Kim Holden – So Much More – Veronika's Reader Feeder

Synopsis

Love is strange. It comes out of nowhere. There’s no logic to it. It’s not methodical. It’s not scientific. It’s pure emotion and passion. And emotion and passion can be dangerous because they fuel love…and hate.

I’m now a reluctant connoisseur of both—an expert through immersion. I know them intimately.

When I fell in love with Miranda, it was swift and blind. She was the person I’d elevated to mythical status in my head, in my dreams.

Here’s the thing about dreams, they’re smoke.

They’re spun as thoughts until they become something we think we want. Something we think we need.

That was Miranda. She was smoke.

I thought I wanted her. I thought I needed her.

Over time reality crept in and slowly dissected and disemboweled my dreams like a predator, leaving behind a rotting carcass.

Reality can be a fierce bitch.

So can Miranda.

And I can be a fool…

who believes in dreams.

And people.

And love.

Note from the author: Due to strong language and sexual content, this book is recommended for mature audiences only.

Kim Holden ismét felültett egy érzelmi hullámvasútra. Sőt ez inkább egy körhinta volt, amiből kiszállás után csak azt éreztem, hogy szédülök, és hirtelen nem találom a fókuszpontot. Rengeteg-rengeteg érzelem volt ebben a könyvben, de ami talán leginkább jellemző volt rá, az a kétségbeesett harag, a frusztráció és az összetört szív. Volt olyan pillanata a könyvnek, amikor együtt sírtam Seamus-el, annyira kilátástalannak tűnt minden. Hihetetlen ez az írónő…

Több szempontból is különleges volt ez a könyv, mert összesen három szemszögből íródott.

Ott van Seamus a tökéletes férj, a „szent”, akinek gyönyörű tiszta szíve van, és akinek mindene a három gyönyörű gyereke.

Aztán ott van Faith, egy nagyon különleges lány, aki Seamus és a gyerekek szomszédja lesz, miután a válás után egy új lakásba költöznek. Ő egy nagyon-nagyon különleges lány, aki csupa szív és lélek, aki ingyen öleléseket osztogat a strandon, és akinek hátra kellett hagynia minden csúfságot a múltjában, hogy szeretetre cserélje azokat.

És itt jön a képbe az egyik legkülönlegesebb karakter, akiről valaha olvastam, Miranda. Miranda Seamus ex-felesége. Ő a tökéletes „gonosz karakter”, mint a boszorka a mesékben. Annyira hihetetlen volt belelátni a kicsavarodott elméjébe, a rideg, romlott gondolataiba, amitől még a hideg is kirázott. Esküszöm sokáig azt gondoltam, hogy biztosan egy pszichopata, aki egyszerűen nem tud valódi érzéseket produkálni, vagy akár bűntudatot érezni. (Picit olyan volt, mintha egy Tarryn Fisher könyvet olvastam volna.) És akkor itt jött a csavar a képbe: Kim Holden képes volt nemcsak egy tökéletes szívtelen karaktert megalkotni, de olyan komplexé is tudta varázsolni, hogy miután lassan elkezdenek leperegni a legfelső festékrétegek, és bepillantást nyerünk alájuk, bizony felfejtésre kerül, hogy mi miért volt, hogy mi vezetett idáig, hogy hogy veszítheti el az ember ennyire a személyiségét és fordulhat ki a valóságából. Meghökkentő volt, és őszintén úgy gondolom, hogy erre nem minden író lenne képes.

Az írónő stílusa nagyon-nagyon jó volt, és maga a könyv is picit különleges stílusban íródott. Seamus a tökéletes férfi karakter, őszintén együtt éreztem vele és sajnáltam őt, a gyerekeket pedig imádtam.

Faith-t is megkedveltem, de valahogy mégsem éreztem annyira az iránta való kötődést. De mégis ami miatt a végén mégis levontam egy fél csillagot a könyvből, az a történet végén található Miranda volt, mert számomra egy ilyen mértékű karakterváltozás (akár rossz, akár jó irányban) nem tűnik realisztikusnak. Összességében nagyon-nagyon összetett volt a könyv, de talán nem is a cselekmény-, hanem inkább a karakterek szempontjából, és EZ volt az, ami a kötet igazi különlegességét adta.

My Review in English

Kim Holden took me to a ride on the emotional roller-coaster again. Moreover, it was rather a carousel which if you take off, you just feel yourself dizzy and can’t find the focus point. This book was full with emotions, but maybe the most defining was the despairing anger, the frustration, the broken heart. There were moments in this book, when I cried with Seamus because of the hopelessness what he felt. Kim Holden is simply incredible…

This book was really unique in more than one way, and it was written in three different POV-s:

First there is Seamous, the perfect husband, the “saint”, who has a really beautiful, pure heart and his three kids are meaning the whole world for him.

Then there is Faith, who is a really unique girl, who becomes the new neighbor of Seamous and the kids after Seamous’s divorce. She is all heart and soul, who gives free hugs on the beach, who had to leave behind all the ugliness and pain in her past, to change them for love.

And here comes into the picture one of the most unique characters I’ve ever met, Miranda, Seamous’s ex-wife. She is the perfect “evil character”, like the wicked witch in the tales. It was incredible to get glimpses into her twisted mind, into her cold, rotten thoughts that gave me goose bumps. I swear I thought for a long time, that she is some kind of psychopath who is not able to feel any real emotions or regret. (She reminded me a little of some of the characters of Tarryn Fisher). And here comes the big twist: Kim Holden was able to create not just the prefect heartless character but she could make her so developed and complex, that when the top layers of her perfect facade slowly start peeling off and we get a glimpse under it, suddenly we get answers. Answers about the causative of this crack on her personality and we can learn about what has led to lose her reality completely. It was astounding and I truly think that not every author would be able to create this much of complexity.

The writing style was really-really great and the book was written in a really unique style. Seamous was the prefect hero and I truly sympathized with him, and I also really loved the kids. I became to love Faith too, but somehow I couldn’t feel a strong connection with her. But the main reason why I couldn’t give five full stars for this amazing story is the character of Miranda at the end of the story, because I just can’t believe that this kind of character change is possible in reality (for bad or for good direction either).

After all, this book was really-really complex, but mostly not because of the plot line of the story but because of the characters, and THIS is the main reason why this book is so-so special and unique.

My Favorite Quotes From the Book

“Life blooms in second chances.”

“People are what make life worth living. Sacrifice. Love. Compassion. It’s pretty goddamn beautiful. Who knew?”

“I didn’t know people could hug your soul with their soul. Faith can.”

“And my heart shatters for the second time today. It’s blown apart into so many pieces, the shrapnel spread so far and wide, I know what remains will never fit back together again. Puzzles don’t work when you only have half of the pieces. Same goes for hearts.”

“Love is strange. It comes out of nowhere. There’s no logic to it. It’s not methodical. It’s not scientific. It’s pure emotion and passion. And emotion and passion can be dangerous because they fuel love…and hate.”

“I’ve moved around a lot in my life. I’ve met a lot of people. I like your heart, Seamus.” She cups my cheek, kisses me softly on the corner of my mouth, and whispers, “My heart really likes your heart.”

“Only fools fall in love. And I am no fool.”

“The first time I said goodbye to Seamus, my heart shattered. It was a blast that obliterated me, leaving only dust and making the task of putting the pieces back together impossible. But through it, my mind kept going back to something he told me, so much more than thank you. So. Much. More.
Seamus was so much more.”

4.5- Free Hugs- Stars

Playlist For the Book

About the Author

Some of my favorite things: reading, writing, the two coolest guys on the planet (my husband and son), my bicycle (my husband built it for me), Facebook (I’m fairly certain it’s an addiction at this point), iced coffee (hazelnut), and music (LOVE Sunset Sons, the 1975, Dredg, the xx, Balance and Composure, Teenage Bottlerocket, and 30 Seconds to Mars). I also love dreaming, which brings me to my next point. I have one bit of advice for anyone reading this … follow your dreams. It’s never too late. Get started today … heck get started RIGHT NOW! I wanted to write a book 20 years ago. Instead I waited. And waited. I should’ve been writing. But I didn’t. I don’t do regrets, because the past is just that, the past. But let me tell you there’s nothing in the world like achieving something you’ve dreamt about for years and years. So, get started. Make your dreams reality.
I love to hear from other readers. Send me a message or find me on Facebook (https://facebook.com/kimholdenauthor) and tell what’s up in your reading world.