MAYA BLUE A Memoir of Survival
by Brenda Coffee

Thank you to NetGalley and Susie Stangland for the ARC ebook

“It was a fairytale until it wasn’t.”

A harrowing memoir that truly reads like a thriller. Brenda Coffee at the young age of twenty-one married and became totally enamoured with her charismatic and powerful husband, Philip Ray. Brenda wanted to please him in all ways and be the woman he couldn’t live without….till her world falls apart. From a cocaine lab in her basement, to the Big Six tobacco companies threats, to the Guatemalan Army pulling her from the car and forcing her into the jungle, Brenda’s raw writing sheds light on her life that is anything but normal, and reveals the dark sides of her life.

I honestly could not believe the strength and resilience Brenda had to endure the things she went through. She talks of having to be the parent instead of the child and caretaker instead of a wife, learning not to get too excited or too hopeful, too down or too afraid. This is a fast-paced unbelievable read and I highly recommend it. I think it would be a great discussion for book clubs. Pub date is May 20, 2025. Maya Blue, is a metaphor for strength and resilience.

I was drawn to Maya Blue by Brenda Coffee because of my connection to Guatemala, a country where I had the chance to intern and volunteer. Reading about her experiences in Central America, sparked my interest. Brenda's personal story is one of survival, strength, and heartbreak, particularly her relationship with her husband. Her memoir feels like a rollercoaster, diving into the chaos of her life and the messiness of love, addiction, and crime.

The first half of the book was by far my favorite. It was fast-paced and gripping, showing how she became involved in such a dangerous world. There was so much tension, particularly as she navigated her husband's erratic behavior and her own self-destructive tendencies. You could feel the urgency in her words, almost like she was caught in a whirlwind she couldn’t escape. The raw emotions were tough to read at times, especially the parts about her time in Guatemala, but I was so invested in her story that I couldn't stop reading.

While I loved the first half, I did feel the tone shifted a bit towards the end. It wasn’t as strong, and some of the urgency seemed to fade. Still, Maya Blue is an intense and emotional ride that will stay with you long after you finish. It's a unique read that blends memoir, thriller, and a story of hope in the face of unimaginable odds.

*Thank you to Simon and Shuster for this ARC**

This feels like reading a memoir but in two parts. It’s not cohesive. The author has certainly lived an interesting life. Throughout the entire book (until almost at the very end), I wanted to send her “codependent no more” because my goodness, she is a certified train wreck when it comes to men. She reports that she has worked through that by the end so I commend her for that. I found much of her story fascinating. The first half about the brilliant coke-head husband who created the first computer amongst other inventions who was always on a rampage was especially entertaining. Some parts were hard to read (Guatemala) and her husband’s passing from cancer but I was enthralled and would recommend reading this. If, for no other reason, to feel better about your own life and neuroses.

I felt really conflicted on my review of this book - I enjoyed parts of it, especially the beginning when Brenda describes how her and her husband got tied up in the industry but found the writing to be repetitious and superfluous. There were multiple times where the writing was all over the place and I had to try and remember what previously happened.

This book was interesting but I think there needs to be some further editing and continuity considerations.

I thought this was a really interesting read. It was unique and felt like a few different stories in one. I really enjoyed the beginning and middle. It was fascinating reading about the story with the basement and the cocaine, I could hardly put it down. Overall I preferred the beginning and middle and found it to be stronger. I felt the tone of the book shift towards the end and peter out as the story wound down.

*Rating for NetGalley*

Feeling conflicted cause I am not sure how to rate biographies/memoirs that I don't feel strongly about.

The first part was super intriguing, but something about the rest of the book, mainly the writing and wording of certain things, felt a bit off.

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital copy of this book.

*** I DON'T RATE MEMOIRS *** but for review submission requirements 5 ⭐️


This was a such an intense read!❤️‍🩹
Describing it as "fans of breaking bad" is so accurate in the most heartbreaking way possible

"I wanted to be like no woman Philip has met or ever would meet. I wanted to be the one he couldn’t live without. I’ve reinvented myself; a woman who does almost anything he wants whether it’s adventurous, dangerous, sexual, or illegal, but I’ve done more than that. I’m complicit in a drug lab"

This memoir had me from the first page if I'm honest, the wording, the emotions in the introduction to the memoir were intriguing

Another aspect that I loved about this book is that it reads like a thriller which as a thriller reader this was a bonus so in a sense this memoir is gripping, not the usual type of feel you get when reading a memoir

"He described our relationship: This is my train, and you’re welcome to ride it. If at any time you don’t like the destination, you’re free to get off, but you won’t find a better ride anywhere", I'm driven by this low-grade fear that I might be asked to get off at the next stop. Everything I do is because ofand for him since the day we started seeing one another"

This is one of those reads that will stay with me! A truly inspiring story of survival, strength and hope!