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Choosing Charity
Straight-laced and anxiety-ridden Anna never expected to save someone's life. When she sees a woman standing on the ledge of a bridge, she can't help but intervene.
The unexpected kindness from a stranger changes the course of Kylie's life. Only now, she has to figure out a way to tell her creepy boss that she can't exactly dance around a dimly lit pole with an ugly cast halfway up her leg.
Kylie's scars are inked upon her body, while Anna can't go a whole day without popping painkillers. Determined to make her therapist proud, Anna takes a chance on opening her heart and her home to someone who seems to need a friend even more than she does.
The unexpected kindness from a stranger changes the course of Kylie's life. Only now, she has to figure out a way to tell her creepy boss that she can't exactly dance around a dimly lit pole with an ugly cast halfway up her leg.
Kylie's scars are inked upon her body, while Anna can't go a whole day without popping painkillers. Determined to make her therapist proud, Anna takes a chance on opening her heart and her home to someone who seems to need a friend even more than she does.
241 pages, Kindle Edition
Published January 12, 2022
1 person is currently reading
5 people want to read
About the author
Sara Zavacki-Moore
2 books6 followersDespite making her theatrical debut at the age of 10 in her church’s production of “God’s Gift to Santa” (Yes, this is real) she still loves theater.
She survived the tumult of childhood angst as her diaries would confirm. In high school she enjoyed writing for their literary magazine. College forced her to put her creative writing on hold as she pursued degrees in Psychology & Social Work. She later went on to complete her Masters in Social Work, and obtain her New York State Licensing.
While raising her two amazing children, Sara worked in a wide variety of social work jobs. In 2018, she decided to pursue her certification in Hypnotherapy with the National Guild of Hypnotists. She has a small private practice in Rochester, NY. In the pockets of stillness, she began writing again several years ago. Although her novels are fiction, much of her writing incorporates issues related to mental health, trauma and religion and family.
A few years ago at Homecoming, she reconnected with an old drama club friend. That friend, Melanie (Harrington) Billings, would later become her editor through The Wild Rose Press.
Sara’s debut novel, Choosing Charity, was released in 2022. It takes her about 9 months to complete a first draft. Tiny House of God was released on June 21, 2023. She was thrilled to be able to also narrate her second book, which is now available through Audible.
She and her husband met in college theater and have since been in many plays together over the years. More recently they have enjoyed producing and performing in some crazy & cathartic shows as part of the Rochester Fringe Festival.
Writing, singing and theater are therapeutic, and Sara plans to continue therapy forever.
She survived the tumult of childhood angst as her diaries would confirm. In high school she enjoyed writing for their literary magazine. College forced her to put her creative writing on hold as she pursued degrees in Psychology & Social Work. She later went on to complete her Masters in Social Work, and obtain her New York State Licensing.
While raising her two amazing children, Sara worked in a wide variety of social work jobs. In 2018, she decided to pursue her certification in Hypnotherapy with the National Guild of Hypnotists. She has a small private practice in Rochester, NY. In the pockets of stillness, she began writing again several years ago. Although her novels are fiction, much of her writing incorporates issues related to mental health, trauma and religion and family.
A few years ago at Homecoming, she reconnected with an old drama club friend. That friend, Melanie (Harrington) Billings, would later become her editor through The Wild Rose Press.
Sara’s debut novel, Choosing Charity, was released in 2022. It takes her about 9 months to complete a first draft. Tiny House of God was released on June 21, 2023. She was thrilled to be able to also narrate her second book, which is now available through Audible.
She and her husband met in college theater and have since been in many plays together over the years. More recently they have enjoyed producing and performing in some crazy & cathartic shows as part of the Rochester Fringe Festival.
Writing, singing and theater are therapeutic, and Sara plans to continue therapy forever.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
April 8, 2022
Full disclosure, I was given a copy in exchange for an honest review according to my review formula grading specific aspects of a book and averaging them together.
While this isn't my usual genre, I did enjoy the book a lot!
I would rate Choosing Charity by Sara Zavacki-Moore the following:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 for the writing style. The descriptions were good, the dialogue was great. It's very grounded and real, and the author has an engaging voice!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 for the characters. I love that this book respectfully handled difficult subjects such as mental illness and how it affects a person as well as how it affects the people around them. The characters are all flawed, and that makes them real and compelling.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 for the plot. It was very character driven, and since the characters are this story’s strength, it makes for a good plot!
⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 for the romance. This… simply wasn’t a very romantic book, which is something I look for. It was a relationship book, with focus on individual journeys. The romance wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t go to this book if you’re looking to swoon over attractive fictional characters. That’s not what this book is about. That's not a bad thing, mind you! Just a personal taste thing for me, which might have to do with it not being my usual genre.
🩺🩺🩺 3/5 for the health of relationships. I have to take a few points off because the relationships aren’t very healthy and because the ex-boyfriend who shows up isn’t shown to be really working on himself the way Anna and Kylie are, but have to give a few points because the unhealthy behaviors are addressed as unhealthy and there is positive growth!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Overall: 4/5 - this is a fascinating read that dives into a lot of serious topics without being solely about those topics. There’s trauma, there’s mental health, there’s sexual orientation… but the book isn’t about any of these one things. It’s just a book about being human and dealing with these things as they organically happen in life, and that was very well done.
🔥 Heat level - 1/5 This is not factored into the grade, just putting it as a statement. This book has a low, fade-to-black heat level.
While this isn't my usual genre, I did enjoy the book a lot!
I would rate Choosing Charity by Sara Zavacki-Moore the following:
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 for the writing style. The descriptions were good, the dialogue was great. It's very grounded and real, and the author has an engaging voice!
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 for the characters. I love that this book respectfully handled difficult subjects such as mental illness and how it affects a person as well as how it affects the people around them. The characters are all flawed, and that makes them real and compelling.
⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 5/5 for the plot. It was very character driven, and since the characters are this story’s strength, it makes for a good plot!
⭐⭐⭐ 3/5 for the romance. This… simply wasn’t a very romantic book, which is something I look for. It was a relationship book, with focus on individual journeys. The romance wasn’t bad, but I wouldn’t go to this book if you’re looking to swoon over attractive fictional characters. That’s not what this book is about. That's not a bad thing, mind you! Just a personal taste thing for me, which might have to do with it not being my usual genre.
🩺🩺🩺 3/5 for the health of relationships. I have to take a few points off because the relationships aren’t very healthy and because the ex-boyfriend who shows up isn’t shown to be really working on himself the way Anna and Kylie are, but have to give a few points because the unhealthy behaviors are addressed as unhealthy and there is positive growth!
⭐⭐⭐⭐ Overall: 4/5 - this is a fascinating read that dives into a lot of serious topics without being solely about those topics. There’s trauma, there’s mental health, there’s sexual orientation… but the book isn’t about any of these one things. It’s just a book about being human and dealing with these things as they organically happen in life, and that was very well done.
🔥 Heat level - 1/5 This is not factored into the grade, just putting it as a statement. This book has a low, fade-to-black heat level.
June 23, 2024
Good Read
Enjoyed this book Well written Wasn' t long and drawn out basically straight to the point. It explored many topics of mental issues. Good Story will be following this author
Enjoyed this book Well written Wasn' t long and drawn out basically straight to the point. It explored many topics of mental issues. Good Story will be following this author
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews