Review of Broken Boys Beyond Friendships
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Kendal Low
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Review of Broken Boys Beyond Friendships
[Following is a volunteer review of "Broken Boys Beyond Friendships" by Dak Kopec.]
Blake Roberts has had a life out of movies and books. Nothing has come easily to him, and his story would tug on anyone’s heartstrings that are willing to listen to it. As a result of the pain that the memories conjure, he doesn’t like to give them any life. That is until his old friend Ivy Vandermark comes back into his life with a difficult request. Her daughter, Jillian, has recently graduated from university with a journalism degree, and she would like to write a book detailing Blake’s story. He is apprehensive at first but decides to go through with it after realizing he can finally get the whole truth out into the world.
Together, Blake and Jillian sit down to create an ode to Blake’s life, dredging up painful memories and lots of guilt in the process. Broken Boys Beyond Friendship by Dak Kopec is a heart-wrenching story detailing Blake’s hardest memories.
I adored the premise of this book. The interview aspect reminded me of one of my favorite books, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I very much enjoyed reading about Blake’s life in the form of him telling the story to somebody else. It kept me interested, and it was entertaining to see Jillian’s reactions. I think authors should use this way of storytelling more often.
While I was a fan of how the story was told, I wasn’t a big fan of the author’s writing style at times. It felt very personal and real while he was writing about Blake telling Jillian his story, but I found the bits in between the interview to feel very forced and unnatural. I understand Blake and Jillian are new in each other’s lives, but the way the author wrote their interactions felt almost like filler writing. It was as though he needed something to break up the interview scenes and didn’t quite know what to write. To me, their relationship never quite felt natural.
I found a few errors in the book, so it would benefit from another round of editing. Other than that, I loved reading about the strong friendships in Blake’s life. Even though these people went through some horrendously difficult times, they always came together to help each other when needed. It was beautiful. So, for the reasons mentioned above, I happily rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.
I would recommend this book to readers who typically enjoy stories with darker themes that still showcase the love and importance of family and friendship. I believe they would find it incredibly touching. It is not suitable for younger readers, as it contains strong language and many sexual themes throughout.
******
Broken Boys Beyond Friendships
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Blake Roberts has had a life out of movies and books. Nothing has come easily to him, and his story would tug on anyone’s heartstrings that are willing to listen to it. As a result of the pain that the memories conjure, he doesn’t like to give them any life. That is until his old friend Ivy Vandermark comes back into his life with a difficult request. Her daughter, Jillian, has recently graduated from university with a journalism degree, and she would like to write a book detailing Blake’s story. He is apprehensive at first but decides to go through with it after realizing he can finally get the whole truth out into the world.
Together, Blake and Jillian sit down to create an ode to Blake’s life, dredging up painful memories and lots of guilt in the process. Broken Boys Beyond Friendship by Dak Kopec is a heart-wrenching story detailing Blake’s hardest memories.
I adored the premise of this book. The interview aspect reminded me of one of my favorite books, The Seven Husbands of Evelyn Hugo by Taylor Jenkins Reid. I very much enjoyed reading about Blake’s life in the form of him telling the story to somebody else. It kept me interested, and it was entertaining to see Jillian’s reactions. I think authors should use this way of storytelling more often.
While I was a fan of how the story was told, I wasn’t a big fan of the author’s writing style at times. It felt very personal and real while he was writing about Blake telling Jillian his story, but I found the bits in between the interview to feel very forced and unnatural. I understand Blake and Jillian are new in each other’s lives, but the way the author wrote their interactions felt almost like filler writing. It was as though he needed something to break up the interview scenes and didn’t quite know what to write. To me, their relationship never quite felt natural.
I found a few errors in the book, so it would benefit from another round of editing. Other than that, I loved reading about the strong friendships in Blake’s life. Even though these people went through some horrendously difficult times, they always came together to help each other when needed. It was beautiful. So, for the reasons mentioned above, I happily rate this book 4 out of 5 stars.
I would recommend this book to readers who typically enjoy stories with darker themes that still showcase the love and importance of family and friendship. I believe they would find it incredibly touching. It is not suitable for younger readers, as it contains strong language and many sexual themes throughout.
******
Broken Boys Beyond Friendships
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Latest Review: It's Hard to Be a Vampire by Viktoria Faust
