I really enjoyed this "serial" novel and was anxiously awaiting each part to come out. One of the things that was really appealing about this book was the characters and I especially loved how the main character evolved and showed such personal growth from the first book to the last. She really had to overcome several obstacles with her past, present and future all while dealing with life as a single mother of a special needs child. Kudos for Stradling for making her character so strong and showing that you really can overcome the unthinkable.

Good thing this was more of the whole series. For book one, it's day one of a 14 day change your life plan from our main character. It feels long and drawn out because it takes quite a lot or many books in this case, to cover this story. Jamie plans to put her life together, and while I hope she can do that, a fast change like this rarely stays put. It just feel a bit flat for me. I wanted to like it more than I was able. It also has some language, which is often unnecessary, as well as some other issues that caused me to rate it with fewer stars.

My copy came from Net Galley. My thoughts and opinions are my own. This review is left of my own free volition.

What an amazing book this was. It was long. I think it was originally published as 5 books and now put together into one. It took me forever to read it, but I really did love it. This is the story of Jamie, who feels her life really is falling apart and needs to be fixed. With the help of her crazy friend, she writes a 14 Day Soul Detox List...and she gets to cross one item of her list. She has a generally chaotic, busy, complicated life. Her husband was killed and she takes care of her young autistic daughter. She has complicated but real relationships with those around her. This woman packs more into one day of her life than I normally do in a month of mine. She is surrounded by loving friends and family, but there are some twisty-turny relationships and happenings. Oh how I wish I could give a 4.5 star rating. It really deserved it. The only half-star I would have taken away would be because she always seemed to be crying or tears streaming down her face for one reason or another and it seemed odd and overly used. This is just a really good story about life, love and the complications of relationships and trying to make your life better, but still remaining true to who you are.

Jamie woke up with Sarah who was eight in her bed curled up next to her. It was Jamie’s birthday and she would just as soon go back to sleep. Cameron had slept on her coach last night. Cameron babysat Sarah a lot. Patrick was a handsome man and came up to say hi to Jamie and asked if his daughter Kay could have a play date with Sarah. Sarah was a special needs child as she had autism and she was in a special needs class half the day after lunch she had the same class as Kay. At night Jamie worked at her father’s bar that was why Cameron babysat so much. As Patrick and Jamie were walking a woman called out to Patrick and it was Whitney who was talking to Patrick and angering Jamie about the services she “demanded” for special needs children. Jamie told Whitney her husband had died a year ago to stop gossip and Cameron had been her husband Logan’s best friend. Jamie was meeting her sister for lunch then she seen her mother was there and wanted to walk back out. Jamie hadn’t talked to her mother in nine months. Six years ago Logan and Jamie had bought the Coffee Spot’s building. Chris was her baker and a friend and he felt that she should take the offer she had got and sell the Coffee Spot. Chris knew the Coffee Spot had been Logan’s dream. Not Jamie’s. At one time Jamie was in a pop group called Cherry Pie and they had even made a CD. Chris got a copy of the CD and gave it to Jamie for her birthday. Janie had two very good friends that were a couple Susan and Beser. Susan was Logan’s twin. Susan and Jamie made up a fourteen day soul detox list for Jamie when Susan spent the night with Jamie. Things seemed to be escalating with her neighbor Clarke and Jamie was getting really scared. Jamie found out Patrick’s father is the person who sued her a couple days after Logan had died. He had basically won and taken everything and the shop had a big lean on it that would take Jamie a long time to pay off if she didn’t sell. Jamie barely paid herself above minimum wage to manage the shop. Jamie told Patrick Sr. that she would never sell the shop to him and then she went in and told Patrick off also. Then Amy came and spent the night and then decided to make a video to get out the news the elementary school let a special needs teacher go for a full time dance teacher. Then there was an incident with Clarke. Jamie and Sarah have moved in with Cameron and Jamie decided to go ahead and sell the shop and would work for Patrick for one year. Jamie also apologized to Patrick for starting on him and they were working again on being friends.
I was so happy to read this whole serial as I had already read the first part through NetGalley when it was available but now I had the whole story I could read and I loved it!!!. My heart went out to Jamie with all she has had to endure. But then she decided to work on her life and had the fourteen day soul detox list and was doing her best to follow each step every day. She took this list seriously and grew a lot in this story as she completed day by day her list. I also felt bad what Clarke was putting her and then Cameron through too. This was realistic as far as I am concerned. I loved the plot but there was more than one thing going on in this story yet everything flowed and there was no confusion. I loved Cameron and Jamie as a couple but I felt bad when he seen her list and was hurt and angry. I also loved how the author showed a lot about autism and how an autistic child can act. I tip my hat to the author. I really can’t think of anything I didn’t like about this complete story. It was funny at times and heartbreaking at others and it felt like I was there with Cameron and Jamie. I liked that memories showed that had happened to Jamie and what she had went through I loved Cameron as the man he was and how he was there for Jamie and Sarah, This was just an excellent read. I loved the characters and the twists and turns of this story and I highly recommend.

This was so good. I was very skeptical about the premise, as it seemed like a lot of things for only fourteen days, but the narrative never felt rushed, and everything seemed to work out time wise. I loved the characters, and I think Sarah is one of the cutest little girls I've ever read. This is the second book by Rita Stradling I've read, and I've loved them both, but this one will definitely be one I remember.

I did my review on Amazon and here is what I wrote.
A real treat. I am a new fan, I have never heard of this author nor read any other of her books, I requested this on netgalley as it just spoke to me, and I am so glad I requested this book, it was a real treat!!!

This was my third Rita Stradling book. After Making Bad Choices (which I liked) and Ensnared (which I liked even better), I was kind of curious about this Fourteen Day Soul Detox. And yep, I liked this one best actually. Unlike Ensnared, which is more a Fantasy / Futuristic, this book is more 'down-to-earth'. I don't know how Rita does it, but she just sweeps you into the life of Jamie, who is struggling after the death of her husband Logan. You feel her despair, frustration and anguish. But you also feel the need to help her pick up the pieces of her life. Hence Beza and Susan (Logan's sister), who help her to compose a 14-day To Do list to restart living:

Body
1) Cut back on my coffee intake.
2) Gain some of my weight back.
3) Start getting some exercise again. Yoga? I don't know.
4) Sleep.

Mind
5) Take on my daughter’s school board.
6) Sell my coffee shop.
7) Go on a date.

Soul
8) Stop wearing my wedding ring.
9) Spread my husband’s ashes.
10) Forgive the woman who killed him.
11) Stop sleeping with her ex-husband.

12) Remember what love feels like.

13) Be happy

We follow Jamie through those 14 days, with her ups and downs in completing the list. Especially point 11 is very hard, since Cameron is not giving up on her. And since I really liked Cameron, I was kind of hoping Jamie would not be able to complete the list. Although Hot Dad Patrick on a date (point 7 on the list) was also a very good option.

In all, a very interesting read, with a lot of plot twists and turns. Let's not forget creepy neighbour Clarke and lovely daughter Sarah. And of course Chris, Jamie's colleague at the coffee shop and Pat, the mystery customer at the coffee shop with a hidden agenda. Yep, enough stories there in volume 1 through 6.

Four out of five stars from me. And special thanks to Rita Stradling and Netgalley for providing the ARC.

For those who didn’t start Rita Stradling’s novellas when they were being released one at a time you are in luck because the complete series of 6 novellas are all published and ready for you to dive into. It’s kind of like waiting until a TV Show hits Netflix and you can binge the whole thing at once instead of being tormented by waiting for the next part in the story to trickle in a little bit at a time.

The complete arch is a refreshing tale of how to move on and if you break it into small pieces then the process not only becomes easier but you find extraordinary beauty along the way.

I’ve had good success with Stradling’s works so far and this series does not disappoint. She always creates really interesting characters who feel realistic and full of depth. They start to feel like real people you want to invest your time in and the way she writes you begin to melt into her stories almost becoming one of her characters. The characters in this series are no different particularly the way she adds a layer of complexity to the human drama unfolding.

Her plot line is more like a slow burn as she stretches the psychological impact of the stages of grief, mourning and needing to rebuild over the course of these books. The main character Jamie sort of stopped living after her husband died and I think that’s something we can all relate to in various ways. There’s plenty of tension, mystery, friendship and love along the way to keep your interest.

What really drew me in though was the main character having a special needs child since I have two. I thought she did a remarkable job showing more of the realities behind the happiness and challenges that come with having a child that needs a little extra TLC compared to others. As a parent it’s difficult enough when you have to put your focus on your child(ren) instead of yourself when you’re going through major life changes but when your child needs even more of your time and attention in comparison then how you handle both their needs and your own becomes a tightrope act which Stradling showed.

The author depicted quite well the need to find that time to grieve, let your defenses down and focus on yourself regardless of how strong you are which is something we can all understand. Using a format where the reader goes on this journey with the main character through the 14 Day Detox allows you to feel you’re a part of the story, maybe even pick up some life lessons to apply in reality. Her conversationalist dialogue and in-depth character development aids in that feeling you’re walking next to Jamie instead of being on the outside observing.

By the end of Volume 6 all the loose strings will have been tied up, not always in a predictable manner which should help your attention from wavering. Anticipation, passion, conflict and plenty of twists all the way to the end will keep the boredom away. The flashbacks further aid in creating a complete picture to understand the motivations of the characters which will add another layer to the story to fill in any holes from the previous installments. It’s impossible to not feel your heart and emotions connect with her characters by the end as she masterfully demonstrates the importance of moving on from the past in order to find a healthy future.

When you read the last word on the last page you will have gone through an exquisite, electrifying journey that provides a suitable conclusion.

*An ARC was given in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to the writer and the publisher for the opportunity to read this.*
It is an interesting enough book, but unfortunately it is not really on my taste.