Book Review: Come See About Me by CK Kelly Martin

SUMMARY: Twenty-year-old Leah Fischer's been in a state of collapse since the moment police arrived on her Toronto doorstep to inform her that boyfriend Bastien was killed in a car accident. After flunking out of university and cutting herself off from nearly everyone she knows, Leah's saved by Bastien's aunt who offers her a rent-free place to stay in a nearby suburban town.

Initially Leah keeps to herself, with no energy for anyone or anything else, but it's not long before her nurturing neighbours begin to become fixtures in Leah's life and a much needed part-time job forces her to interact with other members of the community. And when Leah is faced with another earth-shattering event, her perspective on life begins to shift again. Soon Leah's falling into a casual sexual relationship with Irish actor Liam Kellehan, who has troubles of his own, even as she continues to yearn for her dead boyfriend. Clearly she's not the person she thought she was—and maybe Liam isn't either.


OPINION:

Though a little slow to start, Come See About Me is a sexy but sorrowful book that beautifully captures what it’s like to be stuck in a grief state. Delving into some big questions in a way that happens between the lines, this one makes you think while still letting you just enjoy the ride. With Martin’s stunning and emotional writing, and a protagonist who is the right amount of messy, Come See About Me captured me.

Leah is an incredibly relatable girl, one who had so much going for her and was happy with her place in life, until an accident changed all that. Now, months later, she is still actively grieving her boyfriend’s death in a way that makes her basically nonfunctional. With family and friends who aren’t quite as understanding anymore, and frustrations clearly starting to rise, just how lost Leah feels is beautifully captured. As the book progresses, she starts to come out of the fog, but in a way that she doesn’t realize, and doesn’t necessarily react to either. There is something so quietly intriguing about Leah, and I was rooting for her the entire time.

Then there’s Liam, the boy who throws Leah for a loop in some unexpected ways. Their casual sex relationship adds not only heat but emotion to the story, and Martin weaves this element in so seamlessly. It’s easy to see why a girl would fall for Liam, and even easier to see why she would still guard herself against him. The way Leah compared Liam to Bastien, and the stark differences between the two, go far to not only drive the growing relationship but also let readers understand both Leah and Liam’s mentalities towards everything. These two interact in some great ways, and for better or worse, they make an amazing couple.


The first chunk of this book chronicles not only big points in Leah’s relationship with Bastien, but the way she let everything fall apart after his death. Possibly staying stuck in this foggy state a little too long, the start of this book did feel slow. Still, there was something enamoring about Leah, and the hope for something more for her also kept me going. Once things picked up, they stayed well paced, and Martin blends all the best elements of grief and romance based novels to create something great. From exploring how to welcome someone new into your life while remaining respectful to not only what you lost but the family who lost as well, to letting go of everything and diving right into something new and scary, Martin does a beautiful job of showing just how much confusing remains even after the teen years are over.

Details:

Source: Ebook received from author in exchange for honest review 

Print Length: 242 pages

Reading Level: New Adult

Publication Date: June 6, 2012