Review of Finding Her Voice

[Annabell Samuel]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Finding Her Voice" by Shantanel Payne.]

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4 out of 5 stars

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Have you ever been a victim of abuse? Do you know anyone who is a victim of abuse? If you fall into any of these categories, you will relate to the story in “Finding Her Voice” by Shantanel Payne.

Summer had endured a torturous and abusive relationship with Christopher. Christopher had been so abusive that he caused Summer to miscarry a pregnancy after kicking her and leaving her without help. Eventually, Christopher’s dad, Mr. Diamond, had to step in. He offered Summer hope by setting her up financially and helping her get a new identity that Christopher could not trace. However, she was asked never to reconnect with anyone from her past. This condition also meant she could not look into the file containing details of her birth mother. She met Stevin, a guy she knew from her past, and they started a love affair. Just when she thought she had a new lease of life, she found herself in a situation where she had to make a critical decision to save her family. 

I was immediately drawn to this book after reading its description. After almost losing my sister at the hands of an abusive husband, I came to understand the predicaments of victims of abuse. My once lively sister became a complete shadow of herself. She could not even ask for help, as her husband was her first love and had brainwashed her. Reading Summer’s story in this book brought back memories of all the things I saw my sister go through at the hands of her abusive husband. If you are triggered by acts of violence on women by their romantic partners, consider this as a caveat to tread cautiously.

I was initially perplexed reading the first few pages. It seemed as though there was a vivid description of sexual activity at every turn. I wondered whether the book was all about the sexcapades of the primary characters. Thankfully, the story moved away from that to the actual storyline. I guess the author used that to draw readers in. However, that was a significant risk, as it could scare readers uninterested in log details of sexual activities. I’d say that beyond the vivid descriptions of sexual activities, there was an exciting story with beautiful plot twists to enjoy. There were also different love triangles that the reader would love to see how they played out.

This book touched on many issues that readers could find interesting. First, wealthy people would go to great lengths to protect themselves and their families. Mr. Diamond aptly displayed this, as he would do anything to protect his son, Christopher. There was also the case of misdirected hatred. Kimberley hated Summer based on what she heard from her boyfriend. So many people today behave like Kimberley; most times, they must have caused a lot of damage before realizing that they had the wrong information. Would that be the case for Kimberley? This would be for you to find out. Finally, the author used this book to remind us to be kind and understanding to people, especially abuse victims.

Apart from the initial bombardment with vivid descriptions of sexual activities, I have nothing negative to say about the content. However, the book has many grammatical and spelling issues. As a result of the poor editing work, I rate the book four out of five stars. I recommend this book to lovers of romance who won’t mind reading about romantic violence.

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Finding Her Voice
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[Amy Luman]

I am torn by whether to read this novel or not. First of all, I don’t like books with heavy, vividly described sex, but I do. Like stories that have a strong female character. I will probably try this one based on the other good things that you say about it. Thanks!

[seema Singhal]

Abusive relationships are much more common than we can imagine. Most of the time victims do not have insight or their self-esteem is so low that they can't find their voice. The description appeared interesting to me too but for excessive sexual content and poor editing, I have to think again. Thanks.

[Kutloano Makhuvhela]

Oh, man. Abuse in relationships is not talked about enough. I wonder how Summer managed to survive and maybe if she did find her voice at the end of it. This seems to be a sad tale, and what is more sad is that this is life of millions of people worldwide. Enjoyed reading words. You were fair and provided balanced critique. Thank you.

[NetMassimo]

Toxic relationships can be terrible, and if one of the partners is abusive, even the victim's life can be in danger. I'm not sure I feel like reading such a tough story, I hope that the author does proper proofreading to avoid distractions while reading it. Thank you for your great review!