Review: Under the Influence by L.B. Simmons
Under the Influence
by L.B. Simmons
Published by L.B. Simmons
Dalton,
I loved you once. A love I thought irrevocable. A love I mistakenly believed could transcend both time and circumstance. Under the influence of my dimwitted, naïve, traitorous heart, I became intoxicated with what I now know was simply a figment of my self-indulgent imagination. So drunk on the feeling, I couldn’t see what was right in front of my face. So foolishly enamored, I blindly followed my heart into the depths of an emotion that would ravage me.
Years later, I know now what I wish I knew then. I am stronger. Smarter. Tougher. I will not allow myself to be broken again.
I loved you.
I raged for you.
I wept for you.
And now, I’m letting you go.
Author’s Note: Under the Influence is the journey of two childhood friends that spans the course of five pivotal years in their lives. It is a story about their discovery of true friendship as it blossoms into first love, their experience of crucial sacrifice and ultimate betrayal, and their endurance of agonizing heartbreak on the way to finding lasting redemption.
Under the influence is a beautiful story about redemption, forgiveness and unconditional love. We get to follow Spencer and Dalton, who became friends on a porch and helped each other heal ragged wounds only to be ripped apart by secrets.
I loved the overall story. The plot was captivating and tackled domestic and child abuse in a very good way. How it can both break someone while making someone else stronger. What really bothered me was the writing.
The language is absolutely beautiful and poetic, and most every paragraph is quotable. It's packed to the brimming with adjectives and is incredibly descriptive. And because of that it's also very hard to grasp. Its a lot of beautiful words with very little substance. Remove half the adjectives, or so, and make it more readable and this might very well have been a five star read.
That big and complicated language also makes the the female main character, Spencer, seem so very wise beyond her years. She says so intricate sentences that 90% of 18 year olds can't pronounce them and they fit better in a poem than in an actually conversation. Sometime she seem more like a tripping hippie than an 18 year old girl.
Her ability to see and being out the best in people is admiring. But I can't get over the fact that she takes it so far that she comes off as naive. She is blind to reality because she only acknowledge the things she want to see. Dalton tells her he's dealing drugs and beat people up for a living and she's okay with that because he didn't really want to and somewhere deep down he's a good person. It's one thing to acknowledge his wrongdoings and understand why he did what he did, but nothing he's done is okay. Necessary but not okay. She turns a blind eye to all of it or maybe she just doesn't see it, and that bothers me.
"You have changed me, altered my perception of a life I loathed and given me the strength to try to change it."
“Because the truth is, there’s nothing more frightening in my world than those who know you—who really know you.”
About the Author:
I live on the east coast with my husband and amazing five year old son. I'm an avid reader of all things romance-especially those with alpha males. The more unlikable they are in the beginning, the better. Happy endings are a must! Don't leave me with an unexpected cliffhanger or someone dying in the end. I'll mope around for days and be too embarrassed to tell anyone why. Love triangles and negative people (in real life) are the bane of my existence. My wonderful family and friends, sangria and watermelon margaritas are the light...
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