The First Day of the Rest of My Life by Cathy Lamb

Madeline O’Shea, a highly successful life coach, is a hypocrite. She tells people what to do with their lives, but doesn’t follow any of the advice she doles out. Madeline is hiding a secret- a horrible, wretched past filled with twisted abuse and heartbreak. Madeline, along with her sister and best friend, Annie, have worked hard to keep their childhood away from the public. But when a reporter starts getting too close for comfort, Madeline and Annie’s past may be revealed.

The First Day of the Rest of My Life by Cathy Lamb is not a story for the faint of heart. While I pride myself on being able to handle difficult scenes (and even write many of my own), I struggled through this book. The abuse that Madeline and Annie endure as girls is horrific and heart-breaking and evil. There were parts of this story that I couldn’t even say aloud after I was finished reading. That being said, if you can’t handle topics such as sexual abuse, please don’t try to read this book. It will tear you apart.

Besides from that, I understand the point and lesson Lamb wants readers to take away from this book, because it is one that I touch in my debut novel as well. How to move on from difficult circumstances that were beyond your control, regaining your life when at times it doesn’t seem possible, and never losing faith in yourself. And that I can appreciate. Sometimes the writing veered off track for me, and I wasn’t quite sure some scenes that just seemed like fillers were included. The grandparents were a lovely addition to Madeline and Annie, and the back story that included the mother was quite touching, even humorous at times. But overall, this is a very sad and dark novel, filled with plot twists and characters that continually brought me down. The ending really helped solidify Madeline and Annie starting their new lives, ones where they were no longer consumed in guilt and haunted from their past, and I was glad for a happy ending there. While this book gave me a lot to talk and think about, I don’t think it’s for everyone.