Seize the Day

The UnBRCAble Women Series Book 2

Fiction - Womens
350 Pages
Reviewed on 11/12/2019
Buy on Amazon

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    Book Review

Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite

Erin McAvoy is a woman on the horns of a dilemma. In Seize The Day (The UnBRCAble Women Series Book 2) by Kathryn R Biel, Erin has some difficult choices to make. In her early thirties, Erin is a zoo worker who loves her job and her animals more than anything, perhaps even more than people, but she knows she is in a race against time to achieve all she wants to achieve in life. Erin is the recipient of the BRCA variant gene that massively increases her chances of breast and ovarian cancer. As with many BRCA afflicted women in her support group, Erin knows she needs to have a mastectomy and a hysterectomy as a preventative measure before any signs of cancer appear. The problem – Erin is desperate to have a child before her chance disappears. Her conservative parents believe strongly in dating, love, marriage and THEN children but Erin may not have that luxury. All of the men she meets on her dating app. are wholly not what she is looking for and she truly despairs of ever making her dreams come true.

Writing a novel with humor, wit, and grace that deals with such a difficult and sensitive topic is an art in itself and in Seize The Day, author Kathryn R Biel has achieved that perfectly. Her lead character Erin McAvoy is perfectly drawn as a woman full of self-doubt, who lacks self-esteem and belief, yet is prepared to overcome her shortfalls and stand up for herself and fight for what she believes in and desperately wants. The mixture of doubt and daring that the author wove into this character goes straight to readers’ empathetic bones and although at times you almost want to shake her and tell her to wake up to the reality, you also know she eventually will see the obvious and grasp the opportunities. I particularly enjoyed the relationship between Erin and her mother, one that was typified by that eternal problem of over-protection and parent-projection and the child that just wants to break free and do her own thing. The love interest in the story was the central theme, of course, and this was beautifully built up to a crescendo that I really appreciated. This book is listed as “women’s lit;” however, I would suggest it is a fantastic read for anyone who needs a lift in their morale and an object lesson in “when life throws lemons at you – make lemonade”. Funny, witty, sad, moving, this story has it all. It’s a winner and highly recommended by this reviewer.

Samantha Gregory

Seize the Day (The UnBRCAble Women Series Book 2) by Kathryn R. Biel is the story of a woman called Erin who discovers that she has a gene that means she has a high chance of developing breast or ovarian cancer in the near future. She is upset by the news, and it doesn't help when her sister keeps pushing her on the subject of babies. She knows that if she doesn't have a baby soon, she might lose out on the chance altogether. She hatches a plan with her co-worker Xander to get everything she wants, even if it is not through conventional means. It is a wild and wacky story that kept me reading to the very end.

Kathryn R. Biel has written an entertaining book in Seize the Day (The UnBRCAble Women Series Book 2). It deals with a serious subject, but it is a witty, interesting read. Erin is a very likable character and you feel for her. She thinks she has a perfect life, but now she has this shadow hanging over her which pushes her to move her life forward while she has the chance. The book was well written and the dialogue was good. I liked Erin and her love for tacos and sloths. It makes her relatable and endearing. I think it would do well in the chicklit category too. I do think it could do well on the market and it would appeal to women probably in a similar age group - 25-35. I would recommend it.

Ruffina Oserio

Seize the Day is the second book in The UnBRCAble Women Series by Kathryn R. Biel, a novel told in a compassionate voice and with an intelligence that thrills the reader. From the outside, Erin McAvoy is a bubbly, happy woman living her life, with a unique passion for animals, and she works at the zoo. But she has an uncomfortable secret. A DNA test made just for fun reveals that she has genes that make her very susceptible to breast and ovarian cancer. She knows it is just a matter of time before bad things catch up with her, and she doesn't have that time, for she isn't growing any younger, a fact that her mother has impressed upon her often. Erin McAvoy can't accept that not having a child is her fate and she isn't the type of woman who would have one with just anybody. Her co-worker, Xander Barnes, proposes a plan that might give her the baby she desperately wants. But what are the consequences?

The story starts with a powerful premise and introduces the conflict. The moment that every woman doesn't want to face. The story is told in a confident and arresting first-person voice and I was immediately pulled into the drama. The emotional and psychological whirlwinds sweeping through the life of the protagonist are strong. She is genuinely flawed and readers know what she badly needs: a baby. This need is what fuels her character and determines the choices she makes, including the very hard ones. Kathryn R. Biel explores a theme that most women can definitely relate to and builds a character that has depth and that women will root for. The prose is excellent and it combines with interesting dialogues to build a plot that engages readers through every page. I felt deeply connected to the protagonist, a woman as vulnerable and as strong as any one of us.