Sunday, November 10, 2013

REVIEW: LILY OF THE VALLEY BY SARAH DALTRY



Blurb:
You met them in Forget Me Not. Now, hear Jack’s story.
Plagued by a dark past, Jack sees college as a way out. Desperate to escape the area where he grew up, the people who know his secrets, and his own family, he deals with his problems through alcohol and sex.
When he first sees Lily, she’s the epitome of everything he hates. Yet something about her makes Jack rethink everything he knows and assumes about other people. Now, with the help of his best friend and lover, Jack has to decide if he wants to pursue something that he knows will only end badly.
Can Lily be one of the few people who can see Jack for who he really is – or will his darkness be too much for her to handle?

Review:
This is really Forget Me Not from Jack's point of view. We get to see his world and all the darkness it encompasses. Lily becomes a bright, shiny light at the end of his long, bleak tunnel.

I have to say. I liked this better than Forget Me Not. The darker, seedier side of our tortured hero is more complex than Lily's version. She's a good person, but a confused 18 year-old seeking her own path can't quiet hold a candle to Jack's life. He doesn't need to "find himself." He needs to learn how to live. Watching Lily bring peace and stability into his hectic world was like watching the ocean settle after a storm.

The language is rougher in this version of the story. There's more drinking, raw sex, and conflict. I'm not so sure I would give this to a younger teen. However, I think this would make a good adult read. I would definitely start with Forget Me Not, but this one can stand on its own. Settle in on a cold afternoon with Lily of the Valley.

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