StayBlu Reads: Review: Suicide Note by Teresa Mummert

February 20, 2013

A soldier returning for mid-tour leave decides to stay with a cousin in Maine, after his fiancé leaves him for someone else while he is away at war. His cousin is going through his own devastation and is struggling to pick up the pieces and move on with his family. As they try to help each other through the pain, Shane's path crosses Jenn's and he soon learns that everything happens for a reason.

I am going to start my review by assuring that even though this book is called "Suicide Note" there is no suicide and it's not some dark depressing sad book. So DO NOT hesitate to get it, if that's your concern.

I was honored to receive and ARC copy of this book even though it doesn't come out until March 15th. The child in me wants to say na-na na-na boo-boo but that would just be rude! When I got it, I sat at work bouncing up and down staring at the clock, and sneaking peeks of it at my phone. Shhh don't tell my boss. Oh wait, I am the boss. (note to the higher ups: All reading takes place during break time!)Anyway, enough of my alleged rule breaking and back to the book.

In Suicide, we meet Jenn, who has just been handed life's big pile of crap. Her fiance cheated on her, her boss, Jake, is kind of a dick, her sister informs her that she's getting married, to Jenn's ex fiance and her parents don't really seem to understand what could possibly be wrong with Jenn other then Jenn.

Then we meet Shane, who has also been handed life's stinky poo. As Shane is in Iraq, risking his life to defend his country, his fiance back home has decided the life of a soldier's wife isn't for her. She'd much rather prefer to life of a Dentist's wife. Instead of going back home to North Carolina, where his ex is, he decides to spend his leave with his cousin Jake. (Yes, the kind of a dick boss)

When Shane comes to see Jake at work, he meets Jenn. That sadness that Jenn is carrying seems to call to Shane and he decides he wants to spend his leave with her and their friendship grows.

I loved this book because of the honesty of it. Shane and Jenn, really do act like two natural people. Sometimes when authors are writing books, in order to be dramatic, they make their characters overly dramatic and unnatural but Teresa doesn't go there. Jenn reacts to things like most girls would in any given situation. Shane has the same hang ups as any guy would and doesn't demand from her what he wants because he knows it's right. He has the same insecurities that any man would have after having his heart broken.

This was such a beautiful story and I absolutely loved it.

Gosh what didn't I like? I loved the relationships in this book. The bond between Jake and Shane, the way May and Jake include Jenn in their lives. It's a great reminder that you don't have to be blood to be family.

So, not that I didn't like it, but the chapters are in date format and my confused little brain had a hard time in the beginning determining if I was in the present or in the past.