A Life, Redefined
# by Tracy Hewitt Meyer


BHC Press
Teens & YA
Pub Date 12 Mar 2020  



I am reviewing a copy of A Life, Redefined though BHC Press an Netgalley:





There are times when the darkness is to great, the pain is so real, that there is nothing but sharp edges, that feel like razor edges, these things are the reminder that I am alive.



It was seven years ago that an innocent act by Rowan Stone, turned her life into a nightmare. She has lived with the burden of her baby brothers death since she was ten years old, now she is seventeen and she just wants to graduate high school, go to College, so she can escape the loveless family she has endured for all these years, the very same family who held her responsible for her baby brothers death, but no one can hold her more responsible than herself.





After Mike Anderson her long time crush invites her to the prom, she feels her world is starting to look brighter, but her her younger sister Trine is determined to ruin her new found happiness no matter the cost. But it is when she discovers what really happened to her baby brother, her Mother’s long time secret, she finds herself teetering on the edge of the abyss.


Will Rowan be able to find the strength to look to the future or all she be doomed to live in the past?


I give A Life, Redefined five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

When I think about reading A Life, Redefined the main feeling and thought that immediately springs up is that of loneliness. Rowan made a simple mistake as a child that unfortunately led to the death of her baby Brother and ever since then her family have blamed her. And not only blamed her, but treated her as if she doesn't deserve to live. With a depressed, neglectful Mother, a nasty violent Father, and a hateful little Sister Rowan spends her days going through the motions and dreaming of the day she will graduate from school and be able to move to a College far away. She desperately wants to make a fresh start in a place where no one will know that she killed her Brother. Rowan had previously used self harm as a coping mechanism but had managed to stop cutting herself. However, as her home life deteriorates further and her relationships with her friends become tense she again turns to self harm.
I think that the self harm aspect of the book and the Mother's depression were very well written. The way that these issues were portrayed in a more 'everyday', under the radar way is a very accurate and more realistic picture of how many people experience these issues rather than the overt dramatic crisis situations that people tend to focus on.
Some of the events in the book seemed a little underwritten and not explored enough but overall I think the story was good. I definitely found it interesting and engaging, and the twist towards the end regarding the Mother's secret was not one I had imagined. However, I didn't quite fully like Rowan's character and some of the events seemed a little unrealistic so A Life, Redefined was a solid 3 star book for me.

This is a very important story that I think could resonate with a lot of teenagers.

For me, the biggest issue was that I did not feel connected to any of the characters. Yes, I felt bad for Rowan and her situation but I never felt invested. There are several plots happening and 200 pages are too short to give any of them enough impact or time to develop. Rowan also seemed to self-aware at times, I did not always believe her when she said it's her fault or when she simply told her teacher everything.
I wished we had more time spent between Trina and Rowan, I wanted to see them interact morea nd get more insight into their relationship.
I feel like there were a few topics that were not explored or discussed enough in my opinion. Jess's relationship is only mentioned but adds little else, Rowan's work schedule appeared and disappeared as needed, her boss Dan also held no discernible personality. The school also seemed to be aware of everything happening at Slone's but never interfered.
Her relationship with Mark was cute but, as said before, developed quite fast. The epilogue was a but clichée.

So overall, important topic and interesting story but lacking in length and personal investment.

The premise of this book was engaging from the first page. How would/could a family cope with the death of a child? Especially if a sibling was responsible. First person narrative makes the book a fast page turner from the beginning, however serious topics are dealt with quite frivolously with a lot of topics mentioned in a small book. One topic that I felt was dealt with is the power dynamics which are at play between older Men and teenage daughters. Also the limitations of how a school can help it’s students.

The reason why I am rating the book so low is because the plot twist at the end of the books makes the characters seem unrealistic.

I’m hesitant to say too much about this book. I was looking forward to reading it but I had some significant problems with its content. I don’t want to come across as mean because that’s not my intent, but I also don’t want to ignore the issues I found. There are multiple 4 and 5 star reviews so I would encourage you to read those as well before deciding if this is the book for you or not. I know you have your own mind and I don’t expect what I have to say will influence you either way but just in case: I would hate for you to miss out on a book you may love simply because I didn’t.

Rowan has been living with the knowledge that she was responsible for her baby brother’s death for seven years now. She’s not alone in blaming herself; her entire family blames her too. Her father is controlling and abusive. Her mother is emotionally unavailable, spending the majority of her time locked in her bedroom.

“Being in this house, surrounded by memories, guilt, and resentment - all those devastating things made it impossible to see the bright side of anything.”

Rowan’s younger sister, Trina, has a reputation, her best friend, Jess, is dating a 25 year old, and her boss, Dan, is a creep. She has a crush on Mike but doesn’t think she’s good enough for him.

I requested this book because I saw that self harm was going to be addressed. This topic is one that a lot of people are ashamed to admit they struggle with. Reactions from people who learn someone self harms can range from disbelief to outright shaming, so I applaud anyone willing to tackle it. There are several instances of a character self harming in this book so if this is a potential trigger for you, please take care of yourself while reading.

The majority of the women in this book were either fat shamed, slut shamed or portrayed as victims. The men seemed to either be saviours or perpetrators. Most of the characters felt two dimensional and the descriptions were quite repetitive.

The first time I found out Jess’ hair colour was cherry red I pictured it in my mind; after the fourth time I was keen to learn something new about her. Similarly repetitive but more offensive descriptions followed Rowan’s mother and sister. If Rowan’s mother was ever mentioned without a fat shaming comment attached it didn’t stand out enough for me to remember. Rowan’s sister was slut shamed throughout the book and her redeeming qualities, which I’m certain she had because we all have at least one, are a mystery to me.

Rowan’s traumatic experiences may account for some of this but it felt like I was reading about a main character who was 13 or 14, not a few weeks away from 18.

I tend to gravitate to YA books that include social issues but sometimes so many are mentioned that it can feel like social issue soup. A lot of really important themes were mentioned but I don’t think it’s possible to do all of them justice in such a short book. The sensitivity I expected to accompany such issues wasn’t always apparent.

I don’t understand why Aidan’s true cause of death wouldn’t have been obvious during his autopsy. I also had trouble believing that Rowan would forget the anniversary of her brother’s death. I would like some resolution about Trina’s story - did anyone ever offer her any help or compassion? I don’t care what’s she’s done - the response to her attempting suicide should never have been ”Did it matter at all if my sister didn’t make it?”. I expect some of my unanswered questions will be addressed in the sequel but I don’t think I will be continuing this series.

Content warnings include alcoholism, depression, domestic violence, fat shaming, mention of sexual assault, miscarriage, neglect, physical abuse, racism, self harm, slut shaming and suicide attempts.

Thank you so much to NetGalley and BHC Press for the opportunity to read this book. I’m rounding up from 2.5 stars.

What a sad story. I felt so bad for Rowan and the burden she carries over her baby brother’s death. Her family is really awful to her and she is just doing her best to carry on. Not only she has to deal with that guilt, she has to deal with the abuse from her family and the knowledge that they blame her also. I hope things get better for her in the next book.

This is the kinda book that is going to stick with me for a very long time. I finished it about an hour ago and I cannot stop thinking about it; about Rowan, about her family, about her heartbreak and her pain. I genuinely loved it and thought it was so powerful. Every time something more happened, I just wanted to reach into the book and hug Rowan - reading everything she was going through was hard. I recommend!