Book Review: Where Life Takes You (Life #1) by Claudia Y. Burgoa

Becca Trent lived her childhood next to a cruel woman — her mom —who lived to torment and neglect her. During her high school years, her mother married; bringing home not only a new husband, but a step sister her same age. The latter took over her Mom's role — making Becca's life miserable. Including stealing Ian — Becca's best friend and boyfriend — Lisa treated her worse than her mother had for the previous fifteen years. A couple years later, thing ended up in tragedy.

Becca buried that part of her life in the deep corners of her psyche, caught between sanity and nightmares. Between therapy, work and her constantly looming past she can't seem to find room to breathe. The memories of her late step-sister, Lisa, are her closest company.

Her best friend, Dan gives her that family love she always lacked. Everything was close to perfect, until everything and everyone from her past came back. Now she's trying to figure out how to survive and keep that bond which seems now to be held together by a thread.

I received this book to give an honest review. This book is suitable for ages 18+ some scenes are graphic. Rating 4.5.

I honestly did not know what to think of this book. It was an emotional roller coaster you were up and down with Becca.  Becca is a damaged woman now, her childhood was not one that was all rainbows and butterflies. But hell especially once her mom remarries to Greg and his two kids come into the picture. It seems that Lisa who is the daughter of Greg has decided to torture Becca. Even though Becca reaches out to people to help her when Lisa goes into her torturous ways no one seemed to care or want to help her out.
Now Becca has a successful job and works with her best friend Dan. He is caring but very protective of Becca. With Where Life Takes You we see how Becca confronts her demons and maybe find true love.
It was a heartbreaking read when we re-hash with Becca what she went through with her childhood friend Ian and Lisa, it was like my heart dropped multiple times. Thank goodness she had Dan who helps keep the nightmares away.
Now Dan was a character that I liked but then it seemed he became to possessive of Becca, that it was kind of bothersome. I could understand why he was but it just seemed to be too much.
Now towards the end there is talk of a wedding which is great to hear especially with all the tragedy that Becca has had happen in her life, but Becca wasn't even planning anything. Everything seemed to be picked out and she found this to be okay? That was just weird to me.
The ending now that is something I didn't see coming and I actually went back to re-read to make sure I didn't miss anything. I really want to get my hands on book two, because I want to know if Becca and Dan will get the HEA or will the be going their separate ways.

Now the reason I am giving this book a 4.5 rating is first the characters. Even though I knew the characters at first I was a bit confused as to who was who and I don't like that in a book. I like to know who each character is once they are brought up.
Second, there was a part where Becca and Dan are in the airplane and then she falls asleep and Dan carries her to the bedroom. But when when she becomes fully awake they are in the airplane, that didn't quite make sense to me.
Third, it made me a bit upset that Becca didn't get answers as to why her mother hated her so much. I figured at the end there would have been a letter discovered or Greg would finally tell her why even though he doesn't like her either. Even though it doesn't make the story I felt as though I needed that answer what exactly was the hatred for Becca by her mother.

Born on the mystical day of October 30th in the not so mystical lands of Mexico City, Claudia grew up with a childhood that resembled a caffeine-injected soap opera. Seventeen years ago she ventured to the lands of her techie husband—a.k.a. the U.S.—with their offspring to start a new adventure.
She now lives in Colorado working as a CFO for a small IT company, managing her household filled with three confused dogs, said nerd husband, two daughters wrought with fandoms and a son who thinks he’s the boss of the house. To survive she works continually to find purpose for the voices flitting through her head, plus she consumes high quantities of chocolate to keep the last threads of sanity intact.

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