Butterfly by Kathryn HarveyMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I read this book after my first boyfriend and I ended our relationship. While I've seen others write that this book is not really erotica or that it's about a poor making it rich story, I'm not really interested in classifying it as either. I flagged this as erotica only because of the women being satisfied by a club catering to their sexual tastes.
Warning! ~ this is where it gets personal
The reason why I rated this book with 5 stars is because even after close to 20 years, I still remember this book and it had a profound impact in my life. At just past 16 I experience my first bad break up in a relationships. As a teen, everything feels more intense. I was pretty messed up over it and my self esteem had taken a terrible trampling. While I wasn't exactly suicidal, I was homicidal at times. I was so angry and I couldn't get out of the cycle.
By chance, I found this book at a used bookstore. The women being pleased was what caught my eye. It opened up a new world for me. It let me know that there were other females out there who have felt as I did. Even better, they did something about it. They never let it set them back. They didn't use it as an excuse to become a shadow of what they could become or settle for something less. Butterfly relayed to me, that a woman could make stupid mistakes but still overcome them. With enough hard work and applying herself and forgiving herself, she can ultimate earn what she wants. While I understand this is a work of fiction, I internalized it. It helped me pull myself out of a funk and roughly 2 decades later, I assess where I am compared to my bruised 16 year old self. I'm successful and happy. Who knows where that asshole ex-bf is? And now, who cares? HAH.
For me, this book was a life changing event and a defining moment in my life. For me, it was personal and touched me. I recommend this book to other women who have experienced unfortunate circumstances and think it will never get better. I'm here to tell you, yes it will. Don't let those bastards win! Your success and overcoming them makes them lose.
