Alessandra Harris

Two couples, Sophia and Terrence Douglas, and Tara and Josh Fisher, are neighbors and best friends, though on the surface they don't appear to have a lot in common. The Fishers have been married a decade, are raising 3 children, and Tara is the sole bread winner in the family since Josh had a work injury and became a stay at home dad.

Next door at the Douglas household, there are no children, Sophia and Terrence are still in the honeymoon stage and it's Terrence who is the sole provider ever since Sophia lost her job.

What they do all seem to have in common is a lack of communication and a fear of confiding in their spouses. This book was juicier than a soap opera and had more jaw dropping moments than an episode of Jerry Springer. It is a story of betrayal, mental illness, insecurities, and secrets hidden in dark pasts. It was a quick read but even so I literally had to put it down twice just so I could go hug my husband out of sheer relief that our lives are nothing like this. Blaming The Wind is one of those delicious guilty pleasures that you won't be able to put down...except to go and hug your husband!
I received a complimentary copy for review… (mehr)

Thanks to #BookSirens for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
I didn't know anything about this book when I agreed to review it, so I went into it with no expectations. I recently finished Queenie and this felt a little bit like that novel - about a black woman with low self esteem, sleeping with multiple men. But, it changed from that to a story about a woman dealing with mental illness who is truly struggling.
I had a few issues with the book. 1. It wasn't explained until late in the book why Nina's brother, Isaiah, died. 2. It wasn't explained until very late in the book why Nina had a breakdown. I feel that if I had known these 2 things earlier in the book, I would have enjoyed it more.
I did figure out, but not immediately, what was going on with Nina's friend, Deja, and Deja's abusive boyfriend, Kevin.
I was happy with the ending to the book, but it was a little pat, wrapping up everything a little too well.
#EverythingSheLost #AlessandraHarris #BookSirens… (mehr)

Everything She Lost is a story about family, friendship and mental illness. Family and friends should be able to help someone who has had a breakdown but in this book, you aren't sure if they are helping the main characters recovery or working to make her relapse.

Nina is working very hard on her recovery - well except for those secret shots of alcohol that she drinks in her closet to help her get through her days. As the book begins, she appears to be losing touch with reality again - notes are sent that she didn't remember sending and flowers are delivered that she didn't remember ordering. The reader is very unsure just how stable she is. Her husband, Rod, is absolutely no help and keeps putting unneeded pressure on her. Plus he is sleeping with her best friend - if you can call a friend having sex with your husband your best friend - but Nina has no idea that the affair is going on. Deja is a single mother trying her best to escape from her past and to her credit fells bad that she is sleeping with Rod.

This is a very well written book about mental illness and recovery. I liked Nina but really did NOT like Deja or Rod. Even though Deja was trying to better herself, she had no idea what friendship and loyalty meant in the real world. This is a good book with interesting twists and turns and a surprising ending.

Thanks to the author for a copy of this book to read and review. All opinions are my own.… (mehr)

The author gave me a copy to read in exchange for a review.

I thought it was okay. The author did a good job at stringing me along. That's the thing with the mentally unstable characters, you never know where they're going and the author can mislead you at every turn.

Nina's trying to put her life back together after a mental breakdown when she meets Deja, a single mom who's trying to overcome her past. When Deja's past eventually comes back to haunt her, Nina struggles to remain sane and be a good mom but after one horrific evening Nina feels she's relapsing and it could cost them both everything. I mean really, what are best friends for?

I had issues with the book though... my kids will never call the woman who stepped into my home while I was hospitalized with a breakdown "auntie". Not gonna happen. I won't be her 'bestie' either, nope. And please tell me that there aren't really people out there this stupid...

Love the cover!… (mehr)