Not Sorry About It

Bryn Greenwood is my new favorite author and I’m not sorry about it. She literally GOES THERE with her writing without shame and it is amazing.

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things is an unlikely and complicated love story between a young girl named Wavonna (Wavy) and an ex-convict biker- Kellen. Wavy lives on a farm attached to a trailor park, which is the home of her father’s meth lab in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Wavy has a bi-polar meth addicted mother, meth dealer father who is keen on keeping more then one woman at a time, and toddler brother- Donnal. Wavy is eight years old when she hears Kellen wipe out on his motorcycle on the road in front of the farm. Kellen finds himself attached to Wavy and compelled to take care of her and her younger brother, as their parents are beyond neglectful. Kellen sees that Wavy attends school every day even though it is an hour away. Fast-forward a couple of years and Wavy is thirteen years old. Wavy and Kellens relationship becomes more then platonic- intimate even. With over ten years age difference they must battle the consequences from those who know of their relationship. There are other jaw dropping twists in the lives of the characters in this book and If I go on I will spoil the story- I encourage you to read this book to find out how their story ends.

This book had me asking too many questions. Sometimes I was so appalled at how WRONG the relationship was due to her being only thirteen years old and him being in his early twenties. Other times I found myself understanding their relationship. At thirteen are you old enough to consent? No. However- Wavy didn’t grow up like anyone else. Is thirteen old enough to know right from wrong? It’s all about perspective and that’s the beauty of this book.

This book was given 5/5 stars by loads of people including a Book of The Month Club book of the year award. This book was also given 1/5 stars by loads of people who were disgusted with the story line. Some reviews I’ve read have been extremely angry. That’s what I love about reading- everyone has an opinion and a different viewpoint of a book. I would LOVE to have a discussion on this book if anyone would be interested. (Kind of like an online book club) :)

The Reckless Oath We Made

Another unlikely love story (Greenwood is really good at weaving two extremely different people together) Zhorza (Zee) is recovering from a shattered hip due to a motorcycle accident. She balances waitressing at a diner or selling marijuana for her ex-boyfriend to help pay her rent where she lives with her sister and nephew. She has been doing weekly physical therapy where she meets Gentry- a high functioning autistic man who hears voices in his head that speak middle English. Yes you read that correctly. Gentry literally and figuratively thinks he is a knight and his voices are telling him to be a champion for Zee. At first Zee thinks he is incredibly creepy but then she’s forced to seek his help when her sister has been abducted by two inmates who escaped from a prison where she volunteers. Gentry helps Zee navigate through her difficult and dangerous life in order to rescue her sister. This story is complicated and addicting because Gentry is an innocent man with mental difficulty. Gentry is adopted by two loving parents, has a stable career, and pays his own mortgage on acres of land. And then there’s Zee who is barely getting by with her physical disability, drug dealer ex boyfriends, 600 pound reclusive mother, and the fact that her father died during a life sentence in prison for bank robbery and a murder charge. Find out how these two unlikely people come together at the oddest of circumstances. This 350+ page book includes romance, a murder mystery, an abduction and touches on complicated issues on mental health.

I tried to simplify the review of this book and make it sound normal but there is nothing normal about this story and that’s what I love so much about it. Greenwood creates these real life relatable characters that are beautifully flawed and I hope you’ll fall in love with these stories just as much as I did.

Amazon links:

All the Ugly and Wonderful Things

The Reckless Oath We Made