WATTMAG Issue #3

BOOK REVIEW: Living on Borrowed Time

Living on Borrowed Time by SamieSands

Conveying emotions through characters, to make the reader feel those same emotions is, what I believe, one of the hardest writing skills to do. There have only been three books I have ever read that have made me cry. The last book of the Harry Potter series. The final book by Trudi Canavan in The Black Magician trilogy... and this book that I am reviewing right now for you today.

Living on Borrowed Time was shared with me by gabycabezut for recognition from the official-visible campaign that I run, and has quickly become one of my personal favorite books of all time.

There are so many things I wish I could gush about with this book, but they would include some serious spoilers. So instead I will highlight why I loved this book, why it made me cry, and why you should read it.

Firstly, this author knows how to write. At only 1K reads this is the TRUE definition of an undiscovered gem. The chapter's flow, the characters are defined, their back stories subtly introduced to you throughout the entire book as you watch the characters grow. One of the things I loved most about this story was that the romance is the main subplot, secondary to the main character - Lara's - personal journey. As described in the blurb- this isn't your ordinary love story.

I honestly didn't know what to expect when I turned the first virtual page but was quickly sucked into a world that felt incredibly real. I always applaud authors who write about mental health, especially those who get it right. And my word was this right. The authors grip on the conditions that her main character goes through is unparalleled in any books I've ever read that shared these same themes. Depression, addiction, alcoholism, the mental battle someone goes through when dealing with a terminal illness, and especially anxiety- she seriously nailed this one.

So much so that it made me feel like I was walking alongside Lara, experiencing the things that she was- Especially as what happens to her in the book could easily happen to anyone.

It all may sound like the making of a rather dark and gloomy book, and there are moments where this is the case, but this is also one of the most feel good, positive, self- motivating books I have ever read. I finished the book thinking about what MY dreams in life were and how I would be able to achieve them.

I felt an incredibly personal connection to Lara, and though I was never on my death bed, I was incredibly unwell for many years. Her struggles were my struggles... overthinking that she had failed in life because she had no goals, no want to do something in particular, and no one who understood who she was. This is what resounded in me to the point of tears. It was like someone had reached into my mind and plucked out all my fears and anxieties and written a book about it. 

If there is one thing I have learned about running the  campaign is that I am definitely not alone in these feelings. I think that different people will find different parts of the story emotive, because of the different types of situations Lara finds herself in.

I read this whole book in one night, I just couldn't put it down. So why should you read it? Amazing writing. Emotive story line. Well-rounded and developed characters and an ending that had me smiling with satisfaction while I did a fist bump in the air. 

That's why.

Do you have a completed book with under 50k reads? Comment it below and we might review it for a future issue!