Strong Medicine is the best book I have read so far in 2016!! It is not a Bubble Gum happy story, au contraire, we mostly found ourselves navigating between darkness and brokenness. I also want to give a fair warning that this story might be sensitive for some people. It is dealing with mental illness and childhood abuse, if those elements are triggering some intense emotional response from your part, you might want to pass up this book. It is a tough read, it taking us in the heart of 2 broken young men and we are agonizing with them. It took 4 days to finish it, which is unusual on my for me. Why it took me so long to finish it you will ask yourself, well the answer is simple : I did not want it to end.

I found myself in a space that I don’t visit that often (I usually prefer Unicorn and lollipop ),It might be because my brokenness met the one of Cameron and Jonah in this story. Let’s do a quick summary of the story, you will see why it is so good!! Cameron Fox is a former child/teen star that is now singing in his family band. One night he had an accident and was convicted of DUI. Instead of going to jail, he has to do community service for a year at Riverbend Behavioral health Centre and enroll in an alcohol counseling program as well. He is struggling with the fact that he is gay. His late mom knew and now only one of his brother knows about it. He is definitely not ready to come out to his family, nor can he accept that he has a problem with alcohol. While working at Riverbend he met Jonah, and he is feeling attracted to him.

Jonah is checking in and out of Riverbend on a voluntary basis twice a year. He has a psychotic breakdown and is unable to sleep for weeks at the time. He is also dealing with hallucinations and he is losing touch with reality. Growing up he lived through traumatic events that are eating him up alive. When everything is under control, he is a prolific author writing under different pen names and different genre (suspense, romance, poetry, etc.). He is an artist but a recluse a the same time. The story is following Jonah and Cameron in their journey to heal themselves and each other.

This is an intense story that is leaving me with some foods for thought. It may sound as if it is a dark story and not enjoyable, but there are hope and light in it. Cameron and Jonah have faith in their abilities to heal each other, to be there for one another. To accept themselves completely and their willingness to move forward is what is changing their life. I also liked the fact that the 3 doctors at Riverbend were not on the same page in regards to Jonah problems. It is reflecting a problem that is often encountered in the mental health field. This story is also showing us the judgments that we hold against the people that have mental health issues and put it right in our face. It is also a tale of acceptance, faith, love and the strength that each of us is owning in ourselves. When we have the willingness to change, the sky is the limit.

This was my first read by J.K. Hogan and you can be sure that I will read her other books soon. If you have one book to read in 2016, it must be Strong Medicine! Now would be a good time to do so!!

*This book was gifted to me by Jeep Diva in exchange for an honest review

Book hangover: when you’ve finished a book and you suddenly return to the real world, but the real world feels incomplete or surreal because you’re still living in the world of the book. According to Urban Dictionary, this is what I had after finishing this amazing story.

J.K. Hogan’s books always do this to me. Her stories are so intense, like a roller coaster ride of emotion. When Jonah finally opens up about his trauma and consents to treatment, I am not too proud to say I cried. And when Cameron was lead up the driveway to Jonah’s cottage by Aida, Jonah’s cat, I literally had some anxious moments: Would he be rejected by Jonah? Was Jonah in any shape, emotionally, to see Cameron? When Jonah opened the door and said, “Thought you might find me,” then pause…pause…anxious reading…still not sure how Jonah was feeling. And then, bam! Jonah said to Cameron, “What…the hell took you so long?” Such a relief that they were going to be okay.

There are a lot of uncomfortable parts in Strong Medicine; the trauma that Jonah went through is not easy to read. After finishing the book, I reflected on whether Jonah’s past needed to be told. The conclusion I came to is, why would I even doubt J.K. Hogan? Of course it needed to be told! It’s why I fangirl her and her work.

I can tell you that Strong Medicine is a dark, happy and sensual story to read. And it’s a story you won’t want to miss.

Reviewed by Kathie for The Novel Approach Reviews
http://www.thenovelapproachreviews.com/review-strong-medicine-by-j-k-hogan/