Genre

MATURE AUDIENCE, DRAMA, ROMANCE

Brief

Raised by a single and absent mother and a God-fearing grandmother, Nicole learns at the age of 6 that the only way she can find her purpose in life is by relying upon God's will. In the midst of shame and hurt, hope and joy, The Cola Styles Story explores the twist and turns of Nicole Childress, a woman who survived abusive, toxic relationships, domestic violence, harassment and threats, and has not given up her faith and belief in God.

Overall Rating

FAIR

Point of View

FIRST PERSON

Narrative Elements

Authors Writing Style: FAIR

Characterization: FAIR

Commerciality: FAIR

Franchise Potential: FAIR

Pace: GOOD

Premise: FAIR

Structure: FAIR

Theme: FAIR

Accuracy of Book Profile

Not exactly. There is a difference between the cover and the book title: in the Book Profile is ‘Cola Styles Story, The Good, Bad & Ugly’, while in the book itself is ‘The Cola Styles Story, Glory to God’. Also, the genre section can be improved by only including drama, mature audience, and biographical. Logline, Short Summary, and Development Pitch should be rewritten to reflect more details about the book and story. Lastly, there is no author information.

Draw of Story

This is a story about a teenager in a dysfunctional family that faces adversities going through toxic relationships and dealing with guilt, loneliness, dying, lies, mistreatment, harassment and threats. A distinctive realistic tone carries through the narrative, making it both captivating and disturbing at the same time. Nicole’s journey is a touching, relevant story that reaches out to every woman who experiences (or knows someone whose been affected by) domestic violence and struggles with abuse from their partners and its long-term effects.

Possible Drawbacks

The story sometimes makes it difficult to determine whether what she's being told still holds true or whether it's just a belief from the past that she's describing her feelings at that time. A lot is going on, and some subjects shift or go back and forward, making it confusing to follow. Lastly, the narrative doesn’t explain who Jeffrey Dahmer was; for those who are not familiar with his story, it doesn’t make it clear he is a serial killer who murdered 17 men and boys. This encounter profoundly impacted her and left her traumatized, so it would be best to put the event in its proper context.

Use of Special Effects

THE STORY DOES NOT RELY ON SPECIAL EFFECTS

Primary Hook of Story

The story portrays a teenager growing up in a dysfunctional family facing adversity, including toxic relationships, guilt, loneliness, dying, lies, mistreatment, harassment, and threats. And because of her kids, she thought she could never break down. Nicole's journey is a touching, relevant story that can speak to anyone struggling with domestic abuse and violence.

Fanbase Potential

This is not a story for fanbases, but narratives about acceptance, forgiveness, and redemption usually find a large audience. It allows people to identify with it and bear witness to the suffering of victims to find strength from such circumstances.

Awards Potential

There’s a great potential to get noticed in the awards, especially with a narrative based on a true story of a teenage girl facing adversities and addressing relevant topics, such as domestic violence.

Envisioned Budget

LOW BUDGET

Similar Films/TV Series

13 REASONS WHY, BERLIN SYNDROME, SLEEPING WITH THE ENEMY

What’s New About the Story

The story's distinctive realistic tone and disturbing nature make it both fascinating and scary at the same time. As well as being intense, it's somewhat terrifying what Nicole would encounter in her journey, leading to the audience becoming frightened for the different characters from time to time, such as Billy and Chris.

Lead Characters

Nicole was raised by a god-fearing grandmother and a mother who mentally abused her constantly and drained her of all her strength. Even though Nicole was involved with bad influences, fighting over boys, using drugs, and becoming a teen mom, she never gave up due to her children. The father of her children, Billy, is aggressive, manipulative, and abusive, making him a good antagonist

Uniqueness of Story

The story touches sensitive subjects and is an insightful narrative to show what an individual might be going through after a traumatizing event, mostly behind closed doors, and its long-term effects. There is room for exploring and bringing enduring life lessons to self-empowerment.

Possible Formats

Film: Studio, Indie, Streaming TV Series: Network, Cable, Limited Run / Mini-Series, Streaming

Analyst Recommendation

WORK IN PROGRESS

Justification

Nicole's journey is a touching, relevant story that can speak to anyone struggling with domestic abuse and violence. It also shows that even after forgiving yourself or others for reacting to a traumatic situation, things don’t just automatically go back to normal. But the story lacks a powerful or constructive message and doesn’t raise good awareness about abusive relationships. Instead, Nicole insists on forgiving her brutal abusers and allowing them in her life, blaming herself for her choices, and never setting boundaries.

Tips for Improvement

It would be interesting to see the author bringing awareness to protect the lives and well-being of those in abusive relationships, adding a message of self-empowerment and providing insight into the warning signs of domestic violence.