Official Review: Oli's elephant journey by Moosh Dams

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Oli's elephant journey" by Moosh Dams.]

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3 out of 4 stars

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After ending an emotionally-taxing relationship that she believed was doomed from the beginning, 36-year-old Olive (Oli) Hartmann feels like she’s a shell of the woman that she used to be. She stayed in the relationship with Niko for all the wrong reasons, and now that it is over, she is overwrought with guilt. In attempts to mend her broken spirit, she makes an impulsive decision to embark on a solo-adventure in Sri Lanka.

Upon her arrival in Colombo, Sri Lanka, she meets Chris at the airport, and they indulge in some flirtatious banter. While Oli feels an undeniable attraction, the baggage from her previous relationship closes her off to any new prospects. They part ways, and Oli heads off to the Ananda Retreat for meditation. At first, she is hesitant to embrace the strange methods used at Ananda fully, but once she gives in, a new woman begins to emerge. Her walls start to come down, and the secrets and guilt that have been holding her back seem to be dissipating. Will Oli be able to open her heart to a new relationship, or will the fear of past experiences repeating themselves hold her back?

Oli’s Elephant Journey by Moosh Dams is a delightful read about one woman’s quest to rejuvenate her life and unthaw her frigid heart. It’s the journey to self-discovery and forgiveness through enduring the memories of past traumas. The book is written from the third-person perspective and follows Oli as she is forced to come to terms with past failures.

The thing that I liked most about this book was the emphasis that the author put on the importance of doing inner work. Although Oli had ended her abusive relationship, the trauma that her ex had inflicted on her had left a gaping hole in her heart. Breaking up with Niko was just the beginning of Oli’s arduous journey back to peace. Oli needed to stop trying to seek refuge from these feelings and face them head-on if she was ever going to move on with her life. I think too often in life, when we endure a painful experience, we are quick to push our negative feelings aside and move to the next chapter. The author did a fantastic job of highlighting the need to allow ourselves time to grieve when something traumatic has happened. Oli knew that by avoiding the past, she was holding herself back from potentially thriving in a new relationship.

While Oli was a worthy protagonist, my favorite character in Oli’s Elephant Journey was Chris. He was everything a love interest should be from his intoxicating good looks to his kind heart. He had an impressive ability to relate to Oli’s situation. Chris was smitten with her but knew that she needed time to heal before she could even entertain the possibility of starting something new. Throughout her journey, Chris was patient and gave her the space she needed, but was quite willing to remind her that she was desired.

While I was captivated by the storyline and characters, I wasn’t thrilled with the caliber of writing. The book was riddled with spelling mistakes and grammatical errors, which, at times, interfered with my reading experience. The author was quite heavy-handed with both question marks and exclamation points, making the writing come off as juvenile. It wasn’t uncommon for a trio of exclamation points to follow a sentence. Also, there were many careless errors such as “wait” instead of “weight” and “therefor” instead of “therefore.” These errors could have been easily avoided with thorough editing. For that reason, I deducted a star and chose to give the book a rating of three out of four stars. With another round of editing, I believe the book could secure a perfect score.

For readers who are fans of books like Eat Pray Love, this book will quench your thirst. For mature readers who find themselves questioning the meaning of life, Oli’s Elephant Journey will guide you. It has romance, adventure, and spirituality and will surely keep you engaged. On the flip side, I would not recommend this book to younger readers due to profanity and sexual situations.

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Oli's elephant journey
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[hasincla]

This does indeed remind me of Eat, Pray, Love (which I've already read) and considering the flaws you mentioned, I'm not sure I really want to jump into this one. I like emphasis on healing, as I do believe it takes a long time after the initial break. Thank you for your honest review!

[wendilou49]

Thank you for a great review. You gave enough of the story to entice a reader to give it a go while leaving the ending up to imagination. Sounds like a good read except for the errors. That's really a shame.

[Dannyphery]

Sounds like a good read...
Thanks for the lovely review

[Amberlily]

Hmm. Well I like the message that it's trying to send to readers. You can't love someone else until you've learned how to love yourself again. I'm really not a fan of exclamation marks though... since there are so many I don't think I'd be able to get through it. Great review!

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

This does indeed remind me of Eat, Pray, Love (which I've already read) and considering the flaws you mentioned, I'm not sure I really want to jump into this one. I like emphasis on healing, as I do believe it takes a long time after the initial break. Thank you for your honest review!

Thanks for your thoughtful comment.

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

Thank you for a great review. You gave enough of the story to entice a reader to give it a go while leaving the ending up to imagination. Sounds like a good read except for the errors. That's really a shame.

Thank you for reading and commenting.

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

Sounds like a good read...
Thanks for the lovely review

Thanks

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

Hmm. Well I like the message that it's trying to send to readers. You can't love someone else until you've learned how to love yourself again. I'm really not a fan of exclamation marks though... since there are so many I don't think I'd be able to get through it. Great review!

Thanks for your comment.

[Adanna Inya]

Enduring an abusive relationship messes with one's emotions, mental health, and esteem. Leaving that situation is only the first phase to freedom. A lot more work needs to be done. I'm happy that Oli knew that it was time to choose herself. Thank you.

[JKO]

I am looking forward to seeing Oli's challenges as she heals from what was an abusive relationship. Sri Lanka though? I wonder what it looks like over there. Thanks for the review.

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

Enduring an abusive relationship messes with one's emotions, mental health, and esteem. Leaving that situation is only the first phase to freedom. A lot more work needs to be done. I'm happy that Oli knew that it was time to choose herself. Thank you.

I can only imagine how difficult it is very people that have struggled in an abusive relationship. I agree I think it takes a huge toll on your self-esteem. Thank you for your comment.

[Stephanie Elizabeth]

I am looking forward to seeing Oli's challenges as she heals from what was an abusive relationship. Sri Lanka though? I wonder what it looks like over there. Thanks for the review.

The way it was described sounds quite beautiful. Thanks for your comment.

[Nujudee]

Wow.
Quite an amazing review.
I'm already hoping on getting a nice impression after reading this book.
Nice review.

[booksandmagicshop]

I think I'd fall in love with both Oli and Chris! They seem like great characters and the plot seems so perfectly set up for a great romance story!!