Review by alyssajanel13 -- Yesterday by Samyann
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Review by alyssajanel13 -- Yesterday by Samyann
[Following is a volunteer review of "Yesterday" by Samyann.]
I picked up Yesterday by Samyann expecting a solid romance. Not only did I get that, but I got a heart-pounding action novel beginning and a second act that evolved into a dazzling historical fiction with mysticism, love and family kinship.
Amanda Parker is a woman who, by all appearances, is living under a cursed cloud. This poor creature has suffered loss after devastating loss. She has hauled her broken heart off of the floor after a string of family deaths and the tragic loss of a partner. But she gathers her courage and starts again at a new job in Chicago. And then, the unimaginable happens again, and Amanda not only survives a tragic accident, but becomes a hero.
That’s right. This book opens with the woman saving the man. From the first paragraph, Samyann had my full and respectful attention. And that’s where Amanda and Mark’s journey begins. Or, just maybe they’ve been on this journey together before. After returning to the scene of the accident, Amanda comes home with a grandfather clock that has been haunting her thoughts. Once it is tucked into her home, I buries more deeply into her thoughts. And then, something about this clock reaches into Mark’s dreams as well. The dreams and the couple become entwined and wonder how this deep and immediate intimacy is possible.
This is when the novel gives us another remarkable twist. With the help of her therapist godmother, Amanda starts to delve deeply into her mind and past. The story follows her journey, all the way back to South Carolina to the days of the Civil War. There we meet Bonnie, Jack and Magdalene and get pulled into their life and their ties to Amanda.
Samyann is a compelling storyteller. The action alone in the first few pages rivals any adventure book. With her vivid descriptions, the reader is buried under debris and can smell the diesel exhaust. And immediately showcasing the backbone of the female protagonist? I am all in on this story. Stylistically, the writer’s short, bursting sentences are sharply descriptive and work like a charm. The book as an entirety was beautifully edited and compiled —no easy tasks as the story weaves through time and space, as well as action and romance.
While the author is obviously gifted, there were some aspects of the book that were troublesome. While I loved the female lead, I wished there was more reality and grounding to her interest Mark. An Irish cop trope was a fine starts, but then he knows antiques, is a beautiful dancer, studied to be a doctor, is knowledgeable about astronomy and is of course tall, dark and handsome. There were so many impressive adjectives attached to him that I had a bit of difficulty seeing him as a realistic man. My other small issue was during the sections set in the 1860’s. Anytime phonetic spelling is used to convey colloquial accents and idiomatic languages, reading and processing can be a challenge. When this is used in the context of conveying the language specifics of Black enslaved characters, I want the author to tread very carefully.
Samyann has crafted a beautiful book with Yesterday. There were so many intricate moments that showed true writing brilliance. This was a 4 out of 4 star book the entire way from cover to cover. Fans of both romance and historical fiction will find much to enjoy here. I would gladly come back to experience any genre of book this author imagines.
******
Yesterday
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
I picked up Yesterday by Samyann expecting a solid romance. Not only did I get that, but I got a heart-pounding action novel beginning and a second act that evolved into a dazzling historical fiction with mysticism, love and family kinship.
Amanda Parker is a woman who, by all appearances, is living under a cursed cloud. This poor creature has suffered loss after devastating loss. She has hauled her broken heart off of the floor after a string of family deaths and the tragic loss of a partner. But she gathers her courage and starts again at a new job in Chicago. And then, the unimaginable happens again, and Amanda not only survives a tragic accident, but becomes a hero.
That’s right. This book opens with the woman saving the man. From the first paragraph, Samyann had my full and respectful attention. And that’s where Amanda and Mark’s journey begins. Or, just maybe they’ve been on this journey together before. After returning to the scene of the accident, Amanda comes home with a grandfather clock that has been haunting her thoughts. Once it is tucked into her home, I buries more deeply into her thoughts. And then, something about this clock reaches into Mark’s dreams as well. The dreams and the couple become entwined and wonder how this deep and immediate intimacy is possible.
This is when the novel gives us another remarkable twist. With the help of her therapist godmother, Amanda starts to delve deeply into her mind and past. The story follows her journey, all the way back to South Carolina to the days of the Civil War. There we meet Bonnie, Jack and Magdalene and get pulled into their life and their ties to Amanda.
Samyann is a compelling storyteller. The action alone in the first few pages rivals any adventure book. With her vivid descriptions, the reader is buried under debris and can smell the diesel exhaust. And immediately showcasing the backbone of the female protagonist? I am all in on this story. Stylistically, the writer’s short, bursting sentences are sharply descriptive and work like a charm. The book as an entirety was beautifully edited and compiled —no easy tasks as the story weaves through time and space, as well as action and romance.
While the author is obviously gifted, there were some aspects of the book that were troublesome. While I loved the female lead, I wished there was more reality and grounding to her interest Mark. An Irish cop trope was a fine starts, but then he knows antiques, is a beautiful dancer, studied to be a doctor, is knowledgeable about astronomy and is of course tall, dark and handsome. There were so many impressive adjectives attached to him that I had a bit of difficulty seeing him as a realistic man. My other small issue was during the sections set in the 1860’s. Anytime phonetic spelling is used to convey colloquial accents and idiomatic languages, reading and processing can be a challenge. When this is used in the context of conveying the language specifics of Black enslaved characters, I want the author to tread very carefully.
Samyann has crafted a beautiful book with Yesterday. There were so many intricate moments that showed true writing brilliance. This was a 4 out of 4 star book the entire way from cover to cover. Fans of both romance and historical fiction will find much to enjoy here. I would gladly come back to experience any genre of book this author imagines.
******
Yesterday
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: Kalayla by Jeannie Nicholas
