Review: Freeing Carter by Nyrae Dawn

Title: Freeing Carter

Author: Nyrae Dawn

Source: ebook from author

goodreads...

His whole life Carter’s fought to hold it together: To help Mom run their store. To be there for his special needs sister, Sara, and be the perfect boyfriend Mel wants. To dominate on the basketball court—the only place he ever feels free. And to carry Mom up the stairs when she’s too smashed to make it on her own. 

It isn't like she has a problem. Mom loves them. If she doesn't drink every day, she's not really an alcoholic, right? 

Wrong.

Then Kira Dawson, a girl with a bipolar wardrobe and rotating hairstyles comes to town. Somehow, she sees the truths he hides from the world. “You have skeletons, too, Carter Shaw. Don’t think I don’t know it.” For the first time, he wants someone to see his inner scars—to really know him. 

When his mom finally goes too far, will Carter be able to man-up, even if it means turning his back on her and stepping out from behind the façade he’s fought so hard to keep in place?

My take...

Carter is hiding things from his friends, a side of him he doesn’t want them to see. He doesn’t want them to see the Carter that takes care of a drunken mom late at night. He wants them to see ‘normal Carter’; the one who has a beautiful girlfriend, the one who loves basketball more than anything. But things are starting to slowly fall apart for him. And all it takes is a free spirited girl named Kira to shake up his world and show him he doesn’t have to hide…that he can be free.

I am not sure I have ever read a book with a male POV throughout the entire book. I liked it though. Nyrae did an awesome job making Carter sound convincingly enough like a guy should sound…not at all what I am used to with some female authors. Sometime they make the guys sound robotic or nothing at all male. But I fell in love with Carter from the beginning.

What I loved about the book was the author took something like alcoholism and shined a light right in its ugly face. She didn’t sugarcoat it and make it something cute and fun. She showed what a lifetime of it can do to a person, to a family. The pain it brings to a family and the repercussions.

But Nyrae also showed us that all it takes is one person to open your eyes and show you the world doesn’t have to be at all like you make it. It can be beautiful and free of restrictions. And I am not just talking about Kira opening Carter’s eyes…but also the other way around. Kira is trying to find out who she is among the world…and Carter may be just the guy to help her along the way to finding herself.

Freeing Carter is a real quick read that had me hooked from the beginning…when I see how devoted Carter is to his mom. It’s hard not to like him when he is such a good kid. I spent all of my free time reading it, eager to know what would happen between Carter and Kira. And when I finished it I knew I had to read more of Nyrae’s work.

Fave quotes....

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“It’s no longer a game. The second she started this truth, I knew that. We really are baring our souls and if there’s anyone I want to show what’s inside of me, it’s her.”

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        “I like you”. Another one of my truths.

        “I like you, too. Truth or Dare?” she asks. And I know this is enough truths for one night. That we both need a break just to be.

        “Dare.”

        “I dare you to kiss me.”