Official Review: Soft Underbelly by Kat Powell

[Ellie Gatillo]

[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Soft Underbelly" by Kat Powell.]

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4 out of 4 stars

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At an early age, Kathy saw her mother lash out at her meek father. She thought her father was weak for not fighting back. Growing up, her mother never forgot to remind her how unlovable she was. She wanted to prove that her mother was wrong. She had relationships with different men. Everything was beautiful at the start of each relationship. However, it did not take long before the relationship turned sour. Her partners turned out to be controlling and abusive. Kathy could not help but think that her mother was right after all.

Soft Underbelly by Kat Powell is an inspiring story of a woman who struggled to beat the odds to find the love she deserved. Written in third person point-of-view, the novel is based on a true-to-life story. However, some of the names were altered to protect the privacy of individuals.

Kathy was a relatable protagonist. It was easy to sympathize with Kathy’s circumstances. Her different relationships with men made her feel more unlovable. She wanted help, but she knew she could only rely on herself. In the end, Kathy stood strong and fought for what she deserved.

It was evident that the author was a great storyteller. She put emphasis on her main points. One of these was that Kathy was unlovable. The reiteration was enough to let the readers understand how Kathy felt. Although there were times that she knew her mother was wrong, her failures pushed her to think otherwise. It was a constant battle in her head, and it was a long time before Kathy overcame it. Ms. Powell also employed sufficient foreshadowing. She gave enough hints for the readers to know that something was about to happen to the characters.

I could only see one drawback in the novel. There were too many characters introduced in the story. Many secondary characters were only slightly introduced. Some of these were Kathy’s friends such as Ramona and Mandy. They were mentioned once or twice in the story and they never appeared again. It did not confuse me or hinder my reading pace. I only felt that these characters were not given enough time to build a persona.

This novel is one of the best inspirational novels I have read in a long time. It has its own charms that draw in its readers. For that, I give Soft Underbelly by Kat Powell 4 out of 4 stars. I recommend it to anyone who loves to read true-to-life stories. Anyone who is in a rough and abusive relationship may find Kathy’s story an inspiration.

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Soft Underbelly
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Like ellieonline03's review? Post a comment saying so!

[Jaime Lync]

Awesome review. This does seem like it has a charm to it. Thanks.

[Chrys Brobbey]

"Growing up, her mother never forgot to remind her how unlovable she was." It's never good to instill in children that they are not good in any way. Children must always be encouraged with a positive outlook, for them to aspire to high levels of achievement. Thanks for a good review.

[kandscreeley]

I do love to learn about other people's lives. This one sounds particularly interesting. Thanks for a nice review.

[Ellie Gatillo]

"Growing up, her mother never forgot to remind her how unlovable she was." It's never good to instill in children that they are not good in any way. Children must always be encouraged with a positive outlook, for them to aspire to high levels of achievement. Thanks for a good review.

Thank you, Chrys Brobbey! I really agree with your point.

[Moniquejm]

I think this is an interested book to read. I am wondering why Kathy's father was not fighting back. I think this book is also good to learn more about parenting. Thank you for this great review.

[Amagine]

This sounds like a very inspirational read to anyone who had to deal with abuse and neglect their entire lives. I'm glad the author was willing to share her story.

Great Review! ?

[Ellie Gatillo]

I think this is an interested book to read. I am wondering why Kathy's father was not fighting back. I think this book is also good to learn more about parenting. Thank you for this great review.

Thank you, Moniquejm! He was a very gentle person. He wanted to resolve everything through peaceful means.

[MarisaRose]

It definitely seems like this book deals with some heavy material! I'm glad the main character is so easy to connect with. Though I do wish some of the secondary characters were better developed; many times I find they can be the best parts of a story.

[Ellie Gatillo]

Thank you, MarisaRose! I really agree with you. I felt that the secondary characters were essential in understanding the story more (and the main character, too!). Nevertheless, the author did well in this novel.

[Starving Author]

I think this is a book I would l Iike to read. Perhaps, I cam find it my local library

[Ellie Gatillo]

That's a very positive response. Thank you, Starving Author! I'm sure you would find this book very much to your liking.

[Rosemary Okoko]

Instead of encouraging her daughter, Kathy's mother was doing the unthinkable...crushing her spirit. Nice review.

[Ellie Gatillo]

Thank you, Rosemary Okoko. Her mother did something really nasty. Asa result, it left a scar on Kathy. The good thing was that Kathy was able to forgive her mother.

[Kelebogile Mbangi]

I like how different this story is, in that the abuse comes from the mother and it is in a verbal and emotional form, as opposed to most stories about abuse whereby the father is the abuser and it is a physical form of abuse. Thank you for your review.