Review: Lacking Shades of Grey: A collection of Poems - Volume 1

Lacking Shades of Grey: A collection of Poems - Volume 1 by Nicole Settimi
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Awhile back I reviewed a book titled, Addictarium, also written by this author. That book contained poetry written by the author. In my review, I had written that I hoped the author would someday offer her poetry in a book. Here it is and it is everything I hoped it would be.
These are not fluffy love poems. They are raw, emotional poems that take us inside the worlds of drug addiction and mental health. They are not for the weak. They are not for those who wish to see either of those worlds in black and white. This book is very aptly named because those worlds are grey. They are worlds of love and glory battling with hate and shame; colored by deceitful promises, blind belief, hope and despair. The author of these poems holds nothing back.
If you are an addict or you know an addict, these poems will speak to you. It may not be what you want to hear, for the truth seldom is, but they might just be what you need to hear.
Through the two books this author has written, I have come to know a little about her. No one who bares their soul and pours their blood out in their writing is truly able to stay hidden. I am humbled by her painful honesty. I think the author is an amazingly brave soul. I wish her the best on this path she walks.
Thank you to the author who sent me an ecopy of this book. I chose to review it. The review is honestly written. The recommendation of this book is sincere.

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Review: Look Behind You

Look Behind You by Sibel Hodge
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I enjoyed listening to this book. There were parts of it where I think the author tried too hard and I did roll my eyes, (I took off a star for this). I try not to do spoilers so I have to leave that you to find on your own. There really wasn't too many times, for me, so it did not ruin the book for me. The bad person is bad from the start and you know it. The other suspects, including Chloe, are not so in your face. This had me believing I had it figured outright away only to question it later on. It is easy to believe the awfully bad person is always the one who did it so these surprises were welcome. The story moves at a fast, smooth pace. I didn't feel jerked around anywhere. My jaw did drop toward the end.
I really enjoyed the narrator on this. I thought she did really well with the pacing and giving voices to the various characters. A big plus, she didn't make me feel sleepy at all. I listened at night on a readathon weekend. Normally I try to balance reading and listening so I don't fall asleep. With this story and narrator, there wasn't a spot I wanted to stop at.
I would tell my friends to give this book a try, especially those with an interest in mental abuse and those who enjoy unreliable character narrators.
Thank you to Amazon for providing a copy of this book to Prime customers.

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