Synopsis:
How far would you go to bring back someone you love? What deal would you offer at the crossroads of life and death for the chance to see that loved one again?
When Chris’s son dies in a tragic car crash, her world is devastated. The walls of grief close in on Chris’s life until, one day, a small cut on her finger changes everything.
A drop of blood falls from Chris’s hand onto her son’s roadside memorial and, later that night, Chris thinks she sees his ghost outside her window. Only, is it really her son’s ghost, or is it something else—something evil?
Soon Chris is playing a dangerous game with forces beyond her control in a bid to see her son, Trey, alive once again.
Edition:
Paperback ARC
Disclosure:
I received a review copy of Crossroads from the publisher in exchange for review consideration. They give me no money, nor do they in any way influence my thoughts – those are 100% my own for better or worse.
My Thoughts:
When I first saw that Off Limits Press was going to be releasing a new novella from Laurel Hightower, I was like, ‘woah.’ And then when they put out a call for ARC reviewers I was like:
And then they actually did. And it was a wonderful moment for me. Laurel Hightower is such an incredibly talented writer. She managed to hook me so deep and so quickly in this story that I finished it all in one go. And she just has a real knack for creating characters that feel real. Not the kind of real where it’s, like, the real that televisions, magazines, and so many books want to make us think is real, but real-real. Laurel writes the types of people we should all strive to be. See this example:
And this, folks, is how #womenwritingwomen looks. Isn’t it glorious?! No boobing boobily on her giraffe legs with amazeballs curves oozing boobsex all over her catsuit… just a lady wearing new jeans that fit her comfortably. pic.twitter.com/J1HDdbtcVE
— The Spice Mel-ANGIE (but you can call me Angie) (@MediadromeBlog) July 21, 2020
And honestly, that example is just one of many. Every character in this story felt real, and nuanced, and just downright likeable. Even Chris’ relationship with her ex-husband, his new wife, and their children felt normal. Not like some overused trope where everyone hates everyone and they’re all conniving and sniping at each other all the time. There’s some baggage, yes, but everyone gets along for the most part. Chris and Beau have been divorced for a long time, and it was amicable.
But back to the story itself –
It was absolutely wrenching. In just over 100 pages I experienced a shocking number of emotions. I felt like I was experiencing it all right alongside Chris. Her grief, her confusion, her horror, her resignation, her sadness and her hope. And by the end of this book I was a god damned quivering mess of a human person. The lengths this woman was willing to go to – I mean, it’s incredible. Her love for her child and her grief at his death at such a relatively young age eclipsed absolutely EVERYTHING. Even her own happiness. This is a heavy little book.
About the Author:
Laurel Hightower grew up in Kentucky, attending college in California and Tennessee
before returning home to horse country, where she lives with her husband, son and two rescue animals, Yattering the cat (named for the Clive Barker short story) and Ladybug the adorable mutt. She definitely wants to see a picture of your dog, and often bonds with complete strangers over animal stories. A lifetime reader, she would raid her parents’ bookshelves from an early age, resulting in a number of awkward conversations about things like, “what does getting laid mean?” She loves discovering new favorite authors, and supporting the writing and reading community.
Laurel works as a paralegal in a mid-size firm, wrangling litigators by day and writing at night. A bourbon and beer girl, she’s a fan of horror movies and true life ghost stories. Whispers in the Dark is her first novel, though there are always more in the pipeline, and she loves researching anything horror related. She can usually be found working on the next project into the wee hours, sometimes as late as ten at night, as long as her toddler allows. Follow her on social media, even though she’s really bad at it, and she’ll follow you back. Plus you’ll be rewarded by pictures of cute dogs and kids.
Rating:
I want to give it more stars, tbh. Crossroads is so emotional, so powerful, and so beautiful.
Want to buy this book? You can pre-order it directly from the publisher right now by clicking here. Otherwise, I will update here with my affiliate Bookshop link when it goes up there. It releases August 10, 2020.
Crossroads By Laurel Hightower Off Limits Press Published: August 10, 2020 Paperback, E-book 110 Pages Publisher's Website Author's Webiste
Awesome review! I cannot wait for my pre-order copy to come in!!