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victoriajaynes's review
1.0
I guess the good thing about this book is that it's short. I sped through this one in a day. And the other good thing... Well, nothing really comes to mind.
Libby, the main character, was pretty one dimensional. She loved Luke, and Harley, her dog, and she worked at a cafe. That's all. She had no fears, or hopes. Her whole life revolved around the cafe and the dog. She tried to have an interesting romance with Jackson and Maxwell. But she was too busy being in love with her dead husband to make it interesting. I know I sound harsh, but I've seen shows where a woman struggles with losing her boyfriend/husband and finding new love. Nina in Offspring managed to make the same plot interesting. Libby was too flat to make it interesting.
The supporting cast were even worse. I had no idea who any of them were. I honestly though Blake was a girl for half the story, until Avery mentioned "her husband". I thought those two were just friends. I didn't get to know the other two who worked there either. I knew literally nothing about them apart from their ages. Not that Blake had a personality either. Avery was a good friend, and that was it. Oh, and don't forget Libby's best friend. She was randomly thrown in there for a chapter, just to give Libby advice.
The plot was incredibly rushed too. It was meant to be a love story, about Libby struggling with the loss of her husband, and how she could possibly move on. But the story with Luke was barely explained. We weren't shown was happened, we were just told. We skimmed over the story, but were expected to feel sad for Libby's loss. I need to know someone before I can miss them. I also need to know someone before I can want them to be together. And, unsurprisingly, there was no build up with the two other relationships. The men weren't introduced well, Libby flirted them because they were attractive, they nearly had sex, then she picked one. With both of them. I know, love triangles are never great. But usually I can at least pick a side. This time, I honestly couldn't care less who she chose.
Overall, I'm incredibly disappointed with this book. After so many 5 star reviews, I expected more.
Libby, the main character, was pretty one dimensional. She loved Luke, and Harley, her dog, and she worked at a cafe. That's all. She had no fears, or hopes. Her whole life revolved around the cafe and the dog. She tried to have an interesting romance with Jackson and Maxwell. But she was too busy being in love with her dead husband to make it interesting. I know I sound harsh, but I've seen shows where a woman struggles with losing her boyfriend/husband and finding new love. Nina in Offspring managed to make the same plot interesting. Libby was too flat to make it interesting.
The supporting cast were even worse. I had no idea who any of them were. I honestly though Blake was a girl for half the story, until Avery mentioned "her husband". I thought those two were just friends. I didn't get to know the other two who worked there either. I knew literally nothing about them apart from their ages. Not that Blake had a personality either. Avery was a good friend, and that was it. Oh, and don't forget Libby's best friend. She was randomly thrown in there for a chapter, just to give Libby advice.
The plot was incredibly rushed too. It was meant to be a love story, about Libby struggling with the loss of her husband, and how she could possibly move on. But the story with Luke was barely explained. We weren't shown was happened, we were just told. We skimmed over the story, but were expected to feel sad for Libby's loss. I need to know someone before I can miss them. I also need to know someone before I can want them to be together. And, unsurprisingly, there was no build up with the two other relationships. The men weren't introduced well, Libby flirted them because they were attractive, they nearly had sex, then she picked one. With both of them. I know, love triangles are never great. But usually I can at least pick a side. This time, I honestly couldn't care less who she chose.
Overall, I'm incredibly disappointed with this book. After so many 5 star reviews, I expected more.
booksuperpower's review
4.0
Salty Dog by Debbie White is a 2014 publication. I was provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
This is a short contemporary romance laced with sentimentality about life's ups and downs and in betweens. A sweet dog compliments the story all the way though and helped make the story charming.
When Libby followed her husband Luke's dream, she left behind the big city life she so loved. She was not the most content person when it came to this new way of life in the seaside community of Bodega, but she had finally adjusted when suddenly Luke was gone. Now, she has two businesses to run and times are hard. This is not the life she had envisioned for herself. But, Libby has no choice but to continue to work hard to keep things afloat while each and every day she misses Luke and tries to cope with his loss.
When two men come into her life she is suddenly thinking about her future in a whole new light. She has not one interested party, but two. Which one will she decide on and is she really ready to let Luke's memory go?
Well, first of all I loved Harley, the dog. His constant loyalty and companionship got Libby through some dark days.
I do have to complain just a little about how Libby was always the one who sacrificed everything for the man in her life. Both Luke and her new boyfriend had an “it's all about me or else” attitude and poor Libby ended up being the one to do all the sacrificing. On the bright side, she was stuck living Luke's dreams and although she had adjusted to the seaside area and her businesses meant a lot to her, I still had the feeling her heart wasn't all in it. So, in the end I was happy for Libby and her choices of who to share her life with.
I enjoyed the character development as Libby realizes she is still holding on to Luke and that she hasn't been totally fair about some things. Her good friend, Avery is there for some really sage advice and she turned out to be one of my favorite characters in the book. I also enjoyed the maturity of the characters from an age standpoint. These were not twenty somethings just out of college, but older people dealing with real life. This is a wonderful thing for me to see in a contemporary setting.
Overall this is the story of a woman who had some really bad breaks, who was making lemonade from life's lemons, or trying to, then she gets a second chance at love. It was not the easiest journey, but when all the kinks are finally worked out you get the feeling Libby's life will be a much fulfilled.
This is an enjoyable read with much depth and feeling. 4 stars
This is a short contemporary romance laced with sentimentality about life's ups and downs and in betweens. A sweet dog compliments the story all the way though and helped make the story charming.
When Libby followed her husband Luke's dream, she left behind the big city life she so loved. She was not the most content person when it came to this new way of life in the seaside community of Bodega, but she had finally adjusted when suddenly Luke was gone. Now, she has two businesses to run and times are hard. This is not the life she had envisioned for herself. But, Libby has no choice but to continue to work hard to keep things afloat while each and every day she misses Luke and tries to cope with his loss.
When two men come into her life she is suddenly thinking about her future in a whole new light. She has not one interested party, but two. Which one will she decide on and is she really ready to let Luke's memory go?
Well, first of all I loved Harley, the dog. His constant loyalty and companionship got Libby through some dark days.
I do have to complain just a little about how Libby was always the one who sacrificed everything for the man in her life. Both Luke and her new boyfriend had an “it's all about me or else” attitude and poor Libby ended up being the one to do all the sacrificing. On the bright side, she was stuck living Luke's dreams and although she had adjusted to the seaside area and her businesses meant a lot to her, I still had the feeling her heart wasn't all in it. So, in the end I was happy for Libby and her choices of who to share her life with.
I enjoyed the character development as Libby realizes she is still holding on to Luke and that she hasn't been totally fair about some things. Her good friend, Avery is there for some really sage advice and she turned out to be one of my favorite characters in the book. I also enjoyed the maturity of the characters from an age standpoint. These were not twenty somethings just out of college, but older people dealing with real life. This is a wonderful thing for me to see in a contemporary setting.
Overall this is the story of a woman who had some really bad breaks, who was making lemonade from life's lemons, or trying to, then she gets a second chance at love. It was not the easiest journey, but when all the kinks are finally worked out you get the feeling Libby's life will be a much fulfilled.
This is an enjoyable read with much depth and feeling. 4 stars
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