Chrissy’s Review: Hold Her Down by Kathryn R. Biel

 

Hold Her Down
written by Kathryn R. Biel
published by Kathryn R. Biel

find it here: (affiliate links) Barnes & Noble, Amazon, iBooks, Smashwords, Book Depository, Goodreads

Disclosure: I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange  for an honest review.

Did I enjoy this book: Parts of this book I did enjoy. Other parts not so much. I really struggled with how I felt about it.

On the one hand, I could relate to Elizabeth to an extent. I think that every woman struggles with juggling everything and thinking that she has to be the one does everything. We all have feelings of not being good enough or needing validation. I don’t think many would be on the verge of suicide, but I am sure there are quite a few who would be. Also, there is a community of competing overachieving mothers out there. I, for one, try to stay out of that competition. But there are many that try to be as good or better just to fit in.

I liked how the story unfolded. I liked the idea of an old high school crush still longing for the one he couldn’t have. I liked the aspect of him developing a completely different kind of novel to further his career and using that love as his muse. Very interesting. Elizabeth’s husband was an ass. I really didn’t like him from the beginning. The moms were annoying and mean. I liked the dinner with her mom and dad at the end. Priceless!

On the other hand, I felt that the story was weighed down by the repeated telling of her story about being close to suicide. The constant complaining about not being good enough, not receiving validation, not getting money, etc was too much for me. Plus, it was the same thing over and over again. These stories were told multiple times and in the same way. After a while, I just started skimming it because I had read it before, a few times. If it weren’t for that, this book would have been a solid three and a half stars for me.

Would I recommend it: I wouldn’t go out of my way to recommend it, but I wouldn’t dissuade anyone from reading it. In fact, I’d like to hear others’ thoughts on it.

About the book: Elizabeth Zurlo is lost. She’s a wife, a mother, a teacher, a PTA volunteer—but somewhere along the way, she’s lost herself. Depression and despair can lead to desperate measures and when she is pulled back from the brink of suicide, Elizabeth slowly tries to rebuild her marriage and reclaim her life. Just as she has finally started to put herself back together, a scandalous novel rocks her small town … and costs Elizabeth her social standing, friendships and ultimately, her marriage. However, the man who seemingly destroyed Elizabeth’s life, helps her realize who she is and what she needs to do to become the woman she’s not only capable of being, but the woman she used to be.