Every parent’s worst nightmare… her struggle to keep, not only her son but eventually also her marriage and herself alive. On Irene’s journey through grief, denial, and anger, she discovers more about the events of that tragic day, the boy who shot her son and then took his own life, and the husband she thought she knew and could trust.
An emotional and heart-gripping story, Holding on to Hurt, is a novel about family, trust, grief, and a mother’s unconditional love.
“If you love emotional reads and if you dare to open up your heart, you’ve come to the right place.
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What a beautifully written novel!!
Oh my God, what an amazing story of a mother’s love, refusal to give up, and the support of caring, loving people in her life during the most horrible circumstances and outlooks. I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review, and I cannot believe how deeply moving and poignant this book is. As a mother, I could completely understand Irene Hurt’s feelings, thoughts, and fears, yet I could also see her husband’s point of view as well throughout. Bruce is a man who just wants to keep his family safe, love them unconditionally, and find a way through a tragedy that no parent should ever have to experience. The characters are so well-written and the supporting characters just completely flesh out the story so that you feel like one of them, instead of simply being an observer in this amazing family saga!!!
“So far, we’ve been told that the shooting took place on one of the school buses right before it arrived this morning. We’re not sure how many kids were actually on the bus, but we do know that the shooter- a young man, probably a Lakeview student himself- is dead.”
Every mother’s, well every parent’s, worse nightmare now is getting a phone call from the school your child attends. We live in a world that is vastly different from the one we grew up in. God knows, that we fear sending our children to what is supposed to be a safe place, and a place to learn. It sucks. There is no sugar coating this feeling, or the impact it has on our world, let alone a parent’s heart and soul. This book dives into this head first. Right away you are hit with the feels, and the tears. I warn you now, do not sit down without a box or two. Settle in and prepare yourself to go on a journey with Irene, as she hangs in that balance of life and death for her beloved son. Charlotte Roth gives us a look at a point of view that so often gets lost in the politics, fighting, and media storms that take over when we get the story of a mass shooting. Unfortunately we are all too used to it. I loved how we got to see the side that gets lost in all of that, from the victims and the families and friends affected personally by the tragedy. I am not going to give away any more details of this book, because I feel like it would be such a disservice to those who will pick it up and dive in. I can promise you it will change you, grip your heart strings, and take you on a journey that will never leave you long after you put down this book. I do just have to say, thank you Charlotte Roth for writing this. I can’t imagine it was easy, but you did it with such grace and elegance that makes this a must read for any parent right now. I know as a mother, I have taken things away from this reading experience that I have stored away. Things I never want to use or experience, but things that I know I needed to read and learn as a mother.
This is a story of every parents most dreaded fear.
The journey they take in fear, tears, anger, denial, finally acceptance that they may lose someone precious and not replaceable in there life.
This is a raw, emotionally gripping, roller coaster, be warned to of a box of tissues close at hand.
Valerie Smaldone bless her heart did an amazing job narrating.
Reviewed for Audiobook Obsession
Charlotte Roth is a new to me author, and she has hooked me. Holding On To Hurt is a very emotional read/listen. It isn’t romance per say, but it is all about having a loving family and having it ripped away from you in the blink of an eye. How even having a close knit family, things can fall apart. Everyone grieves differently, they don’t all hold on to hope. A mother’s love is unconditional and never ending. I highly recommend this book if you are looking for your next emotional read!
Valerie Smaldone did an amazing job narrating! You can hear and feel all of the love and emotion in her voice!
Wow what a tear jerker! This book will take you through such a rollercoaster but so worth the listen. I can’t say too much for fear of giving out a spoiler but will definitely say this is a good book.
What an emotionally gripping story. Holding On To Hurt was another fantastic story from Charlotte Roth that had me hooked until the very end.
This is not a romance. It is a story about a family trying to cope with the unimaginable and about a mother’s love for her child and her determination to keep him alive despite differing views on the matter.
Charlotte Roth gave all the emotions in this story and you felt every single one of them. Its a story that will stay in your mind long after you’ve finished.
I listened to the audible version of this novel which was narrated by Valerie Smaldone. She did a great job with the narration and was able to portray the emotional anguish of both parents. I enjoyed listening to her.
Holding On To Hurt is a definite must read that will evoke a range of emotions from you. I would highly recommend it to all lovers of women’s fiction.
#AudiobookObsessionReviewer
Holding On To Hurt by Charlotte Roth is a gripping story about a mother’s love that I listened to on audio narrated by Valerie Smaldone. All I can say is Wow! Charlotte takes you on an emotional journey. She does an amazing job pulling you into the story and making you feel what Irene is feeling as she sits by her son’s hospital bed after he was shot. This is the first book of Charlotte’s that I have read and it definitely will not be my last. Valerie did a great job narrating. It took me a bit to get into her style of narration but once I did, I really enjoyed it.
#AudiobookObessionReviwer #AudioBookObsession
The synopsis of this novel portrays a gripping story of one mother’s fight to keep her son alive, no matter what she has to sacrifice. It is exquisitely composed as a tribute to a school shooting. A poignant page turning novel that is a dynamic tear jerker. A riveting plot with compelling character’s that are pragmatic.
Ladies and gentlemen grab your box of tissue, favorite blanket and snuggle in your best reading spot because the tears, the tears are coming.
In the world we live in, school shootings, as sadly as it sounds has become the normal. When I was in school I only had to worry about fire drills, but my children now have to do intruder drills, in the event of a shooter entering the building. That’s a sad truth. Last year the school district I live in had 2 scares and one suicide. This is reality. This is world we are faced with today.
Schools are supposed to be a safe place for our children. But what happens when it’s not. What happens when you life….stops? What happens when you get that call. This is Irene’s story. A story in which I hope I and every other parent never has to receive.
Irene has it all, the perfect life, perfect home, friends, family and son. Until it happens. When you have a child your whole life prospective changes. It really does. They come before you in every aspect and form.
Roth was able to take a subject that is so heart wrenching and put into words to create a story that will leave you feeling every emotion you can possibly feel. I have never read a book that has made me cry so much and yet feel so thankful at the same time. Thankful that I myself did not have to face this event.
When a shooting happens you often hear about the children & teachers who passed or injured , you hear about the shooter(s), about their family and upbringing. You never get the full story. You never see how these families deal with the suffering, the loss, the pain, and most importantly the forgiveness needed to heal.
Throughout this book you see how Irene deal with this first hand. While the secondary storyline follows other members in the family and close friends on how they are dealing with it as well. I found it compelling that Roth was able to showcase so many points of view while still focusing on Irene. You feel the raw emotions of knowing your son was shot, you feel his father fear of losing his son and just how vulnerable everyone becomes. You see a marriage, friendship and faith tested all within one book. One amazing written book.
An event like this doesn’t just take people, it can destroy families. You’re able to see a family fall apart, fall apart trying to understand each other but clinging to hope without the highest of expectations. Like I said you’ll want your tissues a very big box of tissues.
While the subject matter at hand is sensitive, it was beautifully captured. I would recommend this book to everyone not just for the book, but so that you’ll see just how fortunate you are.
Brace yourself for the emotional roller coaster you will take with Holding on to Hurt.
Holding on to Hurt: A gripping story about a mother’s love
By Charlotte Roth
Whenever I read a book by an author I don’t know I must admit I wonder if I am going to like the book. I have to say this book had me hooked from the beginning to the end. Well worth picking up and reading but also have some tissues handy. Holding on to hurt took me through a number of emotions. I cried, was angry and in some parts was happy. As parents we all dread the call that one of our children have been hurt and in hospital. Well for Irene that dreaded moment arrived when she found out that her beloved son has been not only shot but is in a coma. This book shows the difference in how she and her husband handle this news. Irene has decided that she is going to be positive. While her husband seems not to see much positive in the survival of his son. There is no right or wrong way to deal with this, but will Irene and her husband survive this situation? If you want a heartbreaking read this is the book to read.
Holding on to Hurt by Charlotte Roth
Four Stars
I cried like a newborn baby. I don’t know why I read this book. I hate crying. This author put your emotions through the ringer. My kids were looking at me like I was crazy. I see the grief from both sides but I was with Irene the whole way. I wouldn’t give up hope no matter how negative the responds were. When its your child you keep hope alive for them. I hate the gun arguments everyone has. Guns may kill people but it’s the people behind the gun that’s responsible for the death. I don’t think we need assault rifles or machine guns in the hands of everyday people. They shouldn’t have to give up their guns because people decide to act stupidly. But we shouldn’t have to fear for our children’s lives when they are at school. An amazing book that teaches us about faith, change and grief.
Holding On To Hurt by Charlotte Roth
5 stars
This book, wow, how can you even come up with words for this story that do it any justice.
I can’t imagine going through what this story portrays. I was wondering the whole time, what would I do in this situation. I went into this blind and im going to leave it that way for others as well.
The choices and events that happen just ripped me apart and made me go through many what if scenarios in my own head.
This is such a great read and I highly highly recommend it.
Holding on to Hurt by Charlotte Roth is a heartbreaking story about a mother who is pushed to the limit when her idyllic life is shattered with a single bullet. Following the story of Irene Hurt who has the perfect life, a beautiful home, a handsome husband, Bruce, and an adorable son, Scottie. Irene knows that her life is the best that it is ever going to get and thanks her stars that she is lucky enough to get to live this life. Until that fateful day when her phone rings and everything that she hold dear comes crashing down around her. Scottie is caught in the cross fire of a shooting on his school bus. Suffering from severe head trauma, Scottie is placed in a medically induced coma. The longer that Scottie is under the more the doctors grow worried that Scottie may not wake up at all let alone recover. Irene can’t hear any of that though. As she attempts to hold onto to her son, her marriage, and her perfect life; she is confronted with facts about what had been happening in the background of her perfect life that she will have to work through in order to come out the other side of this tragedy. Irene and Bruce handle the shooting differently, and Roth makes it apparent that their as deep divides growing inside this perfect life that the outside world weren’t ready to see about them. From standing vigil at Scottie’s bedside and praying for a miracle to attempting to be logical about the realistic outcome each aspect of this story rang true for anyone who has been in a situation like this with a loved one. Getting to see this story from more than one perspective made it that much more of a real experience that I found myself in both parents shoes and wanting to fix Scottie for both of them. Roth is an old favorite of mine, and this story is nothing short of perfection. It’s not often that I find myself so sucked into a story that I cry with characters or shout out when things take a turn that I wasn’t expected and yet this story did all of that and more for me. I couldn’t read this story fast enough and yet I didn’t want it to end. If you are looking for a story that is guaranteed to make you cry, laugh, and yell all in the span of a chapter than this is the book for you. It is a heartbreaker for sure but probably one of the best books I have read this year….so far. I can’t wait to see what else that Roth brings to her readers in the future because if it anything like this book I will be sprinting to buy it!
Charlotte’s writing style is so good that keeps you glued to every single page. She created the perfect family with two parents that still love and inspire each other after more than 20 years together. They have it all until devastation strikes.
A gripping story about fear, lose, cope, hope and love. Irene is the heroine mother who never gave up on her son all the time struggling to not lose herself and her husband in the process. Bruce is the doting and protective husband and father until he realises he can’t fix everything and some situations don’t depend on him for being fixed. They both cope with lose in different ways, making mistakes and showing their flaws but eventually they find their way back to each other.
Great message about gun control and thank you Charlotte Roth for developing a plot from this strong and powerful message!
Holding on to Hurt by Charlotte Roth
Five Stars
Holding on to Hurt is an emotional story about a parents love by Charlotte Roth. This is the third book I have read by Ms. Roth, and I have to say they keep getting better and better. Even though this book just about broke me with the highly emotional content it was really well written. The emotions in the aftermath of such a traumatic experience are hard on everyone, but the parents are most severely affected. This book had me on an emotional roller coaster from the very first page. This one is a tear jerker and may contain triggers for some. I highly recommend this book and this author. Her genres change, but the books are all excellent.
Holding on to Hurt: A gripping story about a mother’s love by Charlotte Roth absolutely broke my heart, to the point I was sobbing. My heart ached for the torture that this family went through. Charlotte has written and outstanding story of one Mother’s fight for her son which no mother should have to endure. The struggle, the pain, the grief, the hope and the courage leave you an emotional wreck. It also raises the controversial issue of guns that many talk, fight and argue over and are either on one side or the other.
It is very thought provoking story that should not be missed but be warned a box or two of tissues is needed..
Holding on to Hurt by: Charlotte Roth was a heart wrenching story about family and tragedy. This story really hit close to home, as I have three teenagers. I really enjoyed the characters and how realistic they and the story line was. I didnt want to put this down, it didn’t take me long at all to finish. This is the second book I have read by this author and will absolutely continue to read her stuff. I give this book 5 stars.
Holding on to Hurt is a emotional contemporary novel by Charlotte Roth. This is the story of a mom and wife who has everything and in the blink of an eye is on the verge of losing everything, even herself. Irene gets the call that every parent dreads… Her son has been shot and is in a coma. As her son fights or his life, Irene’s marriage starts to crumble. Can Irene’s unconditional love survive the grief and is she strong enough to forgive and just live life day by day? This story hooked me from the very start and I couldn’t put it down, Irene’s journey through this tragedy was heart wrenching and real. Charlotte Roth writes with a raw emotion that will leave you breathless. I highly recommend this book, just make sure to have your Kleenex handy!
Holding on to Hurt: A gripping story about a mother’s hurt by Charlotte Roth is a very emotional read, especially having a teenager at home. Irene, is a mother and wife in a loving family. Then she receives the phone call no parent wants to ever get, there was a shooting on a bus, a high school bus and it was the bus her son was on. He was shot and is in a coma. What is going to happen? Will Irene’s marriage survive?
Charlotte Roth will have you reading and you will have your emotions all over the place, so have your tissues ready.they definitely will be needed. Holding on to Hurt is well written and the story flows. Her characters are well developed and are very believable. You feel the emotions that the characters are going through due to the writing. Be prepared to be taken on an emotional roller coaster ride.
Holding on to Hurt by Charlotte Roth was a little too much of an emotional read for me. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not saying that I didn’t like it or that it wasn’t good. Just that it hit a little too close to home.
We get to meet Irene Hurt, and what use to be her perfect life. That is until the day that her son is shot and her life is completely shattered. The book is about her journey and trying to find her way and center herself amidst all that is going on. Not just her son, but a husband whom she thought she knew.
Books like these are always a good read. This book in particular touched a very sensitive subject for me. I lost a loved one to a cold blood murder, and although it’s been a couple of years, it’s still unsolved. So, to see this mother get answers, that although aren’t ones that she was expecting, is better than the alternative – no answer at all. It brought back that grief that you always think is buried, but easily accessed. I felt all that Irene was feeling. Her anger, frustration, devastation and all of the emotions that go along with this. I definitely consider this a 5 Star Book.