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A review by finesilkflower
Mary Anne's Big Breakup by Ann M. Martin
3.0
This is basically a meandering rehash of [b:Mary Anne vs. Logan|48898|Mary Anne vs. Logan (The Baby-Sitters Club, #41)|Ann M. Martin|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1170356816s/48898.jpg|281852]. Mary Anne breaks up with Logan, ostensibly for the same reasons that caused their first breakup (Logan being overbearing), but we don't see any of his bad behavior as Mary Anne seems to have basically made up her mind by the beginning of the book. Logan and the other baby-sitters can't really see how his behavior had changed lately, and Mary Anne admits that it might be she who has changed. Her feelings about [b:The Fire at Mary Anne's House|540032|The Fire at Mary Anne's House (The Baby-Sitters Club, #131)|Ann M. Martin|https://d2arxad8u2l0g7.cloudfront.net/books/1387708244s/540032.jpg|527418] also factor in, as she seems to want a clean slate relationship-wise to go with her clean slate home-wise.
This does feel like a fairly final breakup. There's not a lot of indecision or overwrought angst, which makes it kind of a boring book, and also convinces me that Mary Anne is thoroughly through with Logan. Still, neither of them has done anything unforgivable and they still want to be friends, so the door is open if you insist on pairing them in futurefic.
In a lot of ways I admire Mary Anne for sticking to her guns, despite her friends' bafflement (they support her but don't understand; Stacey wants to get her together with a new guy right away, while Kristy, interestingly, takes Logan's side, objecting to the breakup and continuing to pal around with him after the breakup. I kind of like this; it makes sense that Kristy would get along well with sporty Logan and become genuine friends with him beyond her connection via Mary Anne.) Mary Anne resists going with the path of least resistance, which has historically been a problem for her, and refuses to be in a relationship she's not excited about, even though she can't always exactly articulate why to the satisfaction of others. She prefers being alone to being in a "meh" relationship. I feel like this is a good lesson, and I don't blame her in the least. For a Mary Anne feelings book, it's therefore surprisingly un-irritating. But it does not make for the most entertaining story, because nothing really happens in it.
Meanwhile, the Spier/Schafer family plan to renovate the barn into a home is underway, as Richard has hired contractors. One of them spends a lot of time saying metaphorical things about gardens to Mary Anne. I don't see how they are going to be done by the New Year.
Author Gratefully Acknowledges: Suzanne Weyn
Timing: Early November
Revised Timeline: Third academic year postgrad (or 11 years post-8th-grade, making them all 24). I guess this is as good a time as any to shed your all-through-college boyfriend and make a fresh start.
This does feel like a fairly final breakup. There's not a lot of indecision or overwrought angst, which makes it kind of a boring book, and also convinces me that Mary Anne is thoroughly through with Logan. Still, neither of them has done anything unforgivable and they still want to be friends, so the door is open if you insist on pairing them in futurefic.
In a lot of ways I admire Mary Anne for sticking to her guns, despite her friends' bafflement (they support her but don't understand; Stacey wants to get her together with a new guy right away, while Kristy, interestingly, takes Logan's side, objecting to the breakup and continuing to pal around with him after the breakup. I kind of like this; it makes sense that Kristy would get along well with sporty Logan and become genuine friends with him beyond her connection via Mary Anne.) Mary Anne resists going with the path of least resistance, which has historically been a problem for her, and refuses to be in a relationship she's not excited about, even though she can't always exactly articulate why to the satisfaction of others. She prefers being alone to being in a "meh" relationship. I feel like this is a good lesson, and I don't blame her in the least. For a Mary Anne feelings book, it's therefore surprisingly un-irritating. But it does not make for the most entertaining story, because nothing really happens in it.
Meanwhile, the Spier/Schafer family plan to renovate the barn into a home is underway, as Richard has hired contractors. One of them spends a lot of time saying metaphorical things about gardens to Mary Anne. I don't see how they are going to be done by the New Year.
Author Gratefully Acknowledges: Suzanne Weyn
Timing: Early November
Revised Timeline: Third academic year postgrad (or 11 years post-8th-grade, making them all 24). I guess this is as good a time as any to shed your all-through-college boyfriend and make a fresh start.