Carnage 2: The Story of Me ~ Review by Juls

The Story of Me by Lesley Jones
My rating: 5 of 5 stars


Purchase Link
http://amzn.to/1kAg0GK



***** I Love Story Time was gifted an ARC of Carnage 2 in exchange for a honest review *****

5 Stars!


"My name is Georgia Rae Layton McCarthy and this is the story of me, the true version,"


(My thoughts before starting C2)

I was so excited to be offered an ARC and give my opinion about Carnage 2! At the end of book 1, I was so sad because what happened to Sean and all the pain that Gia went through. I'm not going to lie, I liked Sean, but there was just something about Cam that I just couldn't get over! I loved everything about Cam. I am really hoping that Cam and Gia end up together…we shall find out soon!?!

Let me start out by saying…get your tissues ready!! It may sound harsh, but I didn't shed many tears in Carnage until the epilogue. I was in a complete sob *tears falling* in first few chapters in C2, then I did in Carnage. Don't get me wrong, Carnage was sad, but the beginning chapters of C2 just hit me a little harder. Even-though Sean is no longer around, he is still mentioned many times in this story. When Authors mention previous characters throughout their book, it totally guts me! Lesley Jones did a great job with that.

C2 is about Georgia Rae moving on after the loss that she went through. She is battling with continuing to live her life, but at the expense of not feeling like she is really living. The book opens up being Gia's birthday and she gets text messages from all her family and close friends. One particular message grabs her attention and she notices for the first time…she felt herself smile. This is when she first feels like she is able to finally start living again, and it doesn't go unnoticed.....

"So, it's true. Marley just called from the shit phone and told me to listen out for that noise." We all must wear a confused look as she explains,"He reckons he heard you giggle earlier, George, but thought he must be hearing things. But naah, he was right. You did actually giggle just then. In fact, I would go as far as saying you actually laughed."

The thing with poor Georgia, is once she feels like she is starting to heal…able to move on…and feel happy again, she gets slapped in the face with something new. Things start coming out and Gia wants to get away from all the craziness, so she goes and visits family in Australia. In Australia Gia is close to her cousin, Jackson (Jax). They have experienced similar situations so Jax is the perfect person to give advice and help Gia heal, and that advice isn't always nice to hear, but some of it, you can't help but… Swoon....

"Stop crying and feeling sorry for yourself, George. You did a shitty thing, but you crying ain't gonna change that, and it certainly won't make you feel better."

"Your far from a bad person, George, you're just human. We all make mistakes, darl. You're still only thirty-two. The life you've lived, the things you experienced, most people wouldn't achieve them in ten life times and you've achieved them before your mid-thirties. I'm sure if the rest of us lived life at the speed you have, then we'd all be in for a few more fuck-ups."

"Lies will get ya nowhere, George, especially if you tell them to yourself."

I loved Jax! Even-though they were just cousins, he protected her just like his own sister. He was always there for her and always gave her the best advice. Jax is not the only one that helps Gia heal. Her family was so strong for her and helped with anything that they could. I love how she is so close to her brothers. I loved the relationship that she had with Marley the most. The conversations they had....made me cry! They were both going through so much pain and they both held each other together. They were having a conversation on the phone at one point and I was balling. It just broke my heart. Who am I kidding, so many of their conversations broke my heart. There were also moments that he just made me laugh. I seriously loved every character in this book. Some of the conversations everyone would have together were hilarious. The things that came out of their mouths…really had me busting up! Even in front of their parents…the words were just going off! Once again, one of my favorite things between Marley, Lennon, Bailey and Gia was what they called each other......

" I love ya, little sister Georgia."

"I love ya, big brother Marley."

They all would say "big brother/little sister" before their names. They also did this in Book 1, and you finally find out in this book how it got started and it’s such a cute story.

Jimmie and Ashley are seriously the best friends ever! No matter what George did or needed they were right there for her. Their support for Gia never faltered. The minute Gia finds out some great news about something…right away they offer their help. Their conversations made me laugh and cry, and the advice they gave was the advice someone like Georgia would need to hear....


"Just go with it, George; that's what I was thinking. Don't fight it; if you're feeling it, then the time's right. Don't fight it and don't beat yourself up over it. Just let it happen and see where it goes."


Not only was there heart-warming girly stuff going on, but man there is definitely no shortage of alpha male's in this story. With all the male characters in this story, and one specifically…always barking off orders…almost makes me want to be told what to do.. Almost!

I can honestly say that I liked this book more then I liked Book 1. I like that it is a continuation of book 1 and started right where it left off. I loved that it brought new characters into it as well, as including the original characters. Now, I do have to say that there were some parts that I could have did with out. I think some of it was for added drama, but without it, I still would have rated it a 5 star story. The added drama didn't ruin-in it for me, but I just felt that Gia has already went through so much that I wish she had a little less stress this time around. I understand authors will sometimes bring in new drama so it will have some new material in the story, but I would have been perfectly happy with what the story already had. I am really happy that Gia finally gets to be happy and live a life that she deserves. I want to say so much more about this story, but I don't think I can without giving anything away. All I will say is…I am very happy with Carnage 2!! For me, this was the perfect conclusion to the Series and I love that Gia's life has finally begun! I laughed so hard in this book, and as for crying, well I can't say it any better then this.......


"Fuck you, ya bitch. You made me full on ugly- cry then."


(HaHaHa..... Sorry, I just had to put that in there!) That is EXACTLY what Lesley made me do this time around! UGLY-CRY!!! So, if you have not read this Series, I would definitely get started!

~Juls





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