Review: Pretty traditional but quite good
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 26, 2013
I have never read a novel by Brenda Novak, so I came to this one with no preconceived expectations.The plot has been used quite a lot over the years, but this version had a twist in that the betrayed sister was pressured - by her parents - to plan the wedding of her cheating ex-boyfriend and her rotten sister, who couldn't wait to jump into the cot with each other as soon as Olivia's back was turned. I believe this happened within a fortnight of her temporarily leaving for another town.I liked the main protagonists, Olivia and Brandon, but could have quite cheerfully flattened Kyle and Noelle. Why Olivia would still feel anything for this twit is a mystery (she had a lucky escape, IMO) but that she fancies Brandon is understandable. I felt that Olivia is far too forgiving and there could have been far more made of censuring Kyle for his part in the betrayal. I don't want to give a spoiler, but perhaps his friends thought he was going to get everything he deserved and that might be punishment enough.My main beef with this novel is that it is too short and the ending is truncated. I wanted more, but am left with the hope that followup on the characters will be given in a sequel.A pleasant novel in the traditional mold, and I would read another book by this author in the future. Whiskey Creek sounds like an Australian town, but I guess is typical of both the USA and Downunder.