3 out of 4 stars
Share This Review
There are those that have hard lives dealing with the death of a parent, abusive family members, and/or bullies at school. Some people, like 18-year-old Anna Walters-Simmons, have to deal with all of the above. So, when she is rescued by the popular boy, Matt Preston, she falls head-over-hills for him. She never expects him and his family to be the definition of evil.
Rafael Luis Brown, better known as Rafe, has also lived a hard life. After the death of his mother and abuse from his father, he looks for salvation in the Australian Army. However, Rafe also comes face-to-face with evil in someone he’s supposed to be able to trust. So, he runs again, this time running home.
When circumstances bring Anna and Rafe together, they recognize the broken/traumatized look in each other. Can they save each other? Is there any escape from the hell their lives have become?
Heartaches: Bad Boy Vibes by H.M. Irwing is a very intense and descriptive book that focuses on a major problem across the world, sexual assault. This book gives very graphic detail of harsh events that are hard to read about. However, as someone who has faced some of the harshnesses of this world, I believe the author perfectly describes the struggles that people face after living these realities. Some of these struggles include the difficulties of bringing those responsible to justice, the mixed emotions and guilt over the experience, the nightmares, as well as the feeling as if what happened is your fault somehow.
The book is difficult to read because of the graphic events. It is very well written though, bringing to life the experiences that Anna and Rafe go through. I found only five typos or grammatical errors, some of which could actually be due to cultural grammatical differences between the United States and Australia. There were words or phrases that were unfamiliar or spelled differently from what I am used to due to these differences. If it were not for these small errors and the extremely graphic nature of the writing, I would have given this book 4 out of 4 stars. But for these reasons, I give Heartaches: Bad Boy Vibes 3 out of 4 stars.
People who have been sexually assaulted should read this book to understand that they are not alone. This book describes feelings, emotions, and difficulties that many victims face. A victim should realize that all of this is normal and others have been there with these same problems and feelings. There are people that can help you fight to overcome your experiences and live your life again.
If you have not experienced violence or sexual assault, I still recommend reading this book. It will help people understand what it is like for these victims. It brings to light the struggles, frustrations, and alternating emotions that a sexual assault victim goes through. Anyone that has had a victim in their family or that works with victims should read this book to better understand what these people go through.
I love the in-depth rawness of this story. The characters extreme emotions keep the reader entranced into feeling a part of the story. I believe the book is accurately named because you can feel the heartaches of these people. I look forward to reading the sequel to find out how Anna and Rafe’s story continues.
******
Heartaches
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Like cherrygirl3's review? Post a comment saying so!
