Review: Not perfect, but close
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 04 24, 2014
I still have some issues with the writing (more about that in a bit), but the multiple storylines were handled deftly and were pretty interesting.Spoiler alert!The issue of family counseling was finally tackled.  I wish it had at least been hinted at at the end of "Bumpy Roads"--I might have been less unhappy with the book, and more temperate in my review.I do have an issue with Rosie's character.  There are times when she is allowed to be a competent woman who exudes almost Earth-Mother wisdom.  The rest of the time, she appears to be channeling Gracie Allen, the lovable, dizzy ditz of "The Burns and Allen Show."  Isn't there some way to balance the two personae?Finally, a return to my pet peeve:  proofreading, or rather, the lack thereof.  This book is a mess.  Bad grammar, run-on sentences, poor punctuation--you name it, we got it.  (Yes, that last was deliberately ungrammatical.)  According to some of the reviews, Ms. Reid actually reads, and sometimes responds to, the reviews.  I hope so, because I have an offer for her.  I would be willing to be an unpaid proofreader for her.  I wouldn't ask for mention in the dedication, I would keep the stories secret.  I'd just like to help her tell her tales without the distraction of errors that aggravate those of us who went to grammar school before 1970, when they introduced educational methods that were less rigorous, shall we say, in teaching correct English usage.Because, at the end of the day, she writes a pretty darn good story, and, frustrated as I've sometimes been, I'll be looking forward to her future efforts.