Source: OOSA Online Book Club
Date: 11/28/10

Sondra's dreams of moving to Los Angeles and enrolling in college become a reality. But when she meets a man in her apartment building, the dream quickly becomes a nightmare. Sondra has little money to support herself after paying her basic living expenses. Often hungry, she falls prey to a neighbor, Vick, who offers her food in exchange for friendship. The friendship quickly turns into a romantic relationship and that's when Sondra's life spirals out of control. Vick is a violent pimp who moves her out of state where he can control, beat and manipulate her. Sondra knows she deserves better and she takes the steps to make it happen. Yet, what is she going to do about Vick, who refuses to let her go?

"The Trouble with Change" is a short book (only 105 pages), but it packs a powerful punch. This book takes the reader on an emotional ride into the world of domestic violence.

Source: Readers Favorite
Date: 08/22/11

Reviewed by Dr. Karen Hutchins Pirnot for ReadersFavorite.com

The theme is compelling, realistic and (almost) beautifully done. Sondra is a young, naive woman who hooks up with a drug-dealing sociopath named Vick. Although she appears to understand the potentially dangerous manipulations of this man, she is initially helpless to extricate herself from the situation.

When Sondra becomes pregnant, her honorable intentions to give birth to and raise her daughter also provide the means for her boyfriend/husband Vick to hold her hostage. The child is used as bait, and Sondra desperately seeks to protect her child while scheming to get out of what others may perceive as a hopeless situation.

The book is small in size. The theme of domestic abuse is well done. However, the story as told by Sondra herself is a bit short on the emotional repercussions of being in such an abusive situation. Too much time was spent on unnecessary minor details. With a bit of assistance, this could be a top-notch book. As it stands, it will be educational for many a young woman who feels she is strong enough and smart enough to change an abusive boyfriend. While things may be impossible there is always hope.