Good afternoon, everyone and welcome. It’s so good to see you. Recently I finished Suzie Carr’s latest book, ‘Beneath Everything’ and today I’m sharing my review. For those of you who don’t know Suzie or would like to learn more about her, feel free to check out my interview I had with her. Suzie’s work is phenomenal and you will see why.
The main characters of this story are Sarah and Jolene and the supporting characters are Frenchy and Maureen. Frenchy is Sarah’s best friend, married to Jolene’s uncle, and Maureen is Jolene’s mother. They tell the story of how the four women search for what is important to them.
This book starts out with a bang for Sarah and this grabbed my attention immediately. I really felt the shame of the humiliation she was feeling at that moment. The scene is brilliantly put together and the way Sarah handled it was priceless. You are going to want to read this.
Sarah is confident, but comes off as a workaholic. She works in marketing for an advertising business and appears to like her demanding job. On the inside, she is lonesome and desperate for affection. The number one person in her life who she looked up to was her father.
Staying on schedule is important for her and she doesn’t like to be inconvenienced. She is an introvert and would be the type of person who would exchange a text conversation instead of make a phone call. At 35, she is insecure about her looks, but at the same time is all worn out. It was hard watching her suffer from her fears. The author provided a deep insight into her thinking.
She had to surrender to the moment at hand, dropping her negativity and drinking up all drops of insight her situation might present. She would seek strength over weakness, freeing herself from any vain attempt at controlling what couldn’t be controlled.
The other main player, Jolene is very laid back, but attached to her mother, Maureen. She is newly single. Her blood ties are very strong and family comes first. She enjoys the simple life and has a positive outlook on life. It’s no wonder that she has a beautiful, but somewhat dangerous career. There is no way you’d find this woman sitting behind a desk all day.
Jolene lives in the moment without regrets. She doesn’t dwell on what she doesn’t have; the glass is half full for her at all times. She has great faith and believes it is all going to work out for the best.
She has a caring heart, but… You can find out more about this in the book.
She lived to help people explore their deepest desires and open their eyes to the beauty of life beyond the terrestrial landscape that littered most people’s lives with ridiculously long and monotonous to-do lists. She found ways to create meaning and joy for others through her actions.
Now let’s bring in the supporting characters. Frenchy is smooth talking and not afraid to take risks. I found her to be clever. She’s the type of person who wants to see everyone happy. I really liked this character and her role drew me further into the plot. Her participation is a real page turner and she made me laugh hard at times.
Maureen is soft-spoken, and has a good heart. However, she can be a bit possessive and has problems letting things go. She is a great supporting character and the author executed her very well.
This story goes into depth regarding the relations of these women and it is beautiful watching them grow. Suzie’s stories have wisdom and knowledge in them. She tells them in a gentle tone and offers her own insights. She really knows how to draw you in and keep your attention. I found that some scenes brought on feelings of peace and wonder. In all Suzie’s stories, she gives you insight into the character’s soul, which creates a connection.
‘Beneath Everything’ is a story where you want to carve out about five hours to read. I say this because once you pick it up, you’re not going to want to put it down. It is very well written and easy to follow. The romance scenes add a really nice touch to the plot and I just love how they flowed. I am recommending this book for everyone who enjoys a nice heart-to-heart story.
Here is an excerpt to get you started on this amazing journey.
“Right,” Jolene said, nodding her head. She scanned the lot. “Let me in your car,” she said. “We should exchange information in case you want to sue me.”
Sarah shook her head. “Absolutely not. You’re covered in them.”
“I’ll brush them off.” She glided around to the passenger side, and bent forward. “I won’t let any of them near you. I promise.”
Sarah weighed her options. Put the car in drive and gun it out of the parking lot, risking her friendship with Frenchy or let Jolene in and risk cicadas hoteling in her hair, the same hair she paid eighty dollars to have whipped up into an informal upsweep a few hours before in her home.
“I’m not leaving. I’ll keep standing here until you let me in.”
In the seconds between her shallow breaths, Sarah battled her stupid fear, flinging it aside and putting Frenchy above it. She unlocked her passenger door and Jolene slid in while swiping cicadas off her sleeves. They flicked and buzzed.
Sarah squeezed her eyes shut and grabbed her head as if about to crash land from thirty-thousand feet.
“Don’t worry. I’m gathering them up.” Jolene’s arm bumped Sarah’s head. “Oops, sorry. Hang on. Let me get this little one here above you, and we’ll be all set.” She shifted even closer. “Damn. Hang on. Geez, she’s a quick one.”
Sarah’s whimpers filled the car.
“I got her. She’s the last. I have them all here in my satchel. If you open your eyes I promise to zipper them in until we get outside.”
With her eyes still closed, Sarah asked, “Are you sure?”
“It’s just you and me,” she whispered.
Five Stars
Until Next Time,
Lynn
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