Book Review: What Beauty There Is

-
*I received this book from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.*

What Beauty There Is was a recommended book on my Netgalley homepage and I was enchanted by the cover, so I requested it without looking too much into it.  I found it to be a fast-paced, survival story about two teenagers and a young boy who are connected by the criminal pasts of their fathers.  As I was reading, it felt like I was watching a movie.  Anderson's writing is extremely engaging and keeps you on edge page after page.

From the first chapter, you know this book is going to be tragic... but you can't stop reading.  At least, I couldn't.  I liked the multiple points of view where the reader sees Ava's thoughts while following Jack's story; however, I was annoyed with Jack's resistance towards help when that's what he so desperately needed.  I'm not sure he nor his brother would've survived as long as they did in real life... it might've been a bit of a stretch.  The ending seemed very sudden, but I was okay with it.

While I found this to be a solid stand-alone story (wait, it's the first book in a series... does it need to be?) about a boy's determination to do anything to keep himself and his brother alive and together, it wasn't my cup of tea.  For readers who enjoy haunting thrillers, this might be the book for you.  Trigger warnings include: extreme violence, suicide/death and child neglect.
What Beauty There Is was released April 6, 2021.  It is available to purchase through major retailers, or my personal favorite book distributor, Bookshop.  Buy through Bookshop, support local bookstores!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Waiting on Wednesday (1)

-
Image
Waiting On Wednesday is a weekly post that highlights books we are excited to read hosted by Jill from Breaking The Spine. Title: Take A Bow   Author:  Elizabeth Eulberg Synopsis: From the fantastic author of The Lonely Hearts Club and Prom & Prejudice comes a story of all the drama and comedy of four friends who grow into themselves at a performing arts high school. Emme, Sophie, Ethan, and Carter are seniors at a performing arts school, getting ready for their Senior Showcase recital, where the pressure is on to appeal to colleges, dance academies, and professionals in show business. For Sophie, a singer, it's been great to be friends with Emme, who composes songs for her, and to date Carter, soap opera heartthrob who gets plenty of press coverage. Emme and Ethan have been in a band together through all four years of school, but wonder if they could be more than just friends and bandmates. Carter has been acting since he was a baby, and isn't sure how to admi...
Read more

Liebster Award: 2016

-
Image
I am honored to have been nominated for the Liebster Award for a second time (first in 2013 and now in 2016).  This award is given to bloggers by bloggers to recognize awesome blogs, get to know others in the blogger community, and follow new blogs!  A huge thank you to  Bookish Beauty  for the nomination. The rules are super easy and fun!  Check them out: - Thank the blog who nominated you and link back to them. - Nominate up to 11 other bloggers to receive the award.  To be eligible, they need to have 200 followers or less. - Answer 11 questions from the blogger who nominated you. - Tell your readers 11 random facts about yourself. - Give your nominees 11 questions to answer on their blog when they post their nomination. ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ {In no particular order} the Liebster Award goes to...  1.  Booknerd Babes 2.  Swissbookworm 3.  Tabitha Reads Boo...
Read more

In My Mailbox (5)

-
After going on a shopping spree with my friend the other day, I realized I need to seriously go book shopping. Soon. I could live at Barnes & Noble. No lie. That would be the best house ever. (= Anyway, In My Mailbox is hosted by Kristi at The Story Siren. Here is what I got this week: The Lovely Bones by Alice Sebold The Goddess Test by Aimee Carter *SIGNED* What did you guys get this week? (Because Blogger isn't working for me, I sadly can't post cover images... Depressing... I know.)
Read more