It is finally my stop for Abi Yardimci‘s Life is Yours blog tour! This is definietly a first of a kind tour for me because Abi herself is organizing it. Also, my previous tours have always had some magical elements in the form of fantasy, and magical realism, but Life is Yours is the first book which is magical in the usual way of life – I just sat and read it, Jess taking me on a journey about her life. 🤩Let’s take a quick look at the synopsis then I’ll dive right in!
Who can say what has brought Jess and Lindy together?
Maybe it’s the beach, the stars and the warm Turkish night air. But they may as well get settled for the night, because Jess has a story to tell and Lindy is ready to listen . . .
Jess had life sorted. A gang of great mates, an adoring fiance and a thriving business – she couldn’t have asked for more. But the proverbial rug is whipped out from under her feet when the fiance makes a sharp exit on New Year’s Eve. Therein follows the Week From Hell, eternally streaked mascara and Chardonnay-a-plenty.
But this is the story of a woman on a path. Sure, there are a number of trips and falls along the way but Jess is on a journey that will change her life. On a boring business course, she remembers what she really wants; in strange new friendships, new ideas grow; and a last-minute discount holiday to Turkey helps her heart wake up to a whole new rhythm. A rhythm that is just beginning to get going . . .
The Short Take
We face so may difficult situations in life but possibly the one we do not plan to come up with a Plan B for is related to the person we are going to spend our lives with. Because the person was decided for the rest of our lives. But existence can be made cruel by one decision. In Life is Yours, we meet Lindy who is struggling with her demons. Wanting to be by herself while on vacation with her family, she escapes to a beach and finds warmth and welcome in a fire made by Jess. Hence begins a new friendship, as Jess recounts a captivating story about how she arrived from her home to this beach in Turkey.
There is love, friendship, betrayal and so much more in this novel, and I loved the support that Jess’ family and friends offered to her when she needed it the most, how patient they were as she tried to stand up on her own two feet again when Jack, the one she was supposed to spend the rest of her life with, left her lonely.
A story about strong friendships, finding one’s purpose anew and leaning on the ones we care about, Life is Yours is a must-read. It will warm you up like sitting next to a fireplace as it snows outside. 🙂
Themes for Thought
Life is Yours touched my heart in numerous ways! The strong bonds of friendship that Abi writes about were envy-worthy and I truly wish I had friends like the ones Jess has. But apart from that, I want to share three takeaways in particular.
On New Beginnings
I have often asked myself this question about why beginnings have to be at the start of a new turn, whether it is at the turn of a century or on the 1st of the month. Through Life is Yours, Abi brings up this same question about beginnings. The story starts with Jess and Lindy’s chance encounter at a beach in Turkey. One of the first things they talk about is how these predetermined days do not work for them. The life story that Jess recounts to Lindy is also giving the same message. Life does not tell us to wait for the turn of the month to start anew or make resolutions when the New year comes around, but we continue to hold these days sacred for some reason.
Life is not about waiting for something to take action or make a promise. Life is about taking action when you see the opportunity and feel the passion to take on something.
On Knowing Yourself
We all possess the strength to take on the bad things that are thrown at us. And yet, we feel we are incapable. We get paralyzed and hide away in our comfort zone because we are afraid. Jess was afraid for the longest time even though she was taking steps to come out of her troubles. Life had shaken her up a bit, made her rethink the whole plan she had had in mind when she fell in love with Jack. But she is not afraid to make hard choices and stand up for herself. Knowing that this is based on Abi’s own experiences, I love the person that Jess is and commend her for her strength, even when she feels weak.
Knowing oneself is not limited to looking deep inside. It is also about looking towards others and learning from them. With her steadfast attitude and unbreakable will, Jess claws her way out of the ordeal, inspiring her friends along the way. She learns that sometimes watching people make tough decisions helps give us the courage to believe, and she is the one being a pillar for others around her.
On Journaling
I love Journaling (hence, the photo below!). Life is Yours is decorated with doodles and ideas. At one point in the story, Jess does something like a life inventory of her values – an exercise I myself did back in April (if I ever find my documents and notes, I’ll add them here later!). I loved the train of thoughts that Jess wrote down in her notebook.
One of the books I read this year was Opening Up by Writing It Down: How Expressive Writing Improves Health and Eases Emotional Pain which explored in depth the advantages of writing and what studies show about how writing helps in dealing with pain and coming to terms with life-altering changes. I myself have been journaling for a long time! Abi’s book is the first one that showed me the use of a journal in a tough time and I would recommend the book, if only to look at her way of handling the things that happened.
Overall, (and I bet you can already tell) I loved this book! Life is Yours is only the first of a three part series about Jess and Lindy, who by the way, is still a mystery. I am looking forward to finding out more about the two and what happened to Jess next.
** Life is Yours is now available so get a copy and let me know what you think! Let’s have a book-discussion! **
Amazon Print
Amazon Kindle
(available on Kindle Unlimited)
Make sure to stop by the other blogs to see what other readers and authors thought about the book. Also, come back tomorrow to read my Q&A with Abi! She is fantastic! I am thankful to her for giving me the chance to be a part of this amazing journey of her book!
Cover image: Photo by Leonardo Wong on Unsplash
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