AnnaLund2011

This was a cute book. It could have been a great book, and I know most of my fellow reviewers are spitting their coffee out right now, seeing I only gave it two and a half stars. Yes, it was cute, but no, it wasn’t the best it could have been.

First of all, ninety percent of the story is already in the blurb. Js.

Then, the whole set-up stinks of the movie “You’ve Got Mail,” and the regurgitated scenes kind of feel old already before they happen.

Then there’s the instance of fat-shaming that really both took me by surprise and angered me greatly. Really, Cam? You are supposed to make me believe you will love Riley with his face all scarred up, yet if he can’t get into his skinny-jeans, it’s a no-no? Shame on you. Shame on you. This story was supposed to be about someone falling in love with the INSIDE of another person. Yet, this scene is blatantly against that—the whole basis of the story, to love someone for who he is, goes out the window.

Then there’s the execution of the actual writing. Now, I can understand that it is difficult to write a whole book in almost only dialogue, but that’s what you must do when you decide to have romance happen over the telephone… but to jump from POV to POV every ten-to-twenty paragraphs is kind of difficult to handle. That specific tool, POV-jumping, is difficult to swing at the best of times, here it tends to become mostly irritating.

Lastly, what was the truth about Riley? The title? We never hear about what actually happened to him, only that it happened in a fire in Milan. We never see his truth (if another than that accident). We never get to understand what happened to leave him shell-shocked and traumatized after the accident—in his tries to date again. I’m not saying that I needed a full disclosure of these happenings, but, I mean, the title kind of just sits there, looking silly, without explanations. What is Riley’s truth??

One bright, shining character in this book, and the only reason it has a rating of two and a half stars, is Riley’s mother. Thank you for her. We need more role models like her, loving, intense, and fantastic in every way.

Now, the end was great, a bit rushed, but exactly where it was supposed to end…until… two lines under the text THE END I read that this book is going to be continued. Gah, give me at least the time to bask in the happy end, before you tell me you ain’t seen nothin’ yet. At least, put that sentence on the next page, so I can take a deep breath and say to myself that the boys are safe, all is good, this is The End.

I positively hate it when I read a book and nobody told me it is a first book in a series. I feel fooled, and there are few things that piss me off more. I like to read series just fine, I just want to know that it is a series before I start. I also want most of the books out already, I am not a fan of WIPs. Besides, this story has been told, I don’t know what is going to go into the next book? This book could have used another 25 pages, to finish it off, but that’s all the story I can foresee. Then again, I’m not the author.

So, this story could have been fantastic. Instead, it was just cute, and parts of it was good.

Your mileage may vary, chances are that you will love it, seeing as this book was voted and voted and voted in all the Reader’s Choice Awards.

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I was given a free copy of this book by the publisher, Bottom Drawer Publications, and a positive review wasn’t promised in return.