Everything She Lost by Alessandra Harris
Goodreads
Buy on Amazon
After suffering a mental breakdown that nearly destroyed her marriage, Nina Taylor works hard to maintain her tenuous hold on sanity and be a good mother to her two young daughters. Despite her best efforts, she questions the possibility of a full recovery.
Single mom Deja Johnson struggles to overcome her troubled past and raise her young son. But her friendship with Nina brings more complications. What Deja is hiding could not only destroy relationships, but endanger lives.
One traumatic night threatens to shatter Nina’s mind. With Deja’s help, she strives to maintain her mental balance. But as events spiral out of control, the women must find out if Nina is losing her sanity or if someone is plotting against her.
This is one of the stories that stays with you for quite some time after you’ve read the book. In fact, I’ve already read a half dozen other books and the theme of this book is still fresh in mind…… which is a good thing since I just realized I never provided you with my review of the book.
Today’s post is my book review of Everything She Lost by Alessandra Harris. I had never heard of this author, but when I received an email about the book and read the description, I knew it was going to be a great one to read. Boy, was I right!
Nina and Rodney are working toward restoring their lives now that Rodney has allowed Nina to move back in after her mental breakdown that nearly destroyed their marriage. She wants to be with her daughters, and Rodney, and for them she wants to get back to being healthy and normal even though she questions her own sanity. Although she has lost a lot of friends due to the breakdown, her new friend Deja is there for her.
Deja is a single mother trying to make a life for her and her son. She has a secret past and continues to haunt her and is a problem in her life. She’s always looking over her shoulder worried that her past will catch up with her. In all honesty, Deja has never had a friend and wants to have a friendship with Nina, but due to circumstances surrounding the two of them, this friendship is complicated. Deja must keep secrets from her friend and she’s usually very good at doing so. Deja hasn’t alway made the right choices for herself or others but she’s just doing what he has to do in order to survive.
Throughout the story, I really felt sad for Nina. Life was suffocating her while she was doing the best she could at trying to recover from her breakdown. Even the simple things we take for granted were heavy tasks for Nina because she doubts herself. While she was kind and smart, her husband, Rodney, isn’t treating her the way she should be treated.
When writing about stories like this, it’s very hard to share the story with you when I know I might write a spoiler, so I’m going to stop here. What I’m going to say is get out and pick up a copy of this book and read it. If you’re like me, it’ll be from cover to cover as quick as you can, and then you’ll spend twice that long thinking about it afterward.
Ms. Harris writes this story from both points of view, so you will learn what makes each of these ladies do the things they do. The story builds and you won’t be able to stop turning the pages thanks to the well written twists and turns. I never suspected the ending and it caught me off guard and at the end of the book, I was very pleasantly surprised!
I can’t wait to read the other book written by Ms. Harris, Blaming the Wind. If it’s anything as great as Everything She Lost, I know it’ll be a great read too. Be sure to pick up your copy of Everything She Lost on Amazon. I’ll make it easy for you – here’s the link to Amazon: CLICK HERE.
Alessandra Harris doesn’t shy away from controversial topics, and writes novels that reflect the diversity of her world. She loves stories that break your heart but leave you smiling at the end, so that’s exactly what she writes: made-up stories about almost-real people.
She lives in Silicon Valley with her husband and four children, and is the organizer of San Jose Novel Writers, a group of eclectic writers offering fellowship, support and tips on all forms of writing.
Alessandra’s debut novel, Blaming the Wind, was published by Red Adept Publishing in 2016, followed by Everything She Lost in 2018.
You can find Alessandra on Twitter or on her Website!
I was provided with a complimentary advance digital copy of this book in exchange for my review. It was not required that my review be positive, but in this case, there’s no way I could say anything but great things! Thank you Ms. Harris for this opportunity!!
It would be great if you would stay connected with me!! You can follow me on Twitter @DebiL1611, like me on Facebook at 2014 and Beyond, circle me on Google+, follow me on Tumblr, Instagram and Bloglovin’, subscribe on YouTube, or connect with me on LinkedIn and Pinterest.
Please make sure to visit my homepage and subscribe to my blog for more great posts on running, fitness and lifestyle topics as well as food, product, music and book reviews, and more!
