Description:
Author’s Note: Although it is a prequel, In Her Wake is best read after completing Ten Tiny Breaths.
Before you knew him as Trent in Ten Tiny Breaths, he was Cole Reynolds—and he had it all. Until one night when he makes a fatal, wrong decision…and loses everything.
When a drunken night out at a Michigan State college party results in the death of six people, Cole must come to terms with his part in the tragedy. Normally, he’d be able to lean on his best friends—the ones who have been in his life since he could barely walk. Only, they’re gone. Worse, there’s the shattered body of a sixteen-year-old girl lying somewhere in a hospital bed, her entire life ripped from her because of a case of beer and a set of keys.
Everyone assures him that they know it wasn’t intentional, and yet he can’t ignore the weight of their gazes, the whispers behind his back. Nor can he shake the all-consuming guilt he feels every time he thinks of that girl who won’t so much as allow him near her hospital room to apologize. As the months go by and the shame and loneliness festers, Cole begins to lose his grip on what once was important—college, his girlfriend, his future. His life. It’s not until Cole hits rock-bottom that he can begin to see another way out of his personal hell: forgiveness.
And there’s only one person who can give that to him…
And there’s only one person who can give that to him…
My Take:
5 Stars!
5 Stars!
You + drinking alcohol + driving = a huge NO! This requires planning, like they tried, a "DD" - (Designated Driver) and NOT one who changes their mind or sneaks in some drinks! People are counting on you, putting their lives in your hands, not the hands of someone who has been drinking, as that is the whole point of having a DD. People need to be able to trust their DD with their lives, literally.
This is a novella that tells the story about Trent (Cole, back then, prior to Ten Tiny Breaths, so it is best if you read that book first.) This is where Cole learns one of the most, or worst lessons of his life. He learns everything about a DD. If you are going to go out and party at ANY time, a holiday weekend, or just have drinks with friends, go out and drink on a day in the middle of the week, whatever you may do that involves ANY alcohol or that alcohol will be available at, then you know it is quite the norm today to plan to designate ONE responsible person to be the Designated Driver/the "DD". ONE person who will NOT be drinking ANY alcohol. It also can't hurt to have a back-up plan in case that DD screws up and drinks, like this character, Cole, did. He was supposed to be the DD, but couldn't because he ended up drinking. Now he would responsible for driving whoever was riding in the car with him since he was the DD, and they would all be risking their lives with him behind the wheel whether they knew it or not.
Instead of Cole looking for someone that did not drink at all, or calling someone to come get him and the people he was supposed to be driving home that night, he puts his and everyone elses lives he was responsible for in danger, into the hands of a person who had been drinking all night long, his brother, Sasha.
Sasha tells Cole he could drive, that the alcohol he drank had not affected his abilities to drive at all, 'so hand over the keys, brother!' Cole tosses them over to him. Why did he do that??? Turns out Sasha was intoxicated. Later, at the hospital, after the accident, blood tests will later confirm he was double over the legal limit. No wonder there were so many deaths and injuries that happened.
If only he could do it all over again, but differently . . . but time cannot be reversed.
Sasha veered off and over the center line of the road hitting a carload of three innocent people head-on, killing himself, the passengers in his vehicle, and seriously injuring his brother Cole. He also ends up killing two of the people in the car he hit, and seriously injuring a third person in that car who ends up being Kacey, clinging to and fighting for her life for a long time. The only other person left alive is Cole, and he can't do a thing about anyone. He can't change what happened, and is in some serious PTSD, as anyone would be.
How's that one for guilt, and rightfully so. One huge mistake like that now has 5 people died, one was fighting for her life, and left Cole extremely injured, and reeling from guilt.
This novella allows us to get inside Cole's head and live with him after the worst decision of his life. This is the part we did not see in Ten Tiny Breaths.
Throughout the rest of this book, we see what Cole goes through psychologically and emotionally because of the huge mistake he made of drinking when he was supposed to be the DD, and he failed, even worse was giving the keys to the car to his late brother Sasha. He has a lot of skeletons in his closet seriously haunting him over and over now. We even see Cole going after Kacey, without her knowing, of course, to make sure she is okay, and she is not either. He goes through some serious counseling with Dr Stayner, too. Something this terrible can haunt us for the rest of our lives, and I don't think it's something we'll ever forget. Thankfully, we can change the ways of our actions.
I'm glad there are books like this out there for everyone to read. Even if this book only makes the difference in ONE life, then it will be worth it's weight in gold! Many people don't understand the full picture of what drinking and driving can do to people. This book, along with Ten Tiny Breaths definitely shows what does happen. This book is worth reading, and maybe even sharing with friends! Again, it is best to read this novella AFTER reading Ten Tiny Breaths.
I received this book for FREE from the Publisher, Atria Books, and NetGalley, in exchange to read and write a review about it. "Free" means I was provided with ZERO MONIES to do so, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it and giving my own honest opinion no matter whether it is positive or negative. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the law set here: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html., The Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, 16 CFR 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising Federal Acquisition Regulation.
ebook: $2.99This is a novella that tells the story about Trent (Cole, back then, prior to Ten Tiny Breaths, so it is best if you read that book first.) This is where Cole learns one of the most, or worst lessons of his life. He learns everything about a DD. If you are going to go out and party at ANY time, a holiday weekend, or just have drinks with friends, go out and drink on a day in the middle of the week, whatever you may do that involves ANY alcohol or that alcohol will be available at, then you know it is quite the norm today to plan to designate ONE responsible person to be the Designated Driver/the "DD". ONE person who will NOT be drinking ANY alcohol. It also can't hurt to have a back-up plan in case that DD screws up and drinks, like this character, Cole, did. He was supposed to be the DD, but couldn't because he ended up drinking. Now he would responsible for driving whoever was riding in the car with him since he was the DD, and they would all be risking their lives with him behind the wheel whether they knew it or not.
Instead of Cole looking for someone that did not drink at all, or calling someone to come get him and the people he was supposed to be driving home that night, he puts his and everyone elses lives he was responsible for in danger, into the hands of a person who had been drinking all night long, his brother, Sasha.
Sasha tells Cole he could drive, that the alcohol he drank had not affected his abilities to drive at all, 'so hand over the keys, brother!' Cole tosses them over to him. Why did he do that??? Turns out Sasha was intoxicated. Later, at the hospital, after the accident, blood tests will later confirm he was double over the legal limit. No wonder there were so many deaths and injuries that happened.
If only he could do it all over again, but differently . . . but time cannot be reversed.
Sasha veered off and over the center line of the road hitting a carload of three innocent people head-on, killing himself, the passengers in his vehicle, and seriously injuring his brother Cole. He also ends up killing two of the people in the car he hit, and seriously injuring a third person in that car who ends up being Kacey, clinging to and fighting for her life for a long time. The only other person left alive is Cole, and he can't do a thing about anyone. He can't change what happened, and is in some serious PTSD, as anyone would be.
How's that one for guilt, and rightfully so. One huge mistake like that now has 5 people died, one was fighting for her life, and left Cole extremely injured, and reeling from guilt.
This novella allows us to get inside Cole's head and live with him after the worst decision of his life. This is the part we did not see in Ten Tiny Breaths.
Throughout the rest of this book, we see what Cole goes through psychologically and emotionally because of the huge mistake he made of drinking when he was supposed to be the DD, and he failed, even worse was giving the keys to the car to his late brother Sasha. He has a lot of skeletons in his closet seriously haunting him over and over now. We even see Cole going after Kacey, without her knowing, of course, to make sure she is okay, and she is not either. He goes through some serious counseling with Dr Stayner, too. Something this terrible can haunt us for the rest of our lives, and I don't think it's something we'll ever forget. Thankfully, we can change the ways of our actions.
I'm glad there are books like this out there for everyone to read. Even if this book only makes the difference in ONE life, then it will be worth it's weight in gold! Many people don't understand the full picture of what drinking and driving can do to people. This book, along with Ten Tiny Breaths definitely shows what does happen. This book is worth reading, and maybe even sharing with friends! Again, it is best to read this novella AFTER reading Ten Tiny Breaths.
I received this book for FREE from the Publisher, Atria Books, and NetGalley, in exchange to read and write a review about it. "Free" means I was provided with ZERO MONIES to do so, but to enjoy the pure pleasure of reading it and giving my own honest opinion no matter whether it is positive or negative. I am disclosing this information in accordance with the law set here: http://www.access.gpo.gov/nara/cfr/waisidx_03/16cfr255_03.html., The Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255, 16 CFR 255, Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising Federal Acquisition Regulation.
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