Reviewed by Jack Magnus for Readers' Favorite

One Week in LA | Two Years Later, Heartbreak Dreams, Volume 2 is a non-fiction memoir written by Kody Christiansen. Christiansen had hoped to find himself in Los Angeles, but found instead that he was trapped in a dizzying downward spiral fueled by drugs and alcohol. At his lowest point, being removed from a favorite diner in handcuffs and placed in the back of a police car seemed too much for him to bear. He seriously considered taking his life, but opted instead for a plane trip across the country to a new life in New York City. It was a big change from his life of partying and close friends in the summer sun of LA. Home in the Big Apple was a succession of homeless shelters until he sought and found guidance, and he trusted enough in that higher wisdom to embrace sobriety. From there, his achievements began to appear at a lightning fast pace. He got a job in a French restaurant working for people he adored while successfully auditioning for roles on stage, screen and television, and he wrote a book, Hollywood Heartbreak | New York Dreams, which became an overnight success. Now, two years later, it was time to return to Hollywood for book signings and to connect with his old friends again. Could he get through it all and still stay sober? He was determined to do so, and even more determined to try to get those he cared about to see the benefits sobriety had brought him. He hoped to inspire them to try to make changes themselves.

In his inspiring non-fiction memoir, One Week in LA | Two Years Later, Heartbreak Dreams, Volume 2, actor and author Kody Christiansen chronicles the eight days he spent back in Los Angeles following the successes of his two-year stint in New York City. I was intrigued by his most refreshing take on sobriety and the way he was able to still pursue the social life he loved without falling back into the alcohol and drugs that had been killing him. This is an upbeat, feel-good story that seems to belie the popular misconception that one must eschew the bars, clubs and social gatherings forevermore once one embraces sobriety. Kody and his friends slug down plenty of frosty ones and Mojitos (though his are virgin ones) and he seems to be even having more fun for having passed on the booze. Kody's quite honest throughout his book; however, there are moments when it feels like just one drink wouldn't hurt, when he hears that tiny voice suggesting that he could have just the one. But when he weighs what he's achieved against that momentary rush, he knows he's made the right choice. This well-written and inspirational memoir is highly recommended.