New Review! Standing Sideways by J. Lynn Bailey 4 Cranky Stars

Standing Sideways by J. Lynn Bailey
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

4 Cranky Stars


Wow this book is a heartbreaker. It deals with a sensitive topic that we see a lot in the news today. The ones that make you stop and try to comprehend why so many lives were lost why some were in a sense lucky and some were not. Standing Sideways is from the view point of someone who lost someone close. A twin the other half of her soul and her identity. This is Livia Stones story of how she spiraled.


Livia lost her twin Jasper to a tragic act. She is barely muddling through life. Her newest hobby is lying to everyone and taking Valium. She has an unhealthy relationship with Jaspers best friend Simon. They meet several times a week and get lost in each other’s body. Using sex to cope with the loss. She knows she is spiraling and losing herself and she honestly doesn’t care especially when she turns to her father’s stash in the family shed. Her best friend Cao is trying to save her. When she meets a British boy, who is also grieving they forge a bond. They become each other’s confidant. While Livia’s life is spiraling and she’s turning to other means to cope Daniel is losing the most important person in his life. When Livia hits rock bottom it ends in tragedy and she’s left picking up the pieces.


This book will rattle your heart. It will take you down to a place you don’t want to go. I’m the daughter of a recovering alcoholic I know how Livia feels. That abandonment. I have a brother and I couldn’t imagine a world without him in it. So, grab your Kleenex and get ready. My only issues with the book were the saying he pronounced his words this way just because he was British took me out the story sometimes. I consulted with a friend who is also British and she’s like yeahhhh well that doesn’t make a lick of sense. I know the author was just trying to convey how important his accent was to Livia. Also, I wasn’t fond of the whole Gossip Girl part of the book with the school blog blasts on the cell phones. We never did get answers on who that was anyway.


If you can look past that to the story underneath, you’ll see a very real and touching story underneath.


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