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A review by taralpittman
Cure for the Common Breakup by Beth Kendrick
4.0
From about the second page of this book I was completely hooked; I finished it, reluctantly (I didn't want it to end!), in three days.
I found so many lines in this book that had me laughing out loud (to myself, no less) that I began to wonder whether Beth Kendrick moonlights as a stand-up comedienne. The book is anchored by main character Summer Benson who pays her bills by working as an international flight attendant who takes her job very seriously; the most important aspect of her job when we meet her is continuing her flirtatious romance with one of the airline pilots, Aaron. When one of her fellow flight attendants hassles her about the height of her heels as they prepare to serve customers, Summer replies, "The only thing more high-maintenance than the meal service is me. I refuse to be hobbled by a few plates of lettuce."
Due to unforeseen circumstances (don't want to spoil too much here!), Summer's romance with Aaron is abruptly cut short and she finds herself in a dilemma about where to direct her efforts and, as it turns out, her life. Summer decides to descend upon the small town of Black Dog Bay, Delaware, "where all the stores sell Ben & Jerry's and Kleenex."
In Black Dog Bay, Summer, maybe for the first time in her life, finds a way to connect with people authentically. Summer describes herself as always having been the "good-time girl. That was why people liked her. That was how she compensated for everything she lacked." She tenuously builds a relationship with a young, impressionable girl, Ingrid, who calls Summer her "mentor," and, in the process, garners the attention of Ingrid's brother, the mayor of Black Dog Bay.
Even though Summer wants to be able to cultivate a meaningful relationship with this man, she "was afraid that whatever she did, whatever he felt for her, it wouldn't be enough." This is a tale I could relate to and had me thinking that if I, like Summer, could have realized earlier in my life that other people valued me for who I was, rather than who I thought I should be, life may have been just a little easier to handle.
To say that this novel exceeded my expectations would be a huge understatement; beneath the cute quips and laughable antics of Summer and her Black Dog Bay pals lies a story that gets to the heart of one's struggle to define what they need to be authentically happy in their life. Kudos to Beth Kendrick...she's got another loyal fan. Now I've got to catch up and read some of her previous work, like The Lucky Dog Matchmaking Service and The Week Before the Wedding.
I found so many lines in this book that had me laughing out loud (to myself, no less) that I began to wonder whether Beth Kendrick moonlights as a stand-up comedienne. The book is anchored by main character Summer Benson who pays her bills by working as an international flight attendant who takes her job very seriously; the most important aspect of her job when we meet her is continuing her flirtatious romance with one of the airline pilots, Aaron. When one of her fellow flight attendants hassles her about the height of her heels as they prepare to serve customers, Summer replies, "The only thing more high-maintenance than the meal service is me. I refuse to be hobbled by a few plates of lettuce."
Due to unforeseen circumstances (don't want to spoil too much here!), Summer's romance with Aaron is abruptly cut short and she finds herself in a dilemma about where to direct her efforts and, as it turns out, her life. Summer decides to descend upon the small town of Black Dog Bay, Delaware, "where all the stores sell Ben & Jerry's and Kleenex."
In Black Dog Bay, Summer, maybe for the first time in her life, finds a way to connect with people authentically. Summer describes herself as always having been the "good-time girl. That was why people liked her. That was how she compensated for everything she lacked." She tenuously builds a relationship with a young, impressionable girl, Ingrid, who calls Summer her "mentor," and, in the process, garners the attention of Ingrid's brother, the mayor of Black Dog Bay.
Even though Summer wants to be able to cultivate a meaningful relationship with this man, she "was afraid that whatever she did, whatever he felt for her, it wouldn't be enough." This is a tale I could relate to and had me thinking that if I, like Summer, could have realized earlier in my life that other people valued me for who I was, rather than who I thought I should be, life may have been just a little easier to handle.
To say that this novel exceeded my expectations would be a huge understatement; beneath the cute quips and laughable antics of Summer and her Black Dog Bay pals lies a story that gets to the heart of one's struggle to define what they need to be authentically happy in their life. Kudos to Beth Kendrick...she's got another loyal fan. Now I've got to catch up and read some of her previous work, like The Lucky Dog Matchmaking Service and The Week Before the Wedding.