Book Review: Perfectly Broken by Robert Burke Warren

Perfectly Broken by Robert Burke Warren
Publisher: Story Plant
Release Date: March 8, 2016
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Publisher’s Description:

His rock star days may be behind him, but stay-at-home dad Grant Kelly’s life is getting more interesting by the day. It’s the beginning of the post 9/11 era, and he and his wife and four-year-old son have traded a New York City apartment for a Catskills farmhouse, where ghosts from the past, worries for the future, and temptations in the present converge to bring about drastic changes in their marriage, their friendships, and their family. A gorgeously nuanced novel with unforgettable characters, Perfectly Broken is a story of human frailty, the endurance of the heart, and the power and possibility of forgiveness.

I chose this book because I was told that if I liked Jonathan Tropper then I would like this book. That held true, although Robert Burke Warren definitely has his own voice and is not a Tropper copycat.

Perfectly Broken is an apt title for this book. Every character in it is broken in some way. Told in first person by Grant, it’s the story of a group of people who have been friends since the 90s. Some, like Grant’s friend Paul have made it big. Grant has not. He quit his band and tried for a solo career that never took off. Now he’s a stay-at-home dad to son Evan. He and his wife Beth have moved into a vacant house that their friends own to save money. Grant can’t help but wonder why Paul got to become a famous musician and he didn’t.

The characters in this book are relatable, yet so frustrating. Some of the choices they make are outstandingly bad. Even so, I was rooting for them to wake up and get it together. I loved the 90s flashbacks. I’m the same age as Grant and his friends and so I was listening to a lot of the same music and stuff that they were. It was fun to take a little trip back to my college days through Grant.

This is a great book about a group of friends struggling to be grown-ups. A few surprises are thrown in along the way that kept it really interesting. I look forward to seeing what the author comes up with next.

Thank you to TLC Book Tours for providing me with a copy of this book. Check out the other tour stops:

Tuesday, March 8th: Vox Libris
Wednesday, March 9th: Becklist
Thursday, March 10th: I’m Shelf-ish
Monday, March 14th: Worth Getting in Bed For
Tuesday, March 15th: Sharon’s Garden of Book Reviews
Thursday, March 17th: she treads softly
Friday, March 18th: Art @ Home
Monday, March 21st: Gspotsylvania: Ramblings from a Reading Writer Who Rescues Birds and Beasts
Tuesday, March 22nd: Jenn’s Bookshelves
Wednesday, March 23rd: An Unconventional Librarian
Thursday, March 24th: The 3 R’s: Reading, ‘Riting, and Randomness
Monday, March 28th: Everyday I Write the Book
Tuesday, March 29th: From the TBR Pile
Wednesday, March 30th: The Book Chick
Thursday, March 31st: Chaos is a Friend of Mine
Monday, April 4th: bookchickdi
TBD: BoundbyWords