Excuse me while I go on a mini-rant.
I really dislike when publishers use taglines or descriptions that do not reflect the true nature of a story. I know they have to do so to draw readers in. However, I really wish they would focus on the book at hand and figure out a way to capture peoples’ attention by highlighting a realistic aspect of the plotline.
This book is a perfect case in point. (Now on to the review). While there is certainly tension between (and within) the two families, I didn’t feel anywhere near the tension that the description hinted at.
I expected a taut suspense novel with clues and hints that would make me wonder what was happening to who and why at any given time.
While there is certainly lots of tension, it is not of the very suspenseful kind. It definitely favors family drama tension. That’s not a bad thing. Once I adjusted my expectation and changed my attitude toward what I was reading, it turned out okay. I think I just did it a little bit late.
Anyway, I liked how the author illustrated that one simple decision can have long-reaching repercussions. I thought it was particularly effective because it was largely due to teen decisions.
And we all know how well teens usually make decisions (i.e., not well or necessarily good).
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I also thought the conflict between Cassie and Amber was good. But it was also kind of weird because Cassie made the decision to invite Amber pretty much solely based on what Cassie’s daughter Savannah did.
That seemed a little bit shortsighted, especially in today’s world. I get that in fiction you have to sometimes suspend disbelief to be able to accept the conceit of a story, but this one almost pushed the limits of plausibility.
I do wish the author had focused more on the moms than the teen points of view. It’s difficult to write teens accurately without making them stereotypical. There might have been more to mine between Cassie and Savannah if it weren’t the usual “teen rebellion/my mom is awful” relationship.
I will say that the culmination was not as earth-shattering as I thought it was going to be. I think this was mainly because I had a different mindset through most of the book – my adjustment came late in the story, so it seemed like a letdown.
With that being said, if you go into this book expecting family drama between teens and moms, with some analytical commentary on being a good Samaritan, I think you’ll probably enjoy the story.
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ABOUT THE AUTHOR:
USA Today bestselling author Emilie Richards has written more than seventy novels. She has appeared on national television and been quoted in Reader’s Digest, right between Oprah and Thomas Jefferson.
Born in Bethesda, Maryland, and raised in St. Petersburg, Florida, Richards has been married for more than forty years to her college sweetheart. She splits her time between Florida and Western New York, where she is currently plotting her next novel.
