Sunday, August 17, 2014

Aftermath by Denise Grover Swank

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Synopsis via Goodreads:

Before she agreed to tutor Tucker Price, college junior Scarlett was introvert, struggling with her social anxiety and determined to not end up living in a trailer park like her mother and her younger sister. A mathematics major, she goes to her classes, to her job in the tutoring lab, and then hides in the apartment she shares with her friend, Caroline.

After junior Tucker Price, Southern University’s star soccer player enters the equation, her carefully plotted life is thrown off its axis. Tucker’s failing his required College Algebra class. With his eligibility is at risk, the university chancellor dangles an expensive piece of computer software for the math department if Scarlett agrees to privately tutor him.Tucker’s bad boy, womanizer reputation makes Scarlett wary of any contact, let alone spending several hours a week in close proximity.

But from her first encounter, she realizes Tucker isn’t the person everyone else sees. He carries a mountain of secrets which she suspects hold the reason to his self-destructive behavior. But the deeper she delves into the cause of his pain, the deeper she gets sucked into his chaos. Will Scarlett find the happiness she’s looking for, or will she be caught in Tucker’s aftermath?

Aftermath is not a simple love story. It is a soul-searching story about two young people who are trying to find their way after childhoods that have taught them that the only person they can rely on in life is themselves. Scarlett and Tucker have had very different childhoods, but both were very traumatic in their own way. Each have developed a way to cope. They find each other and through trial and error, learn how to let each other in. 
Aftermath is a very fitting title for this story. It is definitely not a typical contemporary love story. The plot is a lot deeper than that. This is the story of how two individuals find a sort of kindred spirit in each other and learn how to help each other begin to heal. Scarlett has a naivete about her, while Tucker has a little too much experience. Together they learn how to build a relationship that requires them to work together and to help each other out.

Miss Swank has created a story that brings out more emotions than you ever thought a story could produce. It is a refreshingly deep, emotional book that makes you think and feel throughout the journey, and yes, it is a journey. She takes you through Scarlett and Tucker's lives. There is such description and emotion. You will laugh, cry, hurt, and cheer. This is definitely a story with meat!!

Happy Reading!





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