A Lily in the Light | 
pickI‘ve been reading too many sad books.... but this was a good read. A 4-year old girl goes missing, life has to go on but how... and then years later she‘s found and brought back and the family has to re-learn everything. I liked that ballet was a focus for the main character I think it added a level of depth ness that otherwise would have left the story flat.
bailedIf I‘m going to bail on a book, it‘s usually within the first 25%, at most 50%. Made it to 80% and I just couldn‘t anymore. Just not the book for me.
so-soI feel bad for not rating this higher, but for a story with such an emotional plotline, it really didn't raise my emotions. It was a good idea and had good bones, but I feel like the author really missed out on the chance to make this the tear-jerker it could have been. 3/5 ⭐
A harrowing debut novel of a tragic disappearance and one sister‘s journey through the trauma that has shaped her life.
Unless you watch This Is Us then the answer would be YES Esme, this would start a fire and IS NOT safe..sorry had to go there because I love This Is Us😂❤️
I enjoyed this peek into a family trauma that shows both the interconnectedness as well as the isolation of the damaged family dynamic. 4 yo Lily goes missing, while her mom, dad, sisters and brother suffer the guilt; each person coping in their own way. Esme, 11, expresses her heavy emotions in ballet. Many parallels between the ballet Serenade (above) and Esme‘s splintered memories of her little sister Lily.
pickA fast read, mostly because the story catches you up and spins you around until it sets you down at the end, a little dizzy and a lot changed. I loved it. I loved that the author didn‘t shy away from the long term effects of trauma on families, or the ways people try to escape their pasts. I love that Esme got to have someone else who danced because they were broken. Just read it!
Starting these two tonight. I‘m also working on The Huntress in paperback, but I can‘t hold it to eat in bed (stupid stroke hand). I‘ve been looking forward to You Asked for Perfect, and A Lily in the Light just appealed to my ballet-loving heart when I was choosing a Kindle First book.
so-soThis was my Kindle First pick this month and unfortunately I didn‘t love it. The first half is told from the POV of an 11 year old whose younger sister has gone missing and I just didn‘t find her voice authentic.
By the time the story jumps forward 8 years (same narrator at the age of 19) I just found her a bit brattish and I wasn‘t drawn into the story as a result.
Never mind-at least it was free! I‘d love to know what everyone else thinks....
