What Beauty There Is – Cory Anderson

Thank you so much to the publisher and The Write Reads for sending me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review and allowing me to be a part of the blog tour!

_{Jack Morton has nothing left. Except his younger brother, Matty, who he’d do anything for. Even die for.}

^{Now with their mother gone, and their funds quickly dwindling, Jack needs to make a choice: lose his brother to foster care, or find the drug money that sent his father to prison.}

_{But in the harsh, isolated landscape of the mid-Rockies with winter approaching, it isn’t easy. And soon Jack realises he’s not the only one on the hunt . . .}

Trigger Warnings : Suicide, drug use, murder, blood, abuse, addiction and violence

I went into this book knowing very little about this book. I’d read the synopsis but avoided all reviews of the book to ensure I knew as little as possible to give the more honest review. Let me tell you, this book is extraordinary, unique and a real thrill of a read.

This book is thrilling from first to last page and packs a huge emotional punch for the reader. I became so invested in the story and the characters and I just could not help but root for them all to have a happy ending. I read this book in just a couple of sittings because I could not take my mind off the story. Even when I was not reading this book I was thinking about what could happen next. 

The plot itself is incredibly fast-paced and the book takes place over the course of a few days. Every chapter is packed full of action and a number of the chapters end with a cliffhanger which makes you want to keep reading on. There is dual storytelling in this book which is done in a unique way which I enjoyed. It shows us what Ava and Jack are feeling throughout the book, what they are going through and how their emotions conflict. I’m a huge fan of dual narration and this is one of my favourites that I have read. This book is full of twists and turns and it is shocking at so many points.

The relationship between Jack, our main character and his young brother Matty, is both heart-warming and devastating at the same time. They go through so much in such a short amount of time and it is heart-breaking. I just wanted to protect them both as much as I could throughout reading the book. Jack’s constant determination to protect his brother Matty just shows to the readers just how much he loves him. Matty is young and at times naive and we get to see this whilst reading. 

Jack and Ava’s relationship is one I both liked and disliked. It never really seemed to get the chance to get going due to the fast-paced nature of the book. Their relationship just did not have the depth that I would have enjoyed but I understand why the author did this. I would just have loved to see more scenes with just Jack and Ava so that we could understand them more. 

The writing is this book is beautiful and incredible atmospheric. The descriptions given by Cory Anderson made it so easy to imagine exactly where this book is set. I really did feel like I was in Idaho in winter whilst reading this book.

Overall, if you are looking for an atmospheric, action-packed and thrilling novel then this is the one for you. It is an incredible read that blew me away and I cannot recommend it enough.

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