Review of The Guardian Angel's Journal by Carolyn Jess-Cooke

WOW!  This incredible book had me wrestling my innermost emotions all the way through! 

The beautifully designed purple and gold sparkly cover (those of you know me, know that this is the perfect combination for me!) drew me in immediately to start this fascinating story. 

At one point, I wanted to put it down and not read any more as I found certain parts of it really distressing.  On the other hand, I desperately needed to find out what was going to happen to these amazing characters in this book. 

At 40 years old, Margot Delacroix dies and is sent back to earth as her own Guardian Angel!  She has to re-experience her life along with all her mistakes and regrets and record it all through her wings.  She is told that she cannot change any of her actions, but must use them to learn lessons.  She herself had a really tough life and some of the experiences she has been through, are so dreadfully sad and traumatic that you physically feel her pain and want to leap to her defence! 

She relives her own life and memories from birth and some things which she couldn't even remember happening and when her teenage son gets into serious trouble she realises that its her actions and behaviour that have turned him into the troublesome boy he has become.  She tries her hardest to put this right and tries to save him from his fate with stunning consequences and heartbreaking decisions along the way. 

A tough book to summarize without giving a lot of the plot away, but it was a mesmerising, fascinating story.  A Mother's love for her son is the most amazing thing and to feel her emotions the way that Carolyn describes them in this book, was just unbelievable for me.  Losing my own Mom a few years ago, made the experiences in this story made it all the more personal and heartwrenching for me and I will openly admit to sobbing my heart out for the last part of the book. 

The Guardian Angel's Journal makes you question your belief in both life after death and angels and even demons.  I know I do, but for those sceptics out there, I think it would certainly be putting questions into your mind too.  For those people who have ever loved and lost someone, this book can give you an insight into what your loved one might be doing right now!

A fantastic read, delving deep into your most innermost and private feelings.  I certainly hope that most of the distressing encounters that she writes about in this book are not from experience!  Carolyn is a truly outstanding writer, and has won numerous awards for poetry and I seriously can't wait for her next novel to come out. 

Carolyn was born in 1978 in Belfast and now lives in the North East of England with her husband and three children. 

She has been writing since a really age.  Her second novel is to be published in 2012 and again explores the relationship between the spiritual and mortal world. 

Her website is www.carolynjesscooke.co.uk.