Review: A rich and layered story
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 7, 2012
This book was a pleasure to read.  The writing was seamless and the storyline flowed organically, hooking me right away.  I won't waste words with a synopsis, but let me add that the alternating POVs between the main characters, interspersed with journal entries giving the heroine's first person perspective really fit together well.  I did not mind the occasional foray into the mind of a more secondary character, either, which usually irks me.  That is a testament to how natural the story flows, I think.This love story really delves deep into the psyche of its characters, and I really felt like I understood them.  Even though there were times when I wanted them to stop being so melodramatic, I "got" it.  Ms. Reynolds definitely gave her characters minds of their own and allowed me to emote with them and understand why they acted a certain way--and allowed me to revel in their growth!  The only character that puzzled me was Danny/Phil (the heroine's brother).  I don't think he got a fair shake.  I was glad to get a lot of backstory on him and some narrative in his POV, but I wasn't quite clear on his motivations or feelings sometimes, as well as the reactions of other characters toward him.In addition to the characters, the settings and descriptions were so rich and textured, too.  The self-healing journeys by Nick and Maddy, as well as their love story, develop over the course of the four seasons in a seaside community, which was all brought to life in my mind in vivid detail, engaging all of my senses.  This book played like a movie in my head!My only complaints are a couple of things that distracted me from the story.  The story starts off in the year 2000.  I was constantly distracted by mentions of technology and lack thereof.  Stupid, I know, but I kept thinking to myself, why does a famous ex-MLB player have a pager instead of a cell phone and how does Maddy make a photobook with a desktop publisher on a laptop when she is using 35mm film and developing her own negatives and prints?  Is she scanning them?  Duh!  I know.  But, hey, it distracted me, and I kept trying to remember when I started using email regularly and when I got a cell and a digital camera.  (And I myself, took photography in college with a manual 35mm SLR camera and developed my own film and prints, so I really had to think about when the digital revolution kicked in for me.)  The other distraction had to do with pairing AIDS and homosexuality, which is very 80s, not the new millennium.  These minor distractions only temporarily pulled me from the story world, though, and did not affect my overall enjoyment factor.Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed this rich and layered story.  I will be looking for more from this author!I received a free copy of this book for an honest review.