Okay, so just to recap , “A Novice’s First Take” is a series created by me to highlight “new to me” authors. It includes my raw feelings, thoughts, and the opinions that I have while reading these authors’ stories for the first time. It will consist of three sections; my pre-reading thoughts, my raw thoughts, and thoughts in hindsight. Of course the Pre-Reading Thoughts section briefly describes my thoughts from reading the synopsis alone. My Raw Thoughts section features the unstructured immediate thoughts that I have while reading. Lastly, the Hindsight section highlights my overall reading experience and my big takeaways. If you haven’t read it already, there will be some spoilers in the Raw Thoughts section.
So far I’ve checked out Kema B., Ashleynicole, Shae Sanders, and Kimberly Brown. For the month of May I have decided to finally read Rae Lyse’s work. Honestly, this has been long overdue. Saving Sunflower is a story about finding love, grief, heartbreak, friendship, and family. It tells the story of Dominic DeBlanc, a part time hustler and a part time rapper. Dominic is struggling to cope with his traumatic past that is still weighing on him for the majority of his young life. Upon meeting Claudette Goins, a young college student, he is immediately captivated by not only her beauty, but also her spirit. What starts as a refreshing friendship and business arrangement quickly spirals into something way deeper.
Pre-Reading Thoughts:
I remember when “Saving Sunflower” first came out; everybody was raving about the quality of the book. From there it had been sitting on my TBR List (and in my library) for months. Even when I recently expressed my interest in reading it people commented letting me know that they hold the author in high regard. Saving Sunflower also won in my “what should I read next” poll, so here I am. Now I’m about to stop playing and get into it!
Raw Thoughts:
I enjoy characters with deep or dark pasts. When executed correctly it makes the entire story deeper, adding more layers to the plot and the characters. Both Dominic and Claudette seem to fit in this category. You can already tell that they both are going to be instrumental in each other's growth. I hope that there will be a healing aspect to this story because it’s definitely needed. Maybe Claudette will be Dominic’s balm.
I love how obsessed Dominic is even after one week. Any little thing can remind him of Claudette at any moment and she overtakes his thoughts. It’s so sweet! His inexperience with these types of feelings makes it even cuter because he’s so confused lol.
Ok so I’m about 25% in and right now it’s moving slow (the plot is not really moving at all). So it’s giving no progression or conflict, just vibes. Usually I would be like wtf, but this writing?! The descriptions?! That’s what is keeping me here. I feel like I'm there with them. In the Waffle House, in the Dodge Charger, in Dom’s bedroom, in the club. I'm being teleported. It’s like I'm not just seeing the words, but I'm feeling them and visualizing the scene.
The fact that he calls her SunFlower and her calling him Nic has me screaming inside. The comfort that they feel with each other and the amount of trust they have in a short period of time is giving soulmates.
Autumn is like Claudette’s real world teacher. She is so truthful with all of the advice that she gives her. A lot of the advice is coming from her own experience, but it is also coming from a place of fear. As if she is afraid for Claudette to experience life for herself. In the end though, I think that Autumn’s words will reign true. Claudette is going to get hurt by Dominic.
I’m rolling my eyes at Dominic right now talking about he’s not in love. BOY you were whipped before you even got the pussy! Now his head is fully gone because of his love for Clo and he’s scared to admit it.
Chile I’m ready for her pregnancy to be revealed. Autumn already knows what’s up. Claudette is literally going down the path that Autumn warned her about. She never wanted to hear the truth. Honestly it’s kind of disappointing. She was never ready to deal with someone like Dominic and she’s not mature enough to deal with the fact that she is pregnant.
I knew he wouldn’t want her to get an abortion. I’m like if she went and got that done behind his back he would have been pissed, but I also think he would have been understanding.
It’s annoying that Claudette is treating Autumn like a villain when Autumn is one of the only people in this world that actually has Clo’s best interest at heart. As a friend Claudette should know that Autumn’s responses are coming from a place of love. The only person she should be mad at is her damn self and Dominic.
Bruh free my nigga Dominic out them cages! Period! And free Polo too!
I think Claudette is very stupid. Even after everything she is still a little naive. Why bring Poppop to the jail instead of just telling him the truth first. She makes things even more difficult sometimes. That’s the immaturity popping out.
Hindsight:
Ok so I don’t know how to feel. I have very mixed feelings about Saving Sunflower. It’s like a part of me enjoyed it, but another part of me was underwhelmed.
I’ll start with the things that I liked. Off top, I loved how the title is super significant to the story. At first it seems like Claudette may be the Sunflower that will be in need of saving while being a part of Dominic’s chaotic lifestyle. From the flashback with Claudette and her father it became apparent that Nic was really Claudette’s imperfect -yet love deserving- sunflower. Claudette and baby Eve gave Nic a future that he wouldn’t have had if he stayed on the path he was on. Their presence in his life saved him from an early grave. That twist made me love the title. Also the characters were pretty realistic. Their personalities and life circumstances gave them realistic depth. She developed them well, making them likable but still imperfect. Another aspect that I loved was Rae Lyse’s writing style. Through her words she makes you feel emotions that align with those of the characters. She pens unique descriptions that bring her readers into the story. Her writing and vivid descriptions are what saved this story for me. It was seriously captivating.
For periods throughout the story there was stagnancy, no progression on the plot. This lack of movement is something that I usually do not enjoy. It was in some of these moments where I found myself feeling bored. They made the story drag in my opinion. Then there were other down moments where she filled in that time with sweet moments or deep conversations that kept me interested. Then there are the moments when the story shifts and begins to pick up drastically (ex. When Marco was talking heavy in live). In those instances everything changes and it makes you want to keep reading. This up, down, and stagnancy was kind of like real life. It reminded me that every moment of your life doesn’t lead to progression whether it’s negative or positive. This is where the confusion comes in because while the story bored me at times in other instances it made me feel excited, mad, sad, and happy too. I just don’t know how I would even rate it, so I chose not to.
Would I recommend Saving Sunflower?
I’d say I would definitely recommend this to certain people based on compatibility. I can see how some people love this story, but I could also see how someone who reads for excitement would not be able to give this a fair shot.
So overall would I read more of Rae Lyse’s work?
I think so, yeah! She has a way with words that I enjoyed immensely. Her writing style uniquely invoked feelings of being present in the story for me. The talent is crazy. Plus from this being her first release I know that she is only going up from here!
On that note, shout out to Rae Lyse! That talent is not lost on me! Like always, I would love to hear about you guys’ thoughts on Saving Sunflower and the Sun series. Slide in my dm or leave a comment (oh yeah and don’t forget to like)! I’m always up for a discussion lol. Happy Reading 💕
Ciao 💋
J. Lynae
PS. Happy Mother’s Day to all of the mothers; to the mother figures; to the mothers who are no longer in this realm; to the mothers whose children are no longer with us; to the mothers whose children never made it into this world; to the expectant mothers. You are loved! Enjoy your day ❤️
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