Ugly Girl, Sweet Nectar: based on a true story

Based on a true story. A thought-provoking and inspiring novel about the turbulent process of healing even the most unimaginable wounds from childhood abuse and those scars that resonate into adulthood. After spending a lifetime of living a secluded life, Alessa journals her experiences as she embarks on a quest to live a more colorful life of "Shoulds" instead of "Should Nots". She courageously emerges from her hermit cave and re-enters the dating scene when a rude awakening unexpectedly detours her journey down a path of self-reflection to examine her character flaws, self-image issues, and what caused them. Compelled to find answers, Alessa digs deep to unearth her past, and discovers a scathing childhood of abuse and trauma. At the same time, she is faced with the seemingly impossible duty of taking care of the abusers – her parents. Both suffer from rare and merciless diseases. With the help of her best friend, some random acquaintances, and a few auspicious fortune cookies, Alessa learns to heal herself, and finds the fortitude needed to forgive her parents so she can see them through their illnesses to the bitter end. Entwining pain, strength, and humor, Ugly Girl, Sweet Nectar is an inspirational and intimate story about the power of survival, forgiveness, and resilience. It candidly explores the devastating effects of childhood trauma on the human spirit; how it shapes one's emotional life as an adult, and subconsciously affects every aspect of it – relationships, parenting, body image, and more. It speaks unflinching truth to the turbulent process of healing, and how the process can repair even the most unimaginable wounds. Link to the BookTrib review: Read Amazon and Goodreads reviews: Link to newspaper outlets: Ugly Girl, Sweet Nectar is intended for adult readers and includes some violence, light swearing, and some sexual situations. Ugly Girl, Sweet Nectar is based on a true story. The form that it is written is that of a memoir, but it is not a traditional memoir in that time has been rearranged to suit the convenience of the book. To maintain anonymity, the names of individuals (living and dead) and in some instances the names of places and locations were changed, along with identifying details such as physical appearance and age. Some events have been compressed, and some dialogue has been recreated. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead is purely coincidental.