I’d Give Anything audiobook

My First book by Santos. But not my last. I loved this story.Such an emotional read for me. It turns out in such a way you won't believe it. I don't want to give anything away. I want to you to read it and enjoy it like I did. 4 star read I recommend.The Mary Reader received this book from the publisher for review. A favorable review was not required and all views expressed are our own.

Beautifully written and brilliantly plotted. SUMMARYGinny Beale is eighteen, a high school senior. She’s full of life and has a circle of three special friends for whom she would do anything. Because of one terrible night, she loses them all—seemingly forever. She is keeping a terrible secret about that night, a night when one of her best friend’s lost their father in a fire. Over the next two decades, Ginny distances herself from the past and from nearly everyone in it. She marries a quiet man, raises their daughter, Avery, and cares for her demanding mother, Adela. But when Ginny’s husband, Harris, becomes embroiled in a scandal, Ginny’s carefully controlled life falls apart. Just when she believes she is getting back on her feet, that secret that’s she’s kept for twenty years emerges and threatens to destroy her hopes for the future. With the help of fifteen-year-old Avery, Ginny must summon the courage to confront the truth.REVIEWShe had me when Ginny and her brother, Trevor jumped off the quarry rock cliff at night into the watery depths far below. It reminded me of the times when my brother and I would jump off a bridge into the the dark Wakulla River. But never at night...to many alligators. I’D GIVE ANYTHING is a first rate journey into friendships, parenthood and how secrets can control your life. The story is beautifully written and brilliantly plotted. Weighted with tragedy, lies and mistakes, Ginny, Avery and friends old and new work together to overcome the burdens of the pastThe writing was seamless and soulful. The characters propel the narrative, and the character development was superbly crafted. I particularly appreciated the uniqueness of Ginny’s daughter, Avery, wh is so smart, so brave, and so calm in the face of her parental world falling apart. She handles her dad and the scandal like a pro. CJ, Gray and Kirsten, Ginny’s best friends were also distinctly drawn. My favorite part of I’D GIVE ANYTHING was the dialog. Ginny talking with her mother or daughter or any of her friends was always delightfully, real and revealing. Loved it! Author Marisa de los Santos is a New York Times best-selling author of Love Walked In, Belong to Me, and Falling Together. She lives in Wilmington, Delaware with her husband and two children. I’D GIVE ANYTHING is her sixth novel. Thanks to LibraryThing and William Morrow for an advance reading copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Publisher William MorrowPublished May 12, 2020Review www.bluestockingreviews.com

At eighteen, Ginny "Zinny" Beale is a lighthearted, fun, brave girl with a close group of friends and brother with whom she can unite against their uptight mother. But one night changes all of that. Someone sets the town's high school on fire and in the aftermath, the father of Ginny's best friend, Gray, is dead. The townspeople look for someone to blame--leaving most of it on a troubled teen--but Ginny learns some news that changes her entire world. She tells no one, but the secret alters her life and leaves her an outcast among her friends and family. Over the next twenty years, Ginny transitions, settling down, returning to her hometown and marrying Harris, a professor. They have a daughter, Avery, and Ginny cares for her mother, who is dying. But when scandal rocks the town again--this time focused on Harris--Ginny has to make some choices. It's time to confront the past and the secret she's kept buried all this time. "In one night, one night, I lost all of them." I adore Marisa de los Santos and her writing, though this wasn't my favorite of her books. Still, she's just so good at capturing the little moments in life: nailing down the feelings and emotions of her characters. Ginny, Avery, and others spring to life in this one. The story swings between past and present, with older excerpts often told from Ginny's diary entries. It takes a while to learn Ginny's big secret, which is a bit of a pet peeve of mine: I'm not always a fan of dragging out a secret. This is a poignant and sad read, delving into marriage, love, and parenthood. My favorite character was fifteen-year-old Avery, who is hit hard by the incident involving her father, Harris. In many ways, I was far more invested in Avery's growth than Ginny's--I liked Ginny, but I couldn't quite find myself fully wanting to root for her. Although the juxtaposition between young Zinny and present-day Ginny was quite well-done. Did you stop being your old selves? Did they fall away? Were you always only the self you were in the present? The book explores how one secret can so change a person and the ripple effect it has on many lives. Ms. de los Santos examines her characters very closely via her writing, and I will always love picking up her books and getting an intimate look at her cast of players. In the end, this is a touching and well-written novel, even if I couldn't always find myself fully engaged in Ginny's world. 3.75 stars, rounded to 4 here. I received a copy of this novel from William Morrow in return for an unbiased review. You can support indie bookstores and buy a copy of this novel here. Blog ~ Twitter ~ Facebook ~ Instagram ~ PaperBackSwap ~ Smashbomb

Every time. EVERY time. A new Marisa de los Santos novel is a balm.

Title: I'd Give AnythingSeries: Love Walked In #4Author: Marisa de los SantosRelease date: May 12, 2020Cliffhanger: noGenre: women's fictionIt's kind of shocking that I hadn't been introduced to this author until now. I had no idea what I was missing out on, but based on first impressions she just found herself a faithful follower. Marisa de los Santos is such a master at expressing emotion, setting the scene with lush descriptions, and telling a weighty story that stays with you. Even though the page count is just under three hundred pages, every theme was explored with precision. Grief, depression, the complicated relationship between mother and daughter, the burden of secrets on our lives, and healing fractured friendships were just a few of the things touched on. The story centers around Ginny Beale, both in present time and in the past when she was in high school. Alternating between her teen years and the current mess of her life, we learn how she transformed so drastically from a vibrant, optimistic girl who reveled at new experiences to a woman satisfied with safe. I’m not sure how anyone else sees me, but I know how I see myself: fiery and funny Zinny, a rare bird, a wildflower, a comet. I love my friends the way I do everything: entirely.She no longer sought out adventure, she abandoned her creative passions, and settled for a life that brought her no joy. We know that there was some sort of tragic catalyst that flipped a switch with her. A betrayal from someone she loved made her retreat within herself and erect a barrier against those closest to her. In the present time, most people perceive her life as perfect. The truth is, that stable life she thought she was giving her daughter Avery is tumbling down around them like a flimsy house of cards.Ginny had a very complex relationship with her mother. De Los Santos could have made her a caricature of an antagonist. Wicked, mean, and hateful to the bone with no shades of grey. That kind of character would be easy to despise, but the authenticity would suffer. Adela was a cold woman, not prone to display any affection towards her two children. She was selfish, and cared about appearances rather than what made her family happy. She could also be ruthless and liked to control every situation and person she interacted with. But there were moments when she allowed a glimpse of softness to peek through her armor. In those moments you wonder what could have been just as Ginny does. Then there was the relationship between Ginny and her own daughter. When her marriage suddenly and dramatically implodes, her only concern is how it will impact Avery. Her marriage was a mistake from the very beginning, but the one thing they did right was her. As a mother you want to shield your child and protect them from hurt. She gave up a piece of herself when she chose Harris. "It seemed like a good idea at the time" couldn't be more appropriate in describing how that choice panned out. That shining spirit that she had as a teen was suffocated and snuffed out by a series of events that she couldn't recover from. The past must be dredged up now in order to heal that long-standing wound. For the good of her family, and to finally right a wrong that had taken so much from her. It took a lot of courage for Ginny to finally face what she'd pushed down for so long. Fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes weighs almost nothing, a tiny wedge of time I can pinch between my thumb and forefinger and scatter like ash. Fifteen minutes can only ruin everything if you let it.I'll admit, I guessed very early in the book what the twist would be. And yes, the romance was minimal, but I never felt that the story lacked because of it. The focus was placed primarily on Ginny making her way back to her true self and putting the broken pieces of her friendships back together. I enjoyed every minute spent on this touching story. This is going on my favorites list for 2020!FOLLOW SMOKIN HOT BOOK BLOG ON:

This has been my fave by this author to date! It’s an interesting story with lots of twists and perfectly paced! I enjoyed the characters and laughed out loud a couple of times. There was also a reference to Charlottesville, VA, which made me bump it up a quarter of a point! 9.5/10.

In classic de los Santos style, the author pulls no punches, isn't afraid to let her characters call each other out for their behavior. She shows that no matter how good (or bad) those characters might be, it's clear that none of them, and paralleling this--us, are all good or all bad, we are just a mixture of both good choices and bad choices and what we decide to do about those choices. I appreciated that the author didn't paint these characters into boxes, because that's just like real life, people are the sums of their past, their family, their friends, their present, and their hopes and dreams for the future. No one is beyond redemption, but a person has to choose that redemption and to do better in the future, and not everyone does.I appreciated getting to know these characters, and on the surface they seem idealistic and naive, you have to look beyond that to get to the heart of the story. I'm a huge fan of this author and will definitely continue to read her books in the future.I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book, all opinions are my own.

I’d Give Anything is a captivating, touching novel about friendships, truths, and forgiveness. Ginny’s life has been shaped by events that happened when she was a teenager, events that splintered friendships as well as Ginny’s heart. When scandal shakes up Ginny’s family, she must confront the past, and rediscover who she was twenty years earlier. The relationships in this book all felt so real—the love, the disappointments, the friendships, and the pain. I was completely invested in the lives of these characters, hoping for reconciliation, healing and love for them all.

I know I’m going to love it. I love everything Marisa de los Santos writes. So excited to have a new novel of hers to look forward to!*** I was right. I loved it, like I love every one of her books. My only criticism is that it wasn’t long enough. I wanted more!

Great family storyFriendship and familyLove and forgiveness

This was a very intellectually deep and insightful look into a tragic event that changed many lives. I absolutely fell in love with the characters. If you have ever done self reflection and asked yourself “what if” you’ll enjoy this read.