Review of Beyond Despair
-
- Posts: 7
- Joined: 28 Nov 2020, 16:57
- Currently Reading:
- Bookshelf Size: 20
- Reviewer Page: onlinebookclub.org/reviews/by-l-bo.html
- Latest Review: Beyond Despair by Shirley Hoisington
Review of Beyond Despair
What would you be willing to give up for someone you love? Could you forfeit your happiness so someone else could have their happily ever after? In Beyond Despair by Shirley Hoisington, years after a devastating accident took their parents, Miranda found herself in this exact predicament with her twin sister, and best friend Cindy.
Miranda bumped into Roger one day while hurrying out of the grocery store, after picking up her groceries they went their separate ways. But their lucky stars aligned and they happened to meet again later at a mutual friends party and started dating. Miranda fell in love pretty quickly, but Rodger seemed content on taking things slow, every time they found themselves in a heated moment Rodger would pull back. Even though Miranda and Cindy told each other everything, Miranda had not told Cindy how she felt about Rodger. So when Cindy returned from a work trip and surprised Miranda at her apartment Rodger was there. It was obvious to Miranda that Rodger was absolutely taken by Cindy the second they met. Roger asked Miranda for permission to date Cindy, not realizing that Miranda was in love with him. Miranda was devastated but she realized by Rodger asking that he chose Cindy over her, so she gave him her blessing. Giving Cindy the chance at this amazing man was going to be worth all the heartache, at least that is what she told herself.
Struggling with her choice to keep her feelings from Roger and Cindy, Miranda decided it was best if she relocated and put some distance between them. For her mental health she needed a change. And change did she get. She made best friends, was accepted into families as one of their own, and fell head over heels in love with another man.
The emotional roller coaster that Miranda is caught on can be felt by every reader. It is always amazing when an author can evoke emotions from their readers as if they were the ones dealing with the heartbreak and loneliness. The ability to make the reader relate so closely to the characters is one of the reasons I liked this book so much. There is a fine line between fantasy and reality and the closer the author can walk it the more intrigued I am. This story is really a lesson in how important it is to express your feelings and be true to yourself. Life is hard enough, there is no reason to make it harder on yourself for the benefit of others.
Shirley Hoisington also did a wonderful job creating a passionate story without any real explicit scenes or language. There were some suggestive descriptions in one passage of the book, but it was still very innocent. I think anything more erotic would have taken away from the storyline. There is no question between the chemistry and attraction of the characters, it was beautifully and tastefully done. There was no foul language at all.
The book seems professionally edited, although I found a few errors. Mostly spacing issues and questionable usage of exclamation marks. Nothing that would cause me to change my rating. I rate this book a 4 out of 5 stars. There was really nothing that I did not like about this book and I think it would be acceptable for young adults and adults alike.
******
Beyond Despair
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon