About the Book
A psychic on the verge of stardom who isn’t sure she believes in herself and a cynical journalist with one last chance at redemption are brought together by secrets from the past that also threaten to tear them apart.
Psychic-medium Sylvie Young starts every show with her origin story, telling the audience how she discovered her abilities. But she leaves out a lot—the plane crash that killed her parents, an estranged adoptive family who tend orchards in rainy Oregon, panic attacks, and the fact that her agent insists she research some clients to ensure success.
After a catastrophic reporting error, Thomas Holmes’s next story at the L.A. Times may be his last, but he’s got a great personal pitch. “Grief vampires” like Sylvie who prey upon the loved ones of the deceased have bankrupted his mother. He’s dead set on using his last-chance article to expose Sylvie as a conniving fraud and resurrect his career.
When Sylvie and Thomas collide, a game of cat and mouse ensues, but the secrets they’re keeping from each other are nothing compared to the mysteries and lies they unearth about Sylvie’s past. Searching for the truth might destroy them both—but it’s the only way to find out what’s real.
My Review
Do you ever start a book and two pages in you’re like – I have no idea what I’m about to read but I know it’s going to be good? That was me with Some of it Was Real. I was instantly curious about Sylvie and her psychic-medium abilities – or were they actual abilities? Her clashing with reporter Thomas had me wondering how two people that were clearly attracted to each other yet seemed to despise the other person would pan out. But at the center of the story is also mystery – Sylvie can’t remember her earliest years, only being told her birth parents died in a plane crash and she was adopted, yet her early childhood seems to be shrouded in secrets. When Thomas comes along with Sylvie on a trip back home – to make sure she doesn’t “cheat” at her next show where she connects with loved ones who has passed on, the mystery is ramped up. Missing adoption files, Sylvie’s nightmares and suspected flashbacks, and everyone telling her not to look into her past makes them both frustrated with lack of answers. Both are keeping secrets from one another while both looking for truths that might destroy them.
This was such a fascinating novel, yet I’m having troubles putting into words everything I want to say about this one, because I feel I could ramble forever. From the first few pages I was hooked, and I was enthralled throughout the duration, picking up my Kindle at any moment I could to read a few more pages. The storyline around past trauma, healing, and moving forward was in depth, unflinching and showed soft moments mixed in with tears and screams. I have to say I had no idea what the ending was going to reveal to us, and I was shocked, reading while holding my breath. This riveting page turner is sure to capture your attention, and I highly recommend for fall, or this would make a great book club pick.
5 stars
