This is my stop during the book blitz for Sketches of My Soul by TC Booth. This book blitz is organized by Lola's Blog Tours. The book blitz runs from 3 till 9 July. See the tour schedule here: http://www.lolasblogtours.net/book-blitz-sketches-of-my-soul-by-tc-boot

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Sketches of My Soul (Sketches #1)
By TC Booth
Genre: Contemporary
Age category: Young Adult
Release Date: June 20, 2017

Blurb:
In the game of life, I was used to being on the losing team. The odds were stacked against me. Tegan’s Team—a mom who tried to control me, a dad who would rather drink then spend time being a father, a lying ex-boyfriend, and fake friends. Like any team however, you have that one shining star that stood out above the rest. For me that star was Emily, my best friend.
 
I guess life had pity on me the day it gave me a friend that always had my back. Life must have felt extra giving the day it gave me a cheer leader—Mrs. White, my next-door neighbor. She’d been more of a parent to me growing up then my own parents.
 
And then there was Andrew. He was my shooting star. One that I never saw coming. One that I hoped became mine over the summer of my senior year.
 
A glimpse into a crystal ball couldn’t have prepared me for that summer, though. The summer where a letter from my mom rocked me to the core. I felt the world shake with every word I read in that letter. By the time I reached the end, my world split wide open swallowing me whole.
 
You can find Sketches of My Soul on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/35228617-sketches-of-my-soul-booth
 
You can buy Sketches of My Soul on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Sketches-My-Soul-TC-Booth-ebook/dp/B07176T3V8
 
If you sign-up for the author’s newsletter you can get a free copy of Sketches, the prequel novella to Sketches of My Soul: https://dl.bookfunnel.com/ns64a3yjok

Excerpt One of Sketches of My Soul
I reached the mailbox at the end of my driveway and sifted through the mail. Maybe
I’d find a notice that I’d won a trip to another country, like Italy. I’d meet a hot Italian boy
with a love of culture and music … stay there and study art … The sound of spraying water
pulled me out of my thoughts of Italian boys. My jaw dropped at the sight next door. Holy
hotness! A shirtless guy that looked a little older than me, sprayed suds off a black jeep in my
sixty-eight- year-old neighbor’s driveway. His muscles on full display. A tattoo flexed on his
bicep with the flick of the hose. His dark hair curled at the ends and dipped into his face.
Where did he come from and why was he at Mrs. White’s house? I swiped a palm over my
mouth to make sure I didn’t have drool dripping down my chin.
Just then Mrs. White zoomed up to check her mail on a hot-pink scooter with helmet
to match. The sight of her sparked a grin. “Hi, Mrs. White. I like your new wheels."
“Hello, Tegan. She’s pretty, ain’t she?” Mrs. White rubbed her hand over the scooter.
Bits of her white hair peeked out from under her helmet. Dark circles framed her emerald
eyes.
“Yes, she sure is.” I nodded. Mrs. White was like a grandma to me. I didn’t have
grandparents growing up, and she’d taken me in like one of her own. She said that she saw a
lot of herself in me. My eyes slipped from her to the shirtless wonder washing his jeep in her
driveway. Mrs. White’s eyes followed mine and she let out a squeal, causing me to jump and
fling my mail. “Do you remember Drewy? He decided to pay his grandma a visit. About
time.” She waved a hand in the air and called out, “Drewy come over here and say hello to
Tegan.”
I dropped down to gather my scattered mail. Drewy. A fuzzy image a curly brown
haired boy formed in my mind. We used to play together when we were little. He and his
mom spent a lot of time at Mrs. White’s. One day, they up and moved to Michigan. I hadn’t
seen him since. It never crossed my mind that it could be him next door. I rose and nearly
tossed the mail all over again. Drewy McHottie was Andy!

TC Booth was born and raised in a small Ohio town where she currently lives with her husband, children, and fur covered baby Sammy.
She is an award winning author who loves to read and write young adult fiction. Besides her book addiction, TC enjoys music, attending Cavs games, going to the beach, eating chocolate and spending time with her family.
You can find and contact TC Booth here:
- Website: http://www.tcbooth.com
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tcbooth1
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/BoothTammi
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/boothtammi/
- Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/5010060.T_C_Booth
- Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/T.-C.-Booth/e/B0057SG5D6/
 
Giveaway
There’s a tour wide giveaway during the book blitz for Sketches of my Soul. One winner will win a 10$ amazon gift card! 

Last night, I hosted a book club meeting at my house. There was wine, cheesecake, chicken salad, and fun to be had! Earlier this month, I picked "What Alice Forgot" by Liane Moriarty. Today's review will be a little different, as I'm going to cover a couple of discussion questions in the back of the book that we covered last night. 

1. Did you like the younger Alice the best? Or did you relate more to the older Alice?
Group consensus: Younger Alice was naive and needy, and a tad bit annoying. However, older Alice was bitter, and jaded.

My thoughts: I didn't think it was fair to pick which version of Alice I liked. After all, a decade of life experiences seperated them. I liked younger Alice because of her naivete. I liked how she viewed the world with silliness, and yes, it was annoying that she relied on other people to bring her up.....but didn't we all at that age? Which brings us to questions two and three.

2 and 3. What would your younger self of 10 years ago, think of the person you are today? What would surprise your younger self about the life you are leading? What would disappoint you?
Group consensus: Varied. I mean between all of us, our experiences differed. Some of us 10 years ago, was in high school, others in college, some had just had their first or second child and still fresh into motherhood. 

My thoughts: 10 years ago, I was 24 and trying to get out of college as fast as I can. I was probably having panic attacks about my upcoming nuptials, and graduation. I would look at my 34 year old self and wonder where the strength came from. I'd marvel at my daughter, and coo with the baby. 10 years has given me so much grief, wonder, job experiences, new friends, new towns/cities, growth, faith, anger, depression. I wrote, and was published by a small traditional publishing house , which my 24 year old self would be shocked that we managed to cross of that dream. But then for all the tears, bargaining to God, and prayers; my 24 year old self would be disappointed that I'm not even working after all that we've been through! But then I'd shout and say, listen, you have no idea how much daycare for two kids cost because you think you'll live close to family and always have that access to free babysitter/daycare. I mean, at 24, I went to the movies, restaurants and roadtrips at the drop of a hat. At 34, I have to wonder if the cost of babysitting is worth a trip to the movie. FYI, it's not. The last one charged me $15/hr + $5 for the baby. $20 for ONE HOUR. 

Our identity as we get older changes due to our life experiences gained over time. I was a college student, and therefore I was everything about that identity. Post graduation, I went from jobless with a college degree, to my Nutritionist/Site Supervisor title. That became my identity for almost 6 years. I am a wife to my husband. And then five years ago, I became a mother. During our discussion, we shared that motherhood is something that society places so much emphasis on. The working mom. The stay at home mom. The woman with the infertility issues. The woman with too many kids. The woman who was too old to have kids. The woman who was too young to have children.
As a woman, we identify our future selves knowing that in our hearts, we will probably wind up with a kid or two. But as much as I love my own kiddos, I understand that it may not be the "end all/be all" for a lot of women. And that's okay. I don't think the woman is selfish. Or too career driven. Or too "stressed" to not let nature do its job. There are way too many factors about the whys, and I'm not going to judge someone for their choices or lack thereof. I appreciate Elisabeth's letters. She gave me insight on what it was like to go through failed IVFs, miscarriages, and what that must have been in their marriage. To have that in her identity card. To hold your breath at each ultrasound and let out a cry in the dark at each 'no heartbeat' heard.
This book with its colorful cast of characters made me think about what would it be to misplace 10 years; What would my family look like? What would they think of me over the decade? Would I even like what they have to say? As they say, some learned or unlearned lessons, and mistakes are blessings in disguise. These are the things that Alice examines after her accident. She has to relearn her identity before, and after the accident. Is she better for it? Perhaps. Or perhaps, she needed to reclaim her old self after all that has happened. Maybe she needed to redo the spiraling madness. But to do the redo, would you trade forgetting your life? Yes, you don't have to remember the grievances, or the hurts, or the rage. But then you'll have to forget the happier ones like kissing your husband at the altar, and then holding on to your precious baby, seeing their first steps, and watching them grow. These are some of the precious memories and experiences that time gave her are What Alice Forgot.....and I don't think anyone would trade those for a redo.