Reviewed by True
TITLE: Sins of Yesterday
SERIES: The Arizona Series #1
AUTHOR: Romeo Preminger
PUBLISHER: Self-Published
LENGTH: 264 pages
RELEASE DATE: January 5, 2022
BLURB:
The first book in Preminger’s Southern Gothic, family secrets epic: the Arizona series.
It’s 1984, and fifteen-year-old Arizona is doing his best to take care of his younger brothers and sister while their daddy drives a truck cross-country and spends his paycheck on booze and gambling. In small town southeastern Louisiana, his family is known as the lowest of the low, and they say it’s on account of a family curse that’s so ugly, no one would dare speak of it.
Then Arizona’s daddy loses his job, and things go from bad to worse. He baits Arizona into a fight, and their brawl results in him and his brothers and sister being split up by Social Services. Arizona is determined to make a better man of himself and take care of his siblings, but he’s up against a world controlled by adults, small town prejudices, and unfathomable family secrets that will change everything he thought he knew about himself.
REVIEW:
Wow, at 17% I was already emotionally drained, no one should go through in a whole lifetime, what Arizona did at fifteen. I read somewhere this story ends with a cliff, every cliff I could imagine already happened. You understand my curiosity about the course of this story.
Life is impossible hard for Arizona, he’s just fifteen, the family is broke, living on the poorest side of town, his mother died two years ago, his father is an abusive jerk and mostly drunk, he got three younger siblings and take care of them when his father is on the road. His Gran helps where she can.
Arizona has one bright spot in his life, Preston.
After everything grew above Arizona’s head and he also got in a fight with his dad, the family is under Social Services care and split.
Arizona can’t shake off the feeling bad luck is following him. Is he cursed or blessed?
Then, after a few weeks, things are changing for Arizona. He ends up at Whittington Manor, a plantation estate. His life turns a full 360. That’s all I’m gonna say about it.
“There’s two things that’s plentiful in this world. Oxygen and ignorance.”
Arizona is lost, feels like he doesn’t fit with anyone or anywhere in this world.
We can follow him going through some heartbreaking moments. I was even reluctant to read further at the moments he was happy, so afraid of what was coming.
I followed him and saw him losing family and making new, meeting his grandad, Nicolas, and Jonathan, learning about his family, making love, making enemies and friends, standing up for his rights, standing out as the amazing person he is.
Arizona is the most strong, determined young guy, he’s kind, compassionate, caring, what life gives him in return is just devastating, heartbreaking, and has a huge emotional impact.
I got a nagging feeling there’s something really wrong, there are people around I don’t think they are who they say they are. I’m so curious if I got it right. (After finishing I had it right 🙂
About that cliff, my definition of a cliff is different, for me, this narrative certainly needs a continuation, because dang what a journey!
So here I am, finished with this story, numb, speechless, in tears, devastated, my heart is racing.
Throughout the whole story, I was sitting on the edge of my chair, it was immensely captivating, the author did an absolutely amazing job, sharing and making us part of Arizona’s life in such a way, I felt it all. What a stunningly written story, I’m a bit breathless and speechless.
All the stars for this journey that is part one of a trilogy. Man, when will book two be released, I’m anxious and can’t wait!
RATING: 
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