Review: This Raging Light by Estelle Laure

Her dad went crazy. Her mom left town. She has bills to pay and a little sister to look after. Now is not the time for level-headed seventeen-year-old Lucille to fall in love. But love—messy, inconvenient love—is what she’s about to experience when she falls for Digby Jones, her best friend’s brother. With blazing longing that builds to a fever pitch, Estelle Laure’s soulful debut will keep readers hooked and hoping until the very last page.

Thanks to NetGalley, I was able to read this fantastic book and hope to do it justice here.

Books with missing parents usually bug me. A major literary pet peeve of mine is the absence of parents; that’s why I always try to have parents in my novels when I write them. But This Raging Light takes the concept of the teenager-on-her-own to a different level, giving life to a strong main character struggling to raise her little sister after her mother leaves.

It’s a powerful book where you see Lucille struggle with her emotions, fighting to stay level-headed while being Mom and Dad to her sister, Wren; she has to get a job and make sure her sister’s all right, trying to hide the severity of the situation.

Trying to hide that her mom is gone, and doesn’t seem to be returning anytime soon.

She has some amazing friends to help her, including Digby and Eden. They’re the only people who know what’s going on as she struggles to keep a straight face in public so her sister won’t be taken away.

With the writer’s engaging style, I was a mess of feels by the end. A rapid, nerve-wracking book, it didn’t disappoint me. If you’re looking for a quick read with powerful characters and–ironically–a strong family message, I highly suggest This Raging Light.

It’ll be out on December 22, so be sure to add it to your TBR on Goodreads!