Review: Very Enjoyable Story Despite the Telling
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 12 27, 2013
Lindsay drives the two hours home to be with her family for Christmas. Even though she enjoys teaching third grade, she’s looking forward to all the family being together, because she rarely gets to see some of them. Her older sister, Denise, has finally found true love, and Lindsay is even more aware of the fact she hasn’t. She thought she had, but she’d gone home early to find her finance kissing another woman. She was devastated but more cautious now. At least she thought she was until Steven comes into her life. His mother, Lindsay’s best friend, died suddenly and, through her grief, Lindsay remembers how proud Ruth was of her younger son, and how she had thought they would make a good couple. Even after their first encounter, Lindsay begins to wonder if Ruth wasn’t right.This is a very difficult book to rate. It does so many things wrong, especially telling what happens instead of showing. Most of the story is revealed by Lindsay thinking about things after they happen. Also, some facts were incorrect, like New York is not usually considered a New England state. Still, despite the recounting, I found I really enjoyed this story. Lindsay and Steven were very likeable characters, and I found myself reading quickly to find out how their story unfolds. The novel is also clean, with no profanity and no sex scenes, I think the novel would have been even stronger if it had drawn the reader into the story more, but the bottom line is how much I enjoyed the story. I ended up giving it a 4.5, which rounded up to a five.