About the book:

 

Title: Growing Up Carrie

Author: E.D. Massey

Published: October 4th 2017

Source: Received from Book Unleashed in exchange for an honest review

Format: e-copy

Blurb:

Families aren’t always perfect and neither was mine. When you add in a stepdad, there are more hurdles to jump over. It wasn’t always easy growing up after my stepdad came into my life. He met my mom on an Internet gaming site! Can you believe it? Later, he easily could have walked away from the responsibilities of raising a teen, yet he stayed and you won’t believe how it turned out …

Check it on: Amazon  & Goodreads

My Review:

Unfortunately, I have not enjoyed this book very much. I found a lot of issues with the characters but most importantly with the writing. However, the idea of the book is good, just the way it was put in practice did not appeal to my tastes. I will go on and try to argument my dislikes to the best of my abilities, so as not to spoil it.

The idea of writing the story of a young girl once a step dad come into place, or the said man having to take responsibility for a child he did not get to know very well is great and I wished I could say many more great things. The characters are not well developed and Edward is portrayed as a (too) responsive man. He hurries to visit the friend he’s never met but with whom has felt a connection from their short talks on the Internet. Ok, but Carrie’s mom is not the best person at all. She accepts a strange man in her home (I mean, how well can you know a person after three months of online talking?), with her child! She leaves the child alone with a stranger! Then there are some unnecessary mentions, for example in case of Amber, Edward’s… girlfriend, who is not actually a girlfriend because he was also seeing someone else. Her opinions are included twice in the book, always mentioning the same thing.

As for the writing, there is this repetition of names which becomes a little annoying. Inconsistencies in regards to Edward’s ex-wife and child are clarified kind of late in the story.  I didn’t feel any emotions radiating from the characters. I do believe in the author as, again, the idea is great.

Without further continuing with my complains, I hope I managed to justify my complains and I apologize if any of my arguments have been offensive in any way. I struggle every time to write an article, so I can imagine how difficult it is to write a book.  “Growing Up Carrie” has a good topic to follow, but to me, the execution was not the best it could be. Unfortunately, one star.

 Let me know your thoughts, if you have read the book.