“His music holds the heart of America…but his soul holds a terrible secret.”
Chart topping pop musician Cory Minor has it all—fame, money, more women at his disposal than time to spend on them. He’s living the life most American men only dream of. Until an ordinary concert in Springfield threatens to destroy everything he’s worked for.
As he and his band leave the arena for his next show, Cory’s tour bus crashes into two teenage girls, killing one girl instantly and leaving the other barely clinging to life. Lawsuits are threatened, tabloids are talking, and Cory’s idyllic world falls apart. But what no one knows is that this scene is all too familiar. Because this isn’t the first accident Cory has caused. This isn’t the first time he’s destroyed someone else’s life to save his own.
It’s just the first time he’s had to face it head on.
Small town girl Samantha Dalton has no one—no mother, no father, and now no sister. She’s lost everything in a world that celebrates excess. So when Cory Minor shows up at her doorstep offering money and apologies, she turns him away too. You can’t lose what you don’t have, and she can’t take another letdown, especially not from someone who has managed to rip away all she had left. Samantha has been fine on her own for years, she’ll be fine now too.
At least that’s what she tells herself.
But Cory won’t leave. He’s persistent in the worst possible way.
Will Cory’s determination to make things right pay off in the end, or will Sam keep pushing him away until there’s nothing left to fight for? How can two people learn to rely on each other when life keeps hurting them both?
GENRE: Contemporary Clean Romance
PUBLISHER: SYG Productions
RELEASE DATE: June 20, 2017
PAGES: 328
“Nothing good happens after midnight.”
The Whys Have It is exquisitely heartwrenching and simultaneously layered with hope and subtle nudges of grace. It’s a picture of broken people living broken lives – and what it looks like when their brokenness intersects.
Cory is gloriously unfiltered and will leave you swooning (and blushing and fanning) more than once. In his life as a pop musician, fame quickly becomes synonymous with sex and alcohol, luxury and popularity. But, as he says in the prologue, “no one talks about the downside.”
“My name is Cory Minor, and according to People Magazine I’m currently the most sought-after man in America.
I never dreamed I’d feel so isolated.”
Samantha (Sam) has no frame of reference for all that Cory experiences, but she does know quite a bit about loss. And guilt. A relatable heroine, she just needs a break from the grief, from being the strong one. She is just as broken as Cory is, just as isolated, but her brokenness manifests itself in fear and resignation.
Considering why their brokenness intersects, Sam and Cory make an unlikely pair. But their chemistry is undeniable, and their growing friendship provides several lighter moments over the course of this emotional story. Amy Matayo seamlessly gets inside their heads, and therefore so do we, the readers. As such, we are treated to their brokenness first hand and experience their reactions and unguarded thoughts. It makes for some uncomfortable paragraphs – the good kind of uncomfortable, the kind that stretches you out of your comfort zone. The kind of discomfort that eventually makes grace that much sweeter.
Oh! And I can’t forget to mention Phyllis. I adore her! You will love her too, I just know it! She’s the type of character you wish could leap out of the page and into real life. Her hugs, her insight, the smile in her voice. Everyone needs a Phyllis.
“Don’t let the whys ruin your life, child.”
Bottom Line: The Whys Have It by Amy Matayo is the kind of book that gets deep down in your heart and takes up residence. The smooth writing style instantly draws you in – and once the characters latch on, don’t expect to put this novel down until you’ve finished it. My Kindle copy has three pages worth of highlighted sentences that will linger with me for quite a while beyond this first read. It’s honest. It’s profound. It’s raw in places. And peeking through the melody of brokenness is a harmony of hope and restoration that will settle in your spirit like one of Phyllis’ hugs.
(I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book which I received from the author. All views expressed are only my honest opinion.)
My Rating: 5 stars / Love it!
KissingBook Level: 4+ / You may need the freezer before it’s over with 🙂
Guest review contributed by Reading Is My Superpower. Peek at Top Ten Tuesday and Favorites Friday but also frequent author interviews/giveaways in a style of review that stands out from the rest.
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