rhammond 's review for:

The Baker of Lost Memories by Shirley Russak Wachtel

3.0

emotional reflective sad slow-paced

Plot or Character Driven: Character

Strong character development: No

Loveable characters: No

Diverse cast of characters: Yes

Flaws of characters a main focus: Yes

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I wanted to like this book. It had some good elements that could have made for a likable story. The start was strong and intriguing, but then it was a drag on the middle. I simultaneously wanted the author to go further into the characters’ lives while also wanting to hurry it up and be done. The author takes you through a lot of life with the characters, but I did not really like any of the characters, except for the dad. I wanted to like the character and empathize with them but the choppy scenes and poor characters development didn’t help. I wish the handling of each of the characters trauma and past was explored more. Even the reason for Lena falling for Luke could have been more robust. Give me a reason to want to cheer for these people. And how did we get to the end? It felt like a rushed ending to tie everything up with a bow in a happy way, but it was confusing and too tidy.