ARC Review ~ All The Ugly and Wonderful Things by Bryn Greenwood

 

SYNOPSIS

 

As the daughter of a drug dealer, Wavy knows not to trust people, not even her own parents. It's safer to keep her mouth shut and stay out of sight. Struggling to raise her little brother, Donal, eight-year-old Wavy is the only responsible adult around. Obsessed with the constellations, she finds peace in the starry night sky above the fields behind her house, until one night her star gazing causes an accident. After witnessing his motorcycle wreck, she forms an unusual friendship with one of her father's thugs, Kellen, a tattooed ex-con with a heart of gold.

By the time Wavy is a teenager, her relationship with Kellen is the only tender thing in a brutal world of addicts and debauchery. When tragedy rips Wavy's family apart, a well-meaning aunt steps in, and what is beautiful to Wavy looks ugly under the scrutiny of the outside world. Kellen may not be innocent, but he is the fixed point in Wavy and Donal's chaotic universe. Instead of playing it safe, Wavy has to learn to fight for Kellen, for her brother, and for herself

 

 

REVIEW

 

 

"Because the mouth was a dirty place. A dangerous place. A way for people to get into you."

 

Told from different point of views, All The Ugly and Wonderful Things brings us the story about Wavy and Kellen; two characters who come from same/different circumstances to form an unbreakable bond that tests time and the people who surround them. The subject matter of the story may have some feeling uncomfortable but for me, the author executed said subject matter beautifully.  You may feel conflicted on how you should feel about the story. Yes, some things should not have occured but it's written in a way(at least for me)that I didn't have any issues with. I don't know. It just worked.

 

 

"He wasn't afraid of my germs. He wasn't scared of me sneaking inside him."

 



 

The writing is quite simply phenomenal. I fell in love with the way the story was written. Lyrically prose with honest, heartfelt and emotionally characters that you can't help but connect to. I won't delve into the story. Just know that one must keep an open mind.

 

 

"Gifts take up space in your heart. I needed that space now."



 

 

I HIGHLY recommend this book. Step out of your comfort zone. Step out of your favorite genre(s). I wouldn't have known about this book if it was for Kayla from My Book Muse. When I read her review I knew I had to get this book ASAP. So I thank her for bringing this book to my attention.

 

 

 

ADD TO YOUR TBR STACK: Goodreads

 

PURCHASE LINKS: Amazon Nook

 

 

 

 

BRYN GREENWOOD is a fourth-generation Kansan, and the daughter of a mostly reformed drug dealer. She earned a MA in Creative Writing from Kansas State University and continues to work in academia as an administrator. Her short fiction has appeared in Chiron Review, Karamu, The Battered Suitcase, and Menda City Review. She is the author of the novels All the Ugly and Wonderful Things, Last Will, and Lie Lay Lain. She lives in Lawrence, Kansas.

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