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stefhyena's review
1.0
I found this one somewhat disappointing. It started well with an action packed scene where someone code-named outlaw was stalking a bad guy. When there was a twist, I didn't mind that too much... although it meant that a similar twist later in the book was foreshadowed and failed to "get" me...but what I didn't realise is that the tough, action packed beginning was no indication of the rest of the book which degenerated into an angsty, sexually frustrated soul searching by a recovered alcoholic.
Jesse James, after the beginning does not have a scene where a male doesn't rescue, help, advise, take over for or support her. She has what almost seems like a harem of faithful, guys who just seem to want to spend the whole book following her around getting involved in her suspicions. It wasn't until page 161 that there was any evidence that what we had here involved real actual crime rather than her overactive imagination.
The good- Jesse is pretty realistic as the daughter of an alcoholic. Some of the views into her way of thinking were inspired and maybe even helpful. Her rejection and abandonment issues ring very true with me (takes one to know one). The author's decision to paint her as flawed but functioning...somewhat redeemed could have made for good reading.
The bad- All the soppy romance stuff. There seems to be only one way to be happy in the novel and that seems to be getting a man to wrap yourself around. Jesse's mum is portrayed as happy for the first time in her life because she has met THAT MAN. Jesse is portrayed as neurotic because she doesn;t commit to any of her admirers. She loves her mum and aunt but they don't really seem on the same wavelength. Where are the female friends? The sisterhood? This is a novel about Jesse and a whole bunch of men and although at one point Mac keeps saying "God you're good" we as the reader don't actually see a lot of Jesse's detective skill (should she have any) and any courageous moments she is overtaken, protected and effectively swaddled by one of her men.
This book dripped heteronormativity in the most vile way...the men were all hypermasculine, Jesse at all times had to give way to their superior power and work at understanding them. Everything she feels is also not left as specific to her unique identity and experience, oh no. Consider this: "So why did I buy new sheets this month? Ask any woman. It's something we do in spring- like going on a diet and getting an early tan" (p107) all in the middle of a long winded rant about "All women...any women" assumptions about wanting to get married, having some sort of natural instinct for it "even the most jaded among us."
Say what? I know the book could be a bit dated but "ALL" women even back then? I think not. One particularly narrow (and male centred) view of how to be female has to be normalised for all of us!
I don't want to say too much about love triangles because of spoilers but suffice it to say this one could easily and painlessly be resolved but carries over to bore us again should we pick up book number 5 (I won't). For adults who like lowest-common-denominator YA fiction this would be just about perfect. I recommend getting drunk even then so you don't notice that nothing much happens for more than half the book.
Jesse James, after the beginning does not have a scene where a male doesn't rescue, help, advise, take over for or support her. She has what almost seems like a harem of faithful, guys who just seem to want to spend the whole book following her around getting involved in her suspicions. It wasn't until page 161 that there was any evidence that what we had here involved real actual crime rather than her overactive imagination.
The good- Jesse is pretty realistic as the daughter of an alcoholic. Some of the views into her way of thinking were inspired and maybe even helpful. Her rejection and abandonment issues ring very true with me (takes one to know one). The author's decision to paint her as flawed but functioning...somewhat redeemed could have made for good reading.
The bad- All the soppy romance stuff. There seems to be only one way to be happy in the novel and that seems to be getting a man to wrap yourself around. Jesse's mum is portrayed as happy for the first time in her life because she has met THAT MAN. Jesse is portrayed as neurotic because she doesn;t commit to any of her admirers. She loves her mum and aunt but they don't really seem on the same wavelength. Where are the female friends? The sisterhood? This is a novel about Jesse and a whole bunch of men and although at one point Mac keeps saying "God you're good" we as the reader don't actually see a lot of Jesse's detective skill (should she have any) and any courageous moments she is overtaken, protected and effectively swaddled by one of her men.
This book dripped heteronormativity in the most vile way...the men were all hypermasculine, Jesse at all times had to give way to their superior power and work at understanding them. Everything she feels is also not left as specific to her unique identity and experience, oh no. Consider this: "So why did I buy new sheets this month? Ask any woman. It's something we do in spring- like going on a diet and getting an early tan" (p107) all in the middle of a long winded rant about "All women...any women" assumptions about wanting to get married, having some sort of natural instinct for it "even the most jaded among us."
Say what? I know the book could be a bit dated but "ALL" women even back then? I think not. One particularly narrow (and male centred) view of how to be female has to be normalised for all of us!
I don't want to say too much about love triangles because of spoilers but suffice it to say this one could easily and painlessly be resolved but carries over to bore us again should we pick up book number 5 (I won't). For adults who like lowest-common-denominator YA fiction this would be just about perfect. I recommend getting drunk even then so you don't notice that nothing much happens for more than half the book.
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