Review: Planning to Live by Heather Wardell
Reviewed by Jenn L.
Determined to stick to her rigorous diet in hopes of losing weight for her best friend’s wedding, Rhiannon Taylor flees her parent’s house on Christmas to avoid eating. Despite the insistence of her mother, she attempts the four hour drive in the snow. Realizing the weather conditions are worse than she anticipated, Rhiannon turns around to head back to her parent’s house, only to skid off the road, lodging her car in a tree. With a foot painfully lodged in the front of the crumpled vehicle, Rhiannon is unable to get out of the car or reach her cell phone.
When life flashes before your eyes, it doesn’t always happen in mere seconds. As Rhiannon’s rescue ideas continue to fail, she reflects on her life – and how the combination of traumatic loss, extreme perfectionism, and the hope of new love has brought her to her current situation. As her night alone in the stranded vehicle continues, Rhiannon turns to her laptop, the only thing she can strain to reach, to write letters to her loved ones, just in case she doesn’t make it . . .
Hidden behind the cover art of a typical diet book lies the inspiring story of a young woman who has spent her life planning and undermining herself. True to her typical self-analysis habits, Rhiannon is left to reevaluate the life she has and the demons of her past.
An incredible look at what’s really important in life, Planning to Live combines a powerful message into a negative series of events without coming off as melodramatic or unrealistic. The book is filled with realistic dialog, fluid transitions between flashbacks and present day, and is very well written. Wardell’s novel is one to keep nearby at all times, for the moments when we all feel our lives have become stagnant.
Rating: 4/5
Learn more at www.heatherwardell.com
Since graduating from Kutztown University of Pennsylvania with a BA in Professional Writing, Jenn works as a freelance writer, poet, and blogger at south of sheridan. She resides in Pennsylvania with her husband, and loves baking, crafting, and anything that requires a hot glue gun.
Review copy was provided free of any obligation by Heather Wardell. No monetary or any other form of compensation was received.
Category: Contemporary, Literature & Fiction
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“Planning to Live by Heather Wardell”
great title.
seems a book full wonderful note and tips to have better love and improve our life level
thanks for sharing
That does sound like a good book. Maybe a good gift for someone who is feeling like their life is going all the wrong ways.
Caren with a “C” recently posted..Preparing for Disasters and Uncertain Futures
This is a great book. I dieted for my first wedding and then worried about the pounds coming back on my honeymoon. You can never be perfect. If your weight is alright, then your hair is not,
what about the thing you said and everyone stopped talking. I have this book on my list to buy.
Carol Wong
[...] Read more of my review of Planning To Live on Luxury Reading. [...]
Thank you so much for reviewing this book! I love all my books but this one has my heart BECAUSE it changed my life. I still backslide, of course, but I do live differently because of it and so I’m so happy when other people connect with it too.
Colleen, if you do read it I’d love to know what you think!
Thanks for visiting Heather!
Things can happen in a split second and we never know when a trajedy is going to happen to us. To worry about how much we eat, how well we fit into that smaller size jeans or will look like in a bridesmaids dress should take a back burner to letting our loved ones know every single day that we love and care for them.
I’ve had two brushes with death and remember what it was like to wake up in the hospital knowing that I had another chance to tell my mom how much I loved her or how sorry I was about an argument we had.
It’s books like this one that make people realize these things but for most the thought only lasts while reading the book and then they are back to doing what they normally do, which is sad.
This sounds awesome! So many women (I am definitely one of them) continue to put ourselves down about weight, intelligence even our ability to complete the mundane tasks of life, regardless of what those around us say or do. Yes, sometimes this stems from people putting us down or being mean, but for me my husband can pay me a compliment and tell me how wonderful I look and I will find something about myself to complain about. It really angers him sometimes because he just wishes I would see myself as he sees me. When it comes down to what is really important in life who is going to look back and still be mad about that cookie they ate when they were dieting or that bad grade they received back in college? I, thankfully, can only imagine what we reflect on, but I think it would be more about the love we felt and the good times we had then anything to do with looking good or living up to other people’s expectations. I will be reading this one!