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Holding On to Hurt

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Holding On to Hurt

By: Charlotte Roth
Narrated by: Valerie Smaldone
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About this listen

IIrene Hurt's life is perfect, and she cherishes every moment with her son and her husband, until...the day she gets the call every mother dreads. Her son, Scottie is injured in a mass school shooting and is rushed to the ICU, where he's put into a medically induced coma to wait out his fate. Devastated, her husband pulls away and even tries to convince Irene to remove Scottie's life support, to save his son from a life of lesser existence. But, Irene refuses to give up hope.

On her journey through grief, denial, anger, and finally, acceptance, Irene discovers more about the events of that tragic day, the boy who shot her son and then took his own life, and the husband she thought she knew and could trust. Will Scottie pull through? Or, will Irene accept that sometimes, the best thing a mother can do for her child is let go?

Set in the darkest hours of winter in Seattle, Holding On to Hurt tells the gripping story of one mother's fight to keep her son alive, no matter what she has to sacrifice.

©2017 Charlotte Roth (P)2019 Charlotte Roth Family Life Fiction Genre Fiction Women's Fiction Tear-jerking Marriage Heartfelt

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All stars
Most relevant
An emotional Rollercoaster!! Wow! That is all I can say! Beautifully written and the narration was wonderful! Can't say hardly anything bad about this book. Still can't get right over the emotions of this book!

Right in the feelers!

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Gut wrenching.. This book is utterly gut wrenching.

I cried like a baby. Full on ugly cried. Sadness, loss, devastation.. they are all front and center in this book. I think having kids myself made me understand Irene so much more than if I wasn't a mother. I felt her loss and heartache as if it was my own and I felt the anger and desperation. It was beautifully written and completely gutted me.

The twists and turns you don't see coming, the key players in the game.. it destroyed me. Man I have never read a book as devastatingly beautiful as this one.

Valerie Smaldone made me feel, I'm talking FEEL. Full force feel the hurt and anger. She did an awesome job with the emotions in this book.

Gut wrenching!

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This is a story of every parents most dreaded fear.
The journey they take in fear, tears, anger, denial, finally acceptance that they may lose someone precious and not replaceable in there life.
This is a raw, emotionally gripping, roller coaster, be warned to of a box of tissues close at hand.
Valerie Smaldone bless her heart did an amazing job narrating.

Reviewed for Audiobook Obsession

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What an emotionally gripping story. Holding On To Hurt was another fantastic story from Charlotte Roth that had me hooked until the very end. This is not a romance. It is a story about a family trying to cope with the unimaginable and about a mother's love for her child and her determination to keep him alive despite differing views on the matter.
Charlotte Roth gave all the emotions in this story and you felt every single one of them. Its a story that will stay in your mind long after you've finished.
I listened to the audible version of this novel which was narrated by Valerie Smaldone. She did a great job with the narration and was able to portray the emotional anguish of both parents. I enjoyed listening to her.
Holding On To Hurt is a definite must read that will evoke a range of emotions from you. I would highly recommend it to all lovers of women's fiction.
#AudiobookObsessionReviewer

Loved it

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oh man... Charlotte Roth made me cry ugly tears. I blame Valerie too. What a roller coaster of feelings and emotions. This book is a definite heart jerker. It's so well written, and the narration brought it to life. I had to stop listening at work and just wait until the kids went to sleep. Tears were just running down my face. This book leaves me at a loss for words. There's more I wish I could say, but I don't want to mess it up for anyone. Awesome story.

🎧AudiobookObsessionReviewer

all the feels

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This author really knows how to write a story that seems realistic but also hits you right in the feels! She does an amazing job writing characters who are relatable and whose emotions make sense for the circumstances. An well written emotional tale of a tragic event, a mother's love, the power of hope and forgiveness. A sadder listen, but is impressive.

The narrator did a phenomenal job with this performance and really brought out the deeper emotions throughout this tragic tale. First time listening to her and would happily listen to more of her performances.

I received a review copy at my request and have voluntarily left this unbiased review.

Emotional & Hopeful

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A very emotional listen. The love of a mother for their child is undeniable. The tough decision we make can either make us or break us. This story written in times when we have all these mass shooting is was a real life in your face story. I would not known what do if this was my child, but the fighter in this mom touched me. It was a great read. This is a must listen.

A Mother's Love

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What an emotional story of a mother and father dealing with grief in very different ways when their son is a victim of a school shooting and fighting for his life in the hospital. It feels very realistic and is heart-wrenching. It shows how a happy family can be torn apart in the face of tragedy not knowing if their son will live or die. I highly recommend this book. Valerie Smaldone did a wonderful job with the various characters and their emotions.

🎧AudiobookObsession 

Emotional!

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Despite the few problems I have with this story, I give it full stars. I wish there were a few things that were explained more and gone into more detail about, but it didn't kill the story. The story was so beautifully written and heart wrenching. It was hard not to get caught up in the feels. I was a little disappointed with the ending. I won't talk about it due to the obvious spoiler reason. I was just hoping they would go into more detail than they did. It wasn't major though. I still loved it. The narrator did a pretty amazing job too. I feel like she intensified the feelings in the book with how she narrated. She definitely kept me wanting to hear more and more. There were several times where I had to stop it but really didn't want to because I wanted to just keep on listening! I fully recommend this. Just realize that it's not a happy go lucky book. It's very heavy but very beautiful.

Emotional

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Listener received this title free

This book!!! Charlotte Roth did such a wonderful job with this story. The intense feelings these characters go through are so thoroughly explored in her writing, that I felt every one of them. This mother is so me. I would fight anything and anyone to protect my children! No one would be able to convince me that miracles don’t happen and that my child would not be coming back to me!

The emotions these parents, Bruce and Irene go through are heart wrenching! I cried with her and with them many times while listening. My heart broke because I could put myself in her situation so easily because it is so well written.

Valerie Smaldone is a new narrator to me. I had a little bit of difficulty with her voice inflection and the emotion of the story. That doesn’t mean she is. It a good narrator, it only means I had trouble connecting with her. I listened to every word!

I recommend this highly!!! It is SO good!!!

This deserves more than 5 stars!!!

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