🛣️🍂🍁 "The Edge of Belonging" (2020) 🍁🍂🛣️ - Book Review
MY REVIEW
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0800737407
ISBN-13: 978-0800737405
“When Ivy Rose returns to her hometown to oversee an estate sale, she soon discovers that her grandmother left behind more than trinkets and photo frames--she provided a path to the truth behind Ivy's adoption. Shocked, Ivy seeks clues to her past, but a key piece to the mystery is missing.
Thank you in advance to Revell (a division of Baker Books) for providing a complimentary review copy through their Revell Reads Blogger program. A positive review was not required and all words are my own.
I have never finished a book so quickly in my entire life – particularly one that is this long (roughly it is 371 pages from the first chapter to the last sentence). I started this book on 9/13/2020 at around 4:35pm and read it off/on until I finished at around 1:30am on 9/14. That was roughly nine (9) hours. And, it wasn’t continual hours either.
This stunning, emotional, and dynamic book is from debut novelist Amanda Cox. And, what a debut it is! She carefully crafted a tale that shows what true love is as well as the definition of family.
What
drew me in was the blurb from the back of the book as well as the stunning
cover which is alternately haunting. I couldn’t wait to get this book and dive
right in. It didn’t hurt that I had heard some stellar reviews of this book
prior to its release.
The characters are haunting and yet inspirational – a young woman trying to figure out who she is in more ways than one, her parents with a secret, her uncle, and a grandmother who wants to tell Ivy the truth. There is also Ivy’s fiancé, Seth, who is rather abusive and controlling. I didn’t like him from the onset, and it was no surprise at how he reacted throughout the novel. Ivy’s best-friend Reese was one of the strongest supporting characters. Is it bad I was hoping to see Reese knock the snot out of Seth at one point?
These people shaped Ivy into the person she is, but she cannot seem to see that. At first.
There are some references to rape, human trafficking, prostitution, and abuse though. Cox handles them with tact and dignity given them the respect and awareness they deserve.
This is a dual timeline story, all told in third (3rd) person. The past is seen from Harvey (Ivy’s uncle “Vee”), Tom (Ivy’s father), Miriam (Ivy’s mother), and Pearl’s (Ivy’s grandmother) POV. At one point there is Laney/Rose’s POV. Readers might catch on to who she is. I did with her introduction. In present day, the story is told completely from Ivy’s POV. All of this works together to craft a beautiful story about Ivy’s past.
Cox made it easy to keep track of the characters and the timeline while still carefully crafting the story and taking readers through this wonderful journey. She even tackles what depression is like and how misunderstood it is by others.
Pearl taking care of Harvey instead of judging him or his life; building love day by day is heart-warming and heart-breaking. Readers will perhaps see why there is a connection between Pearl and Harvey.
Cox’s messages about what makes a family is extremely beautiful and touching. Reese tends to bring an army to rally around Ivy whereas Seth was about isolation. Cox has a poignant message in chapter two about “sometimes a person just needs to know that they’re not alone in this world”. With Ivy learning to find her way back to find out who she is – she learns to love and be loved the author demonstrates that.
There is hope despite loss. And, there is healing with home, family, and belonging.
And, given Harvey’s issue with cars (which is completely understandable) – reading the present-day parts made me smile.
The plot was absolutely masterful and powerful. I was so mesmerized I couldn’t put this book down for any great length of time. Very seldom does a book grip me like this one did. The short chapters and quick pacing, made this a rapid read that gripped me from the end of chapter one until the very end of the book. I was still wanting a bit more when I closed the book. Not sure if this is a standalone read, but I would like to see a follow-up/sequel. And, I will be eagerly awaiting the author’s next book.
And, for a debut author, Cox was perfect!
As this is distributed by Revell, there will be some Christian/faith elements. As one of the characters is a pastor; there are going to be references to God, Jesus, prayer, and bible quotes. These are not central to the main story and are used in sparse amounts. This is a clean read with no sex scenes or foul language.
Those who enjoy uplifting, hopeful, and inspiring stories with a dual timeline are certain to enjoy this stellar debut.
This is
a five star, HIGH re-read book for me. I’ll definitely be talking about it for
days.
RATING:
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Goodreads
5⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ /5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Bookbub
5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐/5 ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ – Personal Rating (see rating explanation in this blog: https://readingexcursions.blogspot.com/2020/01/rating-system-2020-changes.html)
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Amanda Cox is a blogger and a curriculum developer for a national nonprofit youth
leadership organization, but her first love is communicating through story. She
holds a bachelor's degree in Bible and theology and a master's degree in
professional counseling. Her studies and her interactions with hurting families
over a decade have allowed her to create multidimensional characters that
connect emotionally with readers. She lives in Chattanooga, Tennessee, with her
husband and their three children.
You can follow her on the following social media accounts:
Facebook:
https://www.facebook.com/amandacoxwrites/
Instagram: http://instagram.com/amandacoxwrites
Twitter: https://twitter.com/amandacoxwrites
Website: https://twitter.com/amandacoxwrites
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