Review: Closer to 1.5 stars, poorly written, unedited / not proofread "look at me!" by this author
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 02 18, 2014
This review is going to be neither positive nor kind.While "The Only One" was NOT "okay" it also wasn't dreadful. What it was was poor. It read like a jejune effort at an afterschool special, with the author clearly patting herself ferociously on the back whilst exclaiming "look at me! Look how I tackle 'the hard stuff.' I'm fearless!" Um, no. Doesn't work that way, my dear. Just because you throw cancer (or take your pick) into a story doesn't make it a moving, impactful, important issue / story. For proof, please read the incandescent "The Fault in Our Stars". There is the perfect example of a story which had cancer in the background but never the fore; the author never once hit the reader over the head, saying "I am writing Important Literature because it's about cancer!" No. He wrote a magnificent book, period, because he's a magnificent author, period.I'd read The Only Exception by this author and liked it -- didn't love it for two reasons: 1) it was clearly written by a novice, an unseasoned writer, with story / character development lacking, and 2) the atrocious editing! Holy freaking cow I have had it with these authors who expect us to spend time and money on their poorly edited work. (by edited I mean both grammatically [inc spelling / word choice / syntax] and storyline) "The Only Exception" is the sole book I'd read of hers, and being a former wonk found the political pieces appealing. When I read that "The Only One" followed characters introduced in "The Only Exception" I thought "sure, why not?" I'd like most of whom we'd previously met.Well ...? You know, I finished it last week and can now scarcely recall any of the characters' names, that's how flimsy an impression they made. I had to look it up to tell you that Melanie is our protagonist, a college sophomore, friend and co-worker of Monica (from "The Only Exception"); John is a junior or senior and fraternity brother of Trey, Monica's boyfriend. John's character was also introduced in the first book, and for whatever reason the author chose to not expand his character at all. It's hard to be interested in a developing relationship when you never get a handle on one of the main characters -- John is a cardboard cutout. He's flat. He's one dimensional. He's beige. Flat Finn (from a truly well-written book dealing with a Big Topic, "Flat-Out Love" by Jessica Park), who literally is a cardboard cutout of a deceased sibling, has more zing than John.Melanie fares only slightly better, but all the author really wants you to know about her is that she has cancer. She works hard. She doesn't complain. She has cancer.I am not minimizing the real fear of dealing with cancer, but this book just isn't good enough, the author is not a talented enough writer to appropriately and emotionally see this through. I also recently read "Beauty from Love", the final installment in Georgia Cates' "Beauty from Pain" series. Knowing nothing about the author before I certainly knew midway through "Beauty from Love" that she was most likely an OB RN, less likely an OB/GYN MD (as the RNs were the ones who wore the halos and got the attention). I'm a medical professional myself, so I understand the tendency with which one (in any field, really) bandies about that lingua franca. I also understand the adage of "write what you know." But the key piece in that idiom is the one which is merely understood: "but write it interestingly and write it well." (In all fairness to "The Only One," "Beauty from Pain" was also ridiculous, pretentious and boring in its picayune medical detail.) Also: Priscille Sibley wrote the beautiful and medically appropriate "The Promise of Stardust", a heartbreaking romance where the medicine matters, moves the story along, and does not serve to remind the reader that the author works in that field.And now I'm bored writing about "The Only One." Would I recommend it? Clearly not. However, if you've had cervical cancer caused by HPV, are interested in cervical cancer, don't care about character / story development except to see the survivor get her HEA, and don't care if it's poorly written and atrociously edited then sure, maybe you won't mind "The Only One." I certainly minded. This is the last book I'll purchase (let alone read) by this author