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A review by lauraanne9
Catching Summer by L.P. Dover
2.0
***ARC Provided by the Publisher and NetGalley***
I wanted to like this one more than I did. The story was good, for the most part, and held my mild curiosity (hence the 2 stars which may be more than it actually deserves). The characters had potential, but unfortunately, there were some issues both with the plot and the actual construction of the novel that kept me from being able to fully engage.
1. The dialog- it was stiff and unnatural and I could not see real people making the statements. The locker room scenes especially...I did not believe 2 men were talking to one another.
2. The writing- choppy and unclear in some places. The POV was from both Evan and Summer, but written almost in the 3rd person, so it was sometimes hard to tell who was speaking. There was also no discernible difference in the 2, so it felt like one book with one narrator, which makes the POV awkward.
3. The plot with Jax and Lindsay- this was not believable to me...maybe that a cheerleader would behave in this manner, as most cheerleaders are part-time. However, I did not believe a player who had made it to the NFL would behave in the manner he did and risk his career. I know it happens with players, but not for the flimsy reason given in this.
4. The entire plot with the therapist Summer was seeing was not only unnecessary, but would have actually made her question her entire recovery and therapy process...which was somehow not addressed. You don't find out something like this about the therapist you were seeing for 2 years without it shaking who you are and the recovery you have made...yet this was not even really addressed.
5. The whole nurse thing...you don't just "pop" back into nursing, no matter who you know, after you have left the profession. The idea that an NFL team would let her work with them (although not actually sure what she ever did other than take some classes) to keep her nursing license current was ridiculous. I may have been more bothered than others by this because I work in a healthcare field, but still.
I think this book gets bogged down under the lack of totally believable plot and choppy writing. I think better writing would have carried the plot in a more convincing manner...and a less shaky plot would have made the writing issues less glaring.
I wanted to like this one more than I did. The story was good, for the most part, and held my mild curiosity (hence the 2 stars which may be more than it actually deserves). The characters had potential, but unfortunately, there were some issues both with the plot and the actual construction of the novel that kept me from being able to fully engage.
1. The dialog- it was stiff and unnatural and I could not see real people making the statements. The locker room scenes especially...I did not believe 2 men were talking to one another.
2. The writing- choppy and unclear in some places. The POV was from both Evan and Summer, but written almost in the 3rd person, so it was sometimes hard to tell who was speaking. There was also no discernible difference in the 2, so it felt like one book with one narrator, which makes the POV awkward.
3. The plot with Jax and Lindsay- this was not believable to me...maybe that a cheerleader would behave in this manner, as most cheerleaders are part-time. However, I did not believe a player who had made it to the NFL would behave in the manner he did and risk his career. I know it happens with players, but not for the flimsy reason given in this.
4. The entire plot with the therapist Summer was seeing was not only unnecessary, but would have actually made her question her entire recovery and therapy process...which was somehow not addressed. You don't find out something like this about the therapist you were seeing for 2 years without it shaking who you are and the recovery you have made...yet this was not even really addressed.
5. The whole nurse thing...you don't just "pop" back into nursing, no matter who you know, after you have left the profession. The idea that an NFL team would let her work with them (although not actually sure what she ever did other than take some classes) to keep her nursing license current was ridiculous. I may have been more bothered than others by this because I work in a healthcare field, but still.
I think this book gets bogged down under the lack of totally believable plot and choppy writing. I think better writing would have carried the plot in a more convincing manner...and a less shaky plot would have made the writing issues less glaring.