Thank you @harlequinbooks @hanoversquarepress for the free copy via @netgalley for review.
•
Unfortunately, this book was not for me. I made it to about the halfway point and decided to DNF it. I would classify it as a slow family drama/coming of age story and apparently that’s not my thing. If that’s something you like, then this book might be for you. It comes out April 9th!
•
#bookreview #bibliophile #bookstagrammer #bookphotography #bookstagram #book #arc #thetipsyreader #soonthelightwillbeperfect #davepatterson #hanoversquarepress #harlequinbooks #slowfamilydrama #familydrama #igreads #netgalley

This novel tugs your emotions deeply. The story of a family enduring a battle with faith and cancer unfolds to show the effects of an illness on a family and the turmoil of finding faith. I throughly enjoyed this story and found satisfaction in the ending I don't usually find with out full closure to a story.

A searing coming of age story that deals with faith, family, money (or lack thereof) and the way it impacts how people "see" you, and growing up, all captured in the voice of a 12 year old boy. It would be easy to make this sentimental or worse, twee, but instead it's raw, thoughtful, and honest. The wruting is evocative and very moving. Oustanding.

Soon the Light Will Be Perfect by Dave Patterson

The book starts with two cats, one from each brother in a Catholic family who soon prove that they, the cats are Catholic and procreate until the house reeks of cat urine. Soon the cats take such a back seat that only occasional references to the reemergence of the smell is noted.
The boys, the narrator aged 12 and his slightly older brother, are wrestling in mind and body with being teenagers and becoming men while their mother is being treated for cancer and their father is in danger of being laid-off from his job at a tank factory (even though the Gulf War is starting).

As a Catholic, I perceive the book to be an examination of the intersection of the faith and life - hate the sin, not the sinner. It can be confusing. Many gray clouds settle over the family, but partially due to their faith and the understanding of individual humanities, the family stays united and resolute.

I do not mean to imply this is a religious book. The religion can be seen as simply another character in the book.

Since I was reading an e-book, I did not realize I was on the last page until I couldn't go on to another page. I felt the ending was rather abrupt.

3.5 Stars

A tightly woven coming-of-age story of a twelve-year-old boy and his family living in a small, economically deprived town in Vermont, as the country is on the verge of the Gulf War, and the family is on the verge of their own trauma.

The family consists of two boys, the one that is twelve, and his fifteen year-old brother, a father who works at a manufacturing plant, and a mother who is a homemaker, active in their church, the mother is also involved in some charitable organizations. This is a strongly bonded, staunchly Catholic family, who attend services regularly, and who have been able, finally, to move out of the nearby trailer park. And for a moment in time, life is good.

Shared through the eyes and thoughts of the twelve-year old, we watch as this boy-soon-to-be-a-man shares his story, his view of the world and his family, his mother’s “stomach problems” diagnosis changes to cancer, and his father’s struggles at work, the pending Gulf War which might help them economically, but at what cost?

”I don’t hear the rest of his homily as I stare at my mother and try to imagine an empty space where she has sat every Sunday morning of my life.”

A family caught up in a maelstrom, relying on their priest for guidance and comfort until the priest inexplicably disappears amidst rumours.

Enter Taylor, a girl from the trailer park, whose mother is divorced and whose life has forced her to grow up too soon, and a bond is formed between these two, one that grows stronger as his mother’s health declines as the summer days go by.

While their world seems to be falling apart, and the war is a part of this story, this settles into a story of facing the uncertainty, pain, dissatisfaction associated with the instability of life and living that they are facing, along with a sometimes disturbing view of the mind of this twelve-year-old boy and his search for a miracle.


Pub Date: 09 Apr 2019

Many thanks for the ARC provided by HARLEQUIN / Hanover Square Press
3.5 Stars

A tightly woven coming-of-age story of a twelve-year-old boy and his family living in a small, economically deprived town in Vermont, as the country is on the verge of the Gulf War, and the family is on the verge of their own trauma.

The family consists of two boys, the one that is twelve, and his fifteen year-old brother, a father who works at a manufacturing plant, and a mother who is a homemaker, active in their church, the mother is also involved in some charitable organizations. This is a strongly bonded, staunchly Catholic family, who attend services regularly, and who have been able, finally, to move out of the nearby trailer park. And for a moment in time, life is good.

Shared through the eyes and thoughts of the twelve-year old, we watch as this boy-soon-to-be-a-man shares his story, his view of the world and his family, his mother’s “stomach problems” diagnosis changes to cancer, and his father’s struggles at work, the pending Gulf War which might help them economically, but at what cost?

”I don’t hear the rest of his homily as I stare at my mother and try to imagine an empty space where she has sat every Sunday morning of my life.”

A family caught up in a maelstrom, relying on their priest for guidance and comfort until the priest inexplicably disappears amidst rumours.

Enter Taylor, a girl from the trailer park, whose mother is divorced and whose life has forced her to grow up too soon, and a bond is formed between these two, one that grows stronger as his mother’s health declines as the summer days go by.

While their world seems to be falling apart, and the war is a part of this story, this settles into a story of facing the uncertainty, pain, dissatisfaction associated with the instability of life and living that they are facing, along with a sometimes disturbing view of the mind of this twelve-year-old boy and his search for a miracle.


Pub Date: 09 Apr 2019

Many thanks for the ARC provided by HARLEQUIN / Hanover Square Press

Interesting book I’m which the reader never learns the names of the main characters!! I didn’t like the way this coming of age story ended only because I really wanted to know what happened with the main characters! Otherwise really enjoyed reading this debut novel.

I was absolutely awed by the beauty of this cover. Something just called to me when looking at this cover.

Soon the Light Will Be Perfect is a hauntingly beautiful and complex story.

A 12 year old and his family are living in Vermont at the start of the Gulf War. Things seem to finally be stable for this family and can finally move out of their trailer with the money that they have.

There is a lot going on in this story... I can tell you that much. A traumatic event hits this family when the mother is diagnosed with cancer. The two boys (12 and 15) are trying to cope and deal with this trauma the best that they know how. The two boys essentially have to raise themselves coping with the amount of trauma and emotional turmoil that is existing around them.

Patterson writes beautifully and the emotion behind his words left me breathless at times. The story was moving at a slower pace then I would have liked and it was a tad bit graphic in details for me but I still was pulled into the story of this family. This definitely was a bit of a depressing read but it was beautiful and dark.

I'm interested to see what Dave Patterson comes out with next and was pleased to have the opportunity to read this.

3.5 stars for this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin/ Trade Publishing/ Hanover Press for the arc in exchange for an honest review.

Published to Goodreads: 1/26/19
Publication date: 4/9/19

I couldn’t get into this book at all. I read the first 50 or so pages and lost all interest. It just wasn’t what I had hoped it would be.

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for a copy of an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was a coming of age story that I revolves around a boy, his teenage brother, his father, and ailing mother.

His mother is diagnosed with cancer and his family is staunch Catholic. The church comes together to try to pray the cancer out of her.

Over the course of the summer, he meets a girl from the trailer park which shows him a different side of life.

I wanted to like this story more, but it really didn't resonate with me. Still a solid 3 star story.

This seems to be more of a coming of age book but very well written. Typical teenage angst plus some economic and social issues. Tells the story of a small town and coping with growing up. Somewhat typical story line but with lots of modern twists.

"Set over the course of one propulsive summer, Soon the Light Will be Perfect chronicles the journey of a young man on the cusp of adulthood, a town battered by poverty, and a family at a breaking point. In spare, fiercely honest prose, Dave Patterson captures what it feels like to be gloriously, violently alive at a moment of political, social, and familial instability."

All the afore mentioned themes are nicely expressed in the honestly represented voices of 12 and 14 year old boys.

There were several times I just had to put the book down. Having lost my mother to cancer as an adult, I feel Dave Patterson so nailed the confusion, pain, frustration, the loss of boundaries, loss of your core self, the seeking for comfort in your faith, the oh so much guilt. I can't imagine a young man struggling with the same issues I struggle with still today,

Excellent book, highly recommend.

Thank you NetGalley, and publisher Harlequin Ent. for the opportunity to experience this book. My opinions are my own.

"Soon the Light Will Be Perfect" by Dave Patterson is billed as a coming-of-age novel about a 12-year-old and his family, living in poverty in rural Vermont. Told from the perspective of the 12-year-old (who I don't believe was ever named), we hear about one summer for him, his 15-year-old brother, his factory-worker father, and his mother who is diagnosed with cancer. This is a sad story about a family who has barely made it out of the trailer park and will probably never have enough money to do more than scrape by.

I think I could have liked this book had the story been told differently. As other reviewers have said, it paints a poignant picture of life in a factory town where there are never enough jobs. A family of devout Catholics, they never miss church, even when the mom is suffering through chemo treatments because (as the narrator tells us) no one wants that mortal sin on their soul. It's also to be expected that the kids would be off on their own because Dad is out working and Mom is in bed, so there's a lot of running around doing things they shouldn't in the town when kids would normally be supervised. I think I could have really appreciated this book and the pain and loss that encompass this boy.

Taking all of that into consideration, I struggled with the amount of profanity and sexualization of this 12-year-old narrator. The first sentence drops the F-bomb three times, and there are 30 of them riddled throughout the book. (No, I didn't count them. Kindle has a search function.) And that doesn't count all the other profanity. This kid was also obsessed with women's bras and underwear...stealing them and hiding them in a shoebox under his bed. He would take them out and shove them in his mouth, and my guess is the implication is that he's pleasuring himself in the process, and then he needs to confess to unclean thoughts. On top of all that, his brother encourages him to smoke cigarettes and eventually gets him started smoking marijuana.

I am in no way a prude and understand that hormones are starting to rage when kids are 12 and 15, but I found myself so many times thinking, "He's 12!" I think there's a way to tell a poignant and heartfelt story realistically without making it obscene. It felt really over the top to me, and I would not recommend it.

Thanks to NetGalley and Hanover Square Press for a free advance copy in exchange for an honest review. This title is scheduled for publication in April 2019.
.

'I’ve often prayed for our misery to be transferred to someone else- anyone else.'

A young man comes of age in rural Vermont alongside his older brother, just a sliver away from the trailer park and poverty they used to live among before moving into a house. The two contend with more than their hormones. Their Catholicism is little help in facing the harsh reality of a mother whose illness turns out to be cancer. The shame and confusion of raging urges that are becoming more of a fetish has him believing he is a deviant whose desires cannot be controlled. Often hungry for a filling meal himself, sick of heating frozen meals, he begins resenting his mother’s charitable meals for those that have even less, considering the recipient’s son is anything but thankful and seems enraged by generousity. His own mother tends to others needs despite her fragile health, yet contrary to her faith goes against the church during a protest, proving sometimes you have to honor your own moral code. There is the debt he owes for a cat, a ‘fruitful’ endeavour that sees felines taking over their home but far more confusing is his father’s concerns over the tanks he helps build for the war. There is an inner conflict, risk losing the job that provides for his family, particularly now with his wife so ill or just do one’s job and remember ‘it’s best not to question things’. Their father isn’t the only one struggling with his place in life. How do you put your faith in God when even Father Brian isn’t holding strong?

As the boys help their father build a table for their ailing mother, the only thing she truly demands, her health continues to decline. Then new girl Taylor comes along, confusing him with her desire to know what his life feels like, that even as empty and terrible as it sometimes proves to be, it is still full of the love and stability others with so much less may long for. He finds himself drawn to her, whether it makes sense or not. Taylor’s environment is wildly freer than his own, surrounded by kids in the trailer park who have nothing better to do to pass the time than drink or worse. With a mother who goes through boyfriends, she needs protection and maybe he can be the one, even if he is wise enough to know running away isn’t an option, not when they don’t have two dimes to rub together between them. The only certain truth about Taylor is he understands even less about her actions than he does about his own.

It’s a story about being trapped in situations outside one’s control, that even faith sometimes has to take a backseat to the harsh realities and obstacles that come into our lives. Not all moral dilemmas can be resolved with a prayer anymore than laying on of hands is going to cure his mother’s illness. Paths can converge and lead to happy awakenings, as much as it can lead to tragedy. Before the end of the novel, our young narrator will grow up and discover that when misery and suffering eases its hold on us, it doesn’t necessarily mean we’ve seen the last of it.

Publication Date: April 9, 2019

Hanover Square Press

I'd round the 3 stars up to 3.5 just because of the poignancy of the book, but it fizzled out in the end for me. It just kind of ended....No real wrap up. It was very odd. The writing itself was beautiful. It has a very coming of age flavor, a young boy right on the verge of growing up, and he really laid on the Catholic guilt, that part was pretty nearly perfect. There's so much going on in this book that's it's kind of hard to believe it took place over the course of one summer. I guess I was just waiting for more. It has a very 80s feel to it so anytime an early 2000s reference is made it's kind of a jolt. There's nothing really wrong with the book itself, I just kept waiting for something to happen and nothing ever really did.

Soon the light Will Be Perfect is a intriguing and intense book. It's one of those books that feels a little like something is about to explode. It’s about a family dealing with a number of issues, including the Catholic Church, the fathers job and the mothers illness. Its an emotional story about a family in the midst of crisis, in which two brothers are forced to grow up without any real guidance or explanation of all that is crumbling around them. I like this book and will recommend it to my friends. My thanks to Netgalley for the advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.

Catholic Guilt. It is real. This book nails that down like Jesus to the Cross.
Despite the darkness, there is humanity at the core of this story. There is a push towards acceptance as hardships are dealt with head-on. The story felt raw and real, but completely unrefined, especially with the first person accounts of an observant twelve-year-old protagonist who cares deeply about people.

Soon the light Will Be Perfect by author Dave Patterson is a gripping and emotional read. It’s a family’s worst nightmare come true, following the two brothers who are learning to deal with what’s happening and also coming of age. Awesome book!
Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for an arc copy of Soon the Light Will Be Perfect in exchange for an honest review.

I'm between 3.5 and 4 stars, rounded up.

Dave Patterson's Soon the Light Will Be Perfect is spare, beautiful, and haunting. It's one of those books that feels a little like a ticking time bomb, because while everything that happens seems relatively benign, there's an underlying sense of tension that makes you wonder when, or if, everything is going to explode. But that doesn't detract at all from its appeal.

A 12-year-old boy and his family live in rural Vermont at the start of the Gulf War. For the first time in a long time, things are stable for their family—they finally have enough money to move out of the trailer park (which dooms you to ostracism, as even his fellow students in the gifted program at school want nothing to do with trailer park kids) and live in a home of their own.

It's not quite a comfortable existence, in that they still have to watch every penny, but with their father's job at a weapons manufacturing plant, things finally seem to be going their way. The boy's 15-year-old brother is rebellious, experimenting with girls, drugs, cigarettes, and mischief, but he still serves as an altar boy at their local church, so all is not lost. And then their mother is diagnosed with cancer, and everything starts to fall apart.

This is a family for whom religion is tremendously important, and as their mother's illness worsens, they depend more and more on their church. Whether it's attending anti-abortion rallies, which get increasingly more disturbing, or watching the members of the church pray for their mother's recovery, the boy doesn't quite understand the power of religion, but he wants it to work for his mother. (A segment where he finds his confirmation saint and tries to emulate him is an emotional one.)

This is the story of a boy on the cusp of young adulthood, even if being an adult certainly doesn't seem all it's cracked up to be. When he meets a young girl named Taylor, he is intrigued by the way she seems so much more mature and worldly than he does, even if she may be only a year or two older than him. But he quickly realizes that Taylor's bravado is a mask for something else, although he isn't sure how to help her, or if she really wants his help.

Soon the Light Will Be Perfect is a poignant story about a family in the midst of crisis, in which two siblings are forced to essentially raise themselves without any real supervision or explanation of all that is falling apart around them. They toy with rebellion but truthfully want a "normal" life back—that is, anything that doesn't send their family back to the trailer park. It's a novel about family, about belief, about realizing your parents don't have it any more together than you do at times, but you still rely on them.

Patterson is a tremendously self-assured writer, and it's hard to believe this is his debut novel. At times it moved a little slower than I liked, and I felt like things were a little more graphic than they needed to be at times, but I couldn't pull myself away from the book, even though I read it expecting everything might go horribly awry at any second.

Soon the Light Will Be Perfect is the first real glimpse of Patterson's talent, and it's worthwhile to read. I can't wait to see what's next.

NetGalley and HARLEQUIN – Trade Publishing (U.S. & Canada)/Hanover Square Press provided me an advance copy of the book in exchange for an unbiased review. Thanks for making this available!

Can life get anymore difficult for a young man of the verge of adulthood? This twelve young old struggles with his own sexuality, his Catholic faith, a father whose work ethics are harshly judged , an older brother dealing with his own issues and a mother very sick with cancer . Life can be so unfair at times and this book is an example of that. Not much happiness is derived from this book. All are struggling in this poor town . The ending has some bright spots but a sad depressing read about the harsh reality that some families face daily.

First off, I need to say how much I love both the title and book cover of Soon the Light Will Be Perfect— every time I look at the cover I get absolutely entranced! In saying that, I was also completely captivated by the well thought-out storyline! While reading, I truly felt like a fly on the wall which had me hooked, so much so, I finished this novel in one day! Dave Patterson does a fantastic job with the character development- relatable and endearing! I recommend Soon the Light Will Be Perfect to everyone and I am looking forward to reading more from Dave Patterson in the future!