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This is what I would call a gritty and sometimes frustrating story. Not because of the author, but because you are following a man, the protagonist, Ray, through his life and often a trail of bad decisions as he goes…

You really do get a flavour of the main character and his life, and things that have happened to him and his background, which helps you see why his life has shaped up to be the way it has and why he is frustratingly, sometimes the way he is.

It’s a very gritty and realistic book, and the author really pulls you into the story and along for the ride as Ray faces relationship disasters, makes life mistakes and faces the consequences of his actions, or sometimes refuses to admit that he might be the problem.

This isn’t my usual style of book, but it did intrigue me, and I thoroughly enjoyed it, even if I did want to grab Ray and give him a good talking to at certain points and tell him what I thought of him.

If you enjoy real life and aren’t a person who likes fluffy romance with happy endings and prefers something that is more based on people and the mistakes they make and the lives they live, then this is definitely the book for you, and I would recommend it. I read it over a couple of days and will probably read it again. I was surprised at how much I enjoyed it despite the occasional wince at Ray and his life choices … whilst the ending may not be what you expected, I think it’s absolutely worth getting your hands on a copy for a read and something a bit interesting and different.

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