Like watching a train wreck but oooh so good!

See Tori make one terrible decision after another, tearing her whole world apart in the process.

This was a compelling read. If the backstory is true and this really is written from the personal experience of an author friend of E.K. Blair then I'd love to know who, as I really want to check out that person's work.

"I can see my world slowly crumbling around me, but it isn’t enough to make me stop. Even if I wanted to, I don’t think I could." ( )

I have been conflicted with my thoughts and feelings on this book. Let me start by saying that I have loved E.K.'s books in the past. Her writing has always drawn me in. Unfortunately, I was not a fan of this book and the writing... Let me try to explain...

I am not one to be turned away by most tropes, the one in this book included. These things don't typically elicit such a strong hatred within me. Maybe because I am able to separate fact from fiction. With this book, we are being told that it is true, so maybe that is why I found myself completely loathing the characters in this story.

Another contributing factor to why I loathed these characters (let's face it, if I loath the characters, then the story is completely lost to me) is how the story is written. It is clear that E.K. wants you to empathize with Tori. She wants you to side with her in the fact that her actions are not her own fault. That really got under my skin. Tori never accepts responsibility for her actions. In fact, she blames everyone close to her for her choices.

Tori's blatant disregard for her family made me furious. Nothing in her life mattered, her husband or her children, except her own need for instant self-gratification. I can't stand behind a character so selfish, nor can I stand behind the writing that seems to encourage these things.

Everyone seems to want to know who this story is about. I definitely don't. If this is someone I look up to, I don't want to know this side of them. I don't want to look at them differently. At one point, I wondered if the "true story" was just a publicity thing. Then at another point, I wondered if this were E.K.'s story because of how she wrote it. No matter what the case, I am perfectly fine being blind to the fact that this is an anonymous story.

It is clear I am not in the majority with this book. You might wonder why three stars. Typically, I give a book three stars accompanied with a more positive review with a few drawbacks. Well, for me it is simple. I did my best to take a step back and ask myself if I had not been told this was a true story, what would I rate it? Hence, the three stars. The writing was good, but not great (especially compared to E.K.'s past books). The plot was a little slow-moving and drawn out, but good. There is somewhat enough drama to keep the story moving, even if at a slower pace. ( )