The Speed of Light: A Novel

Kept my interest from beginning to end.Good story line, good characters. Very believable fears and doubts with her medical condition. Recommend the book for and interesting, good read.

Short & sweet review time…I was not expecting The Speed of Light to have me so completely on the edge of my seat, but it was an emotional and intense read from start to finish.What I Liked• The dual timeline which made me crazy every time it transitioned but always wholly drew me in• The relatable characters that I was genuinely rooting for• The author’s authentic and empathetic handling of chronic illness throughout made it obvious to me that this was a topic she was intimately familiar withI’m honestly astonished that this is a debut novel. It’s extremely well-written, and I will be looking forward to the author’s next offerings. I highly recommend it with a four star rating.My thanks to #amazonfirstreads for a complimentary copy of this book.

I hesitate to even write this review because I truly appreciate the effort and emotion that inevitably went into writing this novel, as I'm certain it contains not just traces, but chunks of autobiographical storyline and cannot begin to know what it's like to attempt such a feat with a debilitating disease like MS. However- I've read better novels.The underlying theme (Live your life to the fullest in the present moment) is supposed to be uplifting, but I was too distracted by the generic writing style and overall flatness of the content to appreciate it. The main character, Simone Archer, is diagnosed within the first few pages with multiple sclerosis. We discover soon enough that the story is split between two plot lines occurring along their own respective timelines. The second plot line is the only thing that kept me engaged enough to finish the book, it's where all the action is, but even by the denouement of that, I was disappointed. Rather than truly explore the scary corners of what a diagnosis of a serious disease can mean for a person, we're taken on a 300 page tour of the book version of a B rate romcom. Simone's character is more worried about what other people think of her than she is her own health, her Midwestern upbringing lacks even a single uniqueness, and she seems to notice far too often what the other characters are doing with their hair, rather than report anything of real substance. Not only that, but the prose becomes repetitive quickly. By the end, I was rolling my eyes so hard I hurt myself. Why is everyone always "squeezing" their eyes shut? Why is everything so "plush?"Now, all that being said, I did finish it, and there were little bits of hilarity. The dialogue between Simone and Nicki is realistic and engaging. I could tell it was written with genuine effort, and the voice is there, it just needs work. Tell me more about Simone's symptoms, about the horror she must've felt when a doctor first breathed the phrase, "multiple sclerosis." Make me brutally aware of just how uncomfortable and terrifying it is to suddenly not be able to make your legs work. Make me feel the fear for her future through description, not diatribe. I think this was an good first attempt at a novel, but that it could've been done better, given some guidance and editing.

The writing is well done with each character drawn with distinct characteristics. Ms. Rickey fleshed each out during the early chapters without getting in the way of the narrative. The one thing I didn't like about the writing style she chose was the constant flipping between present and past. Her main storyline involved her two main characters but quite a few of her secondary characters had their own nicely developed storylines. In the hands of a less talented writer, this had the potential to become confusing but Ms. Rickey handled it deftly. I found myself very entertained and anticipating what would be coming next.During the early chapters I found myself thinking how well she had researched the medical aspects of the story. She handled it so well that I began to suspect she had personal experience with it and that did prove to be the case.All in all, well done. I look forward to reading more from this author.

My ThoughtsThis is a heart wrenching story where main character Simone Archer is forced to confront the fact that there are no givens in life, things change between one heartbeat and the next in ways we can neither control nor predict.Spanning a year with events taking place past to present as the book progresses this is the perfect read for someone first diagnosed with MS, in my case a perfect reminder that there are still times when uncertainty rules my thoughts even though my diagnosis came in late 2012.As anyone who is forced to acknowledge changes we were not expecting in our body knows the very fact that those changes do not follow any rules make them seem insurmountable.In this case it is a story of changes for the better and the worse in Simones life, also a story of empowerment and taking control of things she can while adjusting to those she cannot.[Digital copy from Amazon Prime First Reads]

This book is a must read. Keeps one guessing and interesting as it flips from present to past. Also tackles MS and it’s consequences. A story of courage.

What a ride !! I LOVED this story and I'm delighted I selected it for this month's Kindle First choice. I was going to opt for the true crime story in all honesty as that's "my" genre but that turned out to be a sequel to another book so it was to The Speed of Light for me instead. And sadly I've finished it thus, as I had to stay up till late last night NEEDING to know how things ended ! A mark of tremendous story-telling. I did huff and puff when we reached the end of the "now" chapters as I was SO dying to know just WHAT was occurring there, but not for long as I was soon swept up once more in Simone's life.There is everything here, trust me. Romance, thrills, murders, laugh-aloud humour, arguments, secrets and MS.......a different take on things there. I know a couple of men who have suffered and I know things are improving but it's still needing a lot more research. But at least I see hope with MS, whereas cancer just seems to be a never-ending money-pit to my way of looking at it. The author's note at the end shocked me silly !!I just loved how Simone's family spoke and behaved and the great people they all were. I fell in love with Connor a little as well-what's not to like ?? Although I'm with Simone regarding lies. I won't take being lied to, either !! Nikki is a heroine as well......everyone needs a Nikki in their lives, too. I did get a tiny bit frustrated at Simone at one point but then Nikki saved me the trouble of being TOO irritated as she kicked her into touch for the reader ! Oooh, Walter was just lovely, too, by the way. I enjoyed his inclusion. And yes, I ended up sobbing and snivelling at the point we revisit the title of the book......Superbly written as well with proper spelling and grammar used !! What a joy. I spotted French not being capitalised a couple of times and she did THAT American thing I hate, where they drop the word me/us from a sentence, as in, "Thanks for coming with on the residence hall tour today." However, that is one of my personal gripes, as it seems to be the accepted way of speaking/writing there. I'd have used an apostrophe after Admissions a couple of times and put a hyphen in people watch but that's it for my nit-picking. I did spot another reviewer complaining about the odd F-bomb but real people speak like this ! It's not overused in the least, I only noticed it 2 or 3 times and in proper context.I would've liked to have known more about the shooting incident, got into the whys and wherefores a little further for my satisfaction, but this hasn't spoiled my enjoyment and delight in the story as a whole.

I would definitely recommend this book. Thoroughly enjoyed the writing style and the suspense was kept all the way to the end. Look forward to reading more by this author!

I read this book in two evenings, it’s a fast paced book. The main character is a young woman that can be an inspiration for many people going through difficult moments.

This was the first time I used the book of the month option for unlimited users (not sure the exact term). I really enjoyed this book after having just read a really heavily emotional one. It was an easy read and something I could just get lost in. The way it went back in time then back to the present day was a clever way to keep me on edge before I could see out how it all played out.I'll look out for this author in the future!