Review: Sublime Karma by Peyton Garver

Hi Munchworms!

A while back – ugh, a long while back – I was asked to read Sublime Karma by Peyton Garver. Honestly, I had only recently seen a review on that same book – thank you, Ashleigh! – and had added it to my TBR on Goodreads!
So, doh. I wanted to read it. Bring it on!

And then I got swamped with work and life and other books that I had to read. So I’m going to say sorry to the whole wild world right now for postponing reading this book.

Thanks to ARC August, I got to catch up on a whole lot of reading, though. So it’s finally time for this beauty to get some attention.

When Brie’s stepfather moves the family for what he calls a new beginning, it’s not the new beginning the beautiful, yet guarded, senior would have hoped for. Brie is instantly targeted by jealous girls at her new school, and the only available seat on her bus is next to the school’s star wide receiver, Jake, who for some reason, finds her offensive. After a humiliating article and picture of Brie is posted in the online school journal, a demon she thought she’d overcome resurfaces, and her life unravels. A newly compassionate Jake has finally taken an interest in her, but can Brie learn to trust her heart, or will she miss out on the best thing that ever happened to her?

Jake has his own secrets and has built his own walls, but eventually his curiosity about the new girl gets the best of him. Unfortunately, now there is competition: the captain of her cross-country team. Jake’s romantic histories with the girl next door and the school’s queen bee, adds tension to a simmering tempest when all he wants is Brie. Is he strong enough to help the one he loves weave sense into her crumbling new reality while overcoming his own tainted past?

When reading the blurb, you honestly expect a high school love story, a fun and light read.
Even though this is a story that you’ll start and finish in no time, I can’t really say it’s a light read. At all.
Peyton addresses topics that are quite the opposite. From bullying to self-harm to suicide and abuse. Take this as a warning, guys! If you get triggered by these things, reading is at your own risk…

She does touch these subjects in a good, honest and very straight-forward manner. At certain points, the descriptions are pretty detailed. I had to stop reading at a certain point because I was imagining it very vividly and just couldn’t handle it for a second, needed a breather.
You could say she has descriptive writing down pretty well.

When it came to showcasing her character’s feelings, it was sometimes the other way around. I felt lost at certain points, when Brie’s mood switches completely. I felt like the reason of those switches should’ve been more clear at particular moments.
Afterwards I’d go “Oh, that’s why!” but that was often in the next chapter and by then I felt like rereading everything after where my confusion started.

What I absolutely loved about Sublime Karma? The deaf and hard-of-hearing characters! I’m pretty sure this is one of the first books I’ve read that has those specific characters and I couldn’t be more happy.
Ever since I started watching Switched at Birth a couple of years back, I just fell for the whole signing world. Even though I can’t sign for the life of me, I do know certain signs like “sorry” and “thank you”.
It was amazing to see how Peyton incorporated these characters in a book!

All in all Sublime Karma is a realistic read of how high school life can be, about the influence everything can have on a person’s well-being and, of course, how two people can come together during hard times and help each other get better.

20991615_10212879972810688_1900363665_o

Because of the confusion I had at moments, I enjoyed this novel less than I could’ve. For that I’m giving this novel 4 / 5.

As for munches? Pizza! I needed myself some comfort food after reading this, because it did hit home a bit. Thank the skies we both didn’t feel like cooking so we could order in, haha.

Kathy