Patchwork of Me
by Gregory G. Allen
Genre: contemporary
Publication date: April 15 2012
Pages: 326 (paperback)
Source: copy provided by author for blog tour
Format: paperback
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SUMMARY: A product of the foster care system, Sara Butler spends her early thirties hiding from her past while striving for a normal life with her small group of quirky friends in Arizona. Seeking treatment for an invisible rash and abnormal dreams, her therapist helps her unlock a heinous past that she is unsure she wants to open. To patch her life back together, she realizes she must travel across country to Maine to confront that past in order to plan for a future.

My Review: 
Sarah Butler isn’t as normal as she may seem. She has a constant itch in an area with no traces of a rash, and she often finds herself dreaming that she is a man. As a child, Sarah was constantly passed on from one family to another. Humiliated with the fact, Sarah lies to the therapist she refuses to cooperate with, and the people around her, making the dreams and the itches get worse. As if by fate, Sarah’s friend Hahn introduces her to a mystic (palm reader, whatever you want to call it) that opens her mind to memories she never knew existed. Sarah begins to see things in a new light- determined to find out who she is and who her parents really are, Sarah begins to lower her defenses and starts to open up to her therapist and friends. One event led to another, and the gay mafia (Sarah’s little group of best friends) finds themselves on the road to Maine in an effort to patch up the pieces and find the happiness that they truly deserve.

Patchwork of Me sent me on an emotional roller coaster. The relationships Sarah made throughout her journey felt so real, I thought I was a part of it. Gregory Allen introduced me to characters with layers upon layers of depth and raw emotion, leaving me breathless at the end of the ride.

This book surprised me every time I turn a page. I'll tell you this, I thought I knew how it was going to end. I was overwhelmed with sadness when I thought it was going to end the way I was so sure it would. Just when I was ready to accept the fact that I would be disappointed with the ending, Gregory Allen gave me the ending that I wanted so much. I was filled with joy, I was afraid and chills went down my spine, and I wept when Sarah wept. I won’t tell you how it would end, just take note of this- it doesn’t end, not really.

No matter what I say, my words can never do this book justice. From the first page until the last page, I wanted more of Sarah Butler’s story. 

THE NUB AND GIST: 5 STARS

Gregory G. Allen is the author of PATCHWORK OF ME, WELL WITH MY SOUL, PROUD PANTS: AN UNCONVENTIONAL MEMOIR, and CHICKEN BOY: THE AMAZING ADVENTURES OF A SUPER HERO WITH AUTISM.

He has had short stories and poetry published in: New Town Writers' anthology Off The Rocks 14, Loch Raven Review, Muscadine Lines: A Southern Journal, The Oddville Press, Word Catalyst Magazine, Rancor'd Type, Home & Holidays and is a contributor of articles and blogs to several online sites. Allen has been in the entertainment business for over twenty years as an actor, director, writer, and producer and is an award-winning musical theater writer with over ten original musicals produced.

Allen currently manages an arts center on the campus of a college in northern New Jersey.  Website | Facebook

If you could travel in a Time Machine would you go back to the past or into the future?

I love time travel books and movies so I would have to go back in time. Check out those periods before technology over took our worlds (he says writing on a computer).

If you were stranded on a desert island what 3 things would you want with you?

Potatoes - my favorite food
iPad - with a loaded kindle app
A bar a soap - I like to be clean, what can I say?

If you were a superhero what would your name be?

Over-Achiever Man

Tell us your most rewarding experience since being published.

The fact that readers can reach you directly and let you know how your work made them feel or touched them. Nothing gets better than that.

How did you know you should become an author?

I was a story teller as an actor, director, producer, stage writer … I knew I needed to get these stories out of my head and share them.