Renata F. Barcelos

I received this book for free through a Library Thing giveaway.

I read this book in two days, staying up very late to finish it. It was such a great story.

Simon is autistic or has asperger's (he hasn't been properly diagnosed) but his friends and family suspect it. Natalie recently had a bad accident and is blind. Music brings them together.

Although they have different ailments, deep down they are very much the same. They are beautiful on the inside and out. You can't help but fall in love with Simon and Natalie.

The ending was superb. It was such a beautiful story to read, and gave me a feeling of hope. If these two people can come together, there is so much hope for the rest of us out there.

This novel is split between Simon and Natalie both telling their story. It is humorous at times too, because Simon does very silly cute things like a little boy would. He however unlike most men today, speaks from his heart.

I recommend this to anyone wanting to read a touching, sweet, beautiful story.… (meer)

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Wow! What a profound, stimulating story! It is nothing like the reader suspects it is like from the Title. It is not Sci-Fy nor a Fantasy but a down to earth human interest and mystery rolled into one great tale. Hopefully it has a sequel and doesn't leave to reader in eternal suspense.

The reader's interest is peaked in the first few pages and held throughout the story - awaiting the answer until it finally comes to fruition. Even when the questions are answered the story line keeps the reader captured.

Stuck in a childish emotion, a lot of bad choices are made in a rebellious attitude. Although loving, parental skills are lacking resulting in an ultimate "bad choice" which tears the family apart for years. In the end, there are still some questions unanswered.

The characters in this Contemporary novel are real and "down to earth". The background scenes are described sufficiently, allowing the reader a visual picture. Early into the story the Title is made clear so is very fitting and the book cover creatively covers the main point of the story.

The only two problems in the content I had is the use of mild profanity and the questions left unanswered at the end.- I feel certain they will be answered in the sequel forth-coming. Join me in the near future for the answer in a personal interview with Author Renata F. Barcelos.

My review of this book gives it a solid Four and a Half Stars rating.

*This book was generously gifted to e by the author for an honest review, of which I have given.… (meer)

A young woman seeks psychological counseling and, bit by bit, she tells us (and her psychologist) her story. That she feels meanness inside her and that that meanness has always been there, but lately it has been harder for her to resist it.
She recounts how she grew up in a dysfunctional family with a depressed and abusive mother and a permissive and absent father and how it all ended very, very badly.
She also tells the need she feels to kill the only person who could have avoided everything that happened. Therapy will be her means of deciding whether or not to act accordingly to the meanness inside her and kill that person.
I thought the premise of the story very interesting and its execution well done. I liked the writing and the way the story is told (in the form of a monologue divided in the different therapy sessions). I'm looking forward to reading a more developed story from the author.… (meer)

"In this contemporary piece of fiction, we'll find out how badly child abuse and a dysfunctional family can transform a life for worse, much worse."
The first thing I have to say about MEAN is that it held quite true to the Goodreads synopsis. Over the course of nine different therapy sessions I was introduced to the main character Cassandra and learned of her past and what she refers to as "the meanness."
The second thing I sadly have to say is that I really didn't enjoy MEAN all that much. The plot was okay, the writing was okay, the characters were okay. But sadly the novel was just that: okay. Nothing about this book stood out to me or made me want to keep reading more. I can safely say that I could have put this novel down midway through and never picked it up again and not been even the least bit curious about the ending. It's not that the novel was bad, it just really wasn't for me and I struggled to finish it.… (meer)