Reviewed by Dee
TITLE: After Sasha
AUTHOR: HollyAnne Weaver
PUBLISHER: Shadoe Publishing
LENGTH: 345 pages
RELEASE DATE: June 01, 2016
BLURB:
Single mother Alison Aronov-Lockewood has just found herself face-to-face with a ghost. A living, breathing, ghost—of her lost wife Sasha, and mother to her daughter Lidi. After she manages to get her anxiety under control, she realizes that this apparent apparition is a wonderful woman, a woman of wit and charm, a woman who cares about being an advocate of the children, just as she has become a representative in the legal system of children in honor of Sasha’s death in the line of duty as a social worker. And more importantly, like herself, she is a lesbian. After feeling nothing but pain inside for the last six and a half years, Aly’s heart beats once, twice, three times in quick succession. Could this be love again? Could this be that special person that she’s waited all these years for?
REVIEW:
If you’re in the mood for a super sweet story look no further. Within the first few pages, and upon their first meeting, Aly falls head over heels in love with Karin. Her feelings are reciprocated and within days, the ladies are declaring their love for each other and making wedding plans.
There are huge amounts of dialogue told via text messages and mobile phone calls throughout the story. Most go something like this… “Love you, babe. Love you more. But I said it first.”
Karin couldn’t have been more perfect for Aly. Not only was she not fazed by trying to live up to the ghost of Sasha, at times she encouraged it. When Aly put her ex-lover’s rings away, Karin insisted she not do that. One night after having a few drinks, Aly slips and calls Karin Sasha while they are having sex! Good old Sasha laughs, not just because she’s tipsy, she’s still laughing about it the next day – what a champion. (*There’s no explicit content in this story)
Lidi is the most mature little girl I’ve encountered. She too accepts Karin with open arms, begging her to move in practically from the get-go. And within eight days talks of adoption take place.
I don’t need drama to drive a story, and at times like light and sweet, but when a book is 300 pages of sweetness, just like bingeing on sugar it tends to make me feel a little sick.
There were a couple of missed opportunities that would have made me become more engrossed in the story. One being when Aly goes to the toilet and Karin tells all of her friends about a surprise she is planning. 99% of the story is told from Aly’s point-of-view, so giving the reader what the surprise was seemed extremely odd to me. Needless to say the build up to said surprise was hardly surprising.
Around the 70% mark, little Lidi has a meltdown when she sees a picture of her mother at a photo studio. Of course this means she needs therapy, and also brings to light, Aly has had therapy for PTSD, as has her father, and as has Karin. What Karin revealed was a HUGE reason for needing counselling, any woman could empathize, yet it’s never mentioned again.
Besides a few missed words here and there and a plot oopsy/slip toward the end, the story is well edited.
I recommend this to readers looking for a super sweet love story.
RATING: 
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