I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.
Thanks NetGalley!

This book is beautiful. It's about a mistreated little boy in the 20s & 30s whom was born to a prostitute.

The story is well-written, easy to read, and i read it quickly! Buy it!

This is one of best debut novels I've ever read, and I've read over 2,000 books in my lifetime, so far. The suspense, unlike a thriller, is ongoing with bits if foreshadowing and the development of the story as the reader desires to find out what happens next in the life journey of the main character. The main character and a few of the re-appearing characters are well developed, and I am left with a sense of saying good-bye to good friends.

There are a few punctuation errors and misused words in the text but not enough to cause a glaring distraction from the writing. In one instance the injuries sustained by two characters were switched around and left me chuckling at the editor's oversight. The story is engrossing and the flow and continuity of the story are spot-on. I'll probably buy my own copy so I can read it again. The characters are portrayed accurately as are the culture and atmosphere of the time period in which the story occurs.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC copy of the book. The opinions expressed above are my own.

*This book was provided by Net Galley in exchange for an honest review*

It takes a lot for me to cry while reading a book and this book did exactly that. While reading I was crying and longing to help Drew. This book was heart-wrenching and heart stopping. I couldn't put it down and I wanted to see what would happen to Drew.

The character backgrounds are rich and well developed as is the plot. Some parts seemed a bit choppy but I barely noticed.

The author made me mad, sad and happy which sometimes doesn't happen. The author made me feel the pain and sorrow and I could feel it coming through the pages.

I look forward to reading more from this author.

This was an okay read. The flow was a little choppy for my taste, but the overall storyline was good. I enjoy reading and writing Southern fiction, so I can appreciate a good story from the segregated south days. Some of the language struck me hard as being harsh, but I couldn't complain when I utilize the same words in my own books. I felt really bad for Drew so many times while reading this story. His early childhood with his prostitute of a mother was horrid. Thanks for the chance of reading this.

I volunteered to give an honest review in exchange for a free copy of the book. The book is set in the 1920s and 1930s in the south. A little boy is born to a poor woman working as a prostitute. His mother doesn't want him, and she lets the African American maid and the maids black church community raise him until about age 5. The mother leaves the brothel to be cared for by a man, and she has to take her son with her. He goes through turbulent times while living with his mother. This book has a lot of the discrimination against the blacks during this time period. The author does a good job of making you sad and angry. I cried at the ending. I look forward to more books from this author.

This book is utterly beautiful and amazingly real. Mr. Cole brought history to life in a moving way while also showing the true meaning of family and overcoming hardship while still retaining your soul.

This debut novel by Jim Cole takes the reader on a journey with Drew, an incredible but mistreated child who lived his life with strength, courage, and integrity. Drew's adventures/misadventures, while extreme at times, were ultimately believable and I found myself cheering for him all of the way. The author drew me in with prose that could have been written by a seasoned author. His word choices were excellent and the storyline was captivating. Character background was extensive and the characters wound their ways throughout ups and downs that had me hooked from the beginning. Even though Drew's mother was an awful mother, the author made me feel some kindness towards her - at least at the beginning of the book. Some of the language was hard to read, but it was appropriate for the setting. Racism, homophobia, and violence were evident, but so was love, honor, and hope. This well-written book was surprisingly good and I'm so glad I got to share this adventure with Drew.