Review of A crossroad destiny
Posted: 15 Aug 2024, 16:36
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "A crossroad destiny" by Vanessa Adelaide.]
A Crossroad Destiny by Vanessa Adelaide is a true life story and recounts the incidents in the life of Naomi as she tours Europe. Naomi is particularly young, naive, adventurous, and easygoing, and these are the very conditions that will put her in situations and lifestyles that will test her life in ways she never anticipated.
The story begins with Naomi preparing to travel to Poros, Greece, to take up a job at Zickni Café. However, things become complicated when her boss and travel partner, Tony, begins to act strangely. As it turns out, Tony is domineering and manipulative. Trying to escape the obvious toxicity, Naomi's innocent heart falls for Tom, a tall, blonde young man from Liverpool who is on holiday in Poros. Tom appears to be fun, caring, and all that, and Naomi thinks she will find in him the needed closure.
Unfortunately, Tom leaves surprises more heartbreaking than Tony's. Naomi's heart is broken. Amidst this, Cameron, Eric, Suzi Julie, Geoff, Bruce, and others begin to show up in Naomi's life. But she is already traumatized and confused. Can she ever be able to come out of her shell and consider forging a better future and saving whatever is left of her life?
This was an impactful read for me. First, it enlightens the readers, especially young adults, on the need to be conscious of their personality and its associated weaknesses. Naomi made several mistakes because of her poor understanding of her unique traits and perception of life and living. The consequences were bad choices and being taken advantage of by others. This is not a call to be unnecessarily hard on one's self, but to be in touch with reality and act with caution and intentionality.
Appearance can be deceptive, and unfortunately so, there are so many "skilled actors" like Tony and Tom who can put up any show to manipulate vulnerable and unsuspecting people. This is where the lesson on self-consciousness and paying attention to our instincts comes in. But to be able to do this, we need to connect to our inner selves and attain some level of spiritual awakening and self-confidence. The lack of these made Naomi neglect the instinctual reservations about Tony and Tom.
The story acknowledges the importance of holding oneself accountable as a necessary step to healing, the wisdom in opening up our hearts to new possibilities and opportunities, and the liberation and upliftment that come from connecting to a higher power. There are so many other things that appealed to me.
The only suggestion I have to make is that the author should consider fixing the two grammatical errors I found in this text in a subsequent edition. However, I do not think this is enough reason to remove any stars from the rating. A Crossroad Destiny earns 5 out of 5 stars for the true-life and impactful adventure into personal challenges and redemption.
I highly recommend this book to every young adult, to lovers of memoir, and to anyone going through difficult times, especially from betrayal from trusted ones or failed relationships. It is my hope that they see reasons from the incidents that played out in this book to move on.
******
A crossroad destiny
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
A Crossroad Destiny by Vanessa Adelaide is a true life story and recounts the incidents in the life of Naomi as she tours Europe. Naomi is particularly young, naive, adventurous, and easygoing, and these are the very conditions that will put her in situations and lifestyles that will test her life in ways she never anticipated.
The story begins with Naomi preparing to travel to Poros, Greece, to take up a job at Zickni Café. However, things become complicated when her boss and travel partner, Tony, begins to act strangely. As it turns out, Tony is domineering and manipulative. Trying to escape the obvious toxicity, Naomi's innocent heart falls for Tom, a tall, blonde young man from Liverpool who is on holiday in Poros. Tom appears to be fun, caring, and all that, and Naomi thinks she will find in him the needed closure.
Unfortunately, Tom leaves surprises more heartbreaking than Tony's. Naomi's heart is broken. Amidst this, Cameron, Eric, Suzi Julie, Geoff, Bruce, and others begin to show up in Naomi's life. But she is already traumatized and confused. Can she ever be able to come out of her shell and consider forging a better future and saving whatever is left of her life?
This was an impactful read for me. First, it enlightens the readers, especially young adults, on the need to be conscious of their personality and its associated weaknesses. Naomi made several mistakes because of her poor understanding of her unique traits and perception of life and living. The consequences were bad choices and being taken advantage of by others. This is not a call to be unnecessarily hard on one's self, but to be in touch with reality and act with caution and intentionality.
Appearance can be deceptive, and unfortunately so, there are so many "skilled actors" like Tony and Tom who can put up any show to manipulate vulnerable and unsuspecting people. This is where the lesson on self-consciousness and paying attention to our instincts comes in. But to be able to do this, we need to connect to our inner selves and attain some level of spiritual awakening and self-confidence. The lack of these made Naomi neglect the instinctual reservations about Tony and Tom.
The story acknowledges the importance of holding oneself accountable as a necessary step to healing, the wisdom in opening up our hearts to new possibilities and opportunities, and the liberation and upliftment that come from connecting to a higher power. There are so many other things that appealed to me.
The only suggestion I have to make is that the author should consider fixing the two grammatical errors I found in this text in a subsequent edition. However, I do not think this is enough reason to remove any stars from the rating. A Crossroad Destiny earns 5 out of 5 stars for the true-life and impactful adventure into personal challenges and redemption.
I highly recommend this book to every young adult, to lovers of memoir, and to anyone going through difficult times, especially from betrayal from trusted ones or failed relationships. It is my hope that they see reasons from the incidents that played out in this book to move on.
******
A crossroad destiny
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon