Organized By: Irresistible Reads Book Tours
Source: Review copy from the author 

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~ Synopsis ~
Is there a way to describe the ties that bind us together? What happens when one of those ties is unexpectedly severed? Can everything else remain the same? Will the other ties hold strong?

Two years after her little brother's death, sixteen year old Emerson Caulfield returns to a home that she spent the last two years missing. In theory, everything should be the same. Her best friend, Matt, still lives next door. Her house is in the exact same condition as they left it. The scenery and hallways haven't changed, yet for Emerson, everything is completely different. The place may be the same, but Emerson is most certainly not. She returns home hurt, angry, and miles away from the girl she once was.

~ My Thoughts ~ 

This was such a deeply emotional read for me! After losing both my mom and maternal grandfather to brain cancer before I even hit high school, I'm all too familiar with the weight of grief that manifests in anger, sadness, loneliness, and just plain hurt. Every time Emerson visited her brother's grave and spoke to him, I cried. When she heard a girl making fun of her deceased brother, I cried. Who makes fun of a deceased little boy like that by the way?? I wanted to wring that girl's neck. Every emotion Emerson felt, I felt it too. We seemed to be kindred spirits. 

The book alternates between Emerson and her best friend Matt's point of view. The way Emerson describes her pain resonated with me, and the things she said are things I've said before. I was particularly struck when she said she has a hard time even just breathing and getting out of bed in the morning - I know what she's talking about. There were times I had to put down the book to catch my own breath. There is no better way the author could have expressed the toll grief takes on a person.

Matt's deep love for Emerson shows the strength of his character. He wants to love Emerson through this time, and what else can you do when someone you love is suffering from something you can't change or take away? He isn't afraid of the depth of Emerson's despair, and he doesn't give up no matter how many times she pushes him away. It's obvious Matt is wise beyond his years and cares about what's really important in life and not the silly superficiality of high school. How many guys his age can you say that about? 

I think there are times when a person becomes comfortable in his/her own grief - not that feeling miserable is what the person prefers but rather the person is afraid to move forward and do something to alleviate the pain. One worries that by letting go and accepting what's happened, the deceased loved one will be forgotten, not to mention that taking the first step forward is the hardest. This is why it's absolutely crucial that the person has all the support he/she needs. Matt was that support system for Emerson, and his perseverance in being there for her no matter what impressed me.  

I just could not and would not put this book down. I went through the entire spectrum of emotions while reading, and it was cathartic for me. I found myself examining how much progress I've made moving forward in my own life since losing significant loved ones and was surprised to see I've come a long way from where I began. It's amazing! And this is just the beginning to a series in which I'm really looking forward to where the author takes us next. :D 

~ Purchase Links ~ 
Amazon
Barnes & Noble
Kobo

~ About the Author ~ 

 

I'm not really going to write a biography. Though I am supportive of the high schools and colleges I have attended, it's probably not actually the most interesting stuff about me. I'm going to do a list of five really random things instead for now. 

1. I like making lists. It's weird, and I never actually scratch things off of the list. 
2. I sing and dance in the car like a maniac. 
3. For the first six years of my life, I truly believed a shark lived under my bed. I watched Jaws at too young of an age. 
4. Without a doubt, I am a night person. I am enormously grumpy when first woken up in the morning. 
5. When I was younger, I read almost every Nancy Drew book, both new and old. I had a notebook, and I would take notes to see if I could figure out who the "bad guy" was before Nancy did. We probably tied.  

~ Author Links ~ 

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