Friday 13 July 2018

Review: Amy Harmon's "The Smallest part."

Amazon.com:   https://amzn.to/2uwBtI4
Amazon UK:    https://amzn.to/2zxRWlh

Synopsis:

It was a big lie. The biggest lie she’d ever told. It reverberated through her head as she said it, ringing eerily, and the girl behind her eyes—the girl who knew the truth—screamed, and her scream echoed along with the lie. 
“Are you in love with Noah, Mercedes?” Cora asked. “I mean . . . I know you love him. You’ve been friends forever. We all have. But are you in love with him?” 
If it had been anyone else—anyone—Mercedes would have stuck out her chest, folded her skinny arms, and let her feelings be known. She would have claimed him. But it was Cora. Brave, beautiful, broken Cora, and Cora loved Noah too. 
So Mercedes lied. 
And with that lie, she lost him. With that lie, she sealed her fate.
She was the best friend, the bridesmaid, the godmother, the glue. She was there for the good times and the bad, the ups and the downs, the biggest moments and the smallest parts. And she was there when it all came crashing down. 
This is the tale of the girl who didn’t get the guy.

Review: Surj 

Peeps, Amy Harmon's "The Smallest Part" was such a wonderful surprise for me. I had no idea that the story was linked to two of my favourite reads of all time. I loved "The Law of Moses" and "The Song of David" and imagine my surprise when I started joining up the dots and suddenly Mose'  name popped up and then Tag too!!! If you could have seen the smile that spread on my face? It really was priceless. Don't worry though lovelies, despite the obvious link for people who have read the other two books, Amy Harmon has worked her magic to ensure that this can be read as a complete standalone without fear of feeling like you're missing parts of the puzzle. I promise you, in fact I implore you to pick "The smallest part" up because this story will just steal your breath away. 

”In the end, only three things matter: 
How much you loved, how gently you loved, 
and how gracefully you let go of things not meant for you.”

Mercedes, Cora and Noah's story was one that was multi layered and complex yet it was completely riveting and unputdownable. There was pain, sorrow and heart ache that ran quite central to the theme of the story but there was equally something rather uplifting about the characters journeys too. Told in third person and from the past and the present, I was given a tale about friendship and forgiveness, about  sacrifice, love and loss, each characters story's affecting me deeply. 


Just because something is meant to be, doesn’t mean it’s meant to be right now.

Amy Harmon has a real knack for giving us characters that are not your run of the mill heroes or heroines but in the same breath she writes them in such a way that we can't help but take to them, giving them a little piece of our hearts so easily. Mercedes was such a beautiful leading lady. This was a woman who (even as a child) had time and time again sacrificed so much in the name of friendship and never (not once) had regrets about it. She had always been so thoughtful and giving, always putting the needs and wants of others before her own. She really was selfless to a fault. Noah's character broke my heart. From his childhood to his adult life, to the challenges that presented themselves to him when he least expected them, this was a man who never faltered when it came to responsibility. This was a man who never faltered when it came to his unconditional, unwavering love. I was completely in awe of this brave, strong man who had a vulnerable side that just made him all the more relatable and all the more likeable. Now Cora, what can I say about her? I'll admit she wasn't the most likeable character (in my eyes anyway) but the more I got to know her, the more I understood the reasons for why she was the way she was. Tragedy had marred her life and it was something I doubt she ever got over. That doesn't mean I forgave her actions, just that I understood her better. 

Life wasn’t about getting what you deserved. 
It was about enduring what you didn’t and not letting it destroy you.

Despite being told in third person, this author's way with words ensured that I FELT the story that was being told. She ensured that I experienced all the emotions the characters went through and that I lived their journey right alongside them whether that was the good, the bad or even the ugly and that takes some doing to be honest because books written in third person aren't always my cup of tea. 

"I’m not going to let you go. I’m going to follow you over the edge."

So that's it from me. Kinda short and sweet because I'm not sure what else to say other than this author really does write some amazing books. The three that are mentioned in this review (including "The Smallest part") are definite must reads. If you like different. If you like heart felt, beautiful stories. If you like unconventional characters that may not be six foot tall with abs like slabs but will worm their way into your hearts and minds regardless, I implore you to pick these books up. 



“Sometimes it’s the smallest part that steals the show.”

"The Smallest Part" gets 4❤️'s from me. 

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