What I Liked:
I liked the effect of withholding details related to the characters’ baggage until near the end. It kept the level of suspense up and made me want to keep reading. Although, it might have been nice to put a little bit of space between the big reveals from the main character, Nora, and her sister, Libby. There were a lot of literary references sprinkled throughout the book that added depth, but also didn’t necessarily distract from the storyline if you didn’t recognize it. It will definitely be appreciated by fellow bibliophiles.
What I Didn’t Really Like:
There wasn’t a whole lot that I didn’t really like. It’s a nitpick but I wasn’t a fan of the formatting of the text message and email exchanges. I found the extra explanation around the written dialogue unnecessary and disruptive to the flow. The only other point that didn’t sit well with me is the mention of the love interest Charlie’s racecar bed in the room he’s staying in at his parent’s house. I think it was meant to be funny and something he can be teased about, but why would he have kept a child’s bed through high school before he moved out?
Overall:
I enjoyed this twist on the common small town transformation trope. It was interesting to view things from the perspective of the career-driven, city girl that keeps getting left behind by guys that discover they want more out of life.
