It’s been awhile since I checked new reviews, so I was pleasantly surprised to find some new lovely reviews for some of my books and share them here today for Everything Writing Friday. Thanks so much to all who found the time to read my books and leave reviews.

 

Customer Reviews

 

 

Have Bags, Will Travel

 

Cherryl

4.0 out of 5 starsOverpackers United!!

27 January 2019

Format: PaperbackVerified Purchase

This might have been one of the shortest books I’ve read in a while, with some of the chapters being only two pages long, in fact I was really disappointed when I saw how thin it was, but as they say – size isn’t everything, and it was way better than I expected.

If you’re team ‘never travel light’ you’ll find a lot of comfort in this book.

This shopaholic author chats away about her travel traumas, random experiences and funny thoughts; it’s as though she’s sitting with you in your living room having cosy natter. I found myself nodding along to much of what she shared about her travel experiences, though I think she sounds a lot worse than me when it comes to shopping and excess luggage.

Thankfully I haven’t been ruthlessly interrogated by customs or witnessed my suitcase coming round the baggage carousel broken and wide open “like an open sandwich”, what a nightmare!!

Turning into a contortionist when using plane toilets – oh yes, every time, and also when I’m trying to turn around in the plane aisle without knocking a few people out in the process!

The joys of travel!!!

‘Have Bags, Will Travel’ is a quick, easy and fun read that’s sure to put a smile on your face!

 

 

Conflicted Hearts

 

5 Stars from Kevin Cooper -Conflicted Hearts

MEMOIR/NONFICTION

 

A Lifetime of guilt — What does it take to finally break free?

Review: Get on the rollercoaster and ride with Debbie as she shares her experiences in life. From dealing with her parent’s tumultuous relationship as a child with its many break-ups, separations, and house moves, to becoming a pawn in her mother’s endless games that robbed her of her childhood.

What really grabbed me was how her childhood experiences influenced her decisions as a blooming adult and the relationships she had while consistently grappling with her mother’s narcissism.

There are moments that will completely captivate you. One of those moments for me was her adventure in Greece, another, the first real love and heartbreak… I could go on, but I don’t want to give away too much.

As if being caught in the throes of narcissism isn’t enough, multiple health issues, and an abusive cohabitation take their toll as well.

The entire work is presented perfectly, and with such honestly… I believed every word and often reflected upon the courage of the writer. It’s excellent.

Source: Conflicted Hearts – Kevin Cooper

 

 

Conflicted Hearts

 

Anonymus

4.0 out of 5 starsInsightful take on a real mother-daughter relationship

4 June 2019

Format: Kindle Edition – Conflicted Hearts

Writing a memoir needs courage and honesty, and Kaye displays both in this book. She’s unflinchingly honest about her parents, about herself and how her childhood caused the issues she faced in later life.

This is an absorbing story, with much to learn from it. How a mother’s love, or lack of it, can shape a child. Just how much a child understands of adult affairs and is affected by them. About the notions of loyalty, responsibility and filial love. About what it means to make happiness and self-worth a choice. How a bad childhood need not curse a person to a lifetime of unhappiness, and ultimately, how one needs to love oneself in order to find true, lasting love.

Recommended if you’re looking to read a journey of courage as well as serious topics dealt in a straightforward manner, with a dash of humour.

 

 

Understanding – An Anthology of true and significant life events.

 

A wonderful review by Robbie Cheadle for the moving Anthology – Understanding, which I’m proud to be part of:

This collection of experiences, told mainly in the form of questions and answers, from twenty authors and bloggers, is a unique and emotional read. Each of the twenty participants has been through a traumatic time in their lives and each of them has overcome their particular set of circumstances, whether it is a struggle with cancer, sexual abuse, the loss of a loved one or a personal obsession gone wrong. Despite its emotional and heart wrenching content, this book is, on the whole, an uplifting read as well as being an enlightening one. I was impressed and encouraged by each of these writers ability to overcome their personal hardship and find a successful path forward.

To my mind, the stories in this book can be divided into two sets, those participants who had to deal with circumstances imposed on them by a third party or outside force creating circumstances over which they did not have complete control and those participants who ended up in a situation of their own making through their obsessive natures or those human frailties, like low self esteem and anxiety. I know from personal experience with friends and family that overcoming such mental barriers is an incredibly difficult thing to do.

I commend all of these authors and bloggers for their courage and honesty in writing their personal stories to help and encourage others who many be facing similar situations.

Source:

https://robbiesinspiration.wordpress.com/2019/04/20/bookreview-understanding-compiled-by-stevie-turner/comment-page-1/#comment-36064

 

 

P.S. I Forgive You

 

VisV  P.S. I Forgive You

5.0 out of 5 starsAn encouraging story of finding peace and forgiving Mom even after the most difficult relationship

June 16, 2019

 

Mom was so shocking that she came across as a character from a movie or some kind of fictional character. Mother was manipulate, retaliative, plotting sinister plans, finding her way to the arms of men at the racetrack and doing so many things that seem outright outrageous. I can’t imagine living and growing up in this environment but the author did.

Instead of locking up the memories and moving on with her life, this book was the author’s journey to understanding and forgiveness. Despite all she had experienced as a child, she started on the path of discovery and asking questions. The author tried to understand, make sense of an finally found a way to forgive her mother.

You just feel the cruelty and heaviness the author had to endure as a daughter, regularly asking why she had a mother like this and how to cope. This is a story of sadness and pain but the author also showed me how to cope, how to be resilient and how to manage cruelty and painful people, circumstances. She reminds us that you can’t change the past but you can find a way to forgive so you move about the world with a lighter heart.

I finished this book with a deep sadness for the child who endured this book and a deep appreciation for the woman who worked her way through her own healing and letting go.

 

 

5 Stars from James Cudney

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2877745502?book_show_action=false

P.S. I Forgive You: A Broken Legacy

My rating:

[ 5 of 5 stars ]

P.S. I Forgive You: A Broken Legacy
by

D.G. Kaye (Goodreads Author),

James‘s review

Jul 05, 2019

My month of memoirs continues with an autobiography by D. G. Kaye — ‘P.S. I Forgive You: A Broken Legacy.’ Although not quite a series, this is the second book by the author as she explores the impact of a narcissistic mother on her daily life. I read this before bed last night, and all I can say is that some people are dealt a very unfair hand in life. That said, it’s amazing to see how wonderful Kaye is handling all that she went through in the last ~50 years. What a great (but painful) read!

Imagine growing up with a mother who seems to intentionally cause pain for her children. The oldest of four, Kaye spent years letting the woman treat her horribly. In this introspective and emotional autobiography, we learn how and why she tolerated it. The memoir kicks off by letting readers know that the author’s mother has passed away, and this is the story of how she handled the decision whether to be there when the woman crossed over. Sick for many years, touch and go at times, it seems like every possible painful opportunity was taken to cause trouble for this family. It was heartbreaking not just because of what they went through but because you really want this to turn out to be a positive story.

In some ways, it does turn out that way… in death, you are often released from the troubles of the past. Not quickly. Not immediately. Not entirely. Kaye suffers to this day because of the trauma she went through. Emotional pain can be far worse and impacting that physical pain. Seeing how the author connects with her siblings and her aunt helps provide a sense of love and hope for her future. Kaye has a phenomenal way of sharing her past with readers… we feel as if we are there, but one thing is for sure — we were not. That… is fantastic writing.

There is a cathartic honesty in her writing style as well as how she processes the events of her life. On the outskirts, it might seem simple: (A) She’s your mother, you should stay and respect her, or (B) She’s been evil and nasty, you need to run away and forget her. Nope… Kaye fully provides the wide spectrum of all the scenarios that ran through her head, some positive and some not-so-positive. How do you make such a decision? Only a strong person can thoroughly see through the minutia to determine what’s best for both the victim and the victimizer (I might’ve made that word up).

If I could reach through a book to hug someone, this would be the prime one for it to happen. I’ve felt these emotions tons of times before when an author creates a character who suffers… but when a real-life woman shares the truth and the pain she’s gone through, it’s a whole different ball game. If you have a high threshold for reading about someone’s emotional suffering, I suggest you take this book on… it might give you the perspective you need to help others.

 

I’d also like to thank James for sharing his review on his blog.

https://thisismytruthnow.com/2019/07/09/book-review-p-s-i-forgive-you-a-broken-legacy-by-d-g-kaye/

 

You can read samples and purchase all these books on Amazon:

P.S. I Forgive You

Conflicted Hearts

Have Bags, Will Travel

Understanding

©DGKaye