This book was so so good! There was a lot of responsibility put on this kid and he did the best he could. Love, angst, death, craziness - great narration!
I would definitely recommend

5 stars!

Thank you Netgalley for the advanced reader copy!

Thank you NetGalley and Brilliance Publishing for the ARC of this audiobook for my honest review

In the beginning I was so worried I wasn’t going to enjoy the story. I get easily stressed when people make dumb decisions and it felt like that would be the direction the book was going to go in. And I was like nooo I don’t want to watch him make his life worse and worse. But man was this good. He has a difficult time but that’s not the fault of his decisions so I don’t get mad at him at all. The story is still so emotional, and tense but in all the right ways. I loved the characters, the plot, and the writing was incredible. Most of all the ending was satisfying.. made me cry a lot but still it felt right. I recommend !

C.G. Cooper, author of military thrillers Young Adult and the Corps Justice series, returns with an emotionally charged standalone, GRECO.

A college football star embarks on a poignant journey to break free from his father’s entangled past sins. This complex human underdog story will tug at your heartstrings, leaving you fervently rooting for the MC until the end.

“GRECO is an intricately woven, coming-of-age, small-town, powerful story of loss, hope, and courage in the face of evil and adversity.”

Audiobook...

Cooper is a new author for me. I was drawn to the audiobook because of the narrator, Will Damron (a favorite), who gave a superb performance with his keen storytelling skills, making the characters come alive!

About...

Michael Angelo Greco (Greco) has a bright future as a star football player. However, he has to overcome his father's sins. Now, his father is dead, and he is responsible for taking care of his mom (who is drunk most of the time) and little brother, Tommy.

He is ready to escape the small, dead-end town of Shiply, Illinois, and his childhood dysfunctional environment. He wants a fresh start. He is ready for football and academics—a bright future.

In 1989, Greco started college at Jefferson State University, the year he would become a man. This is the year everything changed. Greco wanted to build something after surviving childhood. A wonderful roommate, Leroy, and dating a beautiful grad student.

But his past finds him, unfortunately, when his uncle shows up demanding Greco take care of his father's unfinished business with a powerful Chicago gangster and organized crime.

While trying to keep up his grades, football practices, and college life, he has to worry about his troubled younger brother, a spiraling mother, and a crooked uncle, Freddy, making his life miserable with blackmail.

Who can he tell? How will he escape this mess so history does not repeat itself? Did he really know his father?

My thoughts...

GRECO is a poignant coming-of-age story set in a small rural town. It delves into the protagonist's struggle with identity and the burden of his family's past sins. You'll be deeply moved by Greco's unwavering determination to carve a better life for himself and his brother and his relentless fight to bring light into the darkness.

A line between innocence and hard wisdom, between hopelessness and faith, beautifully told, readers who enjoy tales of loss, love, family, redemption, and emotional strength in the face of hardship and adversity will cheer on GRECO to the satisfying ending.

The book is about good people placed in difficult situations and families doing their best to survive while carrying a powerful takeaway message of hope for humanity, even in the darkest times.

Compelling and heart-wrenching! An ideal pick for book clubs. It's a moving and uplifting story of broken families, secrets, survival, betrayal, and triumph over tragedy; the well-developed characters, particularly Greco, Shelia, and Leroy, provide ample material for discussion, making it a great choice for group reading.

I look forward to reading more from C. G. Cooper! Also highly recommend the audiobook.

Recs...

Brimming with tension, family secrets, and betrayal, for fans of the author, coming-of-age stories and family dramas. Also, for those who enjoy works by Catherine Ryan Hyde, Fredrik Backman, John Hart, Wade Rouse, and William Kent Krueger.

Thanks to NetGalley, Brilliance Audio for an (ALC), and Lake Union Publishing for an (ARC) in exchange for an honest review.

Blog review posted @
JudithDCollins.com
@JudithDCollins | #JDCMustReadBooks
My Rating: 5 Stars (audio)
Pub Date: Dec 10, 2024
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Michael Greco is leaving his small town on a football scholarship. Hoping to escape the memory of his father’s death and the new found knowledge of his father’s business dealings with a Chicago gangster.

At college he quickly earns a spot on the team as a starter, makes new friends, and starts a relationship with a grad student.

Michael thinks he has left his past behind, until he gets a visit from his “uncle” who draws him in to the gangster underworld to pay back his father’s debts.

It is a good coming of age story, but I did get bogged down in the first half of the book with all the football background. I think I would have preferred more about Michael’s family history earlier in the story.

Greco comes from a dysfunctional family. Once he enters college he’s faced with cleaning up the mess that his dead father left behind. Along the way he finds love, friends, and discovers what it’s like to belong.

The narrator of the audiobook did a great job at bringing this story to life. This was an excellent story with a beautiful message. That plot twist shocked me! I wasn’t expecting it. I enjoyed getting to know Greco’s character and seeing him thrive throughout his chaotic life.

I highly recommend this book.

Thank you so much to NetGalley for the audiobook ARC in exchange for an honest review!