AWRW Book Review: By A Thread, by Author R.L. Griffin

Stella’s future was set, and it was a bright one. She was engaged to a man she adored, and was headed to law school in the fall. Tragically, her perfectly planned future ends just as it was beginning.

With no ties to family or friends, Stella finds herself alone in a new city, spiraling out of control. Her typical day comes to a close with her passed out on the floor; sometimes clothed.

Luckily, her new roommate, essentially a stranger, is dead set on getting Stella past her grief and back to functioning within society. Putting one foot in front of the other, she climbs up from the bottom of a bottle. Even with all her progress, Stella walks through life unfeeling, numb. Defiant, she sends out warning signals for the world to keep away. But, is that what she really wants?

With the steadfast help of a few tight knit friends, she gradually begins to feel again. She starts to savor the flavor of food again; lets herself notice how the handsome bartender glances at her. Still, after allowing herself a fling, she wonders if she will ever be able to let go of her shattered past, fully enjoy the present, or get over what she thought would be her perfect future and with the man who destroyed her heart.

Paperback, 272 pages

Published March 15th 2013 by CreateSpace (first published March 11th 2013)

By A Thread Series

Genre: Romance, Romance-Suspense, Drama, Dark, New-Adult

Goodreads

What’s It About?

Stella has her life all planned out. Adoring, handsome fiance , being accepted into law school . Till one day when tragedy strikes, and her world is turned upside down.

Stella puts off school, and spends most of her time drinking and crying. Her new roommate, Patrick, sees to it that she bathes and eats. Her roommates become her support system, but she doesn’t see herself worth saving. Stella is emotionally numb.

“I don’t have a heart to give you.”

Then, one day she catches the eye of a good looking bartender. She isn’t ready for a relationship, but she is happy to pass her time drinking and having sex. The bartender is just the distraction she needs.

“I want to tell you that you are beautiful, you know that? Inside and out… But you are broken. I plan on fixing you.”

Just as life starts to look promising again, it all comes crashing down…

My Thoughts

I won an e-copy of this novel in a Facebook giveaway, and I promised the Author a review. This is no way swayed my rating.

After finishing this book, I reread the prologue and first few chapters. The ending left me feeling unsatisfied… I’m guessing it was written how it was because it is part of a series, and book 2 will pick up where book 1 left off. *WARNING SPOILERS* In the prologue Stella was shot and nearly raped, (this is also how the story ends). This made no sense until I finished the book, and had I not reread it, I would have completely forgotten about that part. It was an odd way to start the book. I think this “scene” would have fit better in the last couple chapters.

My opinions on Stella are that she was a hot mess… She drinks her weight in alcohol on a daily basis, is totally depressed (and depressing), makes terrible decisions, and is so wishy-washy it makes your head spin. Even worse, when she drinks she takes off her clothes, and this is a regular pattern. C’mon! I didn’t love Stella, nor the people around her very much either. If I can’t get into the heroine, (or the characters), then it is difficult for me to get into the story. –Which was unfortunate because there was a lot of action and drama that I normally eat right up!

Speaking of the drama; there were a ton of plot twists that were completely unpredictable and shocking. I will give the author that, she can weave a good story! There were a few times that I said, “Oh my God”, and “WHAT?!”, out loud while reading.

The pacing was good, but there were a lot of extra details throughout that weren’t integral to the plot of the story. Perhaps the loose threads will be tied up in the later books, but I don’t know.

The story took place over a 5 year, (I think), timeline, with lots of gaps in between. She never really managed to pull herself out of the hole she was in, and everyone just kinda stood around and enabled her.

Tiny little pet peeve: Did Patrick give Stella stomach meds or a benzo? LOL!!! Xanax is a fast acting anti-anxiety med, “Zantac” is for stomach ulcers. It was spelled “zanax” so I’m thinking it was meant to be “xanax”. Help….

Overall, I liked the story, but I didn’t like the characters. I am giving this novel 3/5 stars.

About The Author

“I live in the Atlanta area. I was surrounded by awesome dudes, until I added a female dog into the mix of my husband, son and dog. I went to law school at American University, Washington College of Law, but only after I fell in love with D.C. I worked in the Senate during the impeachment trial and wanted to stay. After law school I worked for a bit in the area, then moved to Atlanta.”

“If you ask anyone who knows me they know I love reading and read all sorts of books. Any free time I have I’m either reading, writing or drinking with friends.” —Goodreads Author Bio

http://www.facebook.com/rlgriffinbyathread

Purchase

Purchase By A Thread, by R.L. Griffin, here!