Book Review: “This Raging Light” by Estelle Laure – Pretty Little Memoirs

Title: This Raging Light

Author: Estelle Laure

Published: January 14th, 2016

Publisher: Orchard Books

Find the Author: Goodreads

I received this book for review! As always, my reviews are fair and unbiased.

How is it that you suddenly notice a person? How is it that one day Digby was my best friend’s admittedly cute twin brother, and then the next he stole air, gave jitters, twisted my insides up?

Lucille has bigger problems than falling for her best friend’s unavailable brother. Her mom has gone, leaving her to look after her sister, Wren. With bills mounting up and appearances to keep, Lucille is raging against her life but holding it together – just.

A stunning debut to devour in one sitting, Laure captures completely the agony and ecstasy of first love.

I had heard amazing things about This Raging Light even before it landed in my mailbox. It was the subject of several Waiting on Wednesday posts from blogs I read and not to mention how I always seemed to see the cover and praise for it everywhere online. So I was eager to dive in and see what amazing-ness was within…

Lucille’s life is a mess, but that’s only a shred of light into her life. Her Mom has left, her Father has gone and she’s been left alone to care for her nine year old sister; Wren, whilst struggling with several other matters that only seemed to weigh heavier on her concious. She hadn’t ever thought about her best friend’s twin brother; Digby, in a “romantic” way before, but suddenly it’s like he’s right there and she can’t help but notice every incredible thing about him, the way he’s there for her and how he’s just so…perfect. But then, like a ton of bricks to her heart, she knows she can’t have him. The boy she loves has a girlfriend – a very serious girlfriend.

Things only get tougher from there. Knowing her Mother will never come back, despite her promise, only drives Lucille more. She knows she has to care for Wren and make sure no one takes her away, investing all her time and effort into becoming a better person and sister to keep their small and messy, yet beautiful family together. She faces mixed feelings over friends, family and her life that cascade her into falling harder for Digby, making her messier life even crazier.

The chaotic, beautiful writing that spun us into Lucille’s world was perfectly matched to every way she was feeling and acting. The romance was sweet, yet complicated in more ways than one. But This Raging Light is about more than just romance, it’s about real life. Lucille is left to fend for herself and her sister without a shred of help out of fear of losing her, and the way she grows up and pulls herself together throughout the novel was beautifully done. I was enthralled by the storyline and even though there was a lot going on, the way Lucille stuck by her sister was my favourite. Despite loving the character of Digby and his relationship/friendship with Lucille, the cheating between his current girlfriend and then with Lucille felt rocky to me and conflicted how he could see them both.

Beautifully chaotic and poignant, This Raging Light was an amazing novel that will have you turning the pages and falling into the rabbit hole of the perfectly messy story.