Julie’s Butterfly

By Greta Milan

Synopsis

When beautiful Julietta meets aloof, handsome photographer Bastian, she immediately feels butterflies in her stomach.

But Bastian has a secret: Since birth, he has suffered from a very rare skin disorder that makes him exceptionally prone to injury. His life is riddled with pain and rejection; his thoughts are dominated by self-doubt and mistrust.

Julie wants to help him shake loose his inhibitions and open up to her, but can she reach deep enough to truly understand his suffering?

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Tina’s Review

*** Provided by Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. ***

*** DEBUT NOVEL ***

Julie first meets Bastien when she attends a gallery opening for her best friend, at which he’s the exclusive photographer. She’s immediately drawn to his aloof, brooding manner and he’s a little wary of the way she makes him feel. Fate seems to throw them together again where she ultimately challenges him. Bastien accepts the challenge only to allow fear to overcome him after and causes him to hightail it away from her again. Together they learn the obstacles and challenges of being in a relationship; trusting someone completely is a foreign concept for Bastien after a lifetime of bullying and shunning.

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They are called Butterfly Children.

Epidermolysis Bullosa (EB) is an inherited connective tissue disease causing blisters in the skin and mucosal membranes, with an incidence of 1/50,000. It is a result of a defect in anchoring between the epidermis and dermis, resulting in friction and skin fragility. Its severity ranges from mild to lethal. (according to Wikipedia)

The lead male and his best friend suffer from this challenging and painful disease, but in varied degrees.The characters, primary and otherwise, are written very well and most are extremely likable. It’s hard NOT to become emotionally attached to some of these characters. Their interaction and dialogue is completely believable. Ms Milan’s writing flows so smoothly, the pages just seem to fly by. There are many struggles and conflicts to overcome in this book, some easily conquered while others are more complicated. It had a maturity and realness that often is not found in stories today. The conclusion is fairly solid, but the big question remains unanswered, perhaps to emphasize that it should not matter.

Overall, this book is emotional. It is thought-provoking. It makes you want to learn more about EB. Mission accomplished, Ms Milan. Well done.

Author Bio:

Inspired by her real-life love for a “Butterfly Child” and moved by the reactions of other people, Greta Milán wanted to find an unconventional way to raise awareness of the rare hereditary skin disorder epidermolysis bullosa. In her debut novel, Julie’s Butterfly, she deals with prejudice, describes the experience of EB sufferers, and gives rich and varied insight into life with EB. Greta Milán is married and lives near Frankfurt, Germany.

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