Official Review: The Other Side of Broken by Susan Haught

[Annelore Trujillo]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "The Other Side of Broken" by Susan Haught. The title of the book at the time of the review was "A Song for Ladybug". The title has since been changed to "The Other Side of Broken"]

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3 out of 4 stars

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A Song for Ladybug: Whisper of the Pines Book 3 by Susan Haught is a story of love and healing. Rachel Caldarone’s past has been filled with tragedy. She’s lost almost everyone she’s ever loved including her parents and her husband. The only family she has left is her grandpa and her five-year-old daughter. In the final book of the series, the past is back to haunt her. Fifteen years ago, she was sexually assaulted and left for dead. The man who did it is in prison, but he has requested an early release. Just when she thinks she isn’t strong enough to handle this turn of events, Miles Malone becomes a part of her life. He was there on the sidelines since the night Rachel’s husband went missing, but fate finally seems to be pushing the two together. Can she learn to love again and leave the past in the past?

This heart-wrenching romance takes the reader on a roller coaster of emotions. The reader rides along as the characters experience old feelings, new feelings, fear, heartache, happiness, and everything in between. I have to admit, there were several parts that I found myself tearing up and others where I was literally laughing out loud. There was even one part where I got so angry I had to put the book down. My favorite part of this book was definitely that I felt all of these emotions along with the characters, especially with Rachel. I thought the author did a great job portraying the lasting effects of sexual assault through Rachel’s emotions and actions.

While this book is the third in the series, it can easily be read as a standalone book. I hadn’t read the first two books before I started this one, but I didn’t feel lost at all. The author did a great job touching on the past just enough that a newbie to the series can jump right into the story. The characters were also introduced in a way that the reader can get to know them without reading the other books. I was really impressed with this as most authors don’t do it effectively. I rarely have time to read an entire series, so I was pleased that this book was so easy to read by itself.

I also liked that this book seemed to be edited for the most part. There were a few errors, but they didn’t really detract from the story and they are all super easy fixes. The biggest mistake was that every time a chapter would start with dialogue, it would be missing the quotation marks. But again, this is an easy error to overlook, and I might not have even noticed if I weren’t carefully looking for errors.

I did have one major issue with this book: the extensive use of literary devices such as metaphors, similes, and other descriptive elements. While I was excited about the use of these elements when I first started reading, it got to be overwhelming and repetitive as the book went on. I love the use of description, and I love when poetic elements are added to a book; however, I don’t like when it interferes with the pacing of the story. Unfortunately, that was the case with this book. I loved the storyline, but I had a really hard time finishing this book because it dragged on in several spots. I want a book that I don’t want to put down, not one that I have to take a break from because reading it is exhausting.

I give this book 3 out of 4 stars. This was a difficult rating for me to give. Due to the pacing, however, I just couldn’t give it four stars. If this book had a better flow to it, I would probably give it a perfect rating. Unfortunately, the pacing was thrown off because the writing was overly descriptive. If you are a reader that really enjoys description, I would suggest this book. If not, I’d say give it a pass. As a final note, there were a couple of sexual scenes that would not be appropriate for younger readers. This also would not be a good book for anyone that does not want to read about sexual assault and the effects that it has on victims.

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The Other Side of Broken
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Like anneloretrujillo's review? Post a comment saying so!

[NL Hartje]

It’s too bad the author’s literary choices interfere with the flow. I imagine that’s a hard act to balance, but there’s really no excuse if you’ve gone to print. A good editor should have at least brought that to the author’s attention.

Thank you for your review!

[bamitsalexx]

i enjoyed this book a lot and i can clearly see where the authors ideas came from. it will capture you into a completely different world and i would recommend anyone to read this.

[María Andrea Fernández Sepúlveda]

Sexual assault is a very difficult subject, but it gives me some hope that you describe it as a story of "love and healing".
Maybe the flow can be a problem, I totally agree with you, I love a book that I simply can´t put down.
Thank you for your review.

[kandscreeley]

There is definitely a fine line between not using metaphors and overusing them. Too many just makes it feel like the author is trying way too hard. Still, I love that this makes you feel every emotion under the sun. Thanks so much!

[Samantha Simoneau]

I really appreciate when a book that is part of a series, but is not the first, can stand alone. It's a shame about the literary devices weighing down parts of the narrative, making it sag. The sensitive subject matter, in this case, would probably be too much for me anyway. Thanks for the thorough review!

[Amy+++]

A very touching review. So sad to hear about how many tragic things have happened to this woman. So heartbreaking, but at least she finds love again after everything that has happened. I don't know if I would be able to read this book, with it being slow in some spots and just to hard to read about in some others. Thank you for the review.

[Nmadinachi Egwim]

It looked like it "had it all" until the overly used literary devices. Finding a balance in everything is important when authors write, although major themes would stand out. Your review was well written!

[Joseytom]

The book summary is on point. Itvisnt easy for one to imagine how keen one should be to analyse all points in the review.
This review actually gives a very clear content of the book.
I give a thumb on the review.
I feel with rachel for all she went through

[CommMayo]

I really like this statement you made: I want a book that I don’t want to put down, not one that I have to take a break from because reading it is exhausting.

That is absolutely so true, especially for this genre.

[Ktwills79]

This seems like a difficult subject to tackle, but it sounds like overall the author did it very effectively. I probably wouldn't read it based on the fact that it's so overly descriptive since I find that to be extremely distracting, but it sounds like if you can get past that, it's a good read! Thanks for the detailed and thorough review!

[Kipsogoyat]

I really like the book, it expose readers to real life situation of love and relationships and prepare them for soft landing if one finds himself or herself in character situation. It is clearly out that no matter how hard the situation is there hope in life, i.e the woman finds news flames of love again after assaults and loss.

[RishyR]

I loved your review... great job.
It's like I know exactly how you feel. A good book should take you along for a journey, not make you want to escape the book and take a break.
I know that if I read this book I would feel exactly as you do, because overly descriptive writing is so exhausting and literally hurts my brain!
Back to the book... from your review it seems like it's definitely worth reading and this type of story really pulls at the heartstrings. I love a good romance that has a bit of tragedy that sucks you in and has you engrossed in the characters lives, rooting for the proverbial knight in shining armor till the end.

Thank you for your great review!!!