As much as I wanted to be annoyed by some of the choices these characters made, it was impossible to say they were in the wrong as the details of their situation continued to unfold. The depictions of grief were heartbreaking and painfully realistic. I especially liked the changing POVs between the mother and son characters.

I received a free copy from NetGalley. This one has been in my queue for awhile, but that probably made it more meaningful as I now have older kids. The mother in the story just lost her husband and now she is losing her child as well. She thinks she would do anything to get him back. The other half of the story is told from the child's point of view and he doesn't think she has done enough and he doesn't want to go back. Until he does. But is it too late? Heart breaking a way too common in today's world this story of drugs and pain was moving and powerful.

This is a fast, heart-wrenching read. A family is torn apart when the father is killed in a car accident where his teenage son was driving. The mother is consumed by grief and having a hard time mothering. The teenage son dulls his pain and guilt with drugs, ultimately becoming addicted to heroin and living on the streets. Unfortunately an all too common story in this day and age. This is about the fight to save Beck and the rest of his family. This book rings true, and for good reason, as the end notes show that the author has a son that was also consumed by drug addiction. Thank you NetGalley and publishers for providing a digital ARC for review.

Author Courtney Cole Saving Beck book was entertaining. I liked the rollercoaster of emotions this book gave me. The author knows how to pull at you from every angle and uck you into the worlds he has created.

At times Saving Beck was hard to read. I fought back tears while reading several scenes. It's exactly what the author intended. Saving Beck was REAL. I felt as if I was going through this struggle with Beck and Natalie, his mother.

I don't want to sound ignorant, but I've never been exposed to someone with an addiction. I've never witnessed first hand how it can destroy someone, destroy a family. With each turn of the page, I saw how addiction can destroy a person, and their family. Every choice the addict makes, effects the family. People have this idea that their child or loved one would never become an addict. They would never try drugs. All it takes is ONE TRY, and they can become hooked. It doesn't matter what your social status is, what your income is, what type of family you have, where you live. IT CAN HAPPEN TO ANYONE, as in Saving Beck, you clearly see.

Courtney Cole, the author, loosely based this book on the experience with her son becoming an addict. In Saving Beck, Beck's father was an attorney, his mother a realtor. He had the perfect upbringing, his future was bright, but after ONE catalyst event, his life was altered forever. Tragedy struck his family, and he buried the guilt which plagued him day in and day out. It took one pill, to get him hooked on the feeling of numbing the pain.

Courtney Cole said it best.

"Where there is life, there is hope. That is something I've learned, and it something we should all remember."

People on the outside usually have the most opinions. Why aren't the parent's forcing their child to get clean? Why aren't they putting their child in rehab? When in reality, the family is usually doing the best the can. It's the addicts choice. The family can only do so much.

"Loving someone with an addiction is like being on a terrible roller coaster that you can never get off."

I've had this book on my Kindle for quite some time, and overlooked it time and time again. Saving Beck is a book I will recommend to others.

Another page turner by Courtney Cole! I just finished Mine and quickly picked up this book. I read both of these books in one weekend. I love how realistic this was and it gave me an inside look into how drugs destroy so many lives. I love how Cole writes from her own pain. I’ll definitely be checking out more of her books.

Feeling nostalgic as I read Courtney Cole again... one of my old favorites. I always connect with her words but this time it goes beyond... the vulnerability in this book... broke my momma’s heart.

DNF with 3 hours left in the audiobook.

I was attracted to the cover when it was revealed last year and when I had the chance to read and listen to it, I went for it. Sadly it took me a little to finally get into the story, mostly because of the main subject of the book: drug addiction, a hard limit for me in books, but sometimes I want to get myself out of my comfort zone and Oh. My. God. Where did I get into?

This book tells the wrenching story of a family that lost the father, and due to that, both mother and older child got lost in depression, guilt and sadly drugs. Both mother and son dealt badly with the loss of the father figure, but only a person who lives what they went through, can imagine or sympathize with their feelings. The mother was deeply depressed, forgetting about her children and only thinking about her dead husband and this is when the older son took charged of the responsibilities of the family. He paid the bills, feed his sibling, took care of his mom until he couldn't handle the pressure and stole his mom's pills. Then, the pills weren't enough. When he got lost in drugs, the mother got a wake up call about what was happening with her family, but it was too late for her son. Or maybe it wasn't...

This book was amazingly written and the narration from both Ramón De Ocampo and Cassandra Campbell were flawless, but sadly I couldn't take it anymore. I even waited a few weeks to resume the audiobook and maybe I was going to be able to finish it, but I just couldn't. Beck's POV was so realistic, his desperation for the next high was hard to listen to, and then when he was high, I wanted to cry. And then listening to his mother suffering the guilt of what happened to him was devastating. I tried but I really couldn't finish. I wanted to know if Beck would recover and survive if the family would have a second chance to be a family again, but I just can't. I really can't.

But if you think you could read it and finish it, go for it. The writing was really amazing. Being able to put those kinds of situations into words, and make the reader feel in the deep of their souls what the characters are feeling, it's something an author has to be praised for. Maybe when this topic isn't a hard limit for me, I will be able to finish Saving Beck, and know what happened to this family.

This one was very emotional and at times hard for me to read as I also have a son who is a drug addict and living on the streets. I believe it is semi-autobiographical as the author talks a bit at the end about her own son.

One thing I really liked about this one is that it is told from both the son’s and the mother’s perspectives. It should probably come with a trigger warning for those struggling with addictions. Over-all, a very moving book.

Intense, heavy, breathtaking and unforgettable. Courtney Cole's story of personal struggle will stick with me for sure

Natalie loses her husband in a horrible accident. Her son Beck survives the wreck. She struggles with depression and can barely get out of bed so it all falls on teenage Beck to make sure his brother and sister live their normal lives. Beck has his own struggles. He is overwhelmed with grief, responsibility, and blame. He blames himself for his dad’s death because he was driving. He turns to drugs and that’s when everything in this book will wrench your heart out.

Beck stumbles onto his mom’s doorstep, barely alive. As he is in a medically induced coma, we get the history of their grief and of Beck’s drug addiction. Your heart will not be the same. It is hard to read at times. It really should be. It is all to real for the author as you will read about her own son’s addiction in the afterword. I just kept putting myself in Natalie’s place. I cannot imagine watching your child hang on to life and blaming yourself for it being that way.

The characters are all so wonderfully written from the main ones to Kit, her husband’s best friend, and a friend in need to her, to her sister who is such a backbone for her. Then there is the wonderful Angel. That was definitely a surprise and a very good surprise.

This is a heartbreaking read but one you will not want to put down.

Thanks to Netgalley and Gallery Books for a copy of this wonderful book.

This book is a must read! Courtney uses her insight on this subject to deliver a gut-wrenching story that is one of every parents nightmares. The characters in Saving Beck take you with them on an emotional journey through the loss of a husband/father, the guilt that loss brings with it and the drug addiction that followed. It shows you how easily it could and does happen to anyone in all walks of life and gives you hope that you can overcome. Saving Beck made my heart hurt for every mother that is made to feel helpless to protect their children against addiction. Thank you Courtney for sharing parts of your story with us!

This book broke me. I can honestly say, this is one of the most heartbreaking and emotional books I have read in a very long time. If you are looking for a roller coaster ride of emotions, this is your book. Saving Beck is raw, real, and extremely powerful!

This story speaks for itself and is almost impossible to review. All I can say is pick this one up... you won't be disappointed. A must read!

*Many thanks to NetGalley and Gallery, Threshold, Pocket Books for the ARC of this book.

This was a very emotional story for me to read. Not only does the author have first hand experience with this, but my family does as well. To see what members of my family have gone through, both from the sober and addict side, is heart breaking. Thank you to the author for her courage in sharing her journey through this horrible experience.

Beck had everything going for him. He was a bright student and a great athlete. He has a girlfriend that loves him unconditionally and a family that is full of love and life. Until an accident took it all away.

Filled with guilt and self loathing Beck begins a journey into the dark world of addiction. Losing possessions and judgement he struggles to get through this new life, one hit at a time.

*There is no full review as we don't promote books on the blog that we rate lower than 3 stars.

Unfortunately, I won't be able to rate it more than 3 stars as I felt the majority of the story was slow and dragged on leaving me feeling disconnected from both the story and what should have been instantly endearing characters. I also felt nowhere near the level of emotion I was needing and expecting from a story like this so, I have to admit, I was more than a little disappointed with this one.

I cannot remember the last time I cried because of a book. I was sharing the story with my Mom and sister over lunch and I almost cried again.

This book is exceptional. What else can I say?

This is the second novel I have read on addiction and both have not failed me. If I was still teaching at a university, I would have recommended this to every college student who stepped into my class. Hey, I would still do it now. That’s the beauty of having all these online platforms.

This book was well written and it dealt with a current issue, that of drug addiction which is a hot topic.

I seem to be drawn to these types of books lately, ever since I read Tweak: Growing Up On Methamphetamines and Beautiful Boy: A Father's Journey Through His Son's Addiction.

I enjoyed (not in that sense), the tormented journey that Beck and his mother went through during his addiction. It started with a car accident and the date of a father/husband and the book brought up through a roller coaster of emotional upheaval as well as showing what the believe in your child will do to you.

Although this is not a typical book written by this author, it is loosely based on her own experience and I have to give her props for being able to write this book.

Such a great read!

5 stars

Ok I need to say this first and foremost! Saving Beck by Courtney Cole is one of my 2018 favorites! This book was so hard to read yet amazing! Disclaimer if you are a parent this book will be hard to read, but it needs to be read. While reading at night I found myself sneaking in my kids rooms to just stare at them and thank God for them!
Courtney Cole’s writing was spot on! I was literally so addicted to this book which helped for the times the sadness was just too much for me! She also tells this story in alternating POVs and flashbacks which can make things confusing but not when Courtney writes it!
Saving Beck is a must read! It will break your heart but give you hope for recovery and so much more! I look forward to read more from Courtney Cole!

Many thanks to Netgalley for my copy in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This is the story of drug addiction and what it does to a family. It shows you how easily it could and does happen to anyone in all walks of life and it brings hope that you can overcome. Although it was sad it was an interesting story to hear and experience.

Saving Beck
By
Courtney Cole


What it's all about...

I always wonder just how a family would deal with the addiction of a beloved son. In this case a family tragedy helps to push Beck off of his precarious steps before addiction. His fall leads to an unbelievable dive into heroin, homelessness, and months out on the street. What makes this book even more arresting is that it is loosely based on the author’s own family.

Why I wanted to read it...

The story of Beck and his mother just drew me in.

What made me truly enjoy this book...

I loved the way it was written...by flashbacks but also an hour by hour detailed account of Beck’s struggle to survive and get out of his coma.

Why you should read it, too...

Anyone who has experienced this kind of trauma will appreciate this book...actually anyone aware of this nightmare in our country should read this book. It’s stark and real and ultimately hopeful.

I received an advance reader’s copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley and Amazon. It was my choice to read it and review it.