BOOK SYNOPSIS:
FREEING: a companion novel to the USA Today bestseller, Fading.
Knowing who you are and accepting who you are come at different prices.
Jase Kinrick grew up in your typical, all-American household. But after the death of his sister, his parents shut down, forcing him to deal with everything life throws his way alone. Terrified of the person he’s discovering himself to be, Jase has his way with every willing girl to try and rid himself of what he fears he is—gay.
Escaping California and moving to Seattle to attend the University of Washington, Jase frees himself to the reality that he likes men. Never staying with any guy long enough to get to know them, he doesn’t realize that he’s still hiding from who he is until he meets Mark. Scared of having real feelings for another guy stirs up the questions and fears he’s fought hard to bury.
To strip away the barriers to the heart of what is real, and to be okay with what lies underneath, will be Jase’s moment of truth. But he’ll need Mark to lead him there.
BOOK GENRES:
Coming of Age
New Adult
RELEASE DATE:
Sept 13, 2013
**THIS IS A FULL-LENGTH COMPANION NOVEL TO FADING**
Excerpt
Everything tunnels: my hearing, my vision. My heart thuds. Hard. I drop my head in my hands, and the tears just spill out. Allie continues to talk, but I’ve already heard all my soul can handle at this point. This girl is my fuckin’ heart, and I’m terrified to see what’s left of it.
I turn to look at the nurse when she hands me a tissue, but I don’t reach out to take it. I just look at her with no words.
“I’m so sorry. You can utilize this room for as long as you need, but it’s not going to be good for her to see you so upset. You need to be strong for her right now.”
I nod my head. She’s right. I’ve got to pull my shit together. I finally take the tissue from her hand. I could sit here and cry for the rest of my life if I allowed myself, but I need to see her. So that’s what I tell the nurse. “I need to see her.”
Review
4.5 Stars!
In Fading we met Candace's best friend, Jase. Now we get to read all about him in Freeing.
In this story we get to follow Jase as he moves from his home in California to Seattle to escape his home life. He's grown up in the all-American life with a family that has strict morals. Being taught all his life that being gay is wrong-he's confused about his feelings for men. After the death of his sister, who was his best friend, his parents shut down. He has nobody to talk to about what he's going through with his feelings and moves away for college to give him the freedom to be who he really is-gay.
At school he still isn't 100% being comfortable with being considered gay. He has casual hookups with guys, but will never allow himself an emotional attachment because then it would all be "real". When he meets Mark, he knows that he's different. There's something about him that makes him want to be set free with his feelings but he doesn't know how to get over his own insecurities and be with him.
"I don't want to hide parts of me from you, but I don't know how to do that. I get scared. I'm afraid people are judging me."
Through many ups and downs he leans on Mark with the hopes of being free one day.
This book tore at my heart in so many ways. I loved that it was from a guys point of view. It's not often we get to have their perspective so I love knowing their feelings, emotions, and thoughts. Jase and Mark were both the perfect persona's to portray as gay men. They were both normal, regular guys who just happen to be gay. No stereo types, no alpha male book personalities-regular guys living regular lives and you'd never know either way if they were gay or straight meeting them.
I felt so much empathy for Jase when reading this book. He truly wanted to be comfortable with himself, truly wanted to love and be loved, but had no clue how to do it without feeling judged by others and society. Watching him struggle to grow throughout the book was inspiring and heart wrenching at the same time knowing that so many people go through this everyday of their lives.
I would absolutely recommend this book to EVERYONE. It's not only amazing, but teaches a valuable lesson in understanding and acceptance of others. Please pick up this book and read it! You won't regret all you will take away from it.
*Reviewed by Lauren
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