Most of All You: A Love Story, by Mia Sheridan
In collaboration from the club members we gave this book a solid 4 stars, (me personally gave it 3.5). I LOVE Mia Sheridan books. I do. She is one of my FAVORITE authors, this book however wasn’t my favorite.
“I don’t create beauty, Eloise, I just reveal what’s already there.”
Last night our local book club got together to discuss the book, and we all agreed the book was one emotional hauntingly beautiful story. The choices that ‘Crystal’ made when she was younger significantly altered her path in her future. The same can be said for Gabriel, although he wasn’t necessarily given a ‘choice’ but forced to live with the one he was given.
“Choice is such a loaded word, isn’t it? Choices, though our own, were so weighted down with all the things that had come before, so stained with the messes of our past.”
Early on in the story I really couldn’t find the main female character appealing. She honestly had zero qualities I want a Heroine to have. In the beginning she was rude, mean (sending that girl to meet Gabriel) and trashy. I didn’t understand what Gabriel saw in her (in all honesty I am still trying to figure that out). But once the story really got going, it was apparent she had some serious personal issues that were the foundation of her entire being. She is a prime example of a subject of circumstance, she was rough around the edges, a steel exterior, closed off from everyone. She came around, and I was glad to see it because this is life. Maybe not mine or yours, but it really is someone’s.
Gabriel initially creeped me out. I think mainly because we got a small, small snippet in the beginning of his kidnapping, but nothing concrete. Then he basically went to a strip club to find someone to help him while making comments like these:
“I felt somewhat anonymous as I watched her from the crowded room…” “ I hadn’t meant to set things up so I could watch her without her seeing me, but as it turned out, that’s just what I was able to do…”
: 
#sorrynotsorry
Again, once the book really started progressing the things I found odd in the beginning slowly started disappearing. Gabriel taught us a valuable lesson in life – life is precious, it should not be taken for granted and love conquers all. Ellie also taught us that our personal worth is not based on the decisions we make in the past. We can always change, strive for greatness and above all, EVERYONE deserves their chance at love.
“How extraordinary life could be: so filled with glorious beauty and heartrending despair. And so often swirled together so that you couldn’t separate the two.”
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