Book Review: Come See About Me by C.K. Kelly Martin

When Leah answered the knock on her door only to find police informing her that her boyfriend Bastien was killed in a car accident, she’s been in a state of suspension.  Unable to function, she flunks out of university, loses her job, and cuts herself off from most of her friends. When Bastien’s aunt offers her a place to stay, rent-free, in a nearby suburb, she jumps at the chance.  It’s there that she finds life has to move forward, whether or not she’s ready for it to.  It’s also there that she meets Liam, an Irish actor with his own set of baggage.  As the two enter into a steamy, complicated relationship, she starts to realize that she has a lot of learning to do–about herself and about others.

Come See About Me is C.K. Kelly Martin’s first adult title and falls firmly in the “new adult” camp of literature.  It’s also self-published, for a number of reasons that Martin outlines on her website.  Don’t let the self-published aspect of this book dissuade you, because you’ll be missing out on something really special: Martin’s book about grief, loss, and moving forward is a stunner and a must-read for fans of contemporary fiction.

Martin’s pitch-perfect prose is enriched by the fact that Leah is a quiet, completely authentic heroine.  Although the book starts off rather slowly and takes a while to let the story really unfold, it never feels like it’s dragging.  Rather, it seems like a calculated move to allow Leah a natural progression in her thaw after being frozen in her own grief for so long.  Once Leah gets out of her head and starts interacting in the world again, the story leaps to life.

Sad, sensual, and emotionally raw, this novel doesn’t shy away from its heroine’s darkest moments.  Martin also allows her twenty-year-old heroine to be a sexual being, and the novel offers some pretty sexy scenes for readers.  Never gratuitous, this novel is as authentic a coming-of-age as I’ve ever seen.

Highly, highly recommended.  Come See About Me is out now.

Come See About Me by C.K. Kelly Martin. 2012. Borrowed copy.