Review: "Sharing Harper" by V. Murphy
One month after its release Sharing Harper had sold approximately 2100 books, cracked Amazon’s top 500 list for the United States at number 452, was an Amazon UK best seller, has over 100 reviews listed on Amazon with an average of 4.3 out of 5, and had interested publishers. With a book that has done so well in only one month, why don’t you go pick it up today?
Book Synopsis from V. Murphy:
“I’m not very good at sharing, especially when it comes to you Harper.”
A pain too hard to understand.
A struggle too deep to reach.
A love too complicated to work…but too intense to let go.
Harper Mae ran as far away as she could from her abusive past. She went to a different city and numbed her pain by using men, never sleeping with the same guy more than once.
Ryder worked at a coffee shop trying to blend in with the rest of the world, desperately trying to live a normal life. After leaving a relationship and losing his family, he vowed never to fall in love again.
Until one day they find each other and from there can’t seem to let go.
Harper and Ryder’s turbulent relationship, two people struggling to find themselves, leads them to discover the answer lies within each other.
Secrets, buried so deep and possessed by each, end up surfacing causing irrevocable pain.
Will their love be strong enough to survive or will their pain be the downfall to their relationship?
Will Harper open up enough to share her past with Ryder or will he be just another number on her list?
Released: July 4, 2013 Pages: 222
My Review:
This was the second time that I have read Sharing Harper, and it was the first indie book that I had ever read. I read this book the first time right after it was published and posted a review at that time as well, which I will include at the end of the most current review. I wanted to post a new review as well because as I get older and deal with my own life experiences there is the possibility that I will see a book differently the second time around.
First I do want to say that I still loved the story line just as much as I did the first time around. I can relate so much to Harper (minus the physical abuse) so I connect automatically to the character V has delivered to her readers. It is so easy to shut people out when you have been hurt as bad as Harper has, making relationships of any kind hard to maintain and develop.
The only thing I noticed more the second time reading was small grammatical errors. Most of the time I didn't even catch them till I had already read the paragraph so it didn't get in the way of my own personal reading. I know when I read a book for the very first time I fly through the paragraphs and some times jump down two lines because I have an addiction to knowing what happens next. I have to tell myself to SLOW down and actually read every word that the author has so carefully placed on each page.
I was looking at the reviews for this on amazon and some of them just broke my heart. One reader states they only read five pages (if that) and that was being generous that they couldn't get passed the writing style. I have read a lot of books in my life and this is one that I will pick up every other year or so to read again, and I think readers are missing out on Sharing Harper. It has to be the hardest thing to publish your own book without the help from a big publisher, so I give huge amounts of kudos for V for doing just that!
I bought this paperback book because it is one of my favorites and when I have a favorite I have to own the physical copy because I enjoy flipping through real pages over swiping my finger across a screen. Well the editing isn't a five star review the story line still is a five star for me. Harper gives girls with a horrible past the ability to see a happily ever after even when they could be the one sabatoging thier own ending.
ORIGINAL REVIEW FROM 2013:
I absolutely LOVED Sharing Harper! I did not want to put it down for anything, and like I said to V. Murphy, "Well you did a wonderful job! I could not put my kindle down for anything! My boyfriend dragged me out golfing so I was riding in the cart until I finished!!"
The situation with Harper is real life and you can see why she chooses to live the way she does in regards to booze and boys. You want to knock her out of it, so she will have a chance to be happy but Harper doesn’t believe in love anymore. When she meets Ryder, you instantaneously know he got under her skin and wouldn’t leave her thoughts.
Ryder Andrew Kent, the man who messes all that up for Harper. Ryder is a man that she actually trusts, a man that she actually wants to see when she wakes up in the morning, and a man that she could picture herself falling in love with. But ultimately a man with his own dark hidden secrets, which Harper can’t live with.
I kept going back to Evelyn though and wanted to know who she was to Ryder. I didn’t figure it out until close to the end which was awesome. Usually I figure things out early on in the book, but with Sharing Harper I had a couple guesses that kept going through my head and I couldn’t just pinpoint one.
I’m really glad how the book ends, and could have easily been a great standalone book because it really didn’t house any cliffhangers. Knowing that this will be a series though makes me super happy, because I know that there are things that could be elaborated in future novels. V. Murphy, you better get writing!!! I can’t wait to read the next installment of Harper and Ryder’s relationship!
I am going to give Sharing Harper 5+ stars, because it was truly amazing and will be added to my favorite list. I have already purchased my paperback copy!! I will make sure that all of my reading friends read this book! I will even take all ereaders as hostages until they finish! That is how amazing this book was.
My two favorite quotes:
“I haven’t stopped thinking about you. I needed to know who you were. You’ve captured my every last thought.”
“I don’t want to share you with anyone else Harper, not even with the memories of your past.”
Meet the author:
Her name is V. Murphy and she loves everything about reading (some may call her a bibliophile). She is a current graduate from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign and heading out west to live the California dream while pursuing her master’s degree in school counseling at the University of San Diego. You can find her writing in a Panera, small coffee shop or on campus. When she is not spending her time in school or reading, she loves to write, bake and shop.
