Ginger Scott, author of "Going Long" and "Waiting On The Sidelines," (The Waiting Series), has done it again! Ms. Scott has written another 5 out of 5 stars novel that is going to knock your socks off!
Charlie Hudson is a young college student who lost her father in a horrible way when she was barely 18 years old. Cody, is a former motocross star who is now living a blue collar life at 23 and attending college. They meet in her third year of college when Charlie goes to a much needed tutoring session for her Calculus class. Cody, like Charlie, lost his father at a young age.
In the interest of full disclosure, I was asked by Ms. Scott to read an ARC of "Blindness" and to give it an honest review. My biggest worry was that with my job, my pursuit of a second college degree and life being so busy, that I wouldn't be able to give this book what it was owed: my time. Well, that wasn't an issue because as soon as I had it, I started reading and I had a really difficult time putting it down. In fact, I actually hated every time I had to put the book away to go to work or to work on my class work. Had I been able to stay up all night for just one night, I'd have read the entire book in one sitting. This book will capture your heart that quickly.
I fell in love with Charlie and Cody as soon as they met each other. Charlie is unsure of who she is in many ways but she's lovable because she knows she's unsure and she's seeking to find out who she is. Cody is the type of guy you'll want for a potential mate or if you already have a permanent mate in your life, you'll want him to be more like Cody. But he's got his own issues too.
You'll meet Gabe and Jessie as well. Gabe is Cody's friend from childhood and although not blood related, he's Cody's brother. Jessie is Gabe's girlfriend who befriends Charlie and she's, well, she's much different than Charlie. I have a best friend who is a lot like Jessie and I loved her character but Jessie is a character you'd want as your friend too. Jessie is, for all intent and purposes, Cody's sister.
Ms. Scott has written characters that are honest, lovable and so incredibly real. I love that Cody is sensitive but retains every single stitch of his raw, macho, manliness. I also love that Charlie may not seem to be as tough as Jessie but when she needs to, she doesn't take any s**t.
There is one scene which I'll only describe as starting out in the rain when Charlie walks out of a club. From the start of that scene all the way through to its end, I found tears streaming down my face. It was really that beautifully written. I could feel the emotions expressed by Charlie and Cody the entire time. An emotional connection like that from a novel is so incredibly foreign to me. Ms. Scott now holds the distinction of being the only author who has been able to evoke that kind of emotional reaction from me while reading a novel. Twice.
I connected with Charlie quite a bit but mostly when she spoke to her dad. My own father died in a manner incredibly similar to Charlie's father and I speak to my father as well when I need it. And you will find out why Charlie is still so raw about her father's death even after three years have gone by.
The only thing I would have liked to see, if I were making a wish list, would be to see the Epilogue go a little bit farther into the future. But as written, it's still written with excellence.
The relationships in "Blindness" are stunning!
"Blindness" comes out on February 25th. I'd originally planned to get this as a late birthday gift to myself (it's February 22nd) so many thanks to Ms. Scott for the early birthday gift!
"Blindness" will be available on Amazon, Barnes & Noble, iBooks, Smashwords and Kobo. If you can preorder, I highly recommend that you do. If not, mark your calendars and get your copy on February 25th and treat yourself to a belated Valentine's Day gift that is much sweeter than any box of chocolates!
