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Therapy (2000)

by Kathryn Perez(Favorite Author)

4.33 of 5 Votes: 3

languge

English

genre

Romance

series

Therapy

review 1: I picked this book from my shelf because I felt like catching up on my to-read list, so I figured "Hey! Why not this one?" The cover was unappealing but I take "do not judge a book by its cover" seriously so I immersed myself to the world of Jace and Jessica. I don't know where to begin.Hmm, Jessica. She was the main character of this book. I liked the way she spoke about the destructive love she shared with Jace, but frankly, her character was TOO self-absorbed for me to feel the depths of her loneliness. I couldn't really connect with her, which is weird, because I connect with all manipulative, catty, stubborn female characters, as I am one myself. Apparently, not with her. I guess it's because I think she is barely scratching the surface. I mean, no disrespect to the a... moreuthor, but I think her one goal was to throw out a lifeline to all those suffering from the evil human beings are capable of doing unto themselves. Kathryn didn't grasp that goal with both hands. Jessica could've been a great character, had she not spent so much time victimizing herself. I mean, I get that she developed in the later part of the book, but her self-righteous attitude just repelled me from recognizing this book as a good one.Jace. Jace is attractive and kind. I get that much. But I think he was far too immature (he and Jess) to have a good love story. He was kind, yes. He was human, yes. He just felt *wrong*. The whole book was an attempt to defining sadness and internal turmoil, and it honestly just didn't fare out well to me. I wanted to give this just one sad star, but I applauded some parts of the book, especially the part where Jessica recovered from her shell of self-pity.This about sums it all up. I didn't love the book. I didn't completely hate it. I just think it may have wasted valuable time.
review 2: 4.5 stars for a gritty, emotionally draining read.I will begin by saying that I typically don't read a lot of 'dark' romance books. I knew going in that the female character suffered from a mental illness (it's in the blurb) which I think is important for anyone to know when they start this.Why? It sets the tone for the entire book. Jessica is so different and while there are definitely times when she is unlikeable, I always found myself rooting for her. The demons she faced and the darkness she lived in for most of this book was just gut wrenching to read about. She really did destroy most of the good things that came into her life. But the beauty of this story is the hope. Once she is diagnosed and is able to make a choice to get help, we see the strong woman she becomes and her determination to lead a healthier life.I don't want to give anything away but there are two guys in this book. Both are likeable for different reasons and help Jessica in their own way. While this is mostly from Jessica's POV, the two guys do have a few chapters which I think was very necessary to their character development and the flow of the story. Especially considering how it ends (no spoilers here!).The book begins when the two main characters are seniors in high school and then skips forward about 6 years. And let me tell you, the beginning of the book will just emotionally destroy you. This is not an easy read. But I promise if you hate Jessica, remember there is a reason she acts she way she does and there is a light at the end of the tunnel.I adore Kingsley's character. He came into Jess' life at just the right time. And Jace's growth also was nice to watch as the story moved on. His desire to please everyone around him nearly destroyed his life and forced him to make some very poor decisions. But ultimately he's a great guy.I guess my only criticisms are two small things... some of the first few chapters seemed a bit redundant in places (phrases or words uses closely together) but that improved as the story went on. The editing is actually quite good. And I thought the end was a tad rushed. However, I'm not sure there was really any other way to do it considering the storyline. I definitely recommend this book when you're in the mood for something different and dark. I think the author deserves a huge hug for being brave enough to put this story out there and shine a light on how difficult it is for those who live with mental illness. Mental illness is not sexy, it's not pretty and it's a tough thing for most people to understand. But it's very real and I hope that reading this book will help a few people to be less judgmental of people and things they don't understand. less

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