REVIEW: Author Anonymous by E.K. Blair

Shel: This true story as told to E.K. Blair is absolutely, 100 % intense--it evoked many strong emotions. MANY STRONG EMOTIONS. Maybe even violent emotions? Yes. I think so. I think I'd characterize my emotional state of mind at several point as violent. Court: And she had me scared to death of what was going to happen, that I was a mess the entire time! 

Shel: Here's some truth, y'all:

Shel: When we were selected to review this book we agreed to not post spoilers, so there will be a lot of vague references and teeth gnashing about "things". Message us if you have questions--we love messages and questions so hit us up.

Shel: Those strong emotions I referenced a few sentences ago? Those are all E.K. Blair--she wrote the hell out of this book (though full disclosure: the first pages were a little jarring). The way she described and fleshed out the details of this book caused me some real distress which I know might be a weird thing to say in a review but I guess my point is that had she written the story of 'author anonymous' ( aka Tori ) in any other way I may have put it down after the first instance of me being pissed at Tori. But no, I had to see how things were going to play out and what the resolution would be and I know this has everything to do with E.K. Blair's ability to draw me into a character and situation and despite it being distasteful, I wouldn't put it down until I read every word. So if you read this E.K. Blair, please understand that any not so nice thing I say here is not about the writing at all. Court: Right...there have been warning after warning that we won't be liking our main heroine/character. She's done some bad things. Bad enough things she wanted to tell the story, but let someone else write it down and unleash it to the world. And the result is brilliant. But, oh such the turmoil on our...and don't forget "Tori's" heart! 

Shel: Violent?
Teeth gnashing?
Pissed off?
Not nice things?

Yes.

Shel: Tori pissed me off. A lot. Watching her make bad decision after bad decision was infuriating and maddening and even now as I think about all the dumb shit she did I still get angry. My husband keeps asking me why I'm making deep loud sighs--it's this book, I swear, it had me so anxious and pissed. I'm actually sitting here typing and shaking my head just thinking about the choices Tori made and how little sympathy I had for her. That being said, I feel like an asshole for saying assholish things about a real person--who am I to judge, right? And I know it must've been really painful to share the trainwreck of her life to anyone who reads this book, so as I think about Tori and what happened, I also try to remember that there's a real person behind all of this. A real person I hope to fuck has healed and moved on from the shitstorm that was this part of her life--though if the ending is any indication I don't know how much hope I have. Court: Dude...that is the most intriguing part. That I couldn't look away from the train wreck, because it IS someone's real life. I can't imagine laying bear my deepest darkest secrets, but I have mad respect for this person for putting it out there and being honest even when it hurts. It made for great storytelling, and just whoa. We can't get too much more into than that, but read it, read it, read it, read it...please! 

Shel: Here are the positives I can walk away with:

1) After reading this and seeing how excruciatingly painful it was for all parties involved, I can firmly say that I will use this as a learning experience and I gained some interesting insights. No joke--I have often wondered the whys and the hows of this particular situation and how the people involved feel about it and even though this is just one perspective, it helped enlighten me and confirm that I'll avoid being in anything close to Tori's situation like it's the plague. Court: Hah! I think that is the understatement of the century, but no doubt a truth. The story evoked so many emotions in us, so much on the broad spectrum of everything - and especially loved the way the book world was described (fun!). Just whoa to everything we read, and this is one that'll stick with you forever. 

Shel: 2) Brooke and Landon, while not perfect, were people I constantly cheered for. Court: ME TOO!

Shel: Would I recommend this? If you're a fan of E.K. Blair and you like to read things that evoke a strong, possibly angry, emotions then yes, I think you will have an interesting and intense reading experience with Author Anonymous. Court: I'd say interesting and intense are just the tip of the iceberg, and E.K. Blair knocked this one out of the park! 

SYNOPSIS:
GOODREADS: info here
A TRUE STORY told through the voice of New York Times Bestselling author E.K. Blair.

She’s an author.
She’s a mother.
She’s a wife.
She’s a fraud. 

A woman marked and bound by her own deceit, this is the astounding tale of how one choice knocked her world from its axis forcing her to battle through a year of scandal and betrayal, blurring the lines between reality and fantasy. 

This is an intoxicatingly risqué stand-alone true story tangled in lust, heartbreak, and contrition.