Review: Really 3.5 stars
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 03 25, 2012
This book has a sweet core,  but it is way too  long and needs a thorough editing.  Story lines were built and dropped and then abruptly returned to,  the writing was uneven and at times confusing.  James, the central character was very aware of his own pain and suffering, not always as aware of his impact on others,  (like many real people!) and Brick was almost too perfect.But even so,  I stayed with the book,  and read it to the end.  It's clearly too long,  at 9656 locations,  if 20% had been trimmed,  the book would have felt tighter and lighter.  I liked the small town life and the time the book gave to James to have his realizations,  but there were aspects of the book that just didn't work for me - James' entire relationship with Lindsey, for one,  felt odd and almost unnecessary.  The events that occurred with his mother at the end were also uneven, and the whole thing with Corey was too repetitive.But this book only cost 99 cents and it was good value for money,  the time passed pleasantly,  though I will not reread it. I would read something else by JF Fell,  I just hope she gets a better editor next time.