Book Review: Better Together by Raymond M. Rose

Photo taken  from Goodreads

 Book Info

Title:  Better Together 

Author:  Raymond M. Rose
Publisher:  Christopher Williams Books

Language: English

Format:  E-Book

Pages:  290 pages
ASIN:  B004A14V28

Source:  From the Author

Buy this book on Amazon 

Summary

From Goodreads:

"Paul Rhoads, a successful horror novelist, has moved back to his hometown in Pennsylvania. Moving back home turns out to be more than just returning to his roots but starting up a relationship with his high school sweetheart, Annie. Annie, recently divorced, is the mother of a precious eight month old, Max. However, when Annie dies in a freak car accident, Paul finds himself catapulted into the role of father and decides to do something he would never have imagined himself doing: raise Max as his own."

Review

When I was younger, I had this silly fear that I was just adopted.  The fact that I never looked like any of my parents back then only added more to this fear.  It was only when my brother was born and he was my spitting image that I was finally able to quell this insane thought.

Paul was supposed to live with Annie and her little son Max happily ever after, but Annie died and left Paul with Max just shortly after getting married.  Stunned with grief by the sudden departure of his beloved wife, he becomes overwhelmed by an even bigger responsibility of raising Max as his own son.  This book details the ups and downs that Paul (and every parent) encounters when dealing with raising kids and striving to be the best parent a child ever had.

Remember how you used to understand and remember stuff better when it's told through a story rather than listening to usual instructions?  This book, Better Together by Raymond M. Rose is certainly a good story for parents who are tired of looking for that perfect self-help parenting book.  This will not tell you everything about raising a child, not really about how hot the bath water should be but more on how to deal with the emotional side of taking care of your little one.  Instead of getting all too preachy as some parenting books, this book is like a friend who tells you everything he/she experienced during his/her own time raising children and passing all the knowledge to you.

The premise is unique and the events occur in such a way that the reader gets caught off guard by the turn of events despite a small touch of predictability.  Endearing and sweet, this book will completely hook any reader, especially those who have had children as they are taken back in time in the early stages of their children's lives.

But as amazing as this book may sound, I just have a few problems with how this was presented:  Told from a third person perspective, the voice sometimes shift from different characters rather too quickly that sometimes, the reader gets confused as the points of view get jumbled up.  One minute you were reading about Paul's thoughts, another minute you realize the narration has shifted to Annie's.  But it does get better as you turn the pages and finally get a good grasp of the voices within this book.  As for the text, there were a few typographical errors that was a bit distracting but once you get past that, you will definitely be in for a treat as you read this heartwarming story.

An important lesson to be gained from this book is this:  Children should be loved not because they carry your blood in their veins, not because they look like you, not because they were born from you - but because they, as human beings, deserve to be loved, not matter who or what they are, or where they came from.

Rating

If you have any questions on this particular rating, please refer to my ratings system here.

Notice 

I received this book free of charge from the author, Raymond M. Rose, in exchange for an honest and truthful review. This, in no way, affected my opinion or review of this book.

Please contact me for questions, comments, and suggestions.