Official Review: Choices by Mark Stracener

[Amanda Deck]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Choices" by Mark Stracener.]

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2 out of 4 stars

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Choices follows two families as they face impending parenthood. Seventeen-year-old Becky is terrified at the thought that she might be pregnant. Her own mother is an abusive drunk and, though her boyfriend loves her, she can’t be sure he won’t leave her when he finds out. The other family, Sandy and her husband David, has been trying for so long to have a child that when they finally are expecting, they’re thrilled! That is, until the news of their child’s precarious chances are revealed to them. There are choices to be made, life-altering, bone-chilling choices.

Mark Stracener’s Choices is a feel-good story about dealing with, and sometimes overcoming, hardship with love. It seemed fairly obvious early on to me where the story was headed, but I was wrong! It’s a straightforward tale without the twists and turns that I expected. I was disappointed at first but not for long. Reading it as simply a discovery of the impact years later of the choices made before was quite heartwarming. The author draws the reader into the lives of the characters enough to make us hope that things go well for them, and that the worst, which is so horribly likely, doesn’t. We know the odds are against Becky, being so young and from a broken home. Then we despair for Sandy and David hearing the heart wrenching news that their baby, if he lives, will be severely disabled. What Stracener did with these situations was realistic while showing that good can be found where it’s least expected.

This book is full of punctuation errors, capitalization errors, and an odd mixing of past and present tense. It was quite disruptive at times. Another thing that was off-putting was how often people used each other’s name in conversation. It’s not normal to use the other person’s name in every sentence.

Something I did like was how the author dealt with the issues that arise when people are disabled. He was sensitive about the emotional aspects and realistic about the practicalities. He made it clear that the idea of “I don’t even notice your wheelchair, I just see you” may be sweet, but can lead to unnecessary and ridiculous hardships.

There are no explicit scenes and very little profanity. Even the few instances of profanity are mild. This is a book for readers who want a light, sweet story that nevertheless deals with profound issues. There isn’t really much suspense or mystery; instead it’s a story that is more meaningful the more you think about it. I would rate this a three if not for the overabundance of errors. Therefore, I rate Choices 2 out of 4 stars.

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Choices
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[Harty Muli]

I like realistic stories and this one about broken families making hard choices seem like one I could read. Thanks for the wonderful review.

[Elvis Best]

There are choices to be made, life-altering, bone-chilling choices.

This part got me, as the plot sounds interesting. However, it's sad to note the problems you mentioned though. I hope the author can work on the book and correct those problems. I enjoyed reading this review. Good job!

[Dayodiola]

Parents have the best impact on their kids. The choices we make are ingrained in the fabric of what we're made to know.

[Adrianna Melillo]

I hope this one gets another round of editing because it otherwise sounds like a great read! Thank you for the honest review!

[Priyanka2304]

Our life is truly shaped by the choices we make. It would be a fun read to know how the story unfolds itself with choices the characters have to make. Thanks for the review.

[Rodel Barnachea]

I find the said errors and the lack of turns and twists to be unpleasant and unappealing, but this book may still be a great read for other people. I do hope that the author can revise the entire story if possible.

[Ms_Rita30]

Choices we make, no matter how inconsequential we think they are, eventually have a certain level of effect in our lives. I trust the couple made the best choice for their child.

[Amanda Deck]

It WAS a feel-good story, and it had some pretty funny lines too. The writing was a bit juvenile, which bothered me, but it works for a straightforward mood picker-upper.