Review: Good with potential to be great...
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 08 28, 2013
Mostly I liked the book and could have very easily loved it if not for two problems, Boomer and the conclusion.  Jackie was a great character.  I loved her interactions with her brother and sister and her friends added a little light-hearted humor to the book.  Boomer sounded like a nice guy and certainly a perfect love interest but (and here is the first problem) I just didn't feel like I got to know him very well.  He was in the book plenty but he comes off as a background character because he is mostly introduced to the reader through Jackie's musings and the occasional teasing dialogue.  We hardly learn anything meaningful about him or from him.  Don't get me wrong; there were a couple great scenes with him and he definitely had butterfly potential.  It just wasn't quite enough.  It was like seeing a dude at a friend's house and saying "who's that?" Then having her tell you how great he is but never actually meeting him except in passing.  A few more scenes, preferably one-on-one with Jackie where they have real conversation and emote and he would have been a heartbreaker instead of a trophy.The second problem was that the conclusion was disappointing.  The majority of the book is about Jackie's love life woes and her acting aspirations are sort of a side story.  However, in the conclusion, her love life takes a backseat and her career is center stage.  (Please excuse the mixed metaphor and poor attempt at a pun.) There was some closure to her love life woes in the climax but it was unsatisfying because they don't really talk and therefore it lacked real emotion and then it was only mentioned as a side note or an afterthought in the conclusion.I don't mean to sound like the book sucked; it didn't. I really did like it and it did have some first rate qualities.  As I said, I loved the characters.  The premise was interesting enough and the side stories, though not fully developed or resolved, were intriguing.  All in all, I'm glad I read it.  I would even recommend it but probably with a disclaimer.A few other reviews that I read suggested a sequel to this book.  Maybe that would be okay and I would read it but I would really rather see a reboot or revision or even a companion written from another characters POV.