By: Charlene Carr
Release Date: September 5, 2014
Series: A New Start #1
Description:
Jennifer Carpenter dreams of being a different person – A person with confidence, a person with beauty, a person who weighs a heck of a lot less.
At twenty-seven, her world falls apart. She’s out of work, her mother has died, her estranged brother is in a coma and, despite good qualifications, each and every job interview ends in another rejection. Marked by the teasing, taunts, and fat jokes that defined her childhood, Jennifer blames her current lack of success on her ever-growing waist band.
In need of a change, Jennifer puts her dream of ‘skinny’ above all else. Obsessed with this mission, she devotes her life to becoming the ideal version of herself even if it means becoming alienated from the only people who love her. Determined to lose the weight she believes is ruining her life, Jennifer finds herself in danger of losing so much more.
Review:
This book was intense, but in all the good ways. It made me feel things I haven’t felt in a
long time or didn’t want to feel. It was
the kind of book that made you look twice at yourself and how you judge people,
how you treat people and most importantly your self-worth. Everyone is worth something and the sooner
you believe you are worth it, the sooner you will be happy. I don’t know if that made sense but it did to
me, lol.
We meet Jennifer who is obese, as well as her mother. They both depend on one another that is until
her mother passes away in a way that makes Jennifer look twice at herself and
the choices she is making in life. Throw
in a father who left her for another family and a brother who doesn’t want
anything to do with her and you could just image the thoughts she is
having. One day she finally decides to
change her life for the better, to make herself healthier is what she tells
other people, but really she has a goal and it’s to be perfect. With lots of work she finally reaches the
goal or almost reaches that goal when the realization hits her. She’s still not happy.
This is an eye opener for her and for readers as well. It doesn’t matter what you look like, sure it’s
great to be healthy but if you are not happy with yourself in general than you
will never be happy with yourself. She
has unresolved issues with the way her mother died and the beliefs she held
about her mom, but when she takes a step back new things come to life. I love the line on her mother’s stone that
reads “Blessed is this life. Celebrate
being alive”. Those are the words that
Jennifer needs to believe in. Celebrate
life to the fullest because it’s short and you might as well be happy with
yourself before you can be happy with anyone else.
This book made me depressed and motivated and inspired all
in one, a hard task to achieve. Overall it was more inspirational than
anything because it helped me to remember to celebrate life, otherwise what is
this all for?
Definitely an amazing read and I’m looking forward to
picking up the second book in this series and continuing on this families
journey through life and discovering their happiness.
Links
Disclaimer:
I received this book from NetGalley and Coastal Lines, so that I may give my honest opinion and a review. Whether it is good or not please do not let it discourage you from purchasing/reading the book yourself and forming your own opinion. What might be good for me may not be good for you and vice versa. With that said, Happy Reading Everyone!!!