TOP TEN LIST: Allison J. Kennedy (+ 'The Choice' review!)

*Warning: this book contains rape triggers*

How do you heal from your past when you're still trapped within it?

I lost myself the night of the party. Just like that, my innocence and my sanity were torn away. 

I would like to say that time heals all wounds, but it doesn't. And I would like to say that falling in love is what rescued me, but it wasn't. Nobody told me what to expect in the coming days and weeks and months after conceiving a rapist's child. Years later, my wounds are still just as fresh as the night they were made. It would be so easy to disappear and allow the memories to consume me. 

But that's the choice, isn't it? To live instead. 

I was a little bit apprehensive going into 'The Choice', because rape is such a sensitive issue. Sometimes authors just don't deal with it properly, and it comes off as cheap and unemotional - just a gimmick to sell more copies of their novel - but I'm happy to say that the topic is not used like that at all in this novel.
We follow May, from the night before the party where she gets raped to a place four years down the line from the incident. The rape occurs at the very start of the novel, just two or three chapters in, so we don't get to know her character at all beforehand; our perspective of her is only shaped after the life-changing event that turns her world upside down. This does mean that some of the scenes where she's reminiscing over the loss of her old self and the change of her personality aren't as effective as they could have been if her back story had been developed a bit more before. On the other hand, the emotion following the rape is so raw and realistic - the imagery is heart-breakingly powerful - that you can't help but empathise for her character, even if you didn't know her before.
Despite the fact that the book focused on such dark and serious subject matter, I really did find myself enjoying Allison J. Kennedy's writing style. The beginning of the novel really wasn't my cup of tea, because the speed of the plot development just made it all seem a bit rushed, but once May's character was developed properly I definitely started appreciating her voice and her mature thought processes throughout the entire ordeal. The inclusion of Alex, her love interest, didn't hurt either - he was such a sweetheart that you really did know that she could trust him, and it wasn't written in a shallow way which was impressive. But what I really liked about Allison's writing is that she managed to write poetry (in the form of one of May's school assignments) and lyrics (as Alex is a musician, and demonstrated his talent to May) without either of them coming across as corny or badly written. Allison has a talent with imagery and pace that made these two pieces of writing stand out from the rest of the novel, and I'm very interested to see if she writes any more poetry in the future, because that's definitely something I would read.
I don't want to give away anything about the rest of the book, because I want you to follow the twists and the turns for yourself as they develop - just know that despite the subject matter this is rather an enjoyable read, which is something I didn't envision myself saying. May's character is brilliant - level-headed and admirable - and she definitely stands out from the crowd of YA protagonists who freak out and over-react about less serious issues that they have going on.
This definitely wasn't my favourite read of this year, but it was much better than I thought it would be. If you think it would trigger you in any way I'd definitely avoid staying away from it - it's not worth hurting yourself any more - but if you've been in this situation and are looking for hope that there's a light at the end of the tunnel, this book could do that for you.
If you're interested in reading 'The Choice' you can purchase it on Amazon US or Amazon UK.

To celebrate the release of 'The Choice', I'm pleased to welcome Allison to my blog to talk about her favourite books. I'll pass you over to her now...

Thank you for having me! As an author and a lover of books, it's almost impossible for me to choose only ten to add to my favorites list. But I would say these are the ones that I either revisit often, or that impacted me at the time I read them.

1. 'Jane Eyre' by Charlotte Bronte
2. 'Pride and Prejudice' by Jane Austen
3. 'Little Women' by Louisa May Alcott
4. 'The Horse Whisperer' by Nicholas Evans
5. 'Hero of Lesser Causes' by Julie Johnston
6. The Hunger Games trilogy by Suzanne Collins
7. The Shiver trilogy by Maggie Stiefvater
8. 'Redeeming Love' by Francine Rivers
9. The Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers
10. 'If I Stay' by Gayle Forman

I definitely agree with most of Allison's choices - my best friend and I have both re-read the Shiver series more than I can count, and Maggie even told my friend that her books looked like they'd been run over! I'm embarrassed to say that I haven't actually heard of a few of the books that Allison picked, but I'm definitely going to check them out.

I'd like to say a huge thanks to Patchwork Press, for inviting me on to this blog tour - they're such an excellent publisher and I've never felt disappointed with one of their releases, so I'm so proud to keep working in conjunction with them. 

TOP TEN LIST: Eliza Boyd (+ 'One Chance Night' spoiler free review!)

On the surface, Chelsea Greer has it all: A loving husband. A nice house. A good job. 

In reality, she works hard to maintain the illusion this is her life. She's also missing the most important life: 

Love. 

One night could change her life. One night could give her the strength to rediscover what's important. In one night, she could find love when she most needs it and least expects it. 

All Chelsea has to do is follow her heart after One Chance Night.  

I actually read 'One Chance Night' last month, and posted my review, but with the blog tour coming around I thought I'd give you all another chance to catch it, in case you missed it first time around. This review excerpt is going to be slightly shorter and completely spoiler free, but you're more than welcome to read my spoilery review here!

'Change has never done me any favors--mostly because I've never tried it--so I don't know why I imagined that tonight would be any different.'

In this novel, we follow Chelsea Greer through her 'One Chance Night' - in which she takes a chance and heads to a bar with a work colleague and her roommate, two women she hardly knows, despite the fact that her husband would go crazy if he knew she had sneaked out of the house while he spent time with his friends. On this night out, she meets mystery man Brett, who recognises the fact that she isn't happy and takes it upon himself to help her with her problems and give her the confidence to make changes in her life - and decide whether to take a chance on the possibility of true love...

The premise of 'One Chance Night' was reminiscent of synopsis's I'd read about Gayle Forman's 'Just One Day' (which I admittedly haven't picked up yet!) but it meant that I was very interested in reading a novel set entirely in one evening, even if I did worry that it might get a little stale. Thankfully, it didn't! The first half of the novel was well developed and gave a brilliant setting of Chelsea's life, letting us see inside her relationship with Wesley, the husband she just doesn't love anymore. 

But, surprisingly, there is a little jump in time - between the One Chance Night and a period of time eight months later. I will admit that I did find this a bit hard to get my head around - I'd gotten perfectly into the mind frame for the story and then it jumped quite drastically, but it definitely kept the novel interesting and moved the story along.

Eliza Boyd crafts brilliant characters, and I loved her constant referencing of country songs (some that I knew, some that I didn't, but all that I've written down to listen to as a playlist!) because it is a really under-appreciated genre, and one that specialises in the storytelling aspect of lyric writing, making it perfect to add a deeper level to this kind of novel.

If you're interested in reading 'One Chance Night', it's available on Amazon UK and Amazon US! The second installment in the series, 'Two Pink Lines', will be out in just under a year, so keep an eye out for that too - I guarantee it's going to be great.
Because I was so interested in the country music aspect of the novel, when I got the chance to ask Eliza Boyd for a top ten list, there was no way I could resist asking her about her favourite country music songs! So get your cowboy boots on and get ready to dance, because Eliza is about to give your ears a treat!

1. Sam Hunt - Take Your Time 

From the moment I heard this song, I've been in love. His mix of spoken word and singing and his fresh, creative songwriting combine to make something incredible. Plus, he's pretty nice on the eyes :)

2. Blake Shelton - Boys 'round Here

He's pretty classic, but his new stuff is what got me interested. This song is so fun! He has some really romantic songs too. And his live show is really entertaining. 

3. Florida Georgia Line - Round Here

They have a great live show too, but I love the catchy tunes (even though I really didn't like 'Cruise' when I first heard it). But this one is probably my favorite, as it inspired the very first book I started to write. 

 4. Lady Antebellum - Downtown 

This song screams karaoke to me. And it's cute and it makes me dance. I haven't listened to too much of their other music, but I enjoy this song a lot. 

5. Dustin Lynch - Where It's At

I love to dance and sing to this in the car (like I do with all of these songs). It makes me happy! The whole song is cute and fun #yepyep

 6. Thomas Rhett - Get Me Some Of That

Yet another song I love to sing and dance to in the car! Makes me want to swing my hips and sling my hair like he says in the song. Haha!

7. Brett Eldredge - Don't Ya

Ooooh this song. It made the idea of 'One Chance Night' pop into my head, so I can't be mad at it. Haha! But I actually love it. I love his deep voice. Hehe. 

8. Kelsea Ballerini - Yeah Boy

Or 'Love Me Like You Mean It' or 'Dibs' or 'XO'. Seriously, I love this girl. Her songs are catchy, well written, and fun. She's incredible live, too. Her voice is on point and she kills it. Good stuff!

 9. Rascal Flatts - Mayberry

This song makes me feel like I'm in the South, sitting in a rocking chair on a porch with some really chill souls who might be strumming a guitar. Love it! :)

10. Sam Hunt - Speakers

Okay, I tried not to repeat, but I can't help it. His music is amazing, this song is so romantic in that ooey-gooey way. Mmmm. :) It's slow and sweet and I totally dig it. 

I want to say a massive thank you to Eliza Boyd, both for writing a brilliant novel and for giving me some fantastic country music recommendations - these songs are so summery, and I know for a fact they're going to be incorporated into many a mixtape over this coming summer.
I also want to say a huge thank you to Patchwork Press for giving me the opportunity to get involved in this book tour. As regular readers of my blog know, half of my reviews are for concerts that I've been to, so it was brilliant to finally have the two sides of my blog working in harmony for this music-orientated book tour! I hope you enjoyed this post and found some country music that you can enjoy - it'll take over your life before you know it.