Review: Needs Work
Rating: 3 out of 5
Date: 06 7, 2012
I picked this book up as a free download, not realizing that it was self-published.  It's okay, but it could have done with some more editing.The concept has potential--up and coming career girl takes on rehabbing a small-town nursing home.  You could do a lot with that in the inspirational chick-lit genre.  The book has some good moments, but not enough that I would recommend it.  Here are a few of the problems I noted:1) Too much telling, not enough showing.  We're told that the mean nurse character is mean and that the nursing home manager is incompetent, but we never really get to see that in action. Gracie's first interaction with the nurse shows that they started off on the wrong foot, but other than that we never really see her in action mistreating patients, etc.  Same thing with the nursing home manager.  Obviously the guy needs some help decorating his office, but we never get to see exactly what the issues with his job performance are.  A scene where Gracie uncovers embezzelement or missing medications or something would have set up the conflict better--and made the climax of the novel more believable.  As it is, the book doesn't lay the foundation to support the climactic scene.  It comes out of left field.2) Inconsistency in characters and setting.  We're told that Gracie is nerdy, but that doesn't come across to the reader.  She comes off more cute and perky than nerdy and geeky.  Her internal dialogue is more about waxing and pedicures than bookish and intellectual.  Also, the nursing home setting doesn't seem to have been well-researched.  Is it a nursing home or an assisted living center?  Seniors who can outdo twenty-something-year old women on treadmills don't move into nursing homes, even if their husbands need care.  I've also never seen a nursing home with locks on the doors of patient rooms--and there are probably good reasons for that.  Little things like not having a nursing home administrator's license don't seem to get in Gracie's way either.3) Lack of driving conflict.  Things seem to go really easily for Gracie.  Once she lands at the nursing home, her renovations and improvements seem to go off without a hitch.  Her romance also goes easily almost from the beginning.  The delusional fiance that appears halfway through the book would have been better played for humor than a serious wedge between the hero and heroine--and it would have worked better if at least some hints of her existence had been dropped earlier. Books need a little tension to keep things interesting--something this title lacked.4) Overly preachy dialogue.  I primarily read and review Christian fiction.  I like seeing discussions about faith and life woven into a novel, but it's possible to write those conversations in a way that reads more naturally.  Every time the hero and heroine started talking about their relationships with God, I started rolling my eyes--people just don't talk like that.Overall, the idea has potential and there are some cute moments, but the book just doesn't live up to it's potential.  I'd actually give this one 2.5 stars, but I'm rounding up to three.  I'd encourage the author to keep writing, but maybe check out ACFW or Christian Writer's Guild and take advantage of their editing services or workshops before publishing another title.  With some more writing experience and a good editor, I could see a rewrite of this getting picked up by a publisher.