An absolutely amazing read!! With the right mix of a mother and son’ journey through drug addiction that grips you from the first paragraph and holds the reader captive until the last word. A geniely realistic novel that comes straight from the heart and soul of this author. A gripping novel that is based on her personal journey with her own son. A moving and telling novel that could be straight from any families life... will not disappoint any reader, make it female, young or old. Not to be missed by any reader.

I received an arc copy of this book from Net Galley in exchange for my honest opinion of it. This book was amazing and I could not put it down. It lets you see the side of drug addiction from the user and the family members. Very emotional.

Thank you NetGalley for an advanced reader copy.

Natalie lost her husband and nearly her son in a horrific car accident. As she is falling apart with grief, her son Beck tries to deal with the emotional pain of the accident and the toll it has taken on his family with pot...then pills...then heroin. Soon he is a full-fledged junkie living on the streets doing what he can to get his next fix.

The story alters between Beck in the hospital and Natalie coming to terms with her son being an addict---something she doesn't want to believe or admit. You get the current story and the back story to what led them to this hospital room.

Cons: the two younger kids didn't seem as affected by the turmoil, mom is not a likable character, not everything seemed realistic, the time moved too fast.

Pros: all. the. feels. This book ripped my heart out, stomped on it and put it back. As a parent, my heart broke. This book made me super angry and super sad within the same page. I appreciate that the author wrote with actual experience so that she actually understood the pain and suffering addiction can cause.

I devoured this book. An absolute must read.

I was given an ARC of this novel from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

Heartbreaking novel on addiction and the aftereffects on the addict and his family.

This book was intense and endearing. Seeing the same events from two perspectives gave the story a depth that was rewarding to read.

I enjoyed this novel very much. Held my interest throughout and felt empathy for the characters. Author has a superb style of writing, a real page turner. Loved the book.

This book was so real and raw and heartbreaking. I loved it. This book had me feeling all the feelings.

WOW!
Where do I begin on this review...
This was one of the deepest, most emotional books I have ever read. Such an eye opening and inspirational book. It deals with drug addiction and guilt.

The way the author, Courtney Cole, has written this book is absolutely fantastic. The flow of the book is perfect. The characters and events of this story line are very realistic, and so completely amazingly put into words.

Beck, an addict who shows up on his mother's doorstep in the midst of an overdose of bad heroin and on his death bed, is clinging to life in a hospital bed. Natalie, his mother, is by his bedside, praying he doesn't die like his father did in the car accident a year ago.

This story is written through the eyes of both Beck and Natalie, and portrays both current and past events of their lives. It is really well written and easy to follow whose eyes you are looking through, and such amazing backstories throughout the whole book.

I would COMPLETELY recommend reading this, however, you need to have kleenex handy, as this is such an emotional book!

A moving story about addiction and how it affects both the addict and the family. A very knowledgeable account, as the author has been through it with her own son. Very cathartic.

A touching story. It was heart breaking, heart felt, hopeful, and everything in between. It was beautifully told and had some unexpected plot twists that enhanced the story.

This book broke my heart and put it back together many times while reading it. Having a family member that also struggled with an addiction to heroin really made this one hit the mark. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone just searching for an engaging read. I loved it.

You have to feel for this poor woman, her son, and the other kids, and friends, of the family. From one accident a series of horrible events take place, one almost worse than the next. It's can be all too easy to skip from one horror to the inevitable next one, without giving enough thought to the wreckage left behind. As everyone attempts to cope, in their own ways, dysfunction becomes all the more extreme reactions we see, addiction, severe depression and the associated losses those bring.
The son sees himself as responsible, and has to take on so much more when his mom loses her ability to rely cope. His way out from under becomes a road to hell for everyone and proves almost fatal.

This is a poignant and painful story that rings true. The alternating chapters' voices give some perspective that we wish each other had been able to see before the whole thing collapses. For anyone who has had to talk this path, of sudden loss, of frustration and temptation to find a soft place to fall that can become a very hard place, you will understand. For those who have been fortunate to avoid any of this thus far, do read with compassion. There but for the grace of God, go so many.

Captivating with beautifully flawed characters. We were absorbed until the last page.

“I’d never felt so low.
I’d never felt so sub-human.
But even still, I waited for them to return, because I needed what they had more than I needed pride. More than I even needed to breathe.”

Courtney, Courtney, Courtney. I wish the words that I typed right now could do you the justice you so deserve with Saving Beck. Unfortunately- they won’t. Nothing I say can. Because I know how painful this one was for you write and I wish I could have held your hand every step of the way.

Saving Beck is a story that we can all relate to. We’ve either been there, done that, or we know someone who has been there and done that or maybe even a little of both. Either way, it’s a heartbreaking story. But a story that needed to be told nonetheless. And when you read this book, your heart will shatter. You’ll probably even hear the pieces hit the ground from the deafening silence of Courtney’s words.

Besides Courtney and her all around diligent writing, the characters in Saving Beck spoke to me the most. All of them. And the way Courtney crafted them all to fit perfectly within the story took my breath away. Especially Angel. Beck. The entire family. The way they all molded and were shaped blew me away.

Another extremely positive thing with Saving Beck was the past/present POVs. They were genius for this story. Knowing what led up to the events and then living in the said moments brings a whole different light to the situation going on with Beck. Seeing all sides of him brought him to life. I practically witnessed all of her characters within this book fluttering off the pages.

“Please, please, please.
I beg over and over, and I’m not sure anymore if I’m talking aloud or in my head. I feel that God will hear me either way.”

The rabbit hole. That’s what this book is. How easy it is to fall into it. How hard it is to get out of it. How every single person around you struggles with it. It’s heartbreaking, it’s overwhelming and it’s raw. Courtney describes it all so vividly. She paints a picture that isn’t pretty for us to see- but definitely something that needs to be painted and brought to life.

I’m so glad to of experienced this book with Courtney. I am even more glad that she sat down and wrote it. She did it. A story that needed to be told and told in the real and right way. She MFing did it.

I think my absolute favorite thing about this book was the authors heartfelt message at the end. Her words were so heartbreaking and heartwarming at the same time, they really grabbed me..

Unfortunately Saving Beck didn't grab me the same way. I felt like parts of this book took too much of a "religious" turn for me personally. Although I will say that the parts that Courtney wrote regarding her son's drug use and the mother's reaction were SO well written- and you could tell that it was from her own personal experience that these feelings came from.

This one is difficult for me to review without coming off as unfeeling and cynical, but here it is.

Natalie and Matt are the loving parents of three great children. Beck is the oldest of the three - a good student, a football star, and a loving son with a beautiful girlfriend. Life is great, practically perfect, and high school graduation is just around the corner. Then tragedy strikes in the form of a car accident in which Matt is killed and Beck is injured. Life isn't so great anymore.

As Natalie spirals down into depression and starts relying on medication to help her get through the days without her husband, Beck is left to take care of his young brother and sister. Eventually, this takes a toll on the boy who is dealing with his own guilt and pain at the loss of his dad, and dependence on drugs enter his world as well.

The description of a parent's fear when a child becomes addicted to hard drugs is illustrated well in the book. The panic of a phone call in the middle of the night, the sleepless nights when you don't know where your child is or if he is even alive are all described here. Although I'm not personally familiar with the physical cravings of a drug abuser, I do think the author gave a very vivid account of what it's like to inject heroin into a vein, and the constant need for more when the drug wears off.

What I didn't care for in the book were that the younger children of the family, Devin and Annabelle, barely seemed to be affected by their father's death, their mother's deep depression and their brother's disappearance and drug addiction. They're hardly even characters in the story. To be fair, this is really Beck's story, but the other kids seem to be coping just fine in the middle of chaos. They’re basically just props to illustrate how Beck was forced to compensate for Natalie’s dysfunction.

This story is heart-rending, but it had too many spiritual undercurrents for me. A mother’s desperate prayers for her son, fine. I get it. But then, gradually, “God” started popping up in too many conversations and thoughts. And then wow. The end of the book was WAY too woo-woo spirit-in-the-sky for me. I know many people will love this part of the story. It just wasn’t for me, and it dropped my rating down from a 3.5 to a 3. I possibly would have rated it lower, but the author’s note at the end of the book captured me. THIS is what the story should have been. It was heartfelt, not fake. It was authentic, because she wrote about her son, a recovering addict. Her words about her real life situation tore into me as the book itself did not. I felt her pain and love for her son so clearly.
Thank you to NetGalley and Simon and Schuster for an advance egalley proof of the book in exchange for my honest review.

Saving Beck is about a young man who lost his way in life, to addiction. The
pressures of life got to him.

A heartbreaking backstory is woven into both characters points of view stating the emotional turmoil both encountered from the shared experience. Beck recounts the events that took place before bringing him to this point in his life. His mother does the same thing. It’s an excellent way to deliver the truth.

It’s unequivocally raw and honest. A family broken by tragedy, torn apart by guilt.
Each headed down separate paths of destruction until their worlds implode.
Beck is fighting for a life he’s not sure he deserves. His family and friends are by his side reminding him that he is still a good person despite the bad choices he made.
This story is character driven to help support Beck and his mother. This story illustrates the various ways people cope with tragedy and how each persons choices not only effect them but effect everyone else as well.

I’ve never read a story about the actual experience a person went through while addicted to drugs. I understand the process and stages of addiction, but to hear
Beck recount each and every time he took drugs was scary and eye opening.

This story was intense, it was filled with a sadness that is difficult to relate to. But
with love and much support this family manages to pick up the pieces of their broken life. I loved the unconditional love and support Nat gave her son throughout this book.

Courtney showed what addiction is and what it can do to a family and the person using. She illustrated along the way the importance in never giving up hope. She believed in her son’s recovery and believed if he set his mind to it he could accomplish it. She reminded the reader how good her son was and still is even after making bad choices. She states that’s is okay to call yourself an addict because it’s
a reminder that you are human and you survived the battle.

This book was completely heart breaking and so much more. Have your tissue ready plus some back up boxes because you are going to need it! This story was so beautifully written that it left me breathless. A must read!!

Heart wrenching. A feel it in your soul read. Bring on the tissues. Saving Beck is a phenomenal emotion read. You can feel the emotions that Courtney Cole has behind writing this story. In Saving Beck you are hit with loss and grieving. But also the struggle to move forward and what happens when you look for that escape from reality for just a little bit. Natalie is trying to do what she can. She is lost and surviving on her anxiety meds to cope with the loss of her husband. But what guts you most is watching the kids start to suffer a little when she tunes out into her depression. Beck does what he can by being the oldest and stepping in to take care of his siblings. Everyone has a breaking point and at a certain point you finally start to see Beck hit his. He is coping with not only the loss of his father but the feelings behind it and the blame. You get they why me and it takes you the darkest places. Once Beck is in the fight of his life be prepared to start bawling. You feel for everyone involved. The struggle of how deep Beck's addiction became. Saving Beck may be one of loss, depression and addiction, but it is also a book of hope, closure, healing and strength. After reading this story I want to do nothing but give Courtney Cole a huge hug and thank her for writing Saving Beck. I may be suffering from and epic book hangover and emotionally raw at the moment but it is so worth it. SAVING BECK IS A MUST READ OF 2018.

Almost all of us know someone whose life has been touched by opiate addiction. In this heart-wrenching novel, Cole shows hoe sorrow and grief can lead us down the road of addiction and how it affects everyone around us. In SAVING BECK, Natalie loses herself to grief after her husband is killed in a car crash. Her son, Beck, is left to pick up the pieces and tend to his brother and sister as his mother sinks deeper and deeper into depression. But Beck is carrying his own sorrow and guilt surrounding the accident and he begins stealing a few of his mother's Xanax to cope. Beck tries heroin and finds is finally brings him the peace he wants. Out of frustration and despair he leaves home, leaving all who love him frantic. When he resurfaces on his mother's porch two months later, he is literally foaming at the mouth in the throes of an overdose. The doctors put him into a medically induced coma to keep him alive. The story of where he has been and whether he will survive is told in alternating voices. Beautiful and scary, it shows how none of us are immune from addiction; none of us are safe.