Review: I wanted to like it more than I did
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 09 7, 2013
Disclosure first - the author and myself review for the same blog, but we are not friends (neither we are enemies :) we just do not communicate much if at all, except some comments on reviews), I never talked to her about this book. I had no idea she wrote this book till it was out, and I purchased my copy. I hope you got the gist - I do not think any of this will affect my reviewing honesty.Let me say what I liked first. I liked the people from different cultures being present in this book and more importantly I got the feel of those cultures, I really liked that. I did liked the plot - the mystery was interesting, even though really the villain was one of the most if not most developed secondary characters, so I spotted him really REALLY early. I mean, seriously he registered wrong on the main character's radar? Having said that, I did not guess his motivations, so that was good.I liked how female characters were portrayed - no evil caricature exes here, or best friends who have no life of their own. The female secondary characters are diverse and potentially interesting (and why should not they be?).But here is  what I did not like and this is very very important to me. Actually, no I should not say I did not like, just that I was  indifferent. All four of the main male characters fail to resonate with me emotionally and that's a problem if I pick up a romance book, for me a very big problem. There was a wall between me when I was reading and the guys, so to speak.It is easy to figure out why I felt that way about Will and Francis. IMO if I am expected to relate to the couple who is building the new relationship, having this couple spend the huge chunk of the book apart (I cannot figure out how much exactly - half of the book? two thirds? not sure, all I know that it felt like a lot to me) is not the best way to make me do it. And their non communications? Oy. I mean, I get how we were supposed to see that it caused by Francis's personality, but when something reaches the certain degree it starts being silly in my opinion. Even if he decides not to talk to Will on the phone , he will not leave him a message that he is ok when he calls to his friends with whom Will is staying? Sorry, no I am having trouble buying real people behaving like that.Now why I felt so little for Nick and Louis I have no idea at all, but I did. I mean,  I had a bit more emotional connection with them than with Will and Francis, but I still wanted more.If you approach it strictly as a mystery you will probably like it more than I did, I have no idea if the author was writing primarily a mystery, but I just could not ignore two love  stories featuring rather heavily in the book.