All The Promises We Break by Brenda Benny
Published by Liddle Book Press on October 13th, 2018
Pages: 271
Format: ARC
Goodreads
Buy on Amazon
How do you move forward from a night that changes everything if you can’t even remember it?
With high school finally over, and her long-awaited South American adventure just around the corner, Savannah expects to wind up in the arms of her first real love Chase at the end of tonight’s party.
Instead, she wakes up on the bathroom floor. She knows she wasn’t alone.Except she can’t remember any of it.
Chase is nowhere to be found. And the only one picking up the pieces is her outrageous and unpredictable best friend, Pete. Amidst the devastating emotional wreckage of sexual assault, Savannah struggles to fit together the jigsaw puzzle of before and after, while shielding the truth from everyone around her.
Will the worst night of her life keep Savannah from her dreams of first love and finding the road less travelled?
All the Promises We Break is the first of a two book series that follows Savannah through a tragic 1990’s night that tears her apart from her first young love, only to set in motion a chain of events that will lead them back to one another, years later in the sequel, to reveal if the healing process can truly offer a second chance at first love.
I hadn’t heard of this book nor had I heard of this author, but when I saw the description on NetGalley, I requested a copy to read. Everywhere I looked, I saw Brenda Benny’s first book, That Secret You Keep from 2017, and the reviews were great, so I was excited to dig into this one.
Without getting into too much detail (because I don’t write spoilers), I enjoyed this book. All the Promises We Break follows the events of a night of sexual assault at a party in 1994, including the events prior to, during, and following the event. The story starts at this party, and then splits into two timelines — the ‘before’ and the ‘after’.
For Savannah, this party quickly turns into a night she will — unfortunately — never forget — well kind of, anyway. She is set to travel to Ecuador, then go to college….she’s crazy about her boyfriend too…..and then this party that changes all the plans laid out for Savannah’s life. Was it consensual sex while drunk or was it date rape? Did it really happen and if so, why can’t Savannah remember? Was it even her boyfriend, and if not, who was it?
All the Promises We Break is definitely not one of those “run of the mill” kind of books on this subject matter. The author chose to write about this serious and sensitive topic while at the same time, provided readers with an entertaining book that didn’t feel too heavy. I enjoyed this story and I’m looking forward to reading the second book in this series!
After a couple university degrees and some world travel, Brenda Benny settled down to a life of helping others communicate their stories. One day she decided to start writing her own.
When she’s not shining in the glow of a computer screen, she can be found warming up in the sun after a freezing cold lake swim, chilling with friends at an outdoor music festival, skate skiing on a sunny day, or hiking to the summit because it’s there. She believes that dark chocolate and tortilla chips are two overlooked food groups.
Brenda is lucky enough to live amongst the awesome lakes and forests of Muskoka Ontario Canada with her husband, two sons, and their guinea pig named Chocolate.
WEBSITE // INSTAGRAM // FACEBOOK // GOODREADS
I was provided with a complimentary electronic advanced reader copy through Net Galley in exchange for my post. I was not required to post a positive review.
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!
