Review by Znb -- The Second Cup by Sarah Marie Graye

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Znb
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Review by Znb -- The Second Cup by Sarah Marie Graye

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[Following is a volunteer review of "The Second Cup" by Sarah Marie Graye.]
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3 out of 4 stars
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The Second Cup is a novel written by Sarah Marie Graye, published in July 2017. The story focuses on four friends, Faye, Beth, Olivia and Abbie, and their struggle with daily life. When Faye sees someone on the street that reminds her of her lost love, Jack, everything changes. She raises the question as to whether each woman is living her life to the fullest. With that, Faye goes on a quest to find Jack, only to find out that she’s too late. The news of Jack’s death leads Faye, Abbie and Olivia on a path of self-discovery and acceptance. However, Beth is hit the hardest, even though she had never met Jack, and left to battle her mental health, relying on her friends for strength.

Each chapter is narrated by one of the 4 women in first person, as well as being broken up with third person flashbacks. This was very skilfully done, and enabled the reader to not only empathise with each protagonist, but also gave a more in-depth understanding of their struggles and where each woman’s issues stemmed from. Through this deeper understanding, Graye allowed me to relate to each of the characters in different ways. However, the format was slightly confusing at times and did make it harder to keep up with what was going on in the story and whether it was a memory or occurring in the present.

Through each character Graye managed to incorporate many significant lessons and messages into the novel, which just increased in meaning since the characters were so relatable. She showed the importance of friendship and self-love, using the novel and the relationship between the four women to portray just how much they affected people’s daily life and the strength that can come from them. In addition to this, Graye also spoke out about mental health, giving a very vulnerable and raw insight into the struggles of poor mental health and that even with help, it is always an ongoing battle. She didn’t just focus on the personal impact of low mental health, but also how it can affect those around you, showing the reader a side to these issues that people don’t normally see and just how greatly it can affect people.

Although the novel was well written and on the most part very well edited, I did find a few errors dotted around. This however didn’t take away from the overall impact or comprehensibility of the novel.

I found myself lost in the novel, the characters and the messages that accompanied them. I was rooting for each and every one of them, hoping that they all find their happiness. I feel that this novel deserves a strong 3 out of 4 stars and would recommend this novel to anyone wanting to read something intensely powerful, even if it is somewhat slow-moving.

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The Second Cup
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