I will never forget the day I walked into Room 331. New school, new town, and I was way out of my league. I'm just here to study journalism, keep my head down, and maybe one day I'll get to intern for a big magazine. But then there's her -- Rochelle Addams. She's everything and nothing I ever wanted, and my head is spinning. Ro is quiet, mysterious, and haunted, and she's changing my world. She showed me what it was like to love with all my heart and soul, look at life a different way, and burn with jealousy. She's been through hell and back and I'm still here. God help me, I can't tell her how I feel. Will I ever be able to? Will things ever go back to what they were in Room 331, or are we doomed to play this game, her and I, of love? *Product description quoted from amazon.This book had a gentle, but curious entrance. It was just enough to cause the listener/reader to want to know more, and to dig deeper into the story, to read more, to listen longer.
This draw that the book has continued throughout the book, never dwindled in its appeal or flow. There was a gentle ebb and flow sort of a feel. This ebb and flow is what allowed the book to progress at a comfortable pace and yet not so much that it ever reached a state of boredom.
The story drew on the emotions throughout the book, and especially toward the last half of the book, with a traumatic event occurring with the primary female in the story (Rochelle). This emotional response is an excellent way to retain the attention of the reader. And, that is what it did.
Elijah, as the narrator of the story, was not a perfect character (but then the story would not be interesting if any character was perfect). His imperfection, and how he addressed it within himself, within earshot of the reader, is what helped to make this book raw enough to appeal all the more. It left the reader wanting to know how Elijah (a.k.a. Eli) was going to handle each situation that came his way.
We were not disappointed. Even to the end of the book, the story continued to draw us in further and deeper. We desperately wanted to know how the story ended and could not “put the book down” for fear we would miss the answers to our curiosity. And, even though, for the most part, those questions were answered, there was enough of a question mark left to leave one wanting more and hoping that Ms. Rebekah Dodson provides a sequel to this book… soon.
Oh, a notation about the performance of Mr. Adam Barr in the Audible version. Absolutely superb! He did such a perfect job of representing each character, in what they were saying and how they were saying it. We, as the listeners, were able to get lost in the story and even forget that it was being narrated, feeling as if we were right there. Thank you, Mr. Barr, for such an exceptional performance.
And, thank you, Ms. Dodson, for such an interesting story. We will watch for more…
Note: I was provided with a review copy of this book. I have written this review honestly and voluntarily.
