Christy's 5+ Star Review
Therapy by Kathryn PerezMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
5 stars!
Therapy left me speechless. I read it over a week ago and I’m just now writing the review. After I finished, I was gutted. It was devastating, beautiful and emotional. It’s one of those books that won’t be for everyone, but I loved it. Therapy is the perfect title for this book, because I feel like I’m in need of some therapy after reading it.
“They say monsters live under our beds. They’re wrong because our mind is where monsters truly reside.”
Jessica Alexander has some issues. Jessica is starting her senior year of high school. She doesn’t have any ‘real friends’. She is a cutter. She is also defined as a slut by the majority of the other students. All she wants is to feel loved, connected. Sex is the only way she gets that feeling. Cutting also makes her feel. She feels alive, it gives her control and a different kind of pain to focus on.
Her life is a mess. Cutting, sleeping around, being constantly bullied by the popular kids at school. Except for Jace. Jace is one of the most popular, but he doesn’t pick on Jess. In fact, he stands up for her and tries to get the others to stop. Jace is every girls high school crush. Jessica is no different. He’s the perfect guy. Sweet, hot, and popular. And he wants to be friends with Jessica. Jace’s friendship changes her life.
Before Jace goes off to college, a stupid mistake Jessica makes changes everything between them.
Six years later, Jessica is older and on her own. She isn’t as shy as she was in highschool, but the way she copes hasn’t changed. She gets into some trouble and gets sentenced to Therapy. Individual Therapy and group Therapy. She gets diagnosed and figures out why she is the way she is. Then Jace comes back into her life. Even though he’s unavailable, theres a part of him that can’t let Jessica go. He still has all the feelings for her he once had. That hasn’t changed.
“You were beautifully flawed, but perfect to me.”
“I belong to you, Jess. My heart has belonged to you since I scooped you up off the ground over six years ago. That has never changed.”
“Let me go, Jace.”
“I don’t know how.”
Then there is Kingsley. The guy she meets in group. He’s there for an entirely different reason than Jess. He grows to care for her. Teaches her that it’s okay to have a normal, healthy friendship and relationship.
“You’ve awakened a part of me that’s been locked away for the past year. I love you and if loving you is wrong, then I don’t ever want to be right.”
Things get complicated. Things from the past come to light. Jace learns some things that change his perception of past events. Theres Jace... theres Kingsley... Will either be able to save Jessica from herself? Or will she learn once and for all that only she can do that?
I really want to go on and on about Kingsley, Jace, the snowflake and so much more, but this is a story you won’t want spoiled. You want all the twists and turns to be a surprise. This book will stick with me. The story and characters I won’t be forgetting anytime soon. It’s a story about mental health, bullying, first loves, vindictive people, forgiveness, friendship, healing and survival. I felt when I read this book. A lot of the feelings weren't good, but they were strong. I was reading this the same time as one of my friends and I had to call and leave her a crying voice message at one point-(view spoiler) That’s how this book effected me. But if you know anything about me as a reader, I love to feel, so it worked. There was a lot I loved about this book-
I loved the writing, the fact that you got the perspective of three of the characters, and all the emotions I felt. Even though it didn’t end in the way I wanted it to, I still loved it. I recommend this book to all of you readers like me that like to feel, and don’t mind crying through an entire book ;) Be prepared, it’s an emotional rollercoaster of a read! I applaud this author for writing about such a difficult subject that is so personal to her. Bravo. This is the first Kathryn Perez book I've read, but it won't be the last!
*ARC kindly provided by author in exchange for an honest review*View all my reviews
SYNOPSIS
I’m needy.
I’m broken.
Cutting breaks through my numbness, but only opens more wounds.
Depression, self-harm, bullying....that's my reality.
Sex and guys....that's my escape.
The space between the truth and lies is blurred leaving me torn, lost and confused. And while the monsters that live in my head try to beat me-- the two men that I love try to save me.
This is my story of friendship, heartache, and the grueling journey that is mental-illness.
Sometimes you have to get lost in order to be found…
I’m broken.
Cutting breaks through my numbness, but only opens more wounds.
Depression, self-harm, bullying....that's my reality.
Sex and guys....that's my escape.
The space between the truth and lies is blurred leaving me torn, lost and confused. And while the monsters that live in my head try to beat me-- the two men that I love try to save me.
This is my story of friendship, heartache, and the grueling journey that is mental-illness.
Sometimes you have to get lost in order to be found…
Author Bio
Kathryn lives in her small hometown in East Texas with her hand and two amazing children. Kathryn is an advocate of suicide prevention, supporter of ant-bullying efforts and does all she can to provide support to organizations who educate and bring awareness to these topics. With music being her second love to books she claims to be a music infused writer and book junkie who loves to live in a fictional world.
Excerpt
Married. Thinking about Jace being married to someone else puts a crack in my armor. It hurts; it burns my throat as I try to swallow the acidic thought of it down.
“Well then, in four weeks you should get married. Buy a big fancy house and go to charity dinners with your mother and wife. You can have the white picket fence and everything. It sounds like a perfect happily ever after, Jace. Don’t give it up for some broken girl you slept with once.” I bite out. I’m doing my best to keep it together, but I’m slowly unraveling. I love him; I hate him. I want him to stay; I need him to go. My contradicting thoughts circle my mind like vultures.
“Jessica, falling in love can’t always be a happily ever after or a once in a lifetime kind of story. Those happen in books, in movies. This is life and it’s real. Life has no script, no outline. We broke the rules of love long ago. All I know for sure is that with you, the rules will never apply.”
Before dejectedly walking out, he stops to look at me once more.
“And you weren’t just a girl I slept with once. You’re a girl I’ve loved—always.” And then he’s gone.
No comments:
Post a Comment