Rating: 3.5 Stars
Source: NetGalley
Description: 3 years ago Becca Hudson threw a dart on a map and landed in Leesburg, Virginia. Now 1 ex-husband, a successful cupcake shop and 2 best friends later she's still there. The last thing she wants is more complications or more reminders of her previous life as a TV child star. Except suddenly with the introduction of a 10 year old girl, the girl's kind of babysitter and an elderly man with a mysterious past life is definitely long past simple.
Genre: Fiction/Romance
Why I Picked This Book: The cover just about jumped out and grabbed me and I liked the premise. The finding your purpose stories tend to grab me.
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My Impression:
Pros: I liked a lot about this book. Becca, Matthew and Olivia are all nice yet flawed characters. Olivia comes across as a 10 year old girl. She's not always logical, she sometimes gets sulky but she's not bratty. She's an interesting character. Becca annoyed me at first because she was so annoyed anytime anyone mentioned her TV career but I think you gradually see why that is. Matthew's a sweet guy who is doing his best and trying to do what he thinks is right. I thought Walt was an interesting character and while I did guess the twist fairly early it was fun to see it unravel. The pacing was good and I never felt like the story was dragging even when I didn't like what was going on in the plot.
Cons: Unfortunately, there was also quite a bit that didn't work for me in this book. I had a really difficult time being okay that Matthew was in a relationship while he and Becca are realizing their feelings for each other. There isn't even a real hint of cheating and it's very obvious from the beginning that Matthew's relationship isn't as it should be. That being said it just didn't sit well with me - a personal pet peeve I guess. While I liked Pam and Erin at the beginning and end of the book they were pretty awful in the middle of the story. They definitely fit the saying with friends like these who needs enemies. At around the 70% mark the story kind of took a left turn and a lot happened. It fit with the story but it just seemed like a lot crammed into the last 30%. I wish the book could have been split up a little differently.
Overall: While there were some aspects of the story that didn't quite sit with me I did really enjoy reading it. Bass's characters feel very well developed and this was always a book I wanted to pick up and find out what was going to happen next.
Would I Read More of this Series/Author?: Yes definitely!
Would I Recommend this Book?: Yes though with a few reservations.
That is a very sweet cover. ;-) I think I'd like Olivia's character.
ReplyDeleteI really liked Olivia. She really seemed like an actual 10 year old. And yeah - couldn't pass up the cover!
DeleteThat cover sure looks yummy. :-) I like the sound of this one, although I imagine I would feel the same about Matthew not being out of his bad relationship before starting to take up with Becca. Still, I'm curious enough that I might give this one a try anyway.
ReplyDeleteIt was a fun read but I did have a hard time with the fact he was still in a relationship.
DeleteWill definitely be picking this up... today! :) Sounds so good!
ReplyDeleteHope you enjoy it!
DeleteNice cover, sounds like a light, fluffy story to read except for the guy cheating by dating two at once and not feeling guilty about it. Still a good choice, I think.
ReplyDeleteIt wasn't so much cheating as them doing kind of the setup for a relationship while he was still in one. I don't think they even realized that's what was happening but it still didn't quite work for me. It is a fun read though.
DeleteOh that is one of my things too. I don't like even a tiny little hint of that kind of thing in my reads. Doesn't sit well with me either. Sorry to see this one wasn't a complete win for ya.
ReplyDeleteI was a little disappointed because I wanted so badly to love it. It was still fun though! Glad I'm not the only who has the problem with even a tiny hint of cheating.
DeleteToo bad that cheating is a fact of life! The cover made my mouth water!
ReplyDeleteThat may be why I have such an issue with it in fiction! Isn't the cover delicious! It made me want to go bake cupcakes.
DeleteWhat a cute cover! I would pick it up for the cover, too ;) haha. Glad to hear it was worth reading despite the rushed ending and what seems to me like "emotional cheating" (or was it cheating-cheating? Either way, not a fan of either!).
ReplyDelete