Erryn reviews ‘The Lost Boy (The Impossible Boy Book 2)’ by Anna Martin. The ebook was published January 19, 2020 and is 264 pages. The audiobook was narrated by Dan Calley. It was released June 9, 2020 and is 7 hrs and 38 mins long. A copy was provided in exchange for an honest review.
Why I read this book: I enjoyed book 1.
Five years after his band Ares shot to success, Ben Easton is struggling. He’s holed up in a mansion in Los Angeles while he fights depression and a dark drug addiction that threatens to destroy everything.
In a final attempt to save Ben’s life, his best friend Tone does something desperate — he calls Ben’s ex-boyfriend Stan and begs him to help. Stan Novikov is living in New York and thriving in his career as a fashion journalist. He hasn’t been back to London since he and Ben broke up, but that seems like the right place to go — along with Tone — to try and shock Ben out of his unhealthy lifestyle.
The band have to finish their album before Christmas but without Ben, work has stalled. Ben has to decide whether he’s going to stay with Ares and keep making music, or find another path for his future. One that might just include Stan.
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My Review:
In Book one of the Impossible Boy series, Stan was the one who suffered. Oh, Ben had his issues to be sure – the teddy bear was all the proof you needed of that. But Stan was the one who was dealing with anorexia. Who needed tending. Who appeared healthier with Ben’s love. Now, them being together didn’t solve all their problems – books that wrap things up so nicely don’t always feel as authentic as those who leave a few things hanging. The implication being that as time passes, and as their love deepens, that healing can take place. So I got my happy ending. And I wasn’t sure why there needed to be a second book.
Wham. Slam me down five years later and the world has gone to shit. Stan is living in New York with a hugely successful career as a fashion journalist, and Ben is living in a mansion in LA in a drug-induced haze that make it impossible for him to finish work on Ares’ latest album. He has the money and fame he always dreamed of, and he’s literally snorting his life away. Out of desperation, his bandmate Tone calls Stan and Stan comes because despite everything, he still loves Ben. Tone and Stan squirrel Ben away to London. Away from record executives. Away from adoring fans. Away from the easy supply of drugs.
What comes next is the painful and heartbreaking journey of an addict. Ben has a lot of atoning to do. He’s made a real hash of his life. Losing Stan was only part of the whole mess. He sees what he’s lost and he’s not sure there’s a reason not to lose himself again in drugs. To say there isn’t a clear and straight line to sobriety is an understatement. Ben truly is the lost boy. I hadn’t expected that. After all Stan’s struggles in the previous book, I expected this book to be a continuation of his struggles. But it wasn’t. It was the story of a man who got everything he’d ever wanted and lost the most important thing in his life in the process.
This was a painful book in many ways, but it was also redemptive. The story of two men who lost their way, finding a way home. A way back to each other. A way to be stronger together. And this time I got a real happy ending.
I’ll say a quick note about Dan Calley – another great performance. He hit every note perfectly and I was able to sink into this world without trouble. So well done and hoping there will be more books by Ms. Martin narrated by Mr. Calley.
My Rating:
10/10 Pots of Gold (100% Recommended) – Compares to 5/5 Stars
Website | Twitter @missannamartin | Amazon | Goodreads
Anna Martin is from a picturesque seaside village in the south west of England. After spending most of her childhood making up stories, she studied English Literature at university before attempting to turn her hand as a professional writer.
Apart from being physically dependent on her laptop, she is enthusiastic about writing and producing local grassroots theatre (especially at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, where she can be found every summer), travelling, learning to play the ukulele, and Ben & Jerry’s New York Super Fudge Chunk.
Although her most recent work is in the LGBT romance genre, in the past Anna has worked on a variety of different projects including short stories, drabbles, flash fiction, fan fiction, plays for both children and adults, and poetry. She has written novels in the Teen or Young Adult genre, Romance and Fantasy novels.
Anna is, by her own admission, almost unhealthily obsessed with books. The library she has amassed is both large and diverse; “My favourite books,” she says, “are ‘The Moonstone’ by Wilkie Collins, ‘To Kill a Mockingbird’ by Harper Lee and ‘Oryx and Crake’ by Margaret Atwood.” She also owns multiple copies of Michael Crichton’s Jurassic Park books and re-reads the Harry Potter novels with almost startling regularity.
Anna claims her entire career is due to the love, support, pre-reading and creative ass-kicking provided by her closest friend Jennifer. Jennifer refuses to accept any responsibility for anything Anna has written.
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