Scan barcode
jazthegreat's review
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
angieinbooks's review
2.0
I enjoyed the one Jaye Robin Brown novel I've read, Georgia Peaches and Other Forbidden Fruit, so I was curious what an adult romance would be from the author. And, overall, I really liked this romance. There were some big missteps for me, though, and I can't, in good conscience, rate it higher.
Hannah's wedding has just been called off after a three-year relationship with Lisa, and how Hannah is dealing with all of it is to move her and her fourteen year-old daughter, Jordan, away from their mountain town to a small beach town in South Carolina (called Folly) in the middle of the school year. Jordan is understandably upset by the move, so much so that Hannah promises to return to the mountains if Jordan still wants to return in 5 months, a date Jordan latches onto like a lifeline.
Blythe moved to Folly to be closer to her sister and her niece and nephew and to reset her life after a traumatic breakup from her ex-girlfriend, including walking away from her corporate architecture job. Now she's a handyman for vacation homes and she's not really sure if her dreams of getting married and having a family and doing the work she's always dreamed of--to build environmentally sustainable homes and buildings--will happen for her now that she's in her forties and without prospects for any of it. Until she meets Hannah, of course. But is Hannah ready for any of it? Will Hannah even be here when the 5 months end?
This is a novel where two people burned by previous relationships meet and have to work not to sabotage their new relationship with the baggage from their last relationship. And that felt realistic to me--we all come into life with a context (and some of that--a lot of that--is baggage), and I really liked that Brown really put that on full display here. I also like that this explores how much timing in relationships matter. And sometimes, no matter how much chemistry and attraction exists between two people, the timing for a successful relationship just isn't there.
But there were two major issues I had with the novel:
First, the novel goes along and conflict happens and the end of the novel is nearing and you're waiting for the resolution and the payoff. And, without trying to spoil this for anyone, Brown just kind of ends the narrative. There's an epilogue, so there's closer overall, but it felt like watching a soccer game and the power going out right before the final and deciding person goes to shoot in a penalty shootout and you never get to see how it ends. All the tension and drama and there's no payoff. That's what it felt like. Because then you're dropped into an epilogue where a summary of all that action that you wanted to see is summarized in a single paragraph. It was odd and very unsatisfying.
Second (and most important), there was a really problematic and repeated issue around consent. Hannah tells Blythe a couple of times that she's not ready for a romantic relationship and wants to be friends. And each time, Blythe, who verbally accepts this boundary, pushes the physical boundary. It made me extremely uncomfortable, even if Hannah is responding (positively) to the kissing/making out. But it still felt really gross. Because Hannah was very clear about not being ready for more and Blythe continued to ignore it, and it seemed like a really out of character thing for Blythe to do. And in 2022, it wasn't romantic or cute, it was wrong. And for this reason, even though this book held my interest and attention, I can't really give it a higher rating. It was really problematic.
Hannah's wedding has just been called off after a three-year relationship with Lisa, and how Hannah is dealing with all of it is to move her and her fourteen year-old daughter, Jordan, away from their mountain town to a small beach town in South Carolina (called Folly) in the middle of the school year. Jordan is understandably upset by the move, so much so that Hannah promises to return to the mountains if Jordan still wants to return in 5 months, a date Jordan latches onto like a lifeline.
Blythe moved to Folly to be closer to her sister and her niece and nephew and to reset her life after a traumatic breakup from her ex-girlfriend, including walking away from her corporate architecture job. Now she's a handyman for vacation homes and she's not really sure if her dreams of getting married and having a family and doing the work she's always dreamed of--to build environmentally sustainable homes and buildings--will happen for her now that she's in her forties and without prospects for any of it. Until she meets Hannah, of course. But is Hannah ready for any of it? Will Hannah even be here when the 5 months end?
This is a novel where two people burned by previous relationships meet and have to work not to sabotage their new relationship with the baggage from their last relationship. And that felt realistic to me--we all come into life with a context (and some of that--a lot of that--is baggage), and I really liked that Brown really put that on full display here. I also like that this explores how much timing in relationships matter. And sometimes, no matter how much chemistry and attraction exists between two people, the timing for a successful relationship just isn't there.
But there were two major issues I had with the novel:
First, the novel goes along and conflict happens and the end of the novel is nearing and you're waiting for the resolution and the payoff. And, without trying to spoil this for anyone, Brown just kind of ends the narrative. There's an epilogue, so there's closer overall, but it felt like watching a soccer game and the power going out right before the final and deciding person goes to shoot in a penalty shootout and you never get to see how it ends. All the tension and drama and there's no payoff. That's what it felt like. Because then you're dropped into an epilogue where a summary of all that action that you wanted to see is summarized in a single paragraph. It was odd and very unsatisfying.
Second (and most important), there was a really problematic and repeated issue around consent. Hannah tells Blythe a couple of times that she's not ready for a romantic relationship and wants to be friends. And each time, Blythe, who verbally accepts this boundary, pushes the physical boundary. It made me extremely uncomfortable, even if Hannah is responding (positively) to the kissing/making out. But it still felt really gross. Because Hannah was very clear about not being ready for more and Blythe continued to ignore it, and it seemed like a really out of character thing for Blythe to do. And in 2022, it wasn't romantic or cute, it was wrong. And for this reason, even though this book held my interest and attention, I can't really give it a higher rating. It was really problematic.
meghana_stories's review
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.0
More...