Review of A Little Too Much by Lisa Desrochers

[Barbara Ann RS]

I was happy to have the opportunity to review the much anticipated sequel to Lisa Desrochers’ A Little Too Far, and just like the first book, A Little Too Much does not disappoint!

If you haven’t read  A Little Too Far, which introduces the main character, Alessandro Moretti, whose story is featured in A Little Too Much, I strongly recommend you do so before reading this book and perhaps this review.

Alessandro is a handsome young man who is filled with guilt and regret about many mistakes he made during his teenage years. As a way to find redemption, he decided to become a Catholic priest and was just about to be ordained until he met Lexie, and his relationship with her was the catalyst for changing the entire direction of his life.  When  A Little Too Far, ended, Alessandro was lost, searching to find his way all over again, and I felt such empathy for him and wanted him to find the happiness he deserved.

Now, in A Little Too Much, Alessandro has returned to New York to try and put the ghosts of his past to rest. This used to be his home and he had fond memories of the area until his family fell apart and he and his older brother, Lorenzo, had to spend a brief period of time in a group home until other arrangements could be made.  Alessandro is still grappling with guilt over the things he did and the people he hurt, one of whom was Hilary McIntyre, a young fourteen-year-old girl who was also staying at the group home. Alessandro wants to somehow make amends for the pain he and his brother Lorenzo caused her. He just wants to check up on her, make sure she’s doing okay. When he finds Hilary, though, she wants nothing to do with the Moretti brothers and Alessandro realizes she still carries a lot of anger and bitterness about their time together.

Hilary is a tough, no-nonsense young woman whose POV shows just how much heartbreak she has endured over the years and why the barriers she has erected to protect herself are so strong. My heart aches for Hilary because of the neglect and lack of love she experienced for much of her young life, but I admire her for her emotional strength and ability to keep going. Her focus in life is on her singing/acting career, which at this point is not progressing as much as hoped. From my perspective, Hilary lives in numbness, keeping her emotions in check because, for her, it’s too risky to feel anything.  I don’t think Alessandro has any idea how much his return scares her because he is the one man with the power to break her all over again and expose secrets that she thinks are best left hidden.

I was initially surprised by her strong reaction to Alessandro. He is character who is easy to adore. He’s sensitive, compassionate, generous, and loving. I wanted to know what in the world he could have done to cause her so much agony all those years ago. Over the course of the book, the depth of their relationship and the sins of their past are revealed, leaving them both raw and vulnerable and forced to make some hard decisions about their future.

Alessandro and Hilary’s story shows just how important forgiveness and healing are in order to let go of the past and move forward in life. Their journey isn’t easy as both struggle to push through the emotional walls of hurt and pain that have overwhelmed them for so long.

This book is a worthwhile read and a great follow-up to A Little Too Far.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher for an honest review.

 Full Review:

http://sunmountainreviews.wordpress.com/2013/11/20/mini-review-of-a...