Risa's Review Shop

°REVIEW 33: HOLD ON°

Genre: New Adult
Author: lavenderlilybeauty
Chapters read: five (prologue included)
Trigger warnings: depictions of mental illnesses

A mini review
Star rating: 🌟🌟🌟

°🌼°

Tragic experiences may bring unity.

Risa's summary: Amber McKanzie and Edwin Wilder share a tragic present.
Eventually, they grow close, understanding each other's pain and worth.
But suicidal and homicidal isn't a perfect match.
Really, it can go both ways.

I adore books that raise awareness! So, I was delighted to pick this one up.

A quick glance through this book will tell you its author is a sweet human; the beautiful notes in each chapter were so heartwarming and were such mood boosters.

However, I found it quite concerning that all five parts I read were wrapped in the main characters' self-pity and nothing else of significance, not even the revelation of a cause. True, in Amber's case, hurtful speech was hinted at, and in Edwin's, a turbulent relationship, maybe. But none of these were given much attention, far as I read.

At certain times, I also wondered if Amber was structured to be a maladjusted character; the way she interpreted several things got me quite worried because they usually came off as odd. Was it part of her character? Were some parts of the narration left out? Did I miss something?
Take for instance, this excerpt from chapter four:

...she stares at Edwin's tall figure leaving the hallway quietly as if nothing happened a little while ago. As if he didn't just reveal her biggest fear, her deepest desire to be saved. As if he didn't just confront her about her deepest secret.

Meanwhile, all Edwin had said to her at the end of the third chapter was:

"That's no way of living a life. Show some pity."

They'd had no proper conversation. I had questions! How did he reveal her deepest desire to be saved? What fear did he reveal with those vague words? Where exactly was the deepest secret?

Grammar was good, there were several errors, though, but a good edit can give a good fix. There were spaces for more descriptions, too.
I really liked the book's cover, although, the fonts of the subtext and author's name seemed a bit too big, to me. Reading the book's summary felt like reading another chapter.

Hold on is a beautiful book that promotes mental health awareness, I'd absolutely recommend this to anyone who'd appreciate a mental boost.

🌼 Risa Quill 🖋️

lavenderlilybeauty, please let me know what you think of this mini review.