Review: Is it a blind date?
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 09 30, 2013
I was a given a copy of this book in exchange for a review.This is Ryan and Shawna's story.  When I first started to read the book, I was like, oh no, young people and their woes.  I paused there for a moment, then thought, let me keep going to see where this is leading. The book actually flips back and forth between present day and the past.  Ryan and Shawna are older and wiser than their first meeting 6 years ago.  Ryan was not decisive or self assured when he met Shawna the first time. He was still coming into his own.  He saw Shawna in the store and decided he had to make his move because it was a now or never moment.  Ryan convinced Shawna to go out with him and they ended up spending a glorious weekend together until she found out that Ryan had a girlfriend.  I thought it was going to be a wife the way Shawna reacted.  I was actually a little relieved because a wife would have been a point of no redemption in my eyes.  Anyway, Shawna disappeared from Ryan's life. Six years later, he's talking to a friend of his and finds out that his sister in law and Shawna is one in the same woman!  He begs his friend to set up a date, but he never divulged their history.  Shawna agrees to a blind date because her sister won't leave her alone otherwise.  She sees Ryan and wants to tuck her tail and run.  Ryan convinces her to stay and they discussed what happened all those years ago and try to recreate those same feelings in present time. I liked how Ms. Delaney wove the past with the present without confusion.  That's not an easy task.  I liked how she told us of their relationship in how they got started while not neglecting the the present.  The only thing I didn't like is that I didn't feel there was enough interaction outside of sex that helps me remember why these two are so good for one another now. What are their commonalities?  They had a good start on their first weekend together, but their present was filled with a lot of mistrust and talking about getting back on track to recapture the magic.  Shawna was angry (which she had every right to be) and a typical fickle woman, who said one thing but meant another.  It could have been great had it been more of the getting to know you aspect in their present relationship.  I still enjoyed the story and read it in one sitting, so it's a solid 3.5 stars for me.