BLOG TOUR: Before I Wake by C.L. Taylor

Hi guys!

Welcome back to another week here at Satisfaction for Insatiable Readers.

Ever find yourself reading a particular type of story, book after book, without any planning or forethought to it being that way?  Currently, that's where I'm at.  I've had a plethora of "are or aren't they out of their minds" stories recently and today's featured title is no different. The AWESOME thing about this type of occurence is that you get to see how different authors play the situations up, work with the lead (or misleading) characters, and wind things up for the grand finale.  Some work better than others....today's selection being a perfect case in point.  Without further ado, today's book of choice is...

Before I Wake

by

C.L. Taylor

9481402294181

Sourcebooks Landmark

About the book....

To the outside world, Susan Jackson has it all: a loving family, successful husband, and beautiful home. But when her teenage daughter deliberately steps in front of a bus, Sue is forced to question everything, especially when she discovers a horrifying entry in her daughter’s diary: “Keeping this secret is killing me.” As Sue tries to reconstruct the events that led up to Charlotte’s collision, entries from her own diary—written 20 years earlier—shed light on the secrets of her past, which threaten to disrupt the careful balance of the present, and throw her activities into question. Is Sue really a quest to find the truth, or is she losing her grip on reality... again?

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This is one of those tales that you don't mind questioning everything you know time and time again.  Our leading lady spotlight is technically shared by Charlotte, the comatose daughter, and Susan, her ever present mother.  Now, I know what you're thinking, how can the girl in a coma work the spotlight....well, it's her secrets that hold the key to just why she's not awake yet and so whether standing on two feet or not, her presence is required, her memory given live again and again.  Susan on the other hand is of flesh and blood and the moving grooving world.  She's a mother that just won't, nay can't let go and with good reason.  She read her daughter's journal and knows in her heart of hearts the reason her daughter won't wake up is whatever secret she is hiding.  Think about it, no chance in spilling the beans if you can't even sit upright, right?  Ah, but there's MORE to it...

The author tells the story through Susan's fight to uncover the truth AND her past.  The latter is represented by a different chronological journal entry at the end of every chapter.  It helps us to uncover the truth about her own past as well as get to know the woman dealing with the here and now. I really liked the balance between past and present as well as the length of the chapters.  Never did I feel that oversharing occurred and though the topics covered were hard at times, it helped to press the point of full disclosure, acceptance, and forgiveness.  It allowed readers the chance to see themselves in the characters while coming to realize that you and you alone are in control of what you do, what you say, where you go, and with whom you're with.  No one should control those aspects of you that make you, you and if they try, then they're not worthy of your attention.  I wish I could say that our leads understood that.  I wish I could say that no harm came to anyone throughout the course of the story and that all was well.  I wish I could and yet, if I did then I wouldn 't be singing this book's praises because it's part of what makes the story so engaging.  

So, if you're looking for a read that has characters you'll want to know, a mystery you'll need to uncover and an outcome you've got to read to believe, this is definitely a story for you.  There's as much story in the here and now as there is in the glimpses of the past, both Susan's and her daughter's recent days.  You'll be shocked at all that's transpired and glued to the page to see just how things turn out....and trust me, you DEFINITELY want to see how things turn out.  Recommended read for adult readers due to some content and issues dealt with...but overall, a wondrous read.

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ARC for review courtesy of Nicole at Sourcebooks.  (THANKS!)  For more information on this title as well as their growing catalog, be sure to stop by their official site.  This title celebrated its book birthday earlier this month, so be on the lookout for it on a bookstore shelf near you.

Until next time....happy reading!