Standing Sideways – Review – Ashes Books & Bobs

Originally published in July 2018.

I found out about Standing Sideways through a couple of my blogging friends and immediately added it to my TBR after their rave reviews (thanks, Kacy, for loaning me your copy). I couldn’t wait to find out more about this story and read something my friends thought was great. Luckily, I was able to buddy read it with a friend and it made the reading experience even more fun. I’m really glad I read this book slowly with her because it helped me to break the story down in a way I wouldn’t have done reading alone. At one point, my friend was even able to help me catch an important part that I misread, making me hope that isn’t some that happens often! Yikes.

One of my favorite parts of the story, ironically, was the blog – Blog Heiress! Though it was a high school gossip blog, I thought the idea was really fun to read about. It made me almost wish my high school could have had something like this, though without the bullying or rumor-spreading. As I read further, I felt incredibly thankful social media was just emerging during my own high school years. It almost makes me ill to think of the damage cyber-bullying could have on students during these critical years, though this wasn’t a main focus of the novel.

Livia’s personality was super enjoyable, and I adored her dark, sarcastic humor. I was constantly wondering what she would do next! Her relationship with Cao was the best kind of friendship, and the conversations between the two had me laughing out loud.

I was pleasantly surprised by the touches of paranormal/supernatural thrown into the story. It was unique without taking away from the reality of the story. I also loved the bits about God and our free will as humans. I agree with the stance the characters took and appreciated the author including the subtle messages.

My only issues with the story were minor. I felt as if the ending was a bit rushed. We waited throughout the entire book for certain answers to be given and everything felt as if it was dropped at once and in a hurry. I was also disappointed that certain things were left unresolved. However, after discussing the book with a friend, I learned there will be a follow-up to Standing Sideways in the future. I wish that might have been mentioned at the end, in the blurb, or on Goodreads. It tends to change my opinion of a book if I know it’s going to be included in a series. Had I known that from the get-go, I might have been inclined to give the full five-star rating instead of four.

Overall, this book had a great message and helped me learn about things I didn’t have an understanding of prior to reading the book. I love to feel more enlighted after reading and I appreciate the author being able to do that for me. J. Lynn Bailey is a promising writer – I love her style, her characters, and the depth of this story. I can’t wait to read more books by her in the future!

Purchase on Amazon!