Saving Sunflower

The Sun Series, Book 1

By: Rae Lyse

Narrated by: Morae Brehon, Leon Nixon

Dominic DeBlanc is a wayward street hustler and part-time rapper constantly running from a past that haunts him.

With a bleak outlook on life, he finds himself teetering between two worlds - a seedy one where he’s not guaranteed to see his 22nd birthday, and a promising one that might bring him recognition for his talent.

After a chance encounter with a peculiar waitress, he finds himself engulfed in a friendship he never knew he needed. However, his complex life and reckless decisions challenge their already complicated bond....

©2021 RaeLyseBooks (P)2021 Podium Audio

Great story but...

I loved the story and the characters. The audio book needs better narrators. I'm from the South and I don't know any black people that sound like the female narrator. The male narrator spoke so slowly that I almost fell asleep. Great story though!

Loved the Story

I'd already read this book, but I wanted to experience the audio version. I was a bit disappointed with the narration because the dialect of the characters did not seem to match their setting. The delivery was actually off-putting at times, which is sad because it is an excellent story.

This Was Truly A Struggle Love Story!!!

Listen, Saving Sunflower took me through it. I was not expecting this book to be such an emotional rollercoaster. Claudette and Dominic were the true definition of opposites attract. He's a rising street rapper who hustles on the side and she's a naïve virgin fresh off the farm. They had absolutely nothing in common but, when these two meet, the attraction was instant from the start. Now, while they may have had the intense attraction going for them, Claudette and Dominic’s love journey was anything but easy. They come from different backgrounds but, share a similar loss. Both of them have unresolved mommy issues that have never been addressed which, leads to an incredibly dysfunctional love story. Struggle, pain, and heartbreak are at the forefront of this book so, just gon' and grab your tissues. I’m not a fan of young adult romance but, I really liked Saving Sunflower. This book had just the right amount of everything. A realistic storyline, complex characters, and great plot development. You want to tell Claudette, “Run girl! He don’t mean you no good.” But, in the same instance, you can’t help but root for the young babies to get it together so they can have the HEA they never thought was possible. Watching Dominic finally accept the love he didn't think he deserved was just so heartwarming. Insert crying GIF here. Morae Brehon and Leon Nixon were not the right narrators for this book. Their performance did not convey characters that were 18 and 21. This was my first book by Rae Lyse and I absolutely loved it. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Hmmm

I'm not sure where to start in this review. I honestly felt like I was peaking in on someone's everyday life. I don't understand what the point was behind the story, not that the story was bad, it was good. This is a typical story about an innocent girl falling in love with a rapper... that's it, that's the story. I felt like something was missing for me. I thought there was a build up to something major happening and nothing happened really. I know there were some complaints about the narrators but I think both did great. If you're looking for a book to pass time, that has no real drama, just 2 young adults experiencing life, this is the book for you.

Absolutely Thee Best!!!!

My niece shared this book with me and all I can say is it is one of the best books that I have listened to in a long time I didn’t want the story to end!!! Can’t wait to listen to book 2 & 3!!!

Young Love

The story was very relatable and well written. It was a little slow for me but overall enjoyable. Going out into the world to find yourself with minimal guidance and role models can be very challenging for both men and women, Ms. Lyse definitely captured it in this book. I will continue the series and give an overall review after I finish book 3!!!

So Raw and Real

I absolutely loved this story. It was relatable, raw, and real. I wish we received more storytelling towards the end with Nic and Clo but I’ll settle for what I received. I won’t complaining. I absolutely lovedddddd them because their relationship was not perfect… no relationship is. Thank you Rae Lyse for this banger!

Why Does the Female Narrator Have THAT Accent?

Let me just say that I was wrong, so very wrong. Let me explain.

I purchased this ebook on October 14, 2020 because of the cover alone. It was so gorgeous I couldn’t not have it in my collection. I then saw the author at the Atlanta Kick Back in June of 2021 and purchased the paperback, because once again it was just a beautiful cover. However I continued to put off reading this book because I was intimidated by the page count of over 400.

Fast forward to January 2022 when I finally dove into this masterfully written slow burn read of young love. I feel like I cheated myself out of the wonder that was held in these pages by continuing to put it off. Don’t be like me. Take the time to read or listen to the tale of Claudette (Clo) and Dominic's (Nic) journey into adulthood and love.

This is Rae Lyse’s first published work and her pen isn't to be played with!! 5 Stars for the story itself. Now as for the narration the male narrator was fine but the female narrator was borderline offensive as a person that was not only raised in the southeast but someone that grow up in metro Atlanta it was a lot with the accent. Very distracting so much so that I stopped going to the narration of the story during her readings to avoid the "southern" accent she put on. I believe she is coming back for the 3rd installment of the series my hope is that the accent is not has pronounced. Over all the performance was a 3 star because of it.

Not so classic hood love story

This is such a love story not a classic one but a love storm non the less. I enjoy every minute of it.

Hands down worth the credit

Once you read this you will continue to reading the entire series and you’ll love it