The Break-Down:
A touching novel about Brynn Reeves, a young woman from Minnesota who experiences the perils of an abusive marriage and emotional turmoil. Brynn's story explores what it takes to strive for a normal care-free life while balancing life's unexpected challenges. Based loosely on true events, Jump's debut novel is filled with love, courage, and intense feelings that stay within every page.
Review:
This book is a lot to take in given the sub-title and synopsis. There were moments when I had to stop reading and take a few deep breaths because of certain sensitive topics, such as domestic abuse, rape, and drug abuse; it's an emotional read. Brynn's story proves that you never know the battles someone is facing and while someone may feel isolated on their battlefield, you truly are never alone. Waves of sadness came to me while reading as well as a sense of understanding. It's a difficult topic to read through but an important read. Jump's soft writing makes it comfortable for the reader to grasp a delicate subject of fear and trauma. I felt bad for Brynn the whole time and I respect her so much. I wanted to give her a hug through my Kindle. During a raw, emotional topic, Jump added some humor to lighten the heavyweight with the funny banter between Brynn and her friends, as well as mentioning the television series, Friends, one of my personal favorites!
I also respect her values on marriage. Jump expresses several times how important it is to embrace being a wife, taking the vow of "death do us part" very seriously. Despite her troubles, Brynn fights through every obstacle because deep down, she knows the man she married is somewhere behind the demon that took over his body. She finds her strength courageously throughout the story and it's a heartbreaking but beautiful journey.
Here is one of my favorite passages from My Only Sunshine:
"I guess that's what happens when you make assumptions that people won't understand; that they can't relate and because of that, they will judge your decisions, your actions. I certainly would have, had it happened to someone else and I was the one who stood on the outside. But that's the thing about life- you'll never truly understand someone unless you walk in their shoes, and that's simply not feasible."
- Shannon Jump, "My Only Sunshine"
I support Jump for sharing her story for herself and other survivors. I recommend this book to women around my age (27 and up) since it has sensitive and mature content. I hope Jump releases more books that I would love to read!
Rating: 5/5 stars
Enjoy and Happy Reading!
*Sunflowers are my favorite and I take the symbolic growth of one every day as best as I can. The quote pictured, "Living my best life limited edition" is not supporting a domestic abusive life in any way; I just want to make this clear. I am supporting the story that is being told and the path Jump unraveled to get to where she is today. Thank you*
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