Reviews

[Un]Common Ground by Pol Robinson, Erica Abbott

elliesienk's review

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted reflective fast-paced

4.5

claire60's review

3.0

A gentle easy read, it starts well setting up the 'opposites attract' storyline, with the interesting character of Sara daughter of Peace Corps volunteers born and raised in Nepal. Her Opposite is Margaret daughter of a hippy mother who makes inedible goats cheese, Margaret is a corporate power house and so very different to Sara, she does however know all the best places to relax in Seattle. The set up is well explored as is there respective back stories, Margaret is horrid to her staff but then has a change of heart after being with Sara. The book rather fell away for me in the last third and became more unbelievable and I would have liked more of Dusty the rescued dog with a huge personality.

With thanks to Netgalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

hhushaw's review

3.0

An honest review in thanks of NetGalley. I really liked the humor in this book, I found my self literally laughing out loud during parts. In general this was a very quick and smooth romantic read, the humor and secondary characters made me like this book. Without the humor and secondary characters I more than likely would have lowered this rating to a two. If you are looking for something light and feel good, then you will definitely like this book.

00leah00's review

3.0

This is an opposites attract romance between Sara, a former Peace Corps volunteer, and Margaret, a city government worker. They meet when they both bid on a piece of real estate for each of their jobs.

“[Un]Common Ground” was an okay story for me. For it to be primarily a romance, I didn’t actually feel the romance in it. I didn’t really connect with either character and I didn’t feel the connection or spark between the characters. It seems a lot of their relationship must have happened off page because what was there was not enough to convince me they would even like each other?

I will say it did have some funny moments. Especially in scenes with the main character’s mothers. And the dog Dusty brought in some very cute moments.

I think people looking for very low angst and just a light, funny read will enjoy this more than me.

mnbmprncss's review

funny lighthearted fast-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? Plot
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? It's complicated
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

2.5

shereadstales's review

lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

• Plot- or character-driven? A mix
• Strong character development? Yes
• Loveable characters? Yes
• Diverse cast of characters? Yes
• Flaws of characters a main focus? No

3.0

Thanks to NetGalley and Bella Books for the digital galley of this book. 

After a nomadic life of growing sustainable food in small, rural communities, Sara is ready for a place to call home. After retiring from the Peace Corps, her parents settled in the Pacific Northwest, and Sara is looking forward to settling down with her parents close by. She’s going to love her new job working with the locals to abolish a food desert in their community. City planner Margaret is tough and ambitious, and when she learns there’s another bid for the site where she hopes to get a tech company that will brings jobs to move in, she’ll stop at nothing to win the bid. That is, until she meets Sara, and Sara gets under her skin. Sparks fly, but who will win the property war, and will their budding relationship survive the fallout?

This book was an okay read for me. Just a cute, simple romance with pretty solid characterization. The stakes weren’t super high, but the characters were likeable. It was a slow burn romance, and I felt like the build up helped move the plot along nicely. I’ve always wanted to join the Peace Corps, so I liked Sara’s character a lot, and of course, having her face off against someone who is the exact opposite makes for some interesting situations.

I’m a bit late on this one, so it’s out in the world now. If you need something easy going and pleasant in between heavier reads, check this one out.