One Step Too Far

Hi Lambs! I hope you had a lovely Thanksgiving break, and as you can see, I'm back at it. I have a few reviews for you this week and a really great list of fun shops you've never heard of that you should shop at- so stay tuned. But right now, review time!

One Step Too Far - Tina Seskis

To be fair, I actually read this book way back in 2013 for the first tour it was on. I didn't love it then, and I'll share that review with you now and then a few thoughts after I read it a second time: 

Then: 

I will start by saying that this was a weird book. It was good, but there were so many parts where I started to really hate Emily not just as a mom and wife but as a person. Even though I can sympathize with wanting to just start all over because it's hard. Life is hard but you add the duties of motherhood and being a good wife into the mix, it's even harder. But she has had a lot of confusion and inner demons her entire life and I guess over time, it just gets to be too much. 

The secret that essentially drives this book, it's what keeps you reading because you want to know what it is, isn't earth shattering. I read it and was like, "Ok. No reason to freak out, totally something you could work out.". But given the personality of Emily, I understand why it would be a big deal for her. 

Things I didn't like about the book- is that she seems really cold. I mean, the thing keeping me back from running away is knowing it would screw my children up forever. Now, she thinks it's doing her son a favor but come on.... does anyone really think that? I mean, somewhere in your mind you have to know this is wrong. Then she moves into the most bizarre living situation with all of these randomly put together flatmates and eventually develops a drug habit along with shoplifting and yeah. How a person thinks this is the way to turn your life around is beyond me. 

I so badly want to give my two cents on how the book ends because I hated the ending. Oh, did I hate the ending. The only thing about the ending that I did like is that everything had closure. A lot of authors like to leave loose strings and you're left wondering what the characters did after all, but this book ties it all up. Nothing is left to your imagination, you get the answer for everything and I really appreciated that. Especially with this book weaving different points of view and just bizarre topics into the story in general. So overall... I'm a 2/5. I just... I just can't give it more. I really struggled through it and I felt myself irrationally angry through most of it and I just can't give a book more than 2 for that because it's not one I would pick up again and it's not one I would necessarily recommend. 

Now: 

I have to say, I know a few people who would really enjoy this book considering I have more reader friends and they all have very different tastes from me. Secondly, I think I really am in the minority when it comes to this book. Even after all of this time, I knew what the "twist" was and I thought perhaps reading it again knowing the twist would make me appreciate it more but no. I still thought it was not as huge as it's portrayed to be. But admittedly, I am not the person who has this kind of thing happen to me and freak out. I'm very much not a freak out kind of person. It's like, yes- that's a totally terrible tragedy but dang, your reaction is pretty unwarranted, you nut job. 

I will say again that I am very much in the minority and I think people are enjoying it far more than I ever did so maybe don't listen to me at all. At least on this book. I'm usually always right.