Review: Fun and Flirty Read
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 05 10, 2014
I began reading the book last night, picked it up this morning, and finished it before 10 am…That's how great Extreme Close-Up was for me.I went into this book expecting a fun and flirty story, and Ms. Jaret delivered. What I didn't expect was the underlying message of self-acceptance that came through loud and clear. Myself being a woman who is nearing the age of forty (Lord, did I just type that?!?) and one who has had children, we all go through days of wishing we were younger and wishing this or that looked different. As the novel progressed, I was surprised to find this story was not just pages of sexy fun (although it does not disappoint in that department!), it was an eye-opening experience for Lisa and a nod to loving oneself.Lisa Taylor is forty-one, divorced, and bored. Although she works a job she loves (photography), she's stuck taking pictures of office supplies to pay the bills. Her son is away at camp, her friend Natalie keeps her company when she can, and her ex-husband is off with his new wife, her former best friend.Enter Braden, or Brady, as Lisa remembers him. Braden is her former BFF's son, and he used to hang around quite a bit when the families were close. He was like an older brother to her son, Jake. Jake has asked Braden to help out around the house while he's away, and, well…let's just say Brady's all kinds of grown up ;)I won't go into every detail of the story (you can get the jist from the blurb), but what I will say is Extreme Close-Up is funny, well-written, fast-paced, and touches your heart (amongst other body parts). Lisa isn't confident or happy when Braden unexpectedly appears in her life again, and he legitimately helps her to see past the stigma she's placed on herself. Lisa helps Braden as well, with certain aspects of his life, and I saw what each person brought to the party, despite their age difference.Extreme Close-Up was the first of Julie Jaret's books I've read, and it won't be the last. Kudos to the author! This book was a lot of fun.