I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from the Author. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Before Dawn
by Laura F. Murphy
on September 5, 2022
Setting: New York
Genres: Women's Fiction
Pages: 271
Format: Kindle
Goodreads
BookBub
Get Your Copy at: Amazon, Google
Feisty New Yorker, Max, falls for her mysterious coworker, Tommy, who is fourteen years her senior. Wanting to please him and meet his beauty standards she conflictingly conceals her natural hair from him and avoids tanning so her skin doesn’t get too dark. Max tightly holds onto their forbidden romance while trying to figure out who she is and her place in a world she doesn’t always fit in. Too caught up with her feelings she becomes oblivious to the consequences of her actions. As tragedy strikes Max has to face her own worst enemy, herself.
Before Dawn by Laura F. Murphy is the tale of a young lady’s journey into self-love, maturity, and finding her place in this world.
Will Max find her happiness?
Maximiliana Abbracciavento
Max is our heroine and point of view. Max is adopted. Her adoptive family has always loved her. However, Max doesn’t always love herself. She is an Africian-American woman raised by a white Italian family. Sometimes, she isn’t sure who she wants to be, and she allows others to dictate how she lives. Max loses her adoptive mother, and her life seems to spiral from there.
I was immediately drawn into Max’s life. I found myself rooting for her to stand up for herself. Max is smart and talented. She sings, is a fantastic chef, and is also an auto mechanic. Max speaks Italian fluently and has a photographic memory. However, she is lost in a way. Max hasn’t found her path in the world. You know, the one where she feels excited about what she is doing every day and is happy to be herself.
Throughout the book, some terrible things happen to Max. These things make her angry and give her panic attacks, but throughout the story, she learns how to deal with them, face her past, and look forward to her future. Maximiliana is a strong character with a powerful story.
Five Stars
My rating for Before Dawn by Laura F. Murphy is five stars. Maximiliana’s story seems like it could happen in the real world. Ms. Murphy does such a fantastic job that I sometimes felt like I was in New York with Max and Ru. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for an excellent coming-of-age book.
Thank you for dropping by! I hope you enjoyed this review of Before Dawn by Laura F. Murphy.
Until the next time,
About Laura F. Murphy
A little about me, at age 13, I fell in love with writing. At that age, I created a story in my notebook, and later my friends would read and add comments in the margin of it. In 2009 my dream came true when my first young adult novel, Reckless Perfection, was published. I received multiple positive reviews on the coming of age story. In 2016 I published the sequel to the above novel, Chasing Ghosts which was also well received. My latest chick-lit novel Before Dawn is coming soon and hopefully will be beloved.
I create characters that are strong and likable, despite their flaws. Nothing about my characters are black and white. They are all multi-layered individuals who may not always make the right choices, but most times learn from their shortcomings. I try to keep the storylines relevant and realistic by addressing topics such as faith, family dysfunction, friendship, relationships, mental health, fertility issues, amongst other topics that many women can relate to.
As a Haitian American writer, I find it necessary to have diversity in my writing. What makes my writing unique besides the multi-layered characters and strong storylines are the strong dialogue that captivates readers and makes this book a page turner. On my free time I enjoy spending time with my loved ones including my husband and parents, listening to music, going for walks, along with trips to the beach.
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- Jenz 2023 ABC Soup Authors RC
- Jenz 2023 ABC Soup RC
- Jenz 2023 Goodreads RC
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