{Blog Tour} Review: A Life, Freed by Tracy Hewitt Meyer

Hey guys! Today, I'm back on the A Life, Freed blog tour with my review of the final book. You can check out my review of Book 1: A Life, Redefined here and Book 2: A Life, Forward here.

Title: A Life, Freed

Author: Tracy Hewitt Meyer

Series: Rowan Slone, #3

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

On her own for the first time, Rowan Slone is no longer waiting for the future. She’s living in the present, and relishing every minute of it. She has a new boyfriend. She is helping best friend, Jess, raise her five-month-old son, Jacob. And she continues to work as Assistant Manager at the animal shelter-all while settling into her first semester of college. Rowan’s stars are aligned and she’s not looking back.

But all is not as golden as it seems. Being a young mother is too much for Jess to handle, leaving Rowan to shoulder much of the burden of raising Jacob. Trina becomes involved in a religious cult causing Rowan to fear she may have lost her sister forever. And her mother has a new psychiatrist whose goal is to get Rowan into therapy, forcing her to deal with her mother, and the past, once and for all.

Adding to the rising turmoil, Rowan’s first love, Mike Anderson, returns, and wants to see her. She is surprised how much she wants to see him too. But his sudden reappearance makes her wonder if there is room in her future for the boy with the pine-colored eyes or is it too little, too late?

As the winds begin to stir, threatening to send Rowan’s carefully-built life into a tailspin, she must search deep inside herself to discover what she truly wants. Will soul-searching help her achieve that elusive sense of peace and family she’s always craved or will the pain of the past prove too great?

This review may contain slight spoilers for book 2

I thought this was a great conclusion. I had gotten attached to Rowan, and was curious as to how her story would end. Rowan his been through a lot in the last two books, and the only thing I could think when starting this one was how much more can she possible go through?

Well, the answer is a lot. Rowan is trying to get past everything that happened. She still refuses to see her mother in jail, or associate with Trina, but she's forgiven her father, graduated high school, gotten a scholarship to college, and rents out an apartment with her best friend Jess. Except, neither Jess nor Rowan is really able to handle caring for a 5-month old baby. Jess starts leaving more and more responsibility to Rowan, who is stressed out enough being a student and working.

For one thing, I wanted to slap Jess upside the head so many times. Rowan's anger at her was definitely understandable. I can relate to how hard college classes are, and how much time they take. Rowan tried to do what she could, but there still was a point when Jess was expecting too much from her.

And while there technically was a love triangle, there didn't feel like on. Rowan is dating Shane, but he's never really there. A few times they meet up, sure, and Rowan talks a lot about how much she really does like him (is she trying to convince herself?) but he wasn't a very involved character. He was very flat, and I felt like I didn't know him, and so choosing between him and Mike was no big deal. But Mike definitely made up for the jerk he was last book. We got to see a new and different side of him, one that was like the awesome person he was in book 1.

But most of all, Rowan grows. She goes through so much, after thinking that everything was over and past her. But she learns to deal with it, to take time for herself, to be her own person. From book 1 to this final book, Rowan has progressed so much, but she also progresses in each individual book.

And I thought the ending was perfect for the story. Realistic, and really the only way to end after something like this. There was a lot to tie up, but it came together and I thought this was the perfect conclusion to the series. Although I'm sad to say it, good-bye Rowan Slone.

This review can also be found on   

The Author:

Tracy Hewitt Meyer:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Tracy Hewitt Meyer is a multi-genre, multi-published author of new adult fiction as well as adult paranormal and contemporary romance. She has a B.A. in English and a Master of Social Work, both of which feed her true passion-a love of writing. Born and raised in the beautiful state of West Virginia, Tracy now lives in the mid-east with her family, a goldendoodle, and a bearded dragon.

(5) ebook copies of A Life, Redefined (Book 1) by Tracy Hewitt Meyer

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{Blog Tour} Review: A Life, Forward by Tracy Hewitt Meyer

 

Hey guys! I'm here today on the A Life, Freed blog tour. I'll be reviewing the second book in the series, and then will be back on Tuesday with my review of the third book. You can read my review of the first book, A Life, Redefined here.

Title: A Life, Forward

Author: Tracy Hewitt Meyer

Series: Rowan Slone, #2

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars

Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Her father is gone. Her mother is in jail. And Rowan Slone has left her dysfunctional, violent past behind. With college looming on the horizon, she has a new job that she loves, and a safe place to call home. She is close to achieving everything she ever wanted-a sense of family, a sense of purpose, and a sense of self.
But there are cracks in Rowan's life that threaten to send her future crumbling to the ground. When her relationship begins to suffer, her father returns and her long-held secret is discovered, Rowan must find the courage to fight for the most important thing yet-herself.

I enjoyed this book. I liked Rowan in the previous book because of what a strong complex character she was, however, I did not see that as much in this one. Rowan has been through some horrible things, but she is trying to move on and get through them. Which is a long process. But Rowan makes it through and by the end, I was happy.

My biggest issue, I think, how Rowan was so obsessed with Mike. Like, she always needed him. And I get it, the long distance is hard and she never gets to see him. And I know how much he helped, how much he meant in the last book. But her neediness bordered on unhealthy, and prevented Rowan from finding herself.

To make things worse, her sister Trina is acting up, her friend Jess shares some shocking news, Rowan is starting to feel like an outsider in the Anderson's home... and then her father comes back. And wants to see her. I did feel like there were maybe too many things thrown in this one, but it wasn't overpowering.

I was riveted, though, always needing to know what happened next. And I loved how Rowan grows and changes with this one. How she learns to find herself and live her own life. Outside of her screwed up family, outside of Mike. Rowan has spent a lot of time, I felt like, looking to the circumstances to make her feel whole and complete, but she finally gets that only she can do so.

Coming off of what Rowan has been through is a healing process, and I do think that was showcased. Rowan constantly feels like she's not making any progress, but she learns that's just how it goes. She isn't completely better by the end of the book, but she's getting there.

This book will take you on an emotional roller coaster. And I can't wait for the next book.

This review can also be found on   

 

Book 3:

On her own for the first time, Rowan Slone is no longer waiting for the future. She’s living in the present, and relishing every minute of it. She has a new boyfriend. She is helping best friend, Jess, raise her five-month-old son, Jacob. And she continues to work as Assistant Manager at the animal shelter-all while settling into her first semester of college. Rowan’s stars are aligned and she’s not looking back.

But all is not as golden as it seems. Being a young mother is too much for Jess to handle, leaving Rowan to shoulder much of the burden of raising Jacob. Trina becomes involved in a religious cult causing Rowan to fear she may have lost her sister forever. And her mother has a new psychiatrist whose goal is to get Rowan into therapy, forcing her to deal with her mother, and the past, once and for all.

Adding to the rising turmoil, Rowan’s first love, Mike Anderson, returns, and wants to see her. She is surprised how much she wants to see him too. But his sudden reappearance makes her wonder if there is room in her future for the boy with the pine-colored eyes or is it too little, too late?

As the winds begin to stir, threatening to send Rowan’s carefully-built life into a tailspin, she must search deep inside herself to discover what she truly wants. Will soul-searching help her achieve that elusive sense of peace and family she’s always craved or will the pain of the past prove too great?

The Author:

Tracy Hewitt Meyer:
 

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Tracy Hewitt Meyer is a multi-genre, multi-published author of new adult fiction as well as adult paranormal and contemporary romance. She has a B.A. in English and a Master of Social Work, both of which feed her true passion-a love of writing. Born and raised in the beautiful state of West Virginia, Tracy now lives in the mid-east with her family, a goldendoodle, and a bearded dragon.

(5) ebook copies of A Life, Redefined (Book 1) by Tracy Hewitt Meyer

a Rafflecopter giveaway

{Blog Tour} Review: A Life, Redefined by Tracy Hewitt Meyer

Hey guys! Today, for the A Life, Forward tour, I'll be reviewing the first book in the series, A Life, Redefined. I really enjoyed this book, and will be reading the second as soon as I get a chance. So, on to my review!

Title: A Life, Redefined

Author: Tracy Hewitt Meyer
Series: Rowan Slone

Rating: 4 out of 5 stars
Purchase: Amazon 

Seven years ago, an innocent act by Rowan Slone turned her life into a nightmare. Since the age of ten she's lived with the burden of her baby brother's death. Now she is seventeen and all she wants to do is graduate high school, go to college, and escape the loveless family she has endured all these years—the same family that holds her responsible for his death. But no one holds her responsible more than herself.When long-time crush Mike Anderson invites her to the Prom, suddenly her future looks brighter. Rowan's younger sister, Trina, however, is determined to ruin her new-found happiness, no matter the cost. And when Rowan discovers her mother’s long-held secret, she finds herself teetering on the edge of an abyss. Can Rowan find the strength to move toward the future or is she doomed to dwell in the past?

I don't know what I was expecting when I went into this novel, but I liked this a lot more than I thought I would. It's definitely more deep and emotional, not light and fluffy. It was one of those books I didn't want to put down, I just wanted to keep going. I read almost all of it in one sitting, a rarity for me nowadays.

Seven years ago, Rowan was led to believe that she was responsible for killing her baby brother. Her family is broken, with a father who holds her in contempt, a morbidly obese mother who sleeps all day, and younger sister that is out of control. Rowan just wants to get good grades and get out of this place.

Honestly, when Mike was first introduced, I thought it was going to be one of those "Girl has huge crush on super hot, really popular guy who shockingly does pay attention to her but turns out to be a joke/he's a huge jerk/something". So I am pleased to announce that Mike actually was just a nice guy.

I liked Rowan. She's been dealt a hard lot in life, yet she still stays focused on her goal, of going to college and getting out of her terrible house. I can't begin to imagine what it would be like to go through the things that she did. But Rowan was a very complex, well-rounded character, and was very well written. I ached for her when sad things happened, I felt happy for her when (rare) happy things occurred. I felt the myriad of emotions right alongside Rowan.

I also like how Meyer spotlighted on deeper issues, like cutting. Rowan is a very strong character, and it was nice to be able to see inside her head for issues like this.

The pacing was well-done also. Even in parts where not as many things seemed to be happening, there was never a lull or a time when I was bored with the story. And maybe I was just too caught up in the story to think about it, but the twist in the end did catch me by surprise.

This was a very good book that I would definitely recommend. Meyer has a great writing style that will suck you in and hold you. Even if this isn't your normal type of book, I think you would enjoy it. But be warned, this isn't something light and fluffy. It is definitely deeper and more emotional.

This review can also be found on   

Tracy Hewitt Meyer:

Website | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads

Tracy Hewitt Meyer is a multi-genre, multi-published author of new adult fiction as well as adult paranormal and contemporary romance. She has a B.A. in English and a Master of Social Work, both of which feed her true passion-a love of writing. Born and raised in the beautiful state of West Virginia, Tracy now lives in the mid-east with her family, a goldendoodle, and a bearded dragon.

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