Today I’m very excited to share this positive review from Kirkus about my soon-to-be-released book, Leaving the Beach. The entire review can be read here, or, if you prefer, here’s a quick excerpt:

Rowen’s novel…gracefully grapples with several important issues, including alcohol and drug addiction, loss, grief and sexuality. It also offers a unique look at an eating disorder from the sufferer’s perspective, describing bulimia frankly and graphically. However, there are also many entertaining pop-culture references to offset the weighty themes. Music lovers, in particular, will appreciate the very specific rock trivia that the author cleverly provides throughout the story.  An intriguing novel that looks at the ways that people cope with the pain in their lives.–Kirkus Reviews

I like this review a lot because I feel as though the person who wrote it really understood what I was hoping to do with the story. I didn’t want to write an “issue book” about bulimia; rather, I wanted the character’s illness to be just one element of her personality, and that seems to be what came through for the reviewer.

As for the book itself, it’s currently available on Amazon , in both paperback and Kindle versions. If you read it, I’d would love to hear your feedback, and, of course, if you’d consider writing an honest review for Amazon, I’d be thrilled.

Thank you!

Mary