Review: All or nothing I guess...
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 12 20, 2013
Yes, there are spoilers in this review but come on. You already know what's going to happen.I came away from the book feeling okay about it.  I liked Lucas and Iris.  I wanted them to find love and be happy.  I liked the idea of a city/suburb girl spending her summer at a rural farm with a family of eight boys.  But the more I thought about it, the less happy I was about the book.  The whole thing was too rushed.  It didn't feel like real love.  It felt like two kids playing house.  I fully believe that love can happen quickly but I also believe it grows and changes as we grow and change.  While I have no doubt that teenagers can fall in love and that it can be lasting, I know they are also still growing, changing and maturing.  So, if they plan to marry young, they better know each other well enough to feel confident that they will grow, change and mature in compatible ways.  In this book, when Iris pointed out that they didn't really  know each other, Lucas blew it off saying they would get to know each other.  Then later, they married days after Iris realized she loved  Lucas.  When Lucas expressed concern about how quickly they were taking this step, Iris pointed out that it was his wedding night and all his concerns disappeared.  This is not a good message in my opinion.  I get that the author doesn't agree.  She made that pretty clear in her author comments at the end and when Iris paraphrased the  Bible with "better to marry than to burn".  But my thoughts are, what's the rush?  Get to know each other first.  The fact is, people who marry at 18 have a nearly 25 percent greater chance of divorce than those who are 25+.  Since the national divorce rate average is 48 percent, that means 18 year olds who marry have a greater than 50% chance of divorce because they are bringing the average up.  While I am all for suspension of belief and taking the leap of faith that these two kids could beat the odds, I still need a little help from the author.  Make me believe that they really  know each other and that they are making a well thought out decision rather than just avoiding burning in hell and making sure that Mama McGilley will be at the wedding.  I'm sure Mama McGilley would have rathered her son wait and be certain he was marrying permanently to the right woman than risk divorce in order to be there.So I guess my real problem with the book is, my values and the author's don't allign.  If you fall in her camp, you will probably like this book.  If not, it will likely bother you as much as it did me.  I know this author has a loyal following so I'm sure there will be a handful of people who express their disagreement with me through claiming my review was unhelpful.  Do your worst.