Publisher: Simon Pulse
Publication date: 2nd October 2012.
My rating: 4 stars
From the outside, Coley Sterling’s life seems pretty normal . . . whatever that means. It’s not perfect—her best friend is seriously mad at her and her dance team captains keep giving her a hard time—but Coley’s adorable, sweet crush Reece helps distract her. Plus, she has a great family to fall back on—with a mom and stepdad who would stop at nothing to keep her siblings and her happy. But Coley has a lot of secrets. She won’t admit—not even to herself—that her almost-perfect life is her own carefully-crafted façade. That for years she’s been burying the shame and guilt over a relationship that crossed the line. Now that Coley has the chance at her first real boyfriend, a decade’s worth of lies are on the verge of unraveling. In this unforgettable powerhouse of a novel, Mindi Scott offers an absorbing, layered glimpse into the life of an everygirl living a nightmare that no one would suspect.
Live Through This was a beautiful achy read which cut me deep with the secrets of Coley’s life. Everyone assumes that Coley has the perfect life, great family and a nice bunch of friends. But for years Coley’s just been barely keeping it together, this facade that she portrays of herself as a strong independent girl is all false and is about to come tumbling around her when she starts getting close for the first time to Reece, a boy from her school.
Live Through This starts off as a mystery novel with a case of who done it? The opening scene starts with giving you an insight into how much of a burden Coley’s life is; how much she has to hold back to maintain everything together. But were given no clue into who was causing all this heartache, and pain for Coley. I was quick to make assumptions by just watching and reading her behaviour with family and friends I thought it was glaringly obvious who it could be. But I couldn’t have been more further from the truth.
The mess Coley had to deal with day in day out was so heart wrenching to watch, she finally found someone she truly liked in Reece, but there was always one thing holding her back. My heart truly ached for her all the time until it all became too much for Coley too. The worst thing was Coley had so many close friends, but she felt she couldn’t confide in them, because the more she thought things through the more confused she became herself. She felt she couldn’t confide in anyone at home either because there was always this “us and them” divide between her and her brother and her mum’s new family. Her mum had re-married and had three kids, and so Coley and her brother Bryan always felt that separation between the family. Coley honestly had it all to deal with, I hated the way she felt she was to blame; she’d been through so much that I wanted her to get her life back on track to the life she truly deserved.
Mindi Scott did a sublime job with Live Through This. Her writing was elegant and yet purposeful, it’s like every single word was chosen to have that specific effect on you and get right under your skin, she didn’t waste time but drew you into this raw world that you eventually find yourself so caught up in it.
Live Through This was a story which took me completely by surprise, it was a story of secrets, heartache, growth and sometimes realising you can confide in people you least expect. Mind Scott effortlessly lures you in, that before you know it you’ve reached the end of such a poignant story. I highly recommend picking Live Through This up.
11 comments:
I haven't seen this book before but I love the cover. Ah I must add that Coley sounds like a sweet character too. Now I'm really curious about this story. I hope I'll get a chance to read it. Great review Jasprit :)
This book sounds pretty amazing. It's always fantastic when a book can take you by surprise and make your heartache. I'll have to read it soon. Thanks for the review :)
Wow Jasprit, this sounds like a really emotionally intense read, and while I often drag my feet picking those types of stories up because I know they're going to rip my heart to shreds, they're always the ones I end up loving the most. So glad this book was such a pleasant surprise for you, I'll definitely have to give it a try! Stunning review my friend:)
Nice review. I look forward to reading this one as well.
How could I have not heard of this?! It sounds absolutely amazing and right up my alley. Definitely my brand of realistic/contemporary fiction. Thank you so, so much for sharing this review, Jasprit! Lately, I’ve been reading a lot of books where the main character has some sort of secret that she refuses to tell, even though it would do her good. It’s really interesting plot device, and I’m thinking that Coley will be another great example of this sort of character. Yay!
This seems like a book that would trigger lots of sad emotions. After reading your review, I felt like I just wanna give Coley a big hug. It's great to know that you had a wonderful time reading it. Thanks for sharing :)
That cover is gorgeous. Can't believe I hadn't heard of this one before. Just reading your review makes me want to find out what's going on. Coley sounds like a realistic character I'd like to discover more about. Thanks for sharing!
Great review Jaspirit, glad you enjoyed this. It's sounds quite heartwrenching though but interesting too :)
Wow, Jasprit! I've considered reading this book for awhile now, but it just seemed like an OKAY read. But the way you described the author's writing, the in-depth characterization of Coley and Reece.. has definitely convinced me to pick this book up! I think I'll really enjoy it because I'm always in for a heart-aching contemporary read. Gorgeous review, Jasprit!
I have heard wonderful things about this book, and your review just affirms them even more. Live Through This sounds like such a raw and emotionally wrenching book, so I think I'll have to wait until I'm in the right mood before reading this. I do hope that I'm able to get to this sooner rather than later.
Wonderful review Jasprit!!!!!! Aw, this book sounds amazing!!!!! Gosh, Coley sounds terrific, a character easy to care about! And a surprising answer to a mystery! (love how you wrote how it was surprising too)
Definately will check this book out!!!!!!
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