Once my advanced readers were out in the world, I realized that STRUNG OUT had become it’s own entity, something I had created that is entirely separate from me. I’ve hoped (and sometimes worried) that my story and the narrative I created from it would resonate with readers and reviewers. While the first Goodreads reviews started appearing shortly after the advanced copies went out, I’d been waiting for my official reviews. The first two are in!

Publishers Weekly was the first official review to come in and they liked it! “Khar holds nothing back in this moving debut memoir about addiction…This heartbreaking yet heartwarming memoir puts a human face on the drug crisis and the factors that lead to addiction.” You can read the whole review HERE.

Next up was Kirkus Reviews. I had heard that Kirkus could be snarky with their reviews. So I felt extra nervous about this one. But what they said was so lovely and all positive. I can breathe again! “Khar is able to describe her behavior with refreshing perspective, and she is candid throughout…This contemporary take on an unfortunately too-common experience is eye-opening and relevant…A necessarily honest and emotional account that ends in earned redemption.” You can read the review in its entirety HERE.

Lastly, I was delighted to be a part of Lisa L. Kirchner’s article for The Fix on how the addiction memoir has evolved. She included this quote from our chat: Khar, for instance, recalls looking for relatable stories. “There were very few books about drug addiction written by women, and I didn’t find any of them.” So she set out to write one. “I want my book to give people hope and to reduce the stigma around speaking about drug addiction,” says Khar. “I wrote Strung Out because it was the book I needed when I was younger.” 

More to come!

XOXO