Review: Releasing Keanu

Releasing Keanu by Siobhan Davis
My rating: 3 of 5 stars

Throughout The Kennedy Boys series, I have been curious about Keanu and Selena. The teasing details we have received left me with the belief their story would be a powerful read, one that would rip me apart and put me back together again. I expected the kind of book that would break me in the best of way, but the truth is this wasn’t quite all I had expected.

That is not to say I did not enjoy this addition to The Kennedy Boys series, it simply was not my favourite. The reason for this, however, is an easy one. The topic touched upon in this book is one I’m extremely picky about. In fact, I mostly stay away from books that deal with this topic. A lot of research needs to be done to make it right, and from the work I do, I find myself picking things apart instead of enjoying it. That is not to say it was badly done, it simply did not hit me as hard as it should have. Due to the work I do, it takes a lot for the horrors of the world to result in an emotional response from me. That is not to say I’m immune, I’ve simply learned to keep my emotions buried deep. The last thing someone wants when they are getting counselling after a traumatic experience is to see the person they are sharing their horrors with getting emotional. However, in the case of the horror handled in this book, this is one situation where I find it difficult to keep my emotions locked out. This is the one time where I have to work to keep my face straight and my comments locked down, as it’s the one thing that I have trouble pretending I’m immune to the details of.

It is due to the above that I expected this book to hit me hard. I have trouble remaining neutral when I’m hearing it at work, therefore I expected the emotions to come out when I was reading about it. Sure, there were a few moments that were emotional, but for the most part I did not feel the crippling anxiety I feel when listening to it at work. It’s why I’m so picky about these books. As I’ve heard real life stories, it takes a lot for the fictional ones to have the same emotional impact on me. I’m sure many will be hit hard by it – it is a real issue, it’s one that needs to be dealt with, and more people need to be made aware of what is going on – but due to my real-world knowledge, I need more.

This is just me being picky, though. It’s another addition to The Kennedy Boys series that will have fans powering through the book. Although I am not labelling this one my favourite, I remain in need of the rest of the series.


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