Author: Christine Brae
Publisher: Vesuvian Books
Release Date: Aug. 20, 2019
Purchase Link: Amazon
My Rating: 4 Emotionally Charged Hearts
*With many thanks to Vesuvian Books for an arc of this book.
Synopsis:
Carin Frost doesn’t understand what’s happening to her. A confident businesswoman, wife, and mother, she begins to resent everything about her life. Nothing makes sense. Nothing makes her feel. Maybe it’s the recent loss of her mother in a tragic accident. Or maybe she’s just losing her mind.
Enter Matias Torres. As their new business partnership thrives, so does their friendship—and his interest in her. Carin is determined to keep her distance, until a work assignment sends them to Southeast Asia where a storm is brewing on the island. In the midst of the chaos, Matias asks her to do something unimaginable, exhilarating, BOLD. Carin knows the consequences could be dire, but it may be the only way to save herself.
An honest look at love and marriage and the frailties of the human heart, this is a story of a woman’s loss of self and purpose and the journey she takes to find her way back.
Review:
The Year I Left is a story for anyone who's ever felt lost and adrift in a life that no longer gives them what they need to thrive and grow and feel alive. A story for anyone who's ever felt the need for something more out of life. A story for anyone who's ever yearned for something they can't define or grasp but know they need like their next breath. It would be easy to say this is a story for women . . . and I suppose it is. But truthfully, I think it applies to both men and women. It's a story for anyone who's ever asked themselves the question: Is it ever okay to put your own personal needs first . . . especially if they come at the expense of loved ones?
Carin Frost is a wife, mother, and successful career woman who appears to have it all - fabulous home, business, and lifestyle, gorgeous devoted husband and child. So why is she so unhappy and unsatisfied with her life? Carin is sleep-walking through life, going through the motions and playing her expected role while silently screaming for help. Until she meets her new business partner Mattias Torres - a man who gives her a taste of the life she can have if she's willing to give it and him a chance. A co-business trip to Southeast Asia results in a life or death situation where a split-second joint decision drastically changes both their lives. For the first time in forever, Carin feels alive. But can she live with the consequences of her actions?
This is my first book by Christine Brae, and I'm highly motivated to seek out more. Her lyrical, descriptive writing style enhances this emotionally charged story that I think will hit close to home for many. Brae tackles some tough issues like depression, responsibility to others as well as to ones self, resentment, guilt, and redemption - all part of life choices and lessons. Told in a unique voice that reads like a journal written by Carin, The Year I Left conveys a range of emotions from deep sadness to giddy joy and everything in between. The author delivers some life lessons through Carin and Mattias's story with reminders that you can't continuously live your life for everyone else at the expense of your own happiness; however, for every action, there is a reaction that includes living with the consequences. Every individual must decide if true personal happiness is worth any cost. What some will view as a selfish choice may feel like a lifeline to others. The Year I Left is a poignant, heartfelt romance that touched this reader's heart and soul, still resonating within me days after I read the final page. I'll add here (without spoilers) that I loved the way the author chose to end this story, leaving readers a little leeway to interpret the ending. This is a fantastic Must Read for anyone who's ever wondered if they're truly living life to the fullest!
My Rating: 4 Emotionally Charged Hearts . . . And that's the truth!
The Year I Left is a story for anyone who's ever felt lost and adrift in a life that no longer gives them what they need to thrive and grow and feel alive. A story for anyone who's ever felt the need for something more out of life. A story for anyone who's ever yearned for something they can't define or grasp but know they need like their next breath. It would be easy to say this is a story for women . . . and I suppose it is. But truthfully, I think it applies to both men and women. It's a story for anyone who's ever asked themselves the question: Is it ever okay to put your own personal needs first . . . especially if they come at the expense of loved ones?
Carin Frost is a wife, mother, and successful career woman who appears to have it all - fabulous home, business, and lifestyle, gorgeous devoted husband and child. So why is she so unhappy and unsatisfied with her life? Carin is sleep-walking through life, going through the motions and playing her expected role while silently screaming for help. Until she meets her new business partner Mattias Torres - a man who gives her a taste of the life she can have if she's willing to give it and him a chance. A co-business trip to Southeast Asia results in a life or death situation where a split-second joint decision drastically changes both their lives. For the first time in forever, Carin feels alive. But can she live with the consequences of her actions?
This is my first book by Christine Brae, and I'm highly motivated to seek out more. Her lyrical, descriptive writing style enhances this emotionally charged story that I think will hit close to home for many. Brae tackles some tough issues like depression, responsibility to others as well as to ones self, resentment, guilt, and redemption - all part of life choices and lessons. Told in a unique voice that reads like a journal written by Carin, The Year I Left conveys a range of emotions from deep sadness to giddy joy and everything in between. The author delivers some life lessons through Carin and Mattias's story with reminders that you can't continuously live your life for everyone else at the expense of your own happiness; however, for every action, there is a reaction that includes living with the consequences. Every individual must decide if true personal happiness is worth any cost. What some will view as a selfish choice may feel like a lifeline to others. The Year I Left is a poignant, heartfelt romance that touched this reader's heart and soul, still resonating within me days after I read the final page. I'll add here (without spoilers) that I loved the way the author chose to end this story, leaving readers a little leeway to interpret the ending. This is a fantastic Must Read for anyone who's ever wondered if they're truly living life to the fullest!
My Rating: 4 Emotionally Charged Hearts . . . And that's the truth!
Cross My Heart . . . xxx
Sandra
About the author: Christine Brae is a full time career woman who thought she could write a book about her life and then run away as far as possible from it. She never imagined that her words would touch the hearts of so many women with the same story to tell. Christine is the author of The Light in the Wound, His Wounded Light (2013), Insipid (2014). Her latest book, In This Life, released in 2016 and is currently under option for TV and Film.
Two more books, Eight Goodbyes and The Year I Left are scheduled to be released in 2018 & 2019.
When not listening to the voices in her head or spending late nights at the office, Christine can be seen shopping for shoes and purses, running a half marathon or spending time with her husband and three children in Chicago.
Christine is represented by Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo Helin Literary Management.
Two more books, Eight Goodbyes and The Year I Left are scheduled to be released in 2018 & 2019.
When not listening to the voices in her head or spending late nights at the office, Christine can be seen shopping for shoes and purses, running a half marathon or spending time with her husband and three children in Chicago.
Christine is represented by Italia Gandolfo of Gandolfo Helin Literary Management.
Helllo mate great blog post
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