The Synopsis:
Avery is a seventeen-year-old girl whose reality has just been shattered by the death of her mother. Feeling a desperate need to flee from what has become her life, she follows a travel plan meant for her mom that leads her to the little beach town where her mom grew up. It’s there that she meets a group of three adventurous friends who adopt her into their circle, allowing her to experience a summer she never thought would be possible after suffering such a great loss.
Unfortunately, her summer full of experiences threatens to end abruptly when she realizes that one of the three has a secret that causes her to question everything about the new life she has been building. Avery must learn to balance her grief and her desire for a future in order to achieve her mother’s final wish for her: That she would be happy to be alive.
I received this book from the author/publisher for the purpose of this review. All comments and opinions are entirely my own.
Review:
Happy to Be Alive, Because will make the readers fall in love with the characters, seclude themselves to finish the story, and challenge them to find out why they are happy to be alive.
The simplicity of the story-line is breathtaking and written with so much care, that we see the characters come alive in a memorable way that ensures that they will not be easily forgotten. It is written in a personal voice from the author that reveals the true heart and goals of the book, making it stand out amongst others in it’s genre. There is just enough emotion in the book to make it real, but yet not completely over doing it and making it sappy. The story is completely believable and it flowed at just the right pace to keep readers interested and wanting more.
There were a decent amount of kissing scenes (semi-detailed) and some sexual comments and jokes cause me to recommend keeping the audience at 13 years old and up. However the dating taken place in this book is extremely respectful and pleasing to read, it doesn’t give off that awkward feeling like some romances do.
Rated:
Rayleigh is a Freshman in college with a major in Accounting and long-term goal of being a CPA. She is an avid reader of all genres, and just as much of her time is spent writing as it is reading. She is the Associate Editor and Web Manager for PURSUE Magazine, in addition to posting her monthly articles on their blog. Rayleigh interns for Hartline Literary Agency where she advises authors in the best way to market their books. She is also a Social Media Manager for various businesses.
Her writing pseudonym is Rae Leigh and she is in the process of seeking publication for her Dystopian novella, Program MIRA.