ARC Review: The Ghostwriter by Alessandra Torre

My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Standalone
Release - September 29, 2017
Genre - Mystery
Multiple POV - Heroine (1st) and secondary characters (3rd)
Length - 318 pages

Four years ago, I lied. I stood in front of the police, my friends and family, and made up a story, my best one yet. And all of them believed me.

I wasn't surprised. Telling stories is what made me famous. Fifteen bestsellers. Millions of fans. Fame and fortune.

Now, I have one last story to write. It'll be my best one yet, with a jaw-dropping twist that will leave them stunned and gasping for breath.

They say that sticks and stones will break your bones, but this story? It will be the one that kills me.

Find your copy of The Ghostwriter here:
Goodreads | Amazon
FREE with Kindle Unlimited

MY REVIEW

Helena Ross is a world famous romance author. However, she’s retiring at the age of 32 after having written 10 bestsellers. Before retiring, she’s determined to complete her last novel, which will NOT be a romance. It will be different from anything else she’s ever written and she’s got three months to complete it. This last book isn’t a love story… it’s her confession.

I’m sure it was the author’s point, but I absolutely detested Helena for most of this book. I couldn’t stand her condescension, her arrogance, her rude behavior, her neglectful parentage, her intentional ignorance as a spouse, her disrespect to everyone, her everything. There wasn’t one thing about this woman that I liked. Not one. I respected the heck out of her dedication to her craft, her success, and her artistry, but not her methods. Or the many ways she sacrificed the welfare of her loved ones for her own needs and gains.

But then something changed. As Helena was writing her book and as this book progressed, my feelings toward her changed. How could this be? How could I all of a sudden stop hating a woman who was downright detestable? How could I feel any positive feelings for someone who didn’t merit nor even want positive feelings? How could I have even a glimmer of like for someone who treated everyone like dirt, like they were there for her and never the other way around? How could I?

It’s simple really. My feelings changed through compassion and understanding. Once I finally understood why she was the way she was for the last four years, I could finally feel for her. This in no way excuses her for the time before the last four years, however, it does give her an opening for sympathy. This woman whom I hated with a passion I usually reserve for villains made me weep. Big, dirty, sloppy tears leaked from my eyes the further I delved into this story. And so my hate mellowed out to a general dislike.

I commend Alessandra Torre on breaking the mold. For stepping out of the romance box that romance authors are usually stuck in. It couldn’t have been easy. As a matter of fact, I can imagine that this venture must have been downright terrifying for her. At first, I thought I would hate this book. I really did because Helena is one of the most unsympathetic characters I have come across in a long time. Taking the chance to push through was a sound decision on my part. It bumped my rating up from a 3 to a 4-star review. For those of you venturing to read this book, be patient because this author will not steer you wrong. This story is twisted, mysterious, and painful to read but damn was it worthwhile.