"What an absolutely stunning and beautiful book" is basically what I thought while reading the third (!) page because Anderson's debut (!) is just that well written.

The sparse and lyrical prose immediately drew me in, and at times it almost felt like reading a very long poem. Anderson's writing is captivating and dark, laced with both beauty and despair.

I didn't know what to expect from this book, but I was completely blown away by most of it. At times, I was speechless. A haunting experience.

The three young characters are filled to the brim with trauma and their anxiety drips from the pages, squeezing my heart with every sentence. They're so young and raw, and yet they have to be brave if they want to survive. And they are. Oh so brave!

Ava, Jack and Matty are beautifully crafted, and I just wanted to step inside this novel and protect (adopt) them. Most of the novel is written from Jack's point of view, and his relationship with his younger brother Matty was possibly my favourite aspect of this book. It's heartbreaking to see how much Jack loves Matty, and Matty looks up to Jack.

The entire novel is a rollercoaster of emotions and the predominant themes are: darkness, pain, and hope.

The pacing is on point, and I couldn't put this book down. The short chapters and the sparse prose invited me to fly through the chapters to the point where I had to force myself to slow down and enjoy the poetry in Anderson's words.

I can't recommend What Beauty There Is enough to all fans of contemporary thrillers. (For those of you who need trigger warnings, please have a look before picking it up.)

Beautiful, tragic, heartbreaking, utterly painful and grim. Incredibly stark and poignant of lost innocence and youth, of parents both dead and absent of a teenager trying to do the best he can in looking after his brother. But sometimes there comes a terrible price for being the son of a thief and it comes with a terrible reckoning. I was left feeling hollowed out and just in shock. This is in the stark and brutal style of a Cormac Macarthy novel crossed with the harsh reality of survival like Jack London. Wow just breathtaking.

Every now and again a crime thriller comes along that is written so lyrically and poetically that even against the stark and savage nature it becomes beautiful. So what a very appropriate title this book has. The last book that made me feel this way was We begin at the end by Chris Whitaker. Every single word is used to full effect to draw you in to the lives of Jack, Matty and Ava.

Jacks mother has committed suicide, his father in prison Jack has to consider his options. Alert the authorities or conceal his mother’s death and hunt for the drug money his father hid to prevent his younger brother Matty being taken into care. But it’s not just Jack looking for the money.

The environmental setting of a brutally cold and isolated Idaho in winter set against a backdrop of poverty was in complete contrast to the warmth of the love shared between the brothers and with Ava. How tragically life has broken them but they are still fighting to survive.

I got lost in this book, it was so easy to make this a five star read as it had everything and more. It was both dark and light, it had action, tough topics, characters full of heart, a steady pace throughout and it stirred up a whole range of emotions.

Written with an exquisite tenderness you will care for these characters long after you have turned the final page. As this book is so poetic I will leave you with one of my favourite poems that oddly fits this fortuitously.

https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48419/this-be-the-verse

I was drawn to this book by the interesting setting - with the action unfolding under the dark, brooding skies of Idaho in winter. What I wasn't prepared for was a book that was also so dark in content!

The story follows Jack Dahl, a teenager who is left caring for his younger brother after the suicide of their mother. His father is in prison, leading Jack to embark on a scramble to find his hidden drug money. However, Jack isn't the only one on the trail...

I'll admit that this was not an easy read - the story is bleak and there are points that are really heartbreaking, for example Jack's fleeting hope of having a job which is then snatched away from him because of his family name. And any scene with Matty in - the child unquestioningly trusting his big brother to protect him while Jack makes increasingly desperate decisions.

However, there are also some excellent reasons to read this book:

1. The setting - I love books set in interesting places that are unlike where I live. As I live in the grey dullness of northern-ish England, it felt exciting to escape to the bleak, snowy landscapes of Idaho in the depths of winter. It is the perfect setting for this story, adding another layer of hardship and challenge to the survival story of the Dahl brothers.

2. The style - Anderson's writing is beautiful. Despite the often heart-wrenching things being described, the writing is vibrant, vivid and always engaging. I found that the concision of the descriptions always struck a chord and allowed me to picture exactly what was meant - 'A disembodied sound. Like ash drifting', a 'granite sky', 'the shift of dark trees'. Anderson's use of imagery is often surprising and really allows readers to imagine her dark and bleak world.

3. The characters - Jack isn't perfect and makes some bad decisions as any teenager in his situation would. Bardem is utterly terrifying and brings real menace to the novel beyond what the Dahl brothers' situation would suggest. Ava is - although not in the novel as much as I expected - a realistic figure caught in an impossible situation. And Matty is the innocent caught up in a life that he doesn't deserve. This is a world that is vividly populated, although not always with the nicest people!

4. The pace - From Jack's tragic discovery of his mother's body at the start of the novel, the action barely slows. The reader is carried along at often breakneck speed and it is a breathless ride. There is genuine terror and tension in this book and it is compelling.

5. The narration - Although Jack's story is told by an omniscient narrator, the italicised sections at the start of chapters give us an intriguing first person narrative from Ava. Often poetic and opaque in meaning, these sections add a sense of mystery and poignancy to the story.

This book is not for the faint-hearted. It is gritty, brutal and unflinchingly violent in places - definitely one to check the trigger warnings on before you read. However, if your preferred reading is on the shadowy end of the spectrum, this could well be a great book for you.

Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my copy in exchange for an honest review.

This is the weirdest semi-book review I've ever written. And that's because I've actually DNFed What Beauty There Is at around 50%. So why am I helping to promote this book on a blog tour? I genuinely think What Beauty There Is is a great book, it just wasn't the type of reading experience I could handle right now.

What Beauty There Is follows Ava and Jack, two kids born in broken households that must fight their way to survive. At the point I stopped, Ava wasn't developed much. The only insights you have of who she is are her small tidbits on what will happen in the future, and the remaining chapter is from Jack's point of view.

Jack is ride or die for his younger brother. Their dad is in jail and, after their mother commits suicide, they must find a way to survive with barely any money. So Jack starts to search for a bag of cash his dad, who's in jail, hid from his criminal partner. This, of course, attracts the attention of both the police and heavy criminal people.

And this last aspect is what made me stop reading this book. Jack's resourcefulness and fierce love for his brother is the kind of protagonist I would follow to the moon and back (I mean, Sadie is one of my all-time favorite books). But the intensity, violence, and general tense feel around this story led me to a reading slump. I was dreading picking up the book because I knew it would spike my anxiety. So, although this doesn't work for me, the fact that a book affected me this much means it must be good. I just personally couldn't handle it.

So yes, if the summary and this short description seem like the kind of book you would enjoy, please give it a chance. If you can handle it, I'm sure you won't regret reading What Beauty There Is.

Life is packed full of decisions and choosing to take the correct path. It can also be a journey of what if's as it is in this beautifully written,fast paced,debut thriller. What if Jack hadn't decided to visit his father on the fatal day that plunged both him and his younger brother Matty's life into a battle of survival in the unforgiving wilderness of Idaho. What if Jack hadn't came to Ava's rescue that day in the school corridor and Ava hadn't decided to let Jack into her isolated life. The problem with decisions is, you never know if you have made the correct one until things start going wrong and by then it's far too late to choose a different path.

The story was voiced from the perspectives of multiple characters including Jack, Matty, Ava and Sheriff Doyle, all of whom were very likeable characters, especially Jack. The author certainly put the poor boy through the wringer a number of times, I think I spent most of the book with heightened senses of anxiety over his well being as he found himself caught up in various life threatening situations. Being a parent, I also felt a lot of anxiety over young Matty's well being as the story unfolded, he was such a innocent little boy and it was heart warming how much love there was between the two brothers. If I'm honest, I was never sure about my feelings about Ava, there were times when I liked her and times when I didn't but I did feel a lot of sympathy for her because of the way that she was treated by her controlling father. I was quite surprised that I ended up liking Sheriff Doyle because when he was first introduced into the story, he didn't come across as either likeable or trustworthy.

Each chapter started with words that were written in italics that are written from Ava's perspective. They appear as if they are extracts from a diary or as if Ava is telling the story personally to the reader.

The setting for this book was a character in its own right with its own personal character traits. The bleakness and contrasts between the ghostly silence and muffled atmosphere after a heavy snowfall, the colours caused by the sun rays reflecting off the ice and the dangers that come with the freezing temperatures, wildlife and the various other threats that are prevalent to that environment.

Wow....Just wow, this is an extremely well written, fast paced, roller coaster ride that hardly gives the reader an opportunity to breathe as you, Jack, Matty and Ava are launched from one life threatening situation to another. It's an intense, thrilling page turner that is packed full of danger that had me glued to my copy of the book, with the wonderful tree branches in the corner of each page I found myself frantically turning the pages. The secondary characters were a mixed bag of diverse, realistic individuals, many of whom were not very likeable and the story that covers a wide range of emotions and issues had a heart warming and unexpected conclusion. I would love to watch a film adaptation of this outstanding debut that is worth far more than five stars and is very very highly recommended. This is definitely going to be one of my favourite reads of this year.

I read this for a blog tour and am very grateful for the team in letting me be a part of it.

Sadly this just wasn't a book for me. I was confused a lot of the time, I really didn't get on with the flashback/memory/ramblings in italics at the start of chapters. It felt really jarring and confused to me. I didnt connect to any of the characters and I didn't get on with the writing style.

I am sure a lot of people will love this book it just missed its mark with me.

Trigger Warnings : Suicide, drug use, murder, blood, abuse, addiction and violence

I went into this book knowing very little about this book. I’d read the synopsis but avoided all reviews of the book to ensure I knew as little as possible to give the more honest review. Let me tell you, this book is extraordinary, unique and a real thrill of a read.

This book is thrilling from first to last page and packs a huge emotional punch for the reader. I became so invested in the story and the characters and I just could not help but root for them all to have a happy ending. I read this book in just a couple of sittings because I could not take my mind off the story. Even when I was not reading this book I was thinking about what could happen next.

The plot itself is incredibly fast-paced and the book takes place over the course of a few days. Every chapter is packed full of action and a number of the chapters end with a cliffhanger which makes you want to keep reading on. There is dual storytelling in this book which is done in a unique way which I enjoyed. It shows us what Ava and Jack are feeling throughout the book, what they are going through and how their emotions conflict. I’m a huge fan of dual narration and this is one of my favourites that I have read. This book is full of twists and turns and it is shocking at so many points.

The relationship between Jack, our main character and his young brother Matty, is both heart-warming and devastating at the same time. They go through so much in such a short amount of time and it is heart-breaking. I just wanted to protect them both as much as I could throughout reading the book. Jack’s constant determination to protect his brother Matty just shows to the readers just how much he loves him. Matty is young and at times naive and we get to see this whilst reading.

Jack and Ava’s relationship is one I both liked and disliked. It never really seemed to get the chance to get going due to the fast-paced nature of the book. Their relationship just did not have the depth that I would have enjoyed but I understand why the author did this. I would just have loved to see more scenes with just Jack and Ava so that we could understand them more.

The writing is this book is beautiful and incredible atmospheric. The descriptions given by Cory Anderson made it so easy to imagine exactly where this book is set. I really did feel like I was in Idaho in winter whilst reading this book.

Overall, if you are looking for an atmospheric, action-packed and thrilling novel then this is the one for you. It is an incredible read that blew me away and I cannot recommend it enough.

For some reason, I don’t often read YA thrillers especially not ones quite like this. However, I was invited to join The WriteReads’ blog tour for it and I decided to give it something a bit different a try.

Jack and his younger brother Matty have nothing left in the world. Their father is in prison for a drug crime and their mother has committed suicide and they must now fend for themselves in the cold, terrifying world that they’ve been left in. Of course, there is the suitcase of money that put their father behind bars. Jack decides to find it. Ava Bardem has grown up under the strict control of her criminal father and taught never to love or trust anyone but him. But her father is now looking for the same money that Jack is and Ava must make a choice -stay loyal to her father or help Jack and Matty get to safety.

Ava is quite philosophical and poetic. She tends to ponder the big questions in life and she seems to be incredibly smart. However, she has been horrendously oppressed by the cards that life has dealt her. I knew that she had the potential to do nothing but good in the world but I wasn’t sure whether she would feel the tug of loyalty to her dad yank at her. I won’t spoil the plot but Ava did deserve so much more.

The entire novel is coated in a thick relentless layer of snow. Winter in Idaho is cold, harsh and bitter, reflecting both the realities and the emotions of the characters. The whole story is full of bleakness and devastation, so that’s perhaps something to be aware of before going into this book!

The conversations between Matty and Jack are heartbreaking. Matty is just an innocent child, who has been thrust into this crazy life that he could never truly, fully understand. Perhaps that is a blessing in some respects because it means that he doesn’t quite have the mental load that Jack has. However, he certainly seems to understand enough to be potentially traumatised for life. Through these exchanges with his older brother, you can sense the fear and confusion in his voice and honestly, my heart broke every time.

Ava’s father repeats to her over and over again that love is painful and that she has to be wise about her choices. This is his chief tactic in exerting his control over her. It’s terrifying because we all know that there is an element of truth to it but as a teenage girl, she is exceptionally vulnerable to taking it as gospel. Indeed, she learns that while love does hurt, some things that are labelled as love are in fact much darker ideas.

The book is largely about the power of choice. Every little choice you make determines the path that your life takes and therefore sets you up for joy or despair. It’s most obvious in Ava’s story but of course, Jack makes a risky choice every time he leaves Matty to get food or seek help. Jack and Ava’s fathers made choices to be the terrible men that they are. Jack and Matty’s mother made the ultimate choice to end her life. By the end of the book, I was hopeful that the characters had learned from both their own choices and those of their parents, that they are solely in control of how their lives turn out.

There are glimpses of light and beauty in the book but they are fleeting. The Idaho landscape, though harsh and empty, has an air of magic to it in its wildlife. There was also a blossoming romance in the book that I really didn’t think was necessary. It’s a story of such devastation and heartache that I wasn’t really sure that this aspect fitted properly. I assume Anderson included it to shine a bit of positivity on an incredibly sad tale but it didn’t really work for me. It seemed to begin a little suddenly too and I just could never really get on board with seeing that relationship in that light.

What Beauty There Is is a thought-provoking, tragic story with a huge amount of tension. There is a lot of violence and anxiety-inducing moments, so if you’re sensitive to either of those things, take care! I feel like it is definitely a book that you have to be in the mood for, in order to enjoy. The bad things just keep happening and I can certainly see how that wouldn’t suit some readers. If you like a dark, Stephen King-esque in places, read, it’s worth a shot!

Book source ~ TWR Tour

Jack Morton and his younger brother Matty are in a bad place. Their life has imploded and Jack is trying to keep them together. But they need money to survive. The only thing he can think to do is go after the drug money his dad stole and then hid. But when he goes to the prison to ask his dad where the money is and his dad refuses to tell him, that’s when things get worse. So much worse.

Ok, so this book will not only rip your heart out, it will stomp on it then kick it around a bit before devouring it whole. If you don’t come away from this read with an aching chest cavity then you aren’t human. I read with an impending sense of doom. Each turn of the page I was filled with such horrific dread at what I was sure was coming that I got to the point, there toward the end, that I didn’t want to finish it. But I had to. I. Had. To. It was their story and they deserved nothing less. So, I hitched up my Big Girl jammie bottoms, took a deep breath, and continued on to the end. Whew!

The things that happen make me wish I was a superhero that could save the day for all people like Jack, Matty, and Ava. This is a story that will stick with me for a very long time. Jack and his stoic strength, Matty with his faith in his brother, and Ava. Oh, Ava. I can’t even imagine what it was like for her all those years. And that ending. Fuck, that ending. I really thought this was a one off, but now I see it’s a Book 1. Holy shit. Do I have the strength to continue their story when it comes out? Only time will tell. I mean, time heals a broken heart, right? Right?

In short, I loved Cory Anderson’s, What Beauty There Is, a young adult/adult crossover thriller about Jack Morton, a 17-year old in a remote area in the Midwest of the US, who discovers his mother’s suicide, only fifteen dollars in the kitty, and the likelihood his younger brother going into foster care unless he can come up with a way to support him.

After dealing with the body, Jack's instinct is to get a job - and fast, too, before all the money runs out. However, in the small rural town in which he lives, his employment prospects are low, not because he isn’t a hard worker, but due to the reputation his father, currently serving time in the state prison, and his mother who was a drug addict. His family name is tarnished. No one will hire him.

In desperation, Jack resorts to searching for drug money rumored to have been hidden by his father before he went to prison. Setting out to find the money, ignites every kind of danger for Jack and his brother, who draw the attention of his father’s bitter rival, Victor Bardem, who is after the same treasure. So,

Bardem is a dangerous, relentless, a psychopath whose capacity for violence feels limitless. The only small spot left in his heart is for his daughter, Ava, aged seventeen. Ava lives in fear of her father who controls her in every way. Ava teams up with Jack, not because of the money, but to try to protect him from her father, who she understands in a way that Jack cannot. In doing so, she incurs the wrath of her father, who will not tolerate such disloyalty. The central question of the novel is will Jack and Matty find the money and get out before Bardem tracks them down and kills them both? And will Ava abandon her father and his deadly control in search of a better life?

Anderson’s impressive debut is atmospheric and engaging. The ghastly suicide sets off in motion a series of dramatic events that makes for a thrilling, if painful story. Readers might want to be aware that there is a lot of violence, child neglect, and child abuse in this story. However, it is a thriller, after all!

There are some wonderful sentence-to-sentence descriptions, too. Anderson is best when she sticks to the simple but precise details that are unique to these people’s lives and thoughts. Her descriptions of Ava’s early hunting lessons, her care with which she depicts Jack’s love for his little brother, and the attention to detail to the landscape of the locale, is all excellent. Elmore Leonard once wrote, “If it sounds like writing, I rewrite it” and I admit that occasionally the prose in What Beauty There Is sounds a self-conscious. However, my view on such matters is minor compared to the overall excellence in this richly described text with its depiction of teenagers in the most dire of circumstances, imprisoned by circumstance, and desperately alone. I anticipate great things from this talented new writer and look forward to the next book.

I was really looking forward to reading this book from the blurb, however i found that it was very hard to get into and to follow.

Jack has only one thing that he cares about left his brother and he needs to find a way to provide for him. So he looks for the money his father hid before he went to prison.

He meets Ava whose father also want the money they team up to try and find it first.

For most of the book the action is Jack hiding from everyone with Matty his brother with help from Ava, this I felt was too long and the ending where they found the money was rushed.

I could not always tell who the characters were in each chapter, and they were some characters that appeared who were not explained - the gang that was shot at the motel..

From Good Reads:
This had me caring way too much by about page 2. Absolutely desperate for everything to be ok.
Family, Brothers, Love, Devotion, Desperation, Good , Bad, Action......and lots of snow.
Beautifully and lyrically written - you'll need a blanket to cope with the wonderful descriptions of the cold.
Stand out characters - mysterious yet rounded - I cared about the good ones and was scared of the bad ones
Only reason this isn't a 5 is the narration passages at he start of each chapter - found them unnecessary and a bit of a spoiler

Overall - not for the faint hearted but absolutely worth the chewed fingernails. A Cracking Read

Trigger warnings: suicide, drug use, murder, addiction, blood, abuse, violence.

YA Thrillers are sort of my thing at the moment, and I just can’t get enough of them. So, when I heard about What Beauty There Is, I knew I had to read it. Just from reading the synopsis, I had a feeling it was going to be a book that I would be both intrigued by and addicted to.

Jack Dahl has nothing left, except his little brother Matty, who he’d do anything for. Their father is in prison and their mother is gone, and the little money they do have is running low. Realising that Matty will be taken into care if he doesn’t do something, Jack chooses to find the drug money that sent his father to prison. Ava is being controlled by her criminal father and has been isolated for seventeen years. Her father has controlled her and she trusts no one. However, when Ava meets Jack she starts to realise that she could maybe open her heart to him. What she doesn’t realise, is that her father and Jack are chasing the same drug money.

This was a tense, gripping read that also packs an emotional punch and does leave you teary-eyed at parts. You honestly become so invested in the story and these characters that you start to feel a personal connection to them, and you start rooting for them to get their happy ending, despite everything. I found it hard to put this book down at times, and even when I did, I found myself thinking about the characters and their stories. What Beauty There Is will most certainly break your heart, even if you don’t get emotionally impacted by stories.

.The plot itself was fast-paced and took place over a few days. This, in turn, was one of the reasons why I found it so hard to put down. Almost every chapter had action within it and ended on a cliffhanger, which was so compelling and addicting. The dual storytelling between Jack and Ava allowed you to get into both character’s heads and understand what both characters were going through and see their conflicted emotions. I love dual narration when it is done right, and in What Beauty There Is, this was executed perfectly. I feel that if this was told just through the eyes of one character it wouldn’t have had the same effect on the reader. Throughout the story, there are also many twists and turns, and you honestly don’t see the climax coming. As soon as I’d reached the end, my mouth was wide open in shock and disbelief, so much so that I felt broken.

The relationship between Jack and Matty was both heartwarming, and devastating to read about. Both boys had been through such a lot in such a short time, and you just wanted to pick them up and look after them both. Jack’s determination to protect Matty is brotherly love at its finest, and you can tell how much he loves him. Matty is naive, and at times doesn’t understand what is going on, and it’s up to Jack to reassure him that everything will be okay. Jack and Ava’s relationship was one that I felt never really got going, and due to the fast-paced nature of the story, I felt like we didn’t get to see it blossom. It all seemed to move a bit too fast for me. I would’ve liked to have seen more scenes with just the two of them, so we could understand their relationship a bit better.

What Beauty There Is was an intense, thrilling read that gripped me. Its accelerating, adrenaline-inducing plot made for exciting reading, and I cannot wait to read more from Cory Anderson in the future

This book was incredible. It was fast-paced and engaging and very atmospheric and I really felt like I was there with Jack, Matty and Ava as the plot unfolded.

The characters were well developed and felt very real as we got key insights into their psyche from Ava's perspective as well as getting what she thought of them all. Jack was a brilliant character, he would do anything for his little brother Matty and that was what kept him going throughout the entire book and sends him on his dangerous journey that takes up the book. Matty is incredibly sweet and also a great little brother as he does what Jack says but is also very smart and aware near the end of the story. Ava is very interesting, especially as the book is sort of told from her perspective and she instigates a large chunk of the plot and so is very important to the book. And Bardem is honestly terrifying and I give massive kudos to Jack for standing up against him. \

The plot, as I have said, is fast-paced and kept me on the edge of the seat the entire time. The short chapters really added to this as it felt like we were racing towards the end as the narrator/Ava told us the story knowing of course how it all ended. I really felt for Jack as he struggled to look after his little brother Matty and deal with men like Bardem and his father and I could really feel his pain and desperation coming through the pages. And I loved how it all hinged on certain moments and the decisions which certain characters made because it made the story more human as a whole and that is something that I love.

The writing was incredible, it was action-packed and very atmospheric. I could imagine the setting because of the descriptions, I really felt like I was there in Idaho in winter. Plus, as I have mentioned the characters were incredible and very real and that takes a great deal of skill. The whole book is absolutely incredible and I just loved reading it so much!

I absolutely devoured the story and couldn't put it down.

For those who need trigger warnings ill just say that this book is quite dark and there is violence, suicide, drugs and child neglect.

What Beauty There Is follows 17 year old Jack Dahl and his younger brother Matty on a haunting, bone-chilling journey of survival. It shows the length that Jack will go to, to keep his brother safe and it really is heart-breaking to read.

The authors way of writing is quite unusual and so descriptive that as you're reading about the cold and the snow you can almost hear the wind snapping the trees and the cold seeping into your bones.

The characters are so deep and complex and their stories are what keep you racing through the pages, desperate to know what happens next.

I was rooting for Jack, Matty and Ava the whole way through and it was so full of twists and turns that I really had no idea whether or not it was all going to work out for them in the end.

It was impossible to predict and although it was harrowing to read it was completely thrilling and I was absorbed from the first until the last page.

If I had to criticise anything at all it would have to be the writing style. Although I loved the descriptiveness of the book I found the style to be a little bit stilted. I have a feeling this was done on purpose to add to the feeling of fear the kids were feeling but I just wasn't the biggest fan and that is why I have give it a 4 instead of a 5.

Overall I would recommend this book to anyone who enjoys thrillers and dark themes. It is fast paced, easy to read and understand and completely immersive and gripping.

Wow. What a read. This was exhilarating, intense, heartfelt…it was a rollercoaster.

I loved Jack, Matty and Ava. Their characters were all so strong and I got sucked into their lives so quickly.

I loved the details in the book. I felt like I was right there in the story. Brilliant writing.

At times I found it hard to read. There was a few difficult subjects and I thought it was portrayed perfectly.

A mysterious, heart wrenching read.

A massive thank you to The Write Reads and Penguin Books for this review copy and allowing me on the blog tour! Also thank you to Netgalley for the eARC!

There is something incredibly beautiful about this novel. It is a hard-hitting, dark story but the writing is absolutely stunning and this tragic, heartbreaking story will most definitely stay with you long after you turn the final page.

And right from the beginning there is an atmosphere that continues throughout. A darkness, a sense of foreboding. Jack is the tough yet fragile teenager, one who has already lived through such hardship and all he wants now is to cling on to his younger brother, Matty. Their relationship is so tender. All they have in the world is each other and Jack is prepared to do anything to protect that…but then Ava comes into their life. It is the relationships within this story that bring the beauty. Love is beauty and there is plenty of that within the pages of this book.

I felt this story right in the very pit of my belly. It was incredibly moving and emotive. There is an evil presence that stalks the pages of this novel. His name is Bardem and he is one of the scariest, most heinous characters I have come across for in a long, long time.

Whilst targeted at a YA audience this is one of those novels that transcends into adult fiction perfectly. It does have themes of suicide, drug abuse, murder and violence so I certainly wouldn’t recommend it to younger readers but 16+. If, like me, you find trauma and violence in a story difficult please do not be put off. A good book should make us feel, it allows us to explore feelings and emotions in a safe environment and it allows us to walk in another person’s shoes. Embrace it and allow yourself to walk alongside Jack and Ava and feel the heartbreak but also the love.

‘𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒎. 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔. 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒉𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎.’

What Beauty There Is - Cory Anderson

Jack is a boy really looking out for his kid brother, a good kid. His mother is gone and to survive they need to find drug money missing from a robbery. Jack’s dad has hidden it and is now in prison.
Ava is a quiet girl, controlled by her father Bardem. Now Jack needs to find that money before Bardem. Will Ava help him? Will they ever be safe?

‘𝑷𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒔𝒂𝒚 𝒂 𝒃𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒍𝒚 𝒊𝒏 𝑩𝒓𝒂𝒛𝒊𝒍 𝒄𝒂𝒏 𝒇𝒍𝒂𝒑 𝒊𝒕𝒔 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒔𝒆𝒕 𝒐𝒇𝒇 𝒂 𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒅𝒐 𝒊𝒏 𝑻𝒆𝒙𝒂𝒔. 𝑶𝒏𝒆 𝒍𝒊𝒕𝒕𝒍𝒆 𝒃𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓𝒇𝒍𝒚 𝒎𝒂𝒌𝒆𝒔 𝒂 𝒔𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒎 𝒉𝒂𝒍𝒇𝒘𝒂𝒚 𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅. 𝑰 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒌 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒉𝒂𝒕. 𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝑰 𝒇𝒆𝒆𝒍 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒇𝒍𝒖𝒕𝒕𝒆𝒓 𝒐𝒇 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒘𝒉𝒆𝒏 𝑱𝒂𝒄𝒌 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑰 𝒎𝒆𝒕? 𝑫𝒊𝒅 𝑰 𝒔𝒆𝒏𝒔𝒆 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒄𝒐𝒎𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒐𝒓𝒏𝒂𝒅𝒐?’

Even in the first pages this made me take a sharp intake of breath. Written with clarity, nothing wasted. How to comprehend this....these kids, just kids and going through so much.
The characters are believable and whole -Sweet, angry, quiet Jack, beautiful and strong Ava and innocent Matty. The connection created between these characters is wonderful.

‘𝑯𝒆 𝒘𝒂𝒔 𝒂 𝒃𝒐𝒚 𝒂𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒂 𝒉𝒐𝒖𝒔𝒆 𝒊𝒏 𝒘𝒊𝒏𝒕𝒆𝒓, 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒆 𝒉𝒂𝒅 𝒏𝒐𝒕 𝒃𝒆𝒆𝒏 𝒚𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒈 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒂 𝒗𝒆𝒓𝒚 𝒍𝒐𝒏𝒈 𝒕𝒊𝒎𝒆. 𝑻𝒉𝒂𝒕 𝒊𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌 𝑰 𝒓𝒆𝒎𝒆𝒎𝒃𝒆𝒓.’

This book is about family, love, betrayal and the decisions we make. I felt a lot of emotion reading this book - it is stark, like standing in bright light. Through their decisions we are taken spiralling downwards, shown the effects of addiction, hardship and fear. It gave me an unutterable sadness as a parent feeling for these kids and what they were going through. I had a dead weight on my chest waiting for things to happen, the writing captured the fear and the worry. As you read, it ramps up and up getting worse with each page I turned, urging them to run, to escape, to make it.

It was just electric! I was on tenterhooks for the whole book and raced through it in one afternoon, so keen to know what happened to these young people.

‘𝑺𝒉𝒆 𝒔𝒆𝒆𝒔 𝒕𝒉𝒊𝒏𝒈𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒉𝒊𝒎. 𝑯𝒊𝒔 𝒅𝒂𝒓𝒌𝒏𝒆𝒔𝒔. 𝑯𝒐𝒘 𝒕𝒉𝒆 𝒂𝒊𝒓 𝒉𝒖𝒔𝒉𝒆𝒔 𝒂𝒍𝒍 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎.’

Despite it being so nerve jangling and incredibly suspenseful, there is still a calm quiet stillness to this book for me.There was an oppressive silence and sometimes things felt muffled like the snow they trek through. There was a clean, sereneness to the writing, showing the moments between Jack and Ava with unspoken words and a burgeoning young love developing so clearly. They have a calm strength between them these two that is powerful.

‘𝑰𝒇 𝒊𝒕 𝒍𝒐𝒐𝒌𝒔 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆 𝒋𝒂𝒄𝒌𝒔 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒍𝒅 𝒊𝒔 𝒇𝒂𝒍𝒍𝒊𝒏𝒈 𝒂𝒓𝒐𝒖𝒏𝒅 𝒉𝒊𝒎, 𝒋𝒖𝒔𝒕 𝒘𝒂𝒊𝒕. 𝑰𝒕’𝒔 𝒂𝒃𝒐𝒖𝒕 𝒕𝒐 𝒈𝒆𝒕 𝒘𝒐𝒓𝒔𝒆.’

This book quite simply took my heart and squeezed it - stunning!

✩✩✩✩.5

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Thanks to @thewritereads @coryanderwrites @penguinukbooks for my spot on this #blogtour

3.5 Stars

I am slightly torn by this one and it came out with a higher ESCAPE score than I actually expected. This is both a beautiful sad book, but it is also somewhat hollow. I will explain.

The writing and narrative choices of the book are fantastic. The writing is beautifully structured, lyrical without getting too flowery. It draws you in and keeps your reading. The chapters themselves are very deliberate in there structure. Even in the numbering they build to the turning point and then start to count down the the denouement. Also how we are introduced to the characters. The plot follows two characters Jack and Ava, an almost Romeo and Juliet pairing from different sides of the same tale. At the start of each chapter we have a first person perspective from Ava our principle narrator, she discusses he memories and feelings before switching to narrate the events of Jack's life and occasionally her childhood.

The plot is incredibly sad, dark and bleak. Jack's life starts off in an incredibly dark place and it just gets darker and darker throughout the book. The hopelessness that Jack feels but also his need to survive for his brother is really beautifully written and comes across powerfully on the page. There are moments that got my heart pounding for him, that kept the pages turning in hopes that he could turn the corner and everything would work itself out. That he would succeed and be ok and that hope being fed to you the reader is a very powerful thing for the book to do.

Despite all of this, looking back it also feels a little one dimensional. In terms of atmosphere the descriptions of the cold and snow are stunning and they bring the idea of the bone deep pervasive cold but that's all we get in terms of setting and atmosphere, we have no real scope for the world outside of the snow. Its very much like a play where the scene is set when it is needed but other than that these places just cease to exist. The same goes for the characters, other than his love for his brother, the hint at romance and his bravery in protecting his brother there isn't much more to Jack. We don't get who he is outside the confines of this tale and his brother. The same goes for Ava, we get even less about her other than she is brave and the instalove hint of romance. Even the plot doesn't get a full back story. While I understand we are getting this told from the perspective of the teenagers that get pulled into the situation against there will it is also kind of frustrating as they appear to know enough to move the story along at the convenient parts but not enough to give anything context. There are a lot of loose ends just hanging in the air that don't have answers. The ending is bitter sweet but it also feels a little too sweet.

So I am on the fence. I enjoyed reading it, I will definitely read more from Cory Anderson but overall I am not convinced 100% that I love this book in particular.