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Death.
For some, it's simply one of life's certainties, nothing more. For others, it's merely a fleeting thought, one often overshadowed by the reckless delusion that they have been blessed with the gift of immortality.
For Aubrey Miller, death is the definition of her very existence. Overcome with the guilt resulting from the loss of her beloved family, she alters her appearance from the once beautiful, blonde-haired, blue-eyed little girl to that of one shrouded in complete darkness, enveloping herself in her own unbreakable fortress of solitude as a form of protection for others.
As she enters her first year of college, her goal is simple: Earn a degree with the least amount of social interaction as possible. What she never anticipates is the formation of very unlikely relationships with two people who will change her life in ways she never believed possible: Quinn Matthews, the boisterous former pageant queen, and Kaeleb McMadden, a childhood friend from her past who never really let her go.
Over the years, as their connections intertwine and grow, a seemingly indestructible bond is formed between the three...
But when death painfully reemerges, Aubrey is lost once again, burying herself deeper than ever before inside the familiar fortification of her fears.
Will the refuge of friendship, the solidarity of life-long bonds, and the power of unconditional love be enough to do the impossible?
Will they be enough to finally bring about...
The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller?
{READ MORE FOR JASMINE'S REVIEW!}
5+ SUN AND MOON STARS!
★★★★★+
"My name is Aubrey Miller, or Raven Miller, depending on what part of my life I'm referencing, and this is my story."
I just wanted to curl up in my bed for the entire rest of my day after putting this one down. It caused a riot of my emotions & not to mentioned, my box of Kleenex fell victim to my ugly crying while going through this one. This was like Sea of Tranquillity meets Hopeless and entered into a threesome with Ten Tiny Breaths.
ALL which sums up to my feelings for this book:
******
The Resurrection of Aubrey Miller is a story of how a little girl witnessed the death of each of her family member & lived through loss than most people of her age. Traumatised at a young age, her misplaced sense of guilt made her believed that she was the cause of death to everyone she ever loved or cared of. As a defense mechanism, she goes by an alter ego, Raven; whose appearance mimics a goth-punk to repel everyone away & ensure they're safe from their impending "doom of death".
Well almost everyone steered clear of her except for her perky pink-lover roommate, Quinn and the one person she thought she'd never see again after all those years; her childhood friend, Kaeleb.
Okay okay I know, I can easily draw parallel from this to SoT where:
1. Natsya goes all gothic & pulling the same stunt with everyone.
2. Josh was also known as the "boy of death"; similar to Aubrey/Raven here.
3. The whole "Sunshine" endearing term. What a coincidence LOL!
Also the whole Kaeleb finally finding Aubrey after all those years would definitely spark up memories from Hopeless.
So why still the 5+ stars rating?
Because I decided to rate this based on the overall execution of the story (which I found to be incredibly powerful and brilliant) rather than the originality of the premise brought to the table. Many authors can easily recycle a similar idea & play it out differently in their own books, but rarely one can transform that idea into delivering such an emotional power-packed punch read like this one. This not just a depressing read about how a girl will find her life back (or "resurrected her life again") but a journey of self-discovery and finding that light at the end of the tunnel as 3 individuals form an unbreakable bond & helped each other to heal their broken selves.
And for this, I must commend L.B. Simmons for this astonishing feat (and also for all that ugly crying she put me through).
On the surface, this really does come off as superbly morbid & honestly I was afraid to put myself through such a depressing read. But you would be surprised that there is a good balance of that melancholy tone mixed with some light-heartedness coated in between.
Quinn's character definitely stood out for me; she was like the sunshine in this dark book although beneath that perky girl lies a damaged soul. Kaeleb on the other hand, is nothing short of swoon-worthy ♥♥ He's that sexy, witty & charming guy who is constantly supportive of Aubrey and Quinn & cared for them endlessly.
Even when Aubrey hit rock bottom, Kaeleb was her only anchor left & he would have gone to the depths of hell to bring her back. Even as he struggled with his own demons, he never stopped trying to save Aubrey.
"I'll help you get lost anytime, Sunshine. The only deal is you have to promise to come back. I never want to lose you again."
I think the story as an overall was well-paced, the romance also wasn't too heavy or rushed which I appreciated because it focused more on the original premise itself. By 70% onwards, that's when the powerful punch kicks in and my sob-fest begin (thanks LB Simmons, you owe me half a box of Kleenex now). All I can say that it was heartbreaking, depressing, inspiring and uplifting; ALL OF THOSE FEELINGS COMING TOGETHER throughout that entire stretch.
Was the story predictable? Well it wasn't hard to guess what was coming but that doesn't change the fact that when I got to it, I was still crying like a baby. The writing was impeccable and the words flowed effortlessly which really hit me strong in the gut.
And that goes without saying that this book is one that will stay with me for a while as I soak it all in.
A beautiful, uplifting story of friendship, heartache and love. A story of how death can bring someone to the deepest end of hell and to truly experience pain & sorrow before realizing the true meaning of life.
“Without heartache, there is no understanding of the true meaning of love. Without anger, passion cannot be comprehended. Without fear, there is nothing gained when overcome. And without sorrow, happiness can never be realized.”
It's just one of those reads that you have to read to experience it. I regret nothing even after all it put me through because I absolutely loved it ♥
“You know, if the sun and the moon were to actually collide, it would set off a cataclysmic reaction of epic proportions. Are you ready to have your world completely obliterated?”
*****************************
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
L.B. Simmons is a graduate of Texas A&M University and
holds a degree in Biomedical Science.
She has been a practicing Chemist for the last 11 years. She lives with her husband and three
daughters in Texas and writes every chance she gets.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lbsimmonsauthor
Twitter: https://twitter.com/lbsimmons33
Website: http://www.lbsimmons.com/
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