maggi myers

Book Review: Lily Love by Maggi Myers

Title: Lily Love
Author: Maggi Myers
 Released: June 24th,2014
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Rating: ★★★★★

Caroline used to have it all: she was madly in love with her husband, Peter, and they worshiped their beautiful baby girl. But as Lily grows into a toddler, Caroline notices that her daughter seems to live and act with a disconnect, and soon the perfect future Caroline had envisioned, along with her marriage, begin to crumble. Now she and Peter are no longer lovers, they’re plaintiffs in the throes of divorce while still struggling to care for Lily. After years of blame and overwhelming despair, Caroline’s chance encounter with a stranger at University Hospital opens her eyes to the prospect of accepting new support, new loves, and new dreams.
From the acclaimed author of The Final Piece comes a story of a family broken and unable to cope with a daughter’s disability. And a mother who finds that letting go of the life she imagined may be the only way to get to the life she was meant for.

Liiiiillllllyyyyy Love! Yes, I am singing that while I write. Beautiful on so many levels, Lily Love is a story for the caregivers. That forgotten person that stands strong daily. Suffers in private. Breaking down alone, controlled, and as quick as the tears come they are wiped away. Why? Because there is no crying when you are the one left holding all the pieces together.
We are taught that after the “I do” in order to complete the happily ever after, two become three. What happens with the third takes over everything you ever knew? Demanding time and attention. When Caroline fell in love with Peter she thought it was for better or worse. When worse become a never ending uphill battle it was Caroline left to stand strong, alone.
Reading Lily Love I was able to relate to the struggle even though I am not a parent. Caroline’s story, regardless of the players, sadly has become the norm for many. In a society where everything has become disposable, even relationships, someone is left to pick up the portion left behind. Lily becomes the secondary character, as Caroline finds a way to recycle her past while caring for the one person that holds her love, unconditionally.
Lily Love is an outstanding follow up to Maggi Myer’s first book, The Finial Piece, and a book that demands attention. This book is not only entertaining, it is a beacon of hope for all that have lost their way caring for others. Its ok to feel, its ok to be angry, and its ok live, because unless you are the best you can be you can never be the best for others.

Born in West Des Moines, IA and raised in Miami, FL, I have an appreciation for the heartland and really good cuban food.

I want to write stories that make people think. The things you thought you knew about other people and their lives? I want to twist those perceptions and make you question everything.

I am a big fan of the underdog. The one that everyone else has written off? That’s where my heart is and where my most inspired writing happens.

BLOG TOUR REVIEW AND GIVEAWAYS: LILY LOVE BY MAGGI MYERS

Title: Lily Love
Author: Maggi Myers
Expected Release: June 24th

Caroline used to have it all: she was madly in love with her husband, Peter, and they worshiped their beautiful baby girl. But as Lily grows into a toddler, Caroline notices that her daughter seems to live and act with a disconnect, and soon the perfect future Caroline had envisioned, along with her marriage, begin to crumble. Now she and Peter are no longer lovers, they’re plaintiffs in the throes of divorce while still struggling to care for Lily. After years of blame and overwhelming despair, Caroline’s chance encounter with a stranger at University Hospital opens her eyes to the prospect of accepting new support, new loves, and new dreams.
From the acclaimed author of The Final Piece comes a story of a family broken and unable to cope with a daughter’s disability. And a mother who finds that letting go of the life she imagined may be the only way to get to the life she was meant for.

“Tilting at Windmills”

“The only thing you feel is the force of the blast rattling your body. All that is left is a crater where something stood before and a shockwave that flattens the surrounding area for miles. Every dream I had for my daughter, every plan, every single thing was flattened to the ground, and at the center was the crater where I had been.”

Those words, poignant beyond belief, those words epitomize the feeling a parent has when they realize that their child doesn’t fit into society’s definition of “normal.” That pain is real. Dreams are shattered, and your life is no longer your own. It’s in that very moment you fall apart. You question. You do, you question, You question everyone, but you especially question yourself. It’s in that moment that you fall to you knees and scream “WHY? WHY ME?” It’s directly after that meltdown, the guilt ensues, guilt that cripples you. Your heart is broken. You are broken. This isn’t what you signed on for. All of these emotions hit you, dead smack in the face. In the face, and what do you do?

It’s in that moment when your world crashes at your feet that you learn that sometimes the unexpected teaches us our greatest lessons. It’s in life’s tragedies that we find our true purpose. It’s through the beauty of the unknown that we find the beauty in the simplistic. It’s when we can no longer imagine moving forward, that we find our strength. Sometimes there is beauty in the enigma, if we simply slow down and allow it to surface. Occasionally, life has a bigger message, and we have a purpose greater than our own.

“Days like this will strip you raw. They happen regardless of what we do, not because of it.”

In the book Lily Love by Author Maggi Myers that’s the lesson we are taught. You learn acceptance not only of others but of yourself. This book is a tale of Caroline’s journey to find love and acceptance, not only of others but of her own. This is the remarkable story of a mother’s love. A mother’s doubt. A mother’s questioning. The charters in this book are no only real, but they are beautiful. We are privy to see them all unfold and grow. The writing style is impeccable. Mrs. Myers, is amazing. She’s got a way with words. She chooses the most eloquent word choices but mixes them with just enough snarky to keep you giggling.

Life. It happens whether we want it to or not. When you wake up in this situation what can you do? You do what you have to. You keep going.This story is an amazing journey of life’s lessons in so many formats. There is beauty in these tears, lessons in the pain. Sometimes people are brought into your life, whether it be a child, a friend, or even a stranger, for exactly the right reason. As the mother of a child born with special needs, I personally wish someone had told me the things Caroline is telling in this book. It truthfully would have made my life so much easier. I would have realized that everything I felt was normal, I wouldn’t have felt so guilty and I wouldn’t have questioned my mothering skills. Most of all, I would have let the guilt go. This is a book for all parents, not just those of children with special needs. Parents are people. We have questions, get angry, and make mistakes, it doesn’t make us bad parents, or bad people, quite the contrary it makes us real. The love a parent receives from a special needs child is all encompassing. Life’s purest blessing. For all the struggles we go through, we’ve been given life’s greatest gift.

“From the mouth of my baby girl, comes the most beautiful sentence I’d ever heard. She can’t read her ABC’s or count past ten, but she accepted a stranger, “my” stranger – with openheartedness she not not always receive herself. I’m so incredibly blessed that she is mine, that they both are.”

Born in West Des Moines, IA and raised in Miami, FL, I have an appreciation for the heartland and really good cuban food.

I want to write stories that make people think. The things you thought you knew about other people and their lives? I want to twist those perceptions and make you question everything.

I am a big fan of the underdog. The one that everyone else has written off? That’s where my heart is and where my most inspired writing happens.

Book Review: The Final Piece by Maggi Myers

Title: The Final Piece
Author: Maggi Myers

Life shouldn’t be about picking up the pieces.

Beth Bradshaw has spent her life hiding from her tragic past. From the moment a trusted family friend steals her innocence until the moment another rescues her, she struggles to just survive.

Surrounded by the comfort and protection of her extended family, Beth embarks on a journey of healing far from the horrors of her home. In her darkest moments, she meets a boy named Ryan. For one incredible summer, Ryan shows Beth what it’s like to act her own age.

To feel free and let go.
If only for a while.

Years later, another tragedy threatens to shatter the life Beth has carefully crafted. When faced, yet again, with more pieces to pick up, Beth begins to question what her choices have cost her.
Leaving her old life behind, she sets forth on a pilgrimage that will bring her back to the boy she could never forget. He wants to help her pick up the pieces of her life, but is she willing to do what it takes to become whole again?

Can she trust him with a piece of herself?

“The world is a great puzzle that hasn’t been put together yet, and we’re trying to find the other piece of the puzzle that goes with us.” ~ EE Cummings 

I finished reading The Final Piece a while ago but admittedly couldn’t review it until now. This story gripped my heart and soul in a way that not many others have. I needed time to process my emotions and formulate my feelings. The Final Piece has been with me since I finished reading the last page. It left me having to pick up my own shattered pieces. It left me speechless… kudos Maggi Myers as that is no easy feat!! 
What an amazing exploration through time and psyche you take with this book. The road traveled with these amazing characters will undeniably warm your heart. With every page you will grow more attached to each and everyone of them. Each of them encompassing so many facets of people in our own lives that it is near impossible not to relate to them on a personal level. 
Maggi’s writing style is flawless. Successfully she draws you in and squeezes your heart until you’re unsure just how much more you can take, releasing the vice she slowly allows you to recuperate and watch an amazing story of unconditional love and healing unfold. 
The subject matter in the beginning is not for the faint at heart but Maggi handles it with such grace and poise that you can’t help but continue to turn the pages. It’s a story of survival and coming of age. Elizabeth Bradshaw (Beth) is an amazing young woman with astounding strength and countenance. Her heart breaking, gut-wrenching introduction ushers you to a heart warming, hopeful ending. Spending a perfect summer in Iowa she meets Ryan Cantwell. That summer returns her to an age of innocence lost. We are privy to be the audience watching the relationships of family, friendship, romance, and self ensue. Maggi took each of these fragments and perfectly wove them into a vibrant tapestry of life and love. 
“Pretty.” What a simple sentiment, and doesn’t do this book justice, but that is what this book is. “Pretty” in every sense of the word. 

“Life shouldn’t be about picking up the pieces. We are all broken in one way or another. It’s about how we put those pieces together that matters.”

Born in West Des Moines, IA and raised in Miami, FL, I have an appreciation for the heartland and really good cuban food.

I want to write stories that make people think. The things you thought you knew about other people and their lives? I want to twist those perceptions and make you question everything.

I am a big fan of the underdog. The one that everyone else has written off? That’s where my heart is and where my most inspired writing happens.

WHAT’S NEXT FOR MAGGI?
MARK AN ENIGMA PROJECT IN YOUR TBR

The Final Piece by Maggi Myers

Music is a continuation of souls. It helps us heal, it helps us morn, it is there when we are sad and it is there when we are happy. Form page one of The Final Piece by Maggi Myers I knew music would be an additional character in this book, but what I didn’t expect was the very large box of tissue I would need. After reading this book I have a new found love of what a “real family” is.

“Life shouldn’t be about picking up the pieces.

Beth Bradshaw has spent her life hiding from her tragic past. From the moment a trusted family friend steals her innocence until the moment another rescues her, she struggles to just survive.

Surrounded by the comfort and protection of her extended family, Beth embarks on a journey of healing far from the horrors of her home. In her darkest moments, she meets a boy named Ryan. For one incredible summer, Ryan shows Beth what it’s like to act her own age.

To feel free and let go.
If only for a while.

Years later, another tragedy threatens to shatter the life Beth has carefully crafted. When faced, yet again, with more pieces to pick up, Beth begins to question what her choices have cost her.
Leaving her old life behind, she sets forth on a pilgrimage that will bring her back to boy she could never forget. He wants to help her pick up the pieces of her life, but is she willing to do what it takes to become whole again?

Can she trust him with a piece of herself?”

Dealing with subjects like abuse in any form is a fine line to walk and Maggi Myers was able to craft a story that shows you the tragedy along with the survival that follows. Beth is broken and the people she should turn to, her mom and dad, are not the safe haven she is looking for. It takes her extend family and some “self made” family to show her that she is important and worth the fight.

Enter Ryan! At the age of 17 most boys only care about one thing and that is not the security and welfare of a girl two years is junior. The moment Beth showed up early for her summer visit Ryan took notice of what she desired and that was trust. Ryan was the man to give it to her just that. As a survivor life is hard and Beth is learning that once love grabs hold of your heart there is no looking back.

I fell in love with Ryan from the beginning. Through this whole story I wanted to climb into my Kindle and grab both Beth and Ryan let them know that everything will be ok! Maggi created two characters that become a part of you as this story unfolds. You feel are there with them. I felt Beth’s pain and need to survive. The need to create a life you think you should live and only let a select few, if any, know the true you and Ryan wanting to step up to be the be the better man but life happens and love takes over.

Maggi thank you for a brilliant story that showed me what I have known all along…family is the anchor that holds you and allows you to live your life. I love connecting with a book and this is a book that did that not only though words but with music. So please excuse me while I head to iTunes to download the music from Maggi’s playlist for this book. I know that in the future I will be docking my iPod and playing the music that inspired this story as I re-read Maggi’s well-crafted words.

“We are all broken in one way or another. It’s how we put those pieces back together that matter.”