Review: Desolate by A.M. Guillams

One sentence became my demise.
I should’ve heeded her warning. Only I didn’t.
Andrew DeLuca came into my life when I needed him the most. His faith and love made me realize I could live the life I’d always dreamed.
Only it was all a lie.
Tragedy struck just like I knew it always would.
I had it all.
Until one day I didn’t.
Weston Corbin breezed into my life without any warning.
Refusing to take no for an answer.
Making me feel when all I wanted to do was hide.
How do you find a way to live when death is all you’ve ever known?
My name is Magdalena DeLuca and this is my story.
DESOLATE is the first installment of the three part series, The Existing Series, that's full of angst and is guaranteed to grip your emotions until the very last page. Each installment of the series can be read as a standalone. Tissues will be required. 

Ikira's Review: 4 out of 5 stars

I have to admit, this one teetered on 4-5 stars. I wasn't convinced I could give it 5 but 4 doesn't seem enough. Ultimately, I've gone with 4 because something just didn't sit right with me. You may indeed feel differently.

There isn't too much I can say without releasing spoilers and it really would spoil it so apologies for the shortness of this review - I hope you'll forgive me. 

I enjoyed reading this book from the start. The author introduces all the characters well and brings them to life very easily. I had an almost immediate idea of what they all looked like, how they interacted and their mannerisms.

Our main lead - Magdalena is a young teenager, doing what all teenagers do but a visit to a local fair changes her life forever. Skip ahead a decade or so and she's faced some of the worst things you can imagine in life but she has built herself a happy life despite the losses she has faced. That is until she faces yet another...Her latest loss leaves her understandably shaken and she moves to a new town to start afresh which is where the story takes on a life of its own - a new beginning.

There are a couple of little clues; I missed them, but there is a twist just before the end - that's where my quandry over 4 or 5 stars came in. I found it hard to accept but I know so many people will find it spectacular and it means the story really doesn't end how you'd expect it to which I did like. 

Overall, I found this story had me experiencing a full range of emotions. I cried tears of sadness and of joy whilst reading this and I very much look forward to the next book.