Title: Song of the Fireflies
Author: J.A. Redmerski
Publisher: Forever
Release Date: February 4, 2014
Genre: New Adult, Contemporary
eBook, 464 pages
ARC provided by NetGalley
Book Blurb
New York Times bestselling author J.A. Redmerski brings us a stunning and heart-wrenching new novel about a couple who find each other in their darkest moment.
Since they were kids, Elias Kline and Brayelle Bates have been inseparable. When Bray moves to South Carolina, separating the two for the first time, they both at last realize that their innocent childhood friendship has developed into something much more. So when Bray finally returns to Georgia—and to Elias—things between them couldn’t be more perfect…until one fateful night changes everything.
Desperate not to go to prison for a terrible accident, Elias and Bray decide to run. As they try to make the most of their freedom, the two find themselves relying on a rebellious group of people who tempt the duo into a wild and daring new life. But they can’t run from their troubles forever.
As the consequences of their past catch up to them, the couple must finally face reality. Even if they can make it through the unimaginable, Elias knows the truth about Bray’s painful history, and in the end he may not be able to save Bray from herself…
Book Review
What I love about J.A. Redmerski's books is the fact that she writes with a brutal honesty -- flawed characters faced with circumstances that are a little on the edge. If I want a heaping pile of angst and a gritty story, I know I will find it in her stories.
Song of the Fireflies is told from both Elias and Brayelle's point of view. It is a story of two best friends who become intimately involved. Eli loves Bray, will do anything for her, but Bray is afraid that having a serious relationship with her best friend will ultimately destroy the bond they have. If they break up, she will lose the best friend she has always relied on. So, Bray crushes Eli's heart and leaves him.
Fast forward a couple of years--Bray returns and both decide to give it another try.
Songs of the Fireflies deals with a lot of dark themes. Things that some people will find offensive. But real life is not tied up in some pretty package. People experience real problems. And Redmerski gives her characters some hard shit to deal with: depression, bipolar disorder, drug use. All of which make the current situation Bray and Eli find themselves thrown into more problematic.
With Brayelle and Eli on the run.
Reading Songs of the Fireflies is like watching a horrible train wreck with a black cloud of doom hanging over Eli and Brayelle--as they struggle to survive one shit storm after another. I'm not sure if I loved it or hated it, to be quite honest. It's a hard read. Brayelle and Eli's love is almost toxic and I felt like I was put through an emotional ringer.
This is a dark, angsty, read that you have to be in the mood for, or you'll be sorely disappointed.
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