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futurememory 's review for:
Mary Jane
by Jessica Anya Blau
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
A sweet, delightful, gentle and summery novel, Mary Jane fits into a favored microgenre of mine: rock star-adjacent 70s drama. Watching Almost Famous as a teenager probably changed my brain chemistry in certain ways.
The titular character experiences a wonderful, life-changing summer while nannying for an unorthodox (at least to her 50s-style parents) household. A lot of the vignettes are sweet, the writing is breezy, and the drama is short-lived and not too dramatic. There's dysfunction, but it's overshadowed by love.
I do have to say, the novel is probably too gentle at points, especially regarding its ending. This is cozy and sundrenched in the best ways. I probably would have wanted more teeth in the conclusion. But this is a really lovely beach read of a book, one that was very fun to sit in during July and August.
The titular character experiences a wonderful, life-changing summer while nannying for an unorthodox (at least to her 50s-style parents) household. A lot of the vignettes are sweet, the writing is breezy, and the drama is short-lived and not too dramatic. There's dysfunction, but it's overshadowed by love.
I do have to say, the novel is probably too gentle at points, especially regarding its ending. This is cozy and sundrenched in the best ways. I probably would have wanted more teeth in the conclusion. But this is a really lovely beach read of a book, one that was very fun to sit in during July and August.