Long Shot
I have read some pretty fantastic books lately. I've read books that made me laugh, made me cry, made me feel so much pain that I didn't know how any other book could compare, and then I read this book. This book made me uncomfortable, it hurt me, it made me so angry at the world we live in, but yet it was so beautiful. This review is probably going to have spoilers. I'm giving you the heads up now. I want you to read this review, I want you to pick up this book, I'll try not to give it all away, but I encourage you to keep reading. It almost feels like everyone should experience this book.
Iris and August meet in a bar the night before the biggest game of August's life. He is playing in the college championships, and he is a shoo in for the NBA draft. Iris is like the perfect girl for him, she knows about ball, she's passionate, and he opens up to her like he's known her his whole life. "A woman who can talk sports and talk trash? A fucking sparkling unicorn." At the end of the night he desperately wants to kiss her, but she hesitates and then tells him she has a boyfriend. The next night at the game he discovers her boyfriend is his long time highschoool and college rival, Caleb. And he is devastated. "For the first time since I saw her at that bar, I wish I hadn't. It would have been better to never know there was girl out there who could make me feel this way after only one night than to know she chose a guy like him." He chalks this up to a loss, and tries to move on. Iris is independent and has no plans to stay with Caleb. She isn't sure she even loves him. LIfe has different plans, and she ends up pregnant, and stuck. And the chain of events that follow after are painful, uncomfortable, and so sad. What makes it worse is I know this stuff is happening every day and it makes me sick to my stomach.
The book comes with a warning, that it may trigger some. That it involves sensitive matter. And it does. This book is about abuse. Abuse in the worst kind. Mental abuse, physical abuse, and how a man with power and money can get away with almost anything. It made me physically sick while reading just knowing the number of people that knew what was happening behind closed doors between Iris and Caleb, and how they did nothing to stop it. How money can make people turn a blind eye to something as awful and terrible as abuse and rape. I'm not going to describe to you what happened in detail, because you need to read this book and experience this. But I will say that I shut the book many times just feeling uncomfortable and disgusted. What makes it worse is that I know professional athletes are getting away with this every day. They just toss money around here and there and get away with everything and no one is any wiser. "Even when you think your defeated, dig deeper. Go harder. Press, because there is something worth it on the other side."
"But the girl I met at the bar didn't want to be taken care of. I'd do everything in my power to help you follow your dreams so you could take care of yourself. And then we'd both know you were with me because you wanted to be, not because you had no other choice."
August was pretty fantastic. He loved his family, he loved his teammates, and he loved the game. He knew what he wanted in life, and he tried everything to accomplish all he set out to do. He knew that he and Iris were meant for something special, and he decided his best bet was to sit on the sidelines until she figured it out too. He loved her after just one night, at a bar, talking to her. He had this desire to protect her, and when things looked bleak, he turned to his family for advice. His mom was a great support to him, she encouraged him to be patient and take the shot. "Try that approach with Iris. Let the game come to you, and at the right time, take the shot."
"The heart speaks in whispers. I heard too late."
"God, deliver me from this. Save me."
"People have no idea what some women go through behind closed doors or what keeps them there." I shake my head. "That was me, living a lie and getting beaten up by the truth until I found my way out. And I don't know if I'll ever really get over it."
"Struggle does not make you weak," she whispers back. "Struggling against those who hold us is what makes us, over time, stronger than they are. Strong enough to fight back. Strong enough to win."
The love story between August and Iris was a long one. It spanned over some time, with neither of them giving up on the other. So many obstacles had been thrown their way, and they survived. If you were mine, Iris, there would be no doubt what position you'd hold in my life. You'd be center. I'd play you at the five." I didn't see this as a love triangle. I saw this as two people clearly mean to be together with the odds stacked against them. Iris was a prisoner, and she had to fight to gain her freedom. And fight she did. We don't get to take away the bad things, but it's okay." My smile is a work of triumph- a victory cry. "I survived them."
This book is hands down a 5 STAR read. This book was everyting. It brought out every emotion in me. I wanted to stop reading, I didn't think I could take anymore, but I'm glad I finished. This is not an easy read, it will make you angry and sad, but if your like me you will also take away the beauty of it. When things feel like they really can't get much worse, there is a light at the end of that dark tunnel. You can survive and prevail. Take my advice and pick this one up.
Think you know what it's like being a baller's girl? You don't. My fairy tale is upside down. A happily never after. I kissed the prince and he turned into a fraud. I was a fool, and his love- fool's gold. Now there's a new player in the game, August West. One of the NBA's brightest stars. Fine. Forbidden. He wants me, I want him. But my past, my fraudulent prince, just won't let me go.
Iris and August meet in a bar the night before the biggest game of August's life. He is playing in the college championships, and he is a shoo in for the NBA draft. Iris is like the perfect girl for him, she knows about ball, she's passionate, and he opens up to her like he's known her his whole life. "A woman who can talk sports and talk trash? A fucking sparkling unicorn." At the end of the night he desperately wants to kiss her, but she hesitates and then tells him she has a boyfriend. The next night at the game he discovers her boyfriend is his long time highschoool and college rival, Caleb. And he is devastated. "For the first time since I saw her at that bar, I wish I hadn't. It would have been better to never know there was girl out there who could make me feel this way after only one night than to know she chose a guy like him." He chalks this up to a loss, and tries to move on. Iris is independent and has no plans to stay with Caleb. She isn't sure she even loves him. LIfe has different plans, and she ends up pregnant, and stuck. And the chain of events that follow after are painful, uncomfortable, and so sad. What makes it worse is I know this stuff is happening every day and it makes me sick to my stomach.
The book comes with a warning, that it may trigger some. That it involves sensitive matter. And it does. This book is about abuse. Abuse in the worst kind. Mental abuse, physical abuse, and how a man with power and money can get away with almost anything. It made me physically sick while reading just knowing the number of people that knew what was happening behind closed doors between Iris and Caleb, and how they did nothing to stop it. How money can make people turn a blind eye to something as awful and terrible as abuse and rape. I'm not going to describe to you what happened in detail, because you need to read this book and experience this. But I will say that I shut the book many times just feeling uncomfortable and disgusted. What makes it worse is that I know professional athletes are getting away with this every day. They just toss money around here and there and get away with everything and no one is any wiser. "Even when you think your defeated, dig deeper. Go harder. Press, because there is something worth it on the other side."
"But the girl I met at the bar didn't want to be taken care of. I'd do everything in my power to help you follow your dreams so you could take care of yourself. And then we'd both know you were with me because you wanted to be, not because you had no other choice."
August was pretty fantastic. He loved his family, he loved his teammates, and he loved the game. He knew what he wanted in life, and he tried everything to accomplish all he set out to do. He knew that he and Iris were meant for something special, and he decided his best bet was to sit on the sidelines until she figured it out too. He loved her after just one night, at a bar, talking to her. He had this desire to protect her, and when things looked bleak, he turned to his family for advice. His mom was a great support to him, she encouraged him to be patient and take the shot. "Try that approach with Iris. Let the game come to you, and at the right time, take the shot."
"The heart speaks in whispers. I heard too late."
"God, deliver me from this. Save me."
"People have no idea what some women go through behind closed doors or what keeps them there." I shake my head. "That was me, living a lie and getting beaten up by the truth until I found my way out. And I don't know if I'll ever really get over it."
There is no other word you can use to describe Iris beyond Strong. She was so strong. The things she went through were unimaginable. A lot of people say "Why do they stay?" "I wouldn't stay if that was happening to me." But wouldn't you? Wouldn't you stay if you were worried that you would never see your daughter again? If you were living with someone with money, fame, and power, that could take everything from you with the snap of their fingers? What would you do? I was there when the levees broke. As the stars dim and the darkness encroaches, I understand I'm like those in my ward who stayed too long, assuming their survival. I fear that I , like them, will not live to regret it. Iris did what she had to do to survive. She went through all the pain and suffering so that she could get her and her daughter out of that situation. She was a warrior. And after I read this book I will never ask myself, "Why did she stay so long?"
"Struggle does not make you weak," she whispers back. "Struggling against those who hold us is what makes us, over time, stronger than they are. Strong enough to fight back. Strong enough to win."
The love story between August and Iris was a long one. It spanned over some time, with neither of them giving up on the other. So many obstacles had been thrown their way, and they survived. If you were mine, Iris, there would be no doubt what position you'd hold in my life. You'd be center. I'd play you at the five." I didn't see this as a love triangle. I saw this as two people clearly mean to be together with the odds stacked against them. Iris was a prisoner, and she had to fight to gain her freedom. And fight she did. We don't get to take away the bad things, but it's okay." My smile is a work of triumph- a victory cry. "I survived them."
This book is hands down a 5 STAR read. This book was everyting. It brought out every emotion in me. I wanted to stop reading, I didn't think I could take anymore, but I'm glad I finished. This is not an easy read, it will make you angry and sad, but if your like me you will also take away the beauty of it. When things feel like they really can't get much worse, there is a light at the end of that dark tunnel. You can survive and prevail. Take my advice and pick this one up.
"She remembered who she was and the game changed."-Lalah Delia
Comments
Post a Comment