[PDF / Epub] ☆ Who We Are Instead ✩ Kyla Stone – Wearedating.co.uk
Posted on
chapter 1 Who We Are Instead, meaning Who We Are Instead, genre Who We Are Instead, book cover Who We Are Instead, flies Who We Are Instead, Who We Are Instead 802654913ec20 Lena McKenna Hides Behind The Safety Of Her Camera Lens A Talented, Driven Perfectionist, She S Earned A Scholarship To A Prestigious Art School But When Her Father Suffers A Heart Attack, Lena Drops Everything, Rushing Back To A House Shrouded In Shadows And Secrets She S Confronted By Lux, The Troubled Younger Sister She Left Behind When She Fled Her Past Two Years Ago Volatile And Reckless, Lux McKenna Is Teetering On The Brink The Black Hole Of Her Mind Is Sucking Her Under Plagued By Guilt And A Devastating Darkness, Lux Will Do Anything To Forget Anything Whatever She Tries, Lena Can T Reach Her Sister Instead, She Devotes Herself To Her Father S Care, All The While Haunted By The Memories Of Her Mother, A Passionate, Enigmatic Artist Whose Tragic Death Shattered Their FamilyWhen Lena Finds Unexpected Refuge In The Arms Of Eli, A Former Crush, His Steady Strength Begins To Thaw Her Heart And Challenge Her Fears But Can He Convince Her That Love Is Always A Risk Worth Taking Meanwhile, Lux S Dark Secrets Send Her Hurtling Toward The Precipice Will Lena Choose To Escape Her Past Once And For All, Leaving Her Sister And Her Chance At Love Behind Or Can These Sisters Find A Way Back To Each Other Before Their Demons Destroy Them Both
10 thoughts on “Who We Are Instead”
I am not going to offer a synopsis of the book as you can read the one already provided by the publisher, and IMO I think this is the kinda book you have to enter as spoiler free as possible That said, if the book summary has caught your eye, you will probably enjoy the book.We follow the story of two sisters who hail from a broken home, with broken parents, leaving them broken Each one of them is coping in the way they can one, Lena, seems to be the perfect one she has left to pursue her dreams and is in college to learn Photography while Lux, the rebellious one, is trying to find her way but only seems to be losing herself and But all who has grown apart is gping to collide sooner rather than laterI loved this book because the story we find in here is not a sweet easy one, but dark Raw Brutal Brilliant The characters are really fleshed out Alive Broken Human.This are the kind of stories I like to see written because it takes guts to represent life in paper Not easy life, but bruising life Life which changes people, which turns things inside out and leaves you raw and exposed Kuddos to the author for this.
Lena McKenna is busy attending photography classes at the Art Institute of Florida in Tampa, Florida She has a prestigious gallery competition for the Central Florida Metropolitan Museum of Art coming up and is already a semi finalist in the competition Winning the competition would mean a grant and a stipend with Photography magazine Before Lena can submit her final entry into the competition, she is called home to Brokewater, Michigan Lena s father, has had another heart attack, and this time, he is dying of congestive heart failure He has just weeks left to live Lena s 18 year old sister, Lux, is missing as well Lena makes the difficult decision to withdraw from her classes at school and focus on caring for her father during his last few weeks of life Lena did not count on running into ex football player Eli Kusuma, now a single father and working as a mechanic As time passes, Lena grows closer and closer to Eli and his daughter, Hadley Being at home also stirs up memories of her mother and her mother s suicide.While Lena left home to chase her dreams, Lux McKenna is left behind with her father and her mother s ghost Lux dialed 911 and took off after her father s heart attack She knows her argument with him triggered his latest heart attack She is crashing with friends and soon falls into a partying lifestyle, doing drugs to obliterate the pain Her sister Lena is the perfect one, and Lux is the screw up As her relationship with her high school boyfriend disintegrates, Lux falls in deeper and deeper with the local drug dealer, Reese Lux also feels she is to blame for her mother s death and wants the world to go away, using and drugs to rid herself of the pain.Lena and Lux can t seem to get along even when their father is dying Each cares about the other but doesn t know how to properly show it Another tragedy will force the two together again Can these two sisters ever make peace with each other, or will their tiny family continue to implode Love scrawls outside the lines It never fits inside the small little box we plan for our life This book definitely reflects that and shows how messy love can be Overall, this book is a good read with good, three dimensional characters I rarely give a book five stars, but I feel this book merits it.I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A tale of family, love and loss I enjoyed this story of two sisters battling with their inner demons and the ill health of their father A little slow in places but overall an enjoyable read Thanks to tbc reviewers for my copy
Absolutely excellent this book deftly threads the needle of addressing mental health issues and abuse without either excusing them or softening the blow too much There s subtlety and complexity here, and excellent use of visual themes, but it s never forced The descriptions are beautiful, the emotions genuine Lux and Lena are heartbreakingly real and relateable, and the destruction of a family is traced inexorably to its conclusion.Readers who liked Looking for Alaska but want something mature will probably really enjoy this, as will fans of Miriam Toews A Complicated Kindness, Irma Voth It tackles diversity pretty well, and there are a lot of great little details in the supporting characters lives I kind of wish a couple of plot events had happened differently, but that s just because I feel bad for the characters not the fault of the story A few of the teen fashion references were a little off, but I don t think that ll bug most people I received a pre release copy of this book for a beta read, but this review was my own choice and was not required I wanted to make sure other people knew how good this book is I will be keeping track of this author s future works.
Paper Moon Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Who We Are Instead alternate title Before You Break I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.The novel is told in dual perspective format, with sisters Lena and Lux giving voice to their thoughts and feelings Lena McKenna is attending university in Florida when she gets the news that her father has suffered a debilitating heart attack To make matters worse, her high school aged sister Lux is nowhere to be found Going home to Kalamazoo in the middle of the semester, instead of preparing for an all important art competition, was not what Lena had planned Will Lena be able to repair her broken family before it is too late In trying to help her father find peace, will Lena find a way to help herself and her sister YA readers may find Who We Are Instead to be relatable, as the book tackles difficult themes such as drug and alcohol abuse, death, teen pregnancy, and betrayal Lux s downward spiral was very painful to read and very realistic The strained relationship between the three McKennas, a dysfunctional family that could not find their way back to each other after a tragedy, was very raw All of the pain and anguish is balanced with a small measure of hope and readers will not be able to resist rooting for Lux and Lena I would recommend Who We Are Instead to YA readers and I look forward to reading by the author in the future.
A well written, moving tale that provides a candid look at troubled family relationships The first person narrative alternates between Lina and Lux s point of view, providing insight into the differences in how they see things Both Lena and Lux are struggling in their own ways as they face their father s imminent death They each remember different things from their childhood and have secrets they share with no0ne not even each other Lux uses substance abuse and hook ups to escape, she swears a lot, and lashes out at friends Her stream of conscious style narrative highlights her mood swings and growing dependence on drugs Lena wants to help her, but has no idea how to heal their relationship As the story progresses, both characters learn about themselves and strive to heal their emotional scars The author takes on tough issues in this book dysfunctional families, betrayal, drug abuse, and suicide For this reason, although this book might be suitable for some mature YA readers, I am not sure I would recommend it for most teens.Disclosure I received a copy of this book from the author This has not affected the content of my review in any way.
Brilliant Another brilliant book by this very talented author I read this book in two sittings after buying it on sale last week What a find I m looking forward to watching Kyla Stone shine
Before you break by Kyla Stone Lena McKenna thought she escapes apscaped her past It s been two years since she s seen her troubled younger sister or set foot in the house haunted by memories of her mother s suicide This was a fantastic read with brilliant characters Moving and powerful read I really felt for lena I loved the ending 5 Tbc on fb.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review And I must say, I thorougly enjoyed reading this thought provoking account of two sisters, Lena and Lux, deal with some tough life situations The characters react differently to the stresses that come their way, one trying to forget and the other flying out of control The author s portrayal of two distinctly different sisters is nothing short of fascinating I connected with Lena than I did with Lux, but they both captivated me and I found myself angry, sad, excited and hopeful This story deals with some dark subject matter, but it is handle delicately with grace and style Highly recommended.
![[PDF / Epub] ☆ Who We Are Instead ✩ Kyla Stone – Wearedating.co.uk](http://wearedating.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/194/c212e36a02bb2cbca7efd4def712484eiafd4c03944a100b627d7e72fafc88ab7gr-assetsafd4c03944a100b627d7e72fafc88ab7com/images/S/compressedafd4c03944a100b627d7e72fafc88ab7photoafd4c03944a100b627d7e72fafc88ab7goodreadsafd4c03944a100b627d7e72fafc88ab7com/books/1484526229i/33865650afd4c03944a100b627d7e72fafc88ab7_UX75_afd4c03944a100b627d7e72fafc88ab7jpg.jpg)
I am not going to offer a synopsis of the book as you can read the one already provided by the publisher, and IMO I think this is the kinda book you have to enter as spoiler free as possible That said, if the book summary has caught your eye, you will probably enjoy the book.We follow the story of two sisters who hail from a broken home, with broken parents, leaving them broken Each one of them is coping in the way they can one, Lena, seems to be the perfect one she has left to pursue her dreams and is in college to learn Photography while Lux, the rebellious one, is trying to find her way but only seems to be losing herself and But all who has grown apart is gping to collide sooner rather than laterI loved this book because the story we find in here is not a sweet easy one, but dark Raw Brutal Brilliant The characters are really fleshed out Alive Broken Human.This are the kind of stories I like to see written because it takes guts to represent life in paper Not easy life, but bruising life Life which changes people, which turns things inside out and leaves you raw and exposed Kuddos to the author for this.
Lena McKenna is busy attending photography classes at the Art Institute of Florida in Tampa, Florida She has a prestigious gallery competition for the Central Florida Metropolitan Museum of Art coming up and is already a semi finalist in the competition Winning the competition would mean a grant and a stipend with Photography magazine Before Lena can submit her final entry into the competition, she is called home to Brokewater, Michigan Lena s father, has had another heart attack, and this time, he is dying of congestive heart failure He has just weeks left to live Lena s 18 year old sister, Lux, is missing as well Lena makes the difficult decision to withdraw from her classes at school and focus on caring for her father during his last few weeks of life Lena did not count on running into ex football player Eli Kusuma, now a single father and working as a mechanic As time passes, Lena grows closer and closer to Eli and his daughter, Hadley Being at home also stirs up memories of her mother and her mother s suicide.While Lena left home to chase her dreams, Lux McKenna is left behind with her father and her mother s ghost Lux dialed 911 and took off after her father s heart attack She knows her argument with him triggered his latest heart attack She is crashing with friends and soon falls into a partying lifestyle, doing drugs to obliterate the pain Her sister Lena is the perfect one, and Lux is the screw up As her relationship with her high school boyfriend disintegrates, Lux falls in deeper and deeper with the local drug dealer, Reese Lux also feels she is to blame for her mother s death and wants the world to go away, using and drugs to rid herself of the pain.Lena and Lux can t seem to get along even when their father is dying Each cares about the other but doesn t know how to properly show it Another tragedy will force the two together again Can these two sisters ever make peace with each other, or will their tiny family continue to implode Love scrawls outside the lines It never fits inside the small little box we plan for our life This book definitely reflects that and shows how messy love can be Overall, this book is a good read with good, three dimensional characters I rarely give a book five stars, but I feel this book merits it.I received a free copy of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
A tale of family, love and loss I enjoyed this story of two sisters battling with their inner demons and the ill health of their father A little slow in places but overall an enjoyable read Thanks to tbc reviewers for my copy
Absolutely excellent this book deftly threads the needle of addressing mental health issues and abuse without either excusing them or softening the blow too much There s subtlety and complexity here, and excellent use of visual themes, but it s never forced The descriptions are beautiful, the emotions genuine Lux and Lena are heartbreakingly real and relateable, and the destruction of a family is traced inexorably to its conclusion.Readers who liked Looking for Alaska but want something mature will probably really enjoy this, as will fans of Miriam Toews A Complicated Kindness, Irma Voth It tackles diversity pretty well, and there are a lot of great little details in the supporting characters lives I kind of wish a couple of plot events had happened differently, but that s just because I feel bad for the characters not the fault of the story A few of the teen fashion references were a little off, but I don t think that ll bug most people I received a pre release copy of this book for a beta read, but this review was my own choice and was not required I wanted to make sure other people knew how good this book is I will be keeping track of this author s future works.
Paper Moon Press and NetGalley provided me with an electronic copy of Who We Are Instead alternate title Before You Break I was under no obligation to review this book and my opinion is freely given.The novel is told in dual perspective format, with sisters Lena and Lux giving voice to their thoughts and feelings Lena McKenna is attending university in Florida when she gets the news that her father has suffered a debilitating heart attack To make matters worse, her high school aged sister Lux is nowhere to be found Going home to Kalamazoo in the middle of the semester, instead of preparing for an all important art competition, was not what Lena had planned Will Lena be able to repair her broken family before it is too late In trying to help her father find peace, will Lena find a way to help herself and her sister YA readers may find Who We Are Instead to be relatable, as the book tackles difficult themes such as drug and alcohol abuse, death, teen pregnancy, and betrayal Lux s downward spiral was very painful to read and very realistic The strained relationship between the three McKennas, a dysfunctional family that could not find their way back to each other after a tragedy, was very raw All of the pain and anguish is balanced with a small measure of hope and readers will not be able to resist rooting for Lux and Lena I would recommend Who We Are Instead to YA readers and I look forward to reading by the author in the future.
A well written, moving tale that provides a candid look at troubled family relationships The first person narrative alternates between Lina and Lux s point of view, providing insight into the differences in how they see things Both Lena and Lux are struggling in their own ways as they face their father s imminent death They each remember different things from their childhood and have secrets they share with no0ne not even each other Lux uses substance abuse and hook ups to escape, she swears a lot, and lashes out at friends Her stream of conscious style narrative highlights her mood swings and growing dependence on drugs Lena wants to help her, but has no idea how to heal their relationship As the story progresses, both characters learn about themselves and strive to heal their emotional scars The author takes on tough issues in this book dysfunctional families, betrayal, drug abuse, and suicide For this reason, although this book might be suitable for some mature YA readers, I am not sure I would recommend it for most teens.Disclosure I received a copy of this book from the author This has not affected the content of my review in any way.
To see a full review check it out
Brilliant Another brilliant book by this very talented author I read this book in two sittings after buying it on sale last week What a find I m looking forward to watching Kyla Stone shine
Before you break by Kyla Stone Lena McKenna thought she escapes apscaped her past It s been two years since she s seen her troubled younger sister or set foot in the house haunted by memories of her mother s suicide This was a fantastic read with brilliant characters Moving and powerful read I really felt for lena I loved the ending 5 Tbc on fb.
I was given a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review And I must say, I thorougly enjoyed reading this thought provoking account of two sisters, Lena and Lux, deal with some tough life situations The characters react differently to the stresses that come their way, one trying to forget and the other flying out of control The author s portrayal of two distinctly different sisters is nothing short of fascinating I connected with Lena than I did with Lux, but they both captivated me and I found myself angry, sad, excited and hopeful This story deals with some dark subject matter, but it is handle delicately with grace and style Highly recommended.