Hi All,
Check out reviews for She Made It Matter.
Critique: An inherently entertaining and deftly crafted novel from first page to last, “She Made It Matter” showcases author Chiara Talluto’s genuine flair for originality, memorable characters, and a thoroughly reader engaging story with an ultimate message of hope and redemption. While especially and unreservedly recommended for community library Contemporary General Fiction collections, it should be noted for personal reading lists that “She Made It Matter” is also readily available in a digital book format (Kindle, $4.99). http://midwestbookreview.com/sbw/may_21.htm#generalfiction
Reviewed by Deanna Frances. November, 2020. Windy City Reviews.
Self-discovery and forgiveness are two of the primary themes of Chiara Talluto’s new novel, She Made It Matter. Talluto, who has previously penned the Christian-themed adult story Love’s Perfect Surrender and children’s fiction tales such as Petrella, the Gillian Princess and A Tribute to Tulipia, tells the story of 36-year old Amanda Reynolds, a woman with a troubled past who embarks on a journey of self-exploration as she continues on her path to recovery from alcohol abuse.
After facing an alcoholic relapse, which rendered her unconscious in the presence of her two young daughters, Amanda finds herself at the lowest point in her life and wonders how her picture-perfect family will forgive her. Realizing that recovery from her alcoholism is the only option, Amanda begins to consider that the answers to her recovery lie in facing the darkness of her childhood and secrets that she has kept hidden, even from her loving husband, Ryan.
Despite facing initial disinclination from her husband, Amanda decides to temporarily leave her home and family in the Chicago suburbs and embark on a month-long journey to a rehabilitation center in Taos, New Mexico, in the hopes of cleansing herself of her alcohol abuse. Arriving in New Mexico, she suddenly realizes that while the rehabilitation center was not what she initially expected, it may be just what she needs to face her past and recover.
Throughout her journey, Amanda experiences both triumphs and losses. However, she learns more than she could have ever imagined and meets incredible people along the way who guide her on a path to physical, mental, and spiritual discovery and healing. By learning how to face the darkness of her past and forgive others, Amanda frees herself from her childhood’s devastating family secrets and learns how to move on and make life matter.
As I began reading She Made It Matter, I was immediately intrigued by Amanda’s story. Since I have had no personal experience with alcoholism, I wondered how a young and successful wife and mother could have found herself in such an unfortunate position when everything in her life seemed to be perfect. After reading about her older brother’s untimely death and her history of family abuse and neglect, I felt compelled to hope for Amanda’s healing and success on her journey towards recovery.
This novel is separated into three parts, which divide Amanda’s story into her past, present, and her turning point towards a successful future. While the short first section provides an initial look into her troubled past, I appreciate how Amanda’s childhood stories were continuously told through flashbacks in the much larger second section, giving even more insight into how Amanda’s childhood molded her into the person she became as an adult.
While the story is written primarily as a realistic yet fictional account, I was surprised to see a hint of magical realism through the “physical” appearances of some of Amanda’s deceased family members throughout the story. Amanda’s older brother, Joshua, continuously appeared to her during her journey to serve as not only an emotional support system but a guide who directed Amanda towards the goals she needed to reach to find inner peace and forgiveness. As her spiritual guides, Amanda’s family members are able to heal the emotional wounds from her past and help her move forward, which I thought was a unique element to the story.
I would recommend She Made It Matter to any readers interested in realistic stories of self-discovery, recovery, and emotional healing. Chiara Talluto has written a compelling story that displays that hope and inner peace can be found, even through the most unconventional journeys.
Reviewed by my editor, Dennis De Rose from Moneysaver Editing: (November, 2020)
Chiara Talluto is a caring writer trying hard to make the world a better place one reader at a time. Her first book, Love’s Perfect Surrender, deals with love, marriage and difficult decisions. Petrella, the Gillian Princess, a pre-teen fantasy, addresses serious issues like stubbornness, defiance (for the right reasons) and the heartfelt love of a mermaid princess for a human. A Tribute to Tulipia recognizes the issues of bullying and standing up for what you know to be right regardless of the consequences.Her newest book, She Made It Matter, is a heartfelt glimpse at the life of Amanda Reynolds. But her life is a façade, on the outside we see the mother of two loving children and a wife married to a supportive man with a great job living in the ideal house in a perfect suburban setting. But if we look closer we see a woman slowly coming unglued. Her childhood demons and her adult addictions are about to consume her, transporting her to the land of No Return.Is the love of her children and her husband enough to save her marriage? Is she strong enough to face her demons head on? Will she learn how to forgive in order to move on? Is she strong enough to confront her childhood traumas and overcome them? Is her faith sufficient enough to deal with the death of her beloved brother?Chiara Talluto is a weaver of words; she has painted a masterpiece in She Made It Matter. Chiara, never stop weaving, keep painting those vivid word pictures. Helping one reader at a time is a daunting task, never give up! She Made It Matter’s cover is haunting and enticing. The book’s size makes it a perfect carry-along. Font choice and size make it easy on the eye, a thoroughly enjoyable read. I can’t wait to see what she comes up with next.
Reviewed by K.C. Finn from Readers’ Favorite (February, 2020): 5 Stars
She Made It Matter (Formerly Make It Right; Make It Matter) is a work of fiction aimed at female readers with plenty of emotional quality and heart and was penned by author Chiara Talluto. Written for readers of all sensitivities due to very low levels of graphic content, this accessible and enjoyable story still tackles the difficult subjects of family abandonment, alcohol abuse, and food dependencies. Our central character is Amanda Reynolds, who appears to have an idyllic life on the surface, but is still struggling with compulsion and addiction caused by the trauma of her past. What results is a work that takes us on a journey of intense recovery and explores self-worth from an eye-opening and personal perspective.
Author Chiara Talluto works wonders in this relatively short but totally jam-packed work, which transcends the boundaries of women’s fiction or inspirational fiction and gives a fully-rounded and highly realistic literary drama. The psychological arc for central protagonist Amanda is well-paced and cleverly thought-out as the story progresses, giving the reader many different facets of her psyche and her behaviors to explore as she too learns to recognize them. The work on addiction is heart-breakingly accurate, delivering a realistic emotional quality which both endears Amanda to us as a character and also teaches important real life lessons about the judgments we often place on people who are alcohol dependent. Overall, Make It Right; Make It Matter is an inspirational work of fiction that comes highly recommended for readers seeking accurate emotional content and realistic personal drama.
Reviewed by Michelle Randall from Readers’ Favorite (August, 2016): 4 Stars
In life, we are dealt things and experiences that in turn shape us and make us into who and what we are. In Amanda’s life, she allowed her mother turning into a drunk when her father died to cause anger in her, and she refused to ever forgive her mother. When her older brother, who had always taken care of her, died of leukemia, she allowed her grief to take over and encourage her sense of abandonment. Even after finding and marrying a wonderful man and having two beautiful daughters, she still turned to alcohol to cope with the world. A short sober stint only proved that there were deeper issues that she needed to deal with. Make It Right; Make It Matter are the last words that Joshua ever said to his sister, Amanda. It took her a lot of searching and travel to discover that she was worthy of life, love, and matter to people. Author Chiara Talluto gives the reader a realistic tale of someone searching for a purpose, for validation that they mean something, that they are worth more than just being left or abandoned.
She Made It Matter (Formerly Make It Right; Make It Matter) by Chiara Talluto is a well written tale of the past and present, of what was going on that made Amanda turn to alcohol and feel worthless, and why she is searching for resolve and to be better. In the past, the reader can see hints of themselves and people they know, they find something to take away from the story that makes them pause and think about their own life. Author Chiara Talluto paints a wonderful picture with her words and challenges readers as they enjoy the book. I can think of four people to pass it on to, and I am sure all of them will get something completely different from this book. I recommend mostly adult reading because there are adult themes, but in this day and age there are a number of teenagers dealing with these same issues.
