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The Colours We See: The heartbreaking new indie movie novel by Swedish debut author Kindle Edition

3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 36 ratings



“Winter’s debut novel is a beautiful modern tragic love story.”

“An intense story that is hauntingly relevant, and will undoubtedly resonate with many of its readers.”

How far can we go to escape ourselves before it's too late to turn back?

Hazel lands in America with nothing but a backpack, a craving for adventure, and a past she would rather forget. She is eager to live life as she always imagined it – free, wild, unpredictable.

When brilliant but aloof singer-songwriter Liam invites her to join his band as they tour all over the States, she doesn’t have to think twice. Suddenly she’s travelling, performing, and falling hard for this talented, complicated boy. But life on the road is not always the romantic dream it first appears to be, and soon Hazel finds herself caught up in drugs and toxic dynamics that remind her too much of the past she’s been trying to leave behind. When things begin to spiral out of control, Hazel realises that no matter how hard she tries, she can’t outrun herself.

THE COLOURS WE SEE is an under-the-skin love story brimming with wild nights and broken hearts along the winding and bewildering journey into ourselves.

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What others are saying:
(Source: Goodreads)

“A strong emotional rollercoaster that will touch every part of you.”

“The characters are injected with a raw honesty that is every bit as believable as the troubled lives that engulf them.”

“The unfolding stories of the characters and setting induce vivid imagery that have you nervously seated in the booth of the band’s tour bus.”

“I loved to visit San Francisco, LA, New Orleans, and the other cities alongside the characters.”


“The emotions here are raw and the discussions about mental health are just so important.”

“It grabs you immediately and sweeps you up in the highs and lows of [Hazel’s] journey of love, friendship, heartbreak and self discovery.”

"One hell of an amazing ride."


“A story to contemplate the meaning of hurt, life, and pain.”

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Trigger warnings: Contains mentions of suicide, substance abuse, toxic parents, death.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B08M7SZ6M5
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ (December 6, 2020)
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ December 6, 2020
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.8 MB
  • Text-to-Speech ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 356 pages
  • Customer Reviews:
    3.9 3.9 out of 5 stars 36 ratings

About the author

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Kaisa Winter
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Kaisa Winter is a Swedish-born, UK-based, multi-creative scatterbrain. Before penning her debut novel, The Colours We See, she studied art and film production and produced a number of award-winning short films. She loves nature and the open road, and has travelled five continents. Exploring the world and the human psyche sets her heart on fire and inspires her writing. She is now working on her next novel.

Customer reviews

3.9 out of 5 stars
36 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Reviewed in the United States on March 2, 2022
    A reluctant English artist meets a damaged American musician on a fling on the road. What colors did Hazel see? Or Liam? What colors will you see? Sometimes black, maybe brown, once in a while, shades of blue but in the end all the wondrous colors of life...possibly through the blur of tears.
    Heed the warnings! There will be triggers for some maybe, but I thought this book was very thought provoking and quite honestly a cautionary tale. This is a book where a synopsis will not do this book justice. It is a book that you must experience. Seeing that this is Ms. Winter’s first book is astounding. She has had an excellent support group behind this endeavor: beta readers, editors, friends etc. The writing is crisp, meaningful, realistic (as far as I would imagine), and entertaining in the broadest sense of the word. But above all this story is painful. I cried buckets! This story will shatter your heart and stomp on it, only to finally mend it back again all shiny and new, maybe with a few cracks though.
    I volunteered to review an ARC of this book through BookSirens and would highly recommend this book to readers who enjoy a realistic romance albeit painful depiction of life and young love.
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 15, 2020
    Kaisa Winter’s debut novel was not what I anticipated, it was so much more. Journeying with protagonist Hazel on her American road trip filled me with wanderlust and a yearning for my younger days, experiences of excitement and newness, until the pages of reality hit and my thoughts were more along the lines of “wow, I’m so glad I’m not in my 20s anymore!” The characters are injected with a raw honesty that is every bit as believable as the troubled lives that engulf them. Winter’s took me through a range of emotions that had me gushing over young love to grappling with my motherly instincts. I had a strong urge to fall into the paragraphs and shout at the top of my lungs “Noooooo, don’t do it! This will not end well!” There were heart wrenching moments where tears welled in my eyes, a realisation that I know Hazel, lots of Hazels, I know all of these young people, their dreams and their traumas. The unfolding stories of the characters and setting induce vivid imagery that have you nervously seated in the booth of the band’s tour bus. This is an intense story that is hauntingly relevant, and will undoubtedly resonate with many of its readers.

    I gratefully received an advanced digital copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on February 15, 2021
    “But the sad fact is, everyone is broken. Everyone is mired in pain, and it spills over to their kids. And so the cycle carries on.” Hazel’s demanding, overbearing mother has made Hazel ripe for wanting adventure and freedom. Unfortunately it has also left her vulnerable to the talented yet tortured soul that is Liam. Fresh in America from England, Hazel, with the help of her cousin, overcomes her first small hurdle by braving the judgement of strangers and performing on stage. This new found independence and acceptance allows Hazel to accept Liam’s invitation to join his band on tour. Complete with the other four members of the band, Hazel and Liam head out across the country and down a rollercoaster of human emotion.

    It took a while to get into this book. It was definitely a slow burn for me but once it hit, it hit hard. About ¼ of the way in, you have a decent understanding of the main character, Hazel. You are slowly fed the details of her story, but you know enough to understand the danger she will face with the tidbits of foreshadowing that the author provides. This story is filled with toxic relationships and the lasting consequences they leave behind. It’s a storyline we have all read before and many of us have seen played out in real life: good naive girls/boys brought down by troubled broken boys/girls. And as we watch Hazel experience this on the pages, we can see where she should have walked away, where her own life experiences should have thrown big red flags but we also see how she seamlessly dodges all of them. But of course, that’s what makes it real and authentic.

    I would overwhelmingly recommend this book but for an adult audience. Toxic relationships, ardent recreational drug usage, self-harm, suicide and more are all discussed. And while all of these topics should definitely be spoken of with adolescents, some of the more important lessons that the reader should take from this story may be ignored since at the time of their telling they are not always shown negatively...as is so true in life.

    Disclaimer: I received a free copy of this book via Goodreads and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
    One person found this helpful
    Report
  • Reviewed in the United States on December 11, 2020
    This book! Oh my heart! This is my first experience reading a book by this author, from the first page, I got pulled into the lives of these precious “kids”, and the mom in me wanted to hug them and make their lives better. This book is heartbreakingly beautiful.

    I hurt for these characters because they all were broken in some way. I could relate to Liam because I grew up in a church just like the one he describes and it does mess with your mind. I wanted to kick all the parents. I hurt for Lawson, Ivy, and Hazel. It is so difficult to help a person who doesn’t want to be helped. I loved these characters and their beautiful souls. I picture them all having a wonderful, happy life somewhere.

    Read this book. If you have a heat, you will cry and fall in love with these fictional (but, real) characters. It will make you want to be kind to strangers and give a smile you do not know how much they are hurting inside.

    I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Top reviews from other countries

Translate all reviews to English
  • Andrea
    2.0 out of 5 stars Predecible
    Reviewed in Mexico on May 15, 2023
    Un tanto predecible y en partes aburrido, si tienes ,Mas de 25 no lo recomiendo. Lo terminé en un día que me quedé sin luz jaja.
  • daja
    5.0 out of 5 stars A well-plotted, well-written story with a great character at the centre.
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on May 24, 2021
    A troubled girl flees from her domineering mother to go travelling in the USA. She becomes a singer with a touring band and falls in love with the troubled front-man.

    In many ways this is a classic 'Hero's Journey' novel with the flights to and from America representing the entrance into and exit from the magical realm where possibilities are boundless. The call (not very robustly refused) is to sing on stage and to join the rock group. The companions journey together through the land on the magical tour bus. There are trials (letters from the hero's mother, drug-taking, a funeral), there is a near-death experience and there is redemption.

    In other ways this has a classic three act/ four part structure with pivotal moments occurring at the 25% (Liam, rather symbolically, falls from the stage), 50% (an acid trip leads to an epiphany), and 75% marks; this makes the pace even and allows the story to enthral the reader throughout.

    But mostly this is a brilliant character portrait of a troubled musician, seen from the point of view of a narrator with troubles enough of her own.

    In short, I was impressed. A skilfully-written debut novel.
  • Jenny
    5.0 out of 5 stars A beautiful heartbreaking story
    Reviewed in Italy on April 2, 2021
    Such a beautiful heartbreaking novel! Hazel haunted me to finish her story as soon as I put the book down. It’s pure, raw and written in such a way you feel like you’re Hazel’s secret diary! I envy you who still have this book to look forward to reading!
  • K.Z. Barton
    5.0 out of 5 stars Stunning Debut Novel
    Reviewed in Australia on February 18, 2021
    Disclaimer: Winter and I follow each other on Twitter and have great conversations about our mutual love of writing and storytelling.

    The Colours We See is a gorgeously unexpected coming-of-age story. When I read the first few pages I thought I knew what I was in for. I couldn’t have been more wrong (and happy about it)! As I read Winter’s poetic prose about a young woman off on her first grand adventure, I thought I would read about a quirky adventure with some highs and lows, but not necessarily anything that would really hit me in the gut. But Winter never shied away from the messy and brutal nature of pain — pain that some of us manage to shoulder, while others get eaten alive. Yet the book remains unerringly hopeful. Not in some overdone, cheesy way, but the kind of hope that comes from acknowledging that if you do the work, you can make real changes in your life.

    As I read this stunning debut novel, I was continuously struck by the tender, evocative, artistic descriptions. This is one of my favourite lines:
    “At once he was obscured and stripped bare, removed but resolutely present as he dissolved into his song.”

    I’m 31 and this new adult book left me deeply affected. Winter’s narrative has a way of taking me back to younger years, but also exploring tough life issues, such as drug use, with maturity and intelligent insight.

    I’d recommend this novel to anyone who thinks about the person they are becoming. And, honestly, I think that’s all of us.
    Customer image
    K.Z. Barton
    5.0 out of 5 stars
    Stunning Debut Novel

    Reviewed in Australia on February 18, 2021
    Disclaimer: Winter and I follow each other on Twitter and have great conversations about our mutual love of writing and storytelling.

    The Colours We See is a gorgeously unexpected coming-of-age story. When I read the first few pages I thought I knew what I was in for. I couldn’t have been more wrong (and happy about it)! As I read Winter’s poetic prose about a young woman off on her first grand adventure, I thought I would read about a quirky adventure with some highs and lows, but not necessarily anything that would really hit me in the gut. But Winter never shied away from the messy and brutal nature of pain — pain that some of us manage to shoulder, while others get eaten alive. Yet the book remains unerringly hopeful. Not in some overdone, cheesy way, but the kind of hope that comes from acknowledging that if you do the work, you can make real changes in your life.

    As I read this stunning debut novel, I was continuously struck by the tender, evocative, artistic descriptions. This is one of my favourite lines:
    “At once he was obscured and stripped bare, removed but resolutely present as he dissolved into his song.”

    I’m 31 and this new adult book left me deeply affected. Winter’s narrative has a way of taking me back to younger years, but also exploring tough life issues, such as drug use, with maturity and intelligent insight.

    I’d recommend this novel to anyone who thinks about the person they are becoming. And, honestly, I think that’s all of us.
    Images in this review
    Customer image
  • Krocko
    5.0 out of 5 stars An invitation to a colourful travel
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 27, 2022
    First of all, it's might be a debut novel but the style and the universe coming from it is definitely rich and refreshing.
    It is definitely a beautiful invitation to the travel. Can you imagine if you disobeyed to your parents, didn't do the subway, work, sleep and went to live your dreams fully?
    Well that novel is inviting you to do so by the courageous and emotional journey of Hazel. You will root for her, live up to her moods and adventure. Love Liam, hate Liam. Pure intensity.
    I definitely advise to take a "trip" with this book.

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