Fully recommend.

Love this story. It is well written and very engaging. Cannot wait for the sequel.

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Growing up in a cult

I was immediately drawn into this story and didn't want to stop until I knew how it ended. With the great narration, the feelings of loneliness, isolation, mental and physical abuse along with an overall sense of hopelessness really came through. Josh knew his life wasn't normal but at least he had someone he knew cared about him, until his world changed. We ride along with Josh as he grows up in a world of confusion, pain and difficult decisions. This author does a wonderful job of describing the emotions a young man must go through as he struggles for a normal life among a large group of people he knows he can't trust. Bill Nevitt, as always, gives a very good performance as he portrays the emotions Josh is feeling throughout this book. My only issue with this story is I felt like I was listening and then the ending just sort of came without warning. I'm happy there was a little follow up at the end to give me an idea of where Josh went from there. I was voluntarily provided this review copy audiobook at no charge by the author, publisher and/or narrator.

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Unique Coming of Age

Growing up in the Fundamental Faith in God hasn’t fooled Joshua one bit. He knows the life he lives isn’t normal. The most he knows about families comes from the books he reads. His mother has never acted like one. Day in and day out his life revolves around prayer and chores. Most of his day he spends questioning why the adults had the children that they don’t seem to want. When he can, he finds solace by spending time in the woods with his brother Mal. When Mal leaves and ends up getting himself killed, Joshua is left alone to figure out what he should do.

The characters were well-fleshed out. Each of the kids had their own personality and interests which made them stand out from one another. I sometimes found it difficult to connect with Joshua though. At times he was petulant and unruly though I could certainly understand his character arc. It was easy to see why he’d act out and hurt the other kids at times but those times made it hard to root for him. I think I liked the “romantic interest” Mary more. She was sweet and more down to Earth. In a way she was Joshua’s foil.

It was interesting to hear that the author was in a cult and wrote the book based loosely on his experiences. I think that added a personal touch to the characters and story arc that would’ve been otherwise been missing.

Narration was perfect for the story.

This book was given to me for free at my request and I provided this voluntary review.

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Enjoyable ' becoming an adult' story.

Based on the authors life experiences of growing up in a cult situation, this is a novel comprised by combining the characteristics of different people that were part of his growing up and the highlights of the major life events. Definitely interesting to learn about an area of life that most of us have never experienced but often wonder about. The narration performance was well done and really added to the listening experience. I would recommend this book.

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Shocking and Heartwarming at the same time!

This book will leave you feeling all kinds of emotions: anger, sadness, love, friendship, and joy. The author did an excellent job of showing about the cult that Joshua lived in, but making the book about relationships and overcoming hard things. At times I wanted to strangle characters and other times hug them. Listen to/read this if you're looking for a unique perspective on growing up.

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One of those stories that makes you uneasy

This is about young mans journey as he grows up in a cult. The jumbled feelings of fear, isolation and distrust mingle with the realization that though he feels completely alone, there are other children in the home.
This is the type of story that really makes you uncomfortable, and yet you are simply unable to put it down.
It’s very much worth finishing. The narrator is easy to understand and reads at a great pace. He makes the store feel real.

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Interesting.

Overall, I enjoyed the story. I think this was probably the calmest “cult” story I’ve ever read/listened to though. There was some questionable writing, for example, lines like “That should keep those two under control. Whatever that means.” Why would Josh have thought the comment if he didn’t know what it meant? Or “As the water cascaded over my body, slowly beginning to ease the pain in my body, I seethed” (repetition). I’m always a fan of authors who include aspects of their personal lives into a story, so learning at the end that was the case here, I was pleasantly surprised. I think when a character grows a lot throughout the story, having it in first person is always the best option and provides a nice touch in a way that the reader/listener can create a better connection to how that character feels and what they experience.

The narrator did a pretty good job. I’ve listened to Bill Nevitt narrate several books now and have started to realize that if there are kids present in the story, their voices tend to sound the same (as is the case in this book). While Josh sounded somewhat mature (voice wise), the other kids sounded much younger than the age we’re told they are, often sounding whiny. Also, I couldn’t help but chuckle at his English accent.

I received a free audiobook code in exchange for an unbiased review.

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A boy without a mother comes of age inside a cult

The story follows Joshua, a teen boy who wants nothing more than to leave the cult he grew up in. Children of the cult have no mother or father figure but are raised in a strange loveless community. As older siblings run away, Joshua must decide if he will stay or go. I found his coming of age struggle inspiring. His voice was very true to a sometimes young fifteen-year-old attitude, sometimes kind and thoughtful, and sometimes annoying with the character grumbling about things. All in all it was a thought-provoking read.

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Interesting...

It was a very interesting story. I enjoyed listening to it and thought it was neat that it was loosely based on the author’s upbringing. I wished there could have been abit more to discover what happened afterwards and to some of the other characters.

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Engaging and thought provoking

Interesting read about a young boy and his experience growing up in a cult. It's not so much about the cult but about the lessons that we can learn from life. Joshua's experiences teach morals such as perseverance, forgiveness and self control. We are who we make ourselves to be, in spite of our surroundings.

I really enjoyed this coming of age story and the engaging with the main character as he turned from boy to man.

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