u/Fun-Data6788

What's your go-to comfort read(s)? The stories you turn to when life feels a bit too much to handle? The ones that give you a sense of safety?

I read 'Learning Curves' by Rachel Lacey about a year ago, and have returned to it a few times. I love the setting of Vermont and the college campus, and the Autumnal vibes. The main characters, Michelle and Audrey, have a lovely relationship. The build-up towards it is well done, it feels rewarding when they get together.

Some other mentions:
Truth and Measure & Above All Things - Roslyn Sinclair
Once Upon A Time in December - Alyson Root
Scarlett Fever - Claire Highton-Stevenson
Last Chance - Claire Highton-Stevenson

Man, I love reading!

*Thank you to everyone who's engaged with this post 😀 I'm really excited to read a lot of these! Here's to the comfort reads that keep us going through tough times ❤

I truly wish I had never read that very final line of the book.

I was very naive going into this; I had read the warnings and mistakenly went in with expectations that whilst there will be very heart wrenching and difficult topics, the characters will make it through in the end. So I know I am 100% at fault for the heartache I have after having just finished the book.

As I was reading Take 1, the tears were relentless. I have not cried in a very long time, so I wasn't prepared for my reaction. The grief, the helplessness, the absence were just all over those pages. That one line when Seren tells Kam the news... I felt broken.

So when Take 2 began, my goodness, I felt relief. I still had tears from the previous chapter, but it felt like I could release the breath I'd been holding. I also felt so appreciative to Lyon to give us this alternative. It was a message of hope, that you can give yourself another chance at this life. There's always another chance. But man, I was once again very naive. Usually when I near the end of a book, I always ask myself if I would read this again; when I was in the middle of Take 2, I knew I would. Despite the nature of the topics, despite the despair of Take 1, I would read this book to know that after it all, Dillon got her second chance. But then I read the very final line, and I was crushed.

Lyon opted to write a story about the dark underbelly of professional sports. She wrote about the pressure, the mental and physical toll, the impact on the family as a whole, the stress, the abuse of power, the loss of identity without the sport, the loss of love of the sport, and the burden it can become... And in the case of this story, the character of Dillon felt the damage was too severe to be overcome. It wasn't a story of hope, but it very successfully serves as a warning.

Ultimately, I think this is a beautiful yet heart-breaking story, where love couldn't conquer all. I won't read it again, but it'll definitely stay with me.

*I want to be clear, I never judge an author by my own expectations. This was Lyon's story to tell, and I think it was remarkably done. I even created a reddit account because I had so many thoughts I had to get them down before they consumed me! I do very much recommend this book, but only to those who are in the right headspace (I wasn't, so I'm feeling a bit annoyed at myself for this self-infliction.)