Make Lemonade (Hope Falls) by Cassie Mae

Posted February 2, 2017 by Curly Carla in Reviews / 0 Comments

make-lemonadeBlurb: Beth’s dream has always been Disneyland, and with the way life has been going, a trip to the magical world was just the ticket she needed. But with a broken transmission halfway there, Beth and her boyfriend Ben get stranded in the town of Hope Falls, and she is not in the best of moods.

As things continue to take a dive, Ben is determined to turn this situation around. With a knack for fixing cars and a ring in his pocket, he prepares to turn the sourest lemon into the sweetest lemonade, all for the woman he loves.

But the problem might just run deeper than a broken down car and a delayed vacation.

 

 

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5 stars

I love the concept of Kindle Worlds. Different authors writing stories in a shared world. How cool is that?  I know a few other authors who write these books. And while this is a short story, it still carries a great emotional weight for me.  That is a tough thing for novellas to do, as I usually don’t become too emotionally attached to them.  But, I felt this story in my bones.  And honestly, I was a bit scared as I read it.  Reading about intangibles has always been a bit scary for me.  I don’t know why.

I myself have not been diagnosed with depression but I know many friends and family that deal with it.  As an outsider looking in, I identified with Ben’s character right away.  He wanted to fix it.  (I’m a fixer) Then questioned himself as a catalyst. (Is it something we did?) I can’t imagine the courage it took for Beth to open up about something so personal and ask for help.

It felt so real, literally I have witnessed a similar situation so those feelings came bubbling back up to the surface. And I could attempt to imagine what Beth was feeling, while in reality have no idea.  I imagine a helplessness not knowing what was wrong and so being unable to know what to do.  As a bit of a control freak, I know this would mess with my head.

Little side note about my past: I was raised to believe that depression was not ‘real’ and it was a controllable condition. That whoever claimed to have it was either too sensitive or just a complainer.  That admitting you needed help was weak or a character flaw.  It took many years for me to break away from that contemptuous outlook.  I still struggle with it from time to time.

At any rate, I feel like Beth showed me that its okay to not be okay.  And I think that lesson is one we need to hear more often.  Because no one is perfect, yeah? So if you like love stories with a dose of reality you’ll like this one.  Go visit Hope Falls and fall in love.

Curly Carla_small

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0 responses to “Make Lemonade (Hope Falls) by Cassie Mae

  1. Oh honey, bang on the money. I love that this book radiates with people suffering from depression *and* people who know someone who is suffering. Pretty powerful stuff.

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