Tag: Romantic-Comedy

DETAILS:
Publisher: Berkley Books
Publication Date: April 16, 2024
Format: Paperback
Length: 371 pg.
Read Date: May 2-7, 2024

I glanced up from the phone screen and caught sight of myself in the mirror. With thoughts of my mother in my head, I straightened up and took a look. As always, I was wearing pieces from what she refers to as my “forest floor collection.” It makes my life easier to wear khaki, green, olive or sand, because all of my clothes end up coated with seawater, salt lines and general beach muck. I researched and found the perfect pair of shorts, I researched and found the softest, most durable T-shirt, then bought four sets of both and never wear much else. Honestly, when Einstein did it, he was an eccentric genius; when Steve Jobs did it, he was a genius emulating an eccentric; and when I do it, I’m not making enough of an effort. Patriarchal bullshit; those are quality shorts.

What’s Christa Comes Out of Her Shell About?

Christa Barnet is a biology researcher happily studying a particular kind of snail on a remote island in the Indian Ocean. The island is populated by people who grew up there and a rotation of other researchers taking advantage of the isolation of the flora and fauna from the rest of the world. She has no real close relationships, a nice room in a boarding house, and her snails—life is pretty much what Christa wants.

Until her father comes back from the dead. Well, kind of. It’s not a zombie novel or anything. Her dad was an internationally known TV host of nature programs. Think Steve Irvin without the accent. But when Christa was a small girl, the plane her dad was flying went down in the Alaskan wilderness and no one knew what happened to him. He was eventually declared dead, and the family moved on.

But now, he’s back—so Christa has to leave her snails behind and go back to help her mother and sisters deal with this, to find out what her dad has been doing (and why no one knew he was alive).

To get all reductionistic there are three main plotlines afoot and I want to touch on them briefly—but each of them is about Christa coming out of her shell in their essence.

The Whole Dad Thing / Celebrity Culture

So, yeah…her Dad is back. It’s hard to talk about this as anything but strange. And Christa and her family don’t even bother trying. As they learn more and more about where he’s been, it gets even stranger.

Obviously, all of them have a lot to catch up on, they’ve missed decades of life with him—Christa has only the vaguest memories of him because she was so young when he disappeared. Her sisters have relationships to repair and rebuild (to say nothing of what her mother needs to do)—but Christa essentially needs to start from nothing.

Given his status (which has only grown while he was “dead”), the way that the media is sensationalizing his return, and the way the American public loves a good reboot—the press and opportunities for books, movies, new series, etc., etc., etc. are insane. It’s difficult to try to reestablish/establish any kind of family ties under the microscopes and spotlights that surround the family right now—and that’s assuming the family wants to.

Agents representing entertainment professionals live lives illuminated by reflection. When their clients do well, they do well, and some cycles are virtuous and some are vicious. One fortunate feather in an agency’s cap is a celebrity who DWF—died while famous. All famous people die, but most do not die famous. Most simply die old, like everyone else.

When they do kick off at their peak, their agency inherits an icon. It’s an annuity, kind of, or like money in a mattress. Somebody benefits from the fact that Jimi Hendrix (for example) isn’t a happily retired guitar player growing tomatoes in Seattle, though that would have been a better outcome in every other way.

Throughout all of this, Waxman has her sights set on the entertainment industry (with a special eye on publicists/PR/focus on image over substance), the role of the press in covering that industry, and social media (in general and relating to celebrities). Waxman reminds me so much of Christopher Buckley (oddly, Dave Barry’s fiction comes to mind, too) when this plotline is the focus—she has a similar ability to find the alienness to what “regular people” think, the absurdity of the “logic” employed by the media types, and the ridiculousness of how it all works—and is eaten up by viewers/fans. She excoriates this whole thing—but also shows the appeal.

The Romance Story

He frowned quizzically at me. “You’re very dreamy for a scientist. I think of you guys as practical and all about the facts, ma’am.”

I laughed. “You’re completely wrong. Scientists fall deeply in love with something and spend their lives obsessing over it.” I turned my head to look at him. “Like when you first fall in love with someone, and want nothing more than to be with them all the time, learn everything you can, discover how they feel, what they think . . . that’s science. Isn’t love just an overwhelming desire to solve the mystery of another human being?” I shrugged. “Science is full of mysteries, and people trying to get to the bottom of them.”

Nate has been a constant feature in Christa’s life (and vice versa), he’s older than her—more like her sister’s age. But their families were close while they grew up—so they spent a lot of time in each other’s orbit. He’s now running the business side of her family’s conservation work, and they really haven’t set eyes on each other for over a decade.

When they do meet each other in this novel, the mutual attraction is pretty obvious (especially to everyone who isn’t them). What unfolds from there is one of your standard-issue Rom-Com stories. But Waxman is so good at writing it that it feels pretty fresh, and you can easily find yourself forgetting that you’ve read umpteen times and seen even more stories that follow the same outline. Also, it needs to be remembered why we’ve seen/read this story so many times—it works really well and people enjoy it. People really enjoy it when someone as clever as Waxman is telling it.

The two are sweet and cute together. The story is easily the most engaging part of the book—and it’s nice to have it to fall back on when things get dicey with the above story.

Christa’s Mother and Sisters

“What’s with your hair?” she said, reaching out to tousle it, a move I was able to block.

I shrugged. “I like it like this; it makes it easier for people to find me.” It also goes with the tattoos and piercings to suggest I might be a badass. . . It’s a basic tenet of camouflage: Look like something dangerous (an edgy chick who might mess you up) and no one will get close enough to see the truth (a nervous scientist who would rather be left in peace).

I think readers are supposed to get more invested in the story about Nate—and the story about her Dad is really the bigger story of the novel. But the plotline that did the most for me was about Christa’s family that didn’t go missing—her mother and older sisters.

Like with many such stories, there’s a mix of who these people are as adults and who they were as children/teens (and younger adults, in the case of her mother). Christa, more than the others, still sees the others the way she saw them as a child and during her turbulent teen years. Yes, she understands how they’re not the same people, but her view of them as people and their relationships with her were set in stone then. And for her sisters, they largely see the troubled teen she was.

In the last couple of years, however, Christa’s sisters have started to change—and they all get to see new sides of their mother given the return of her not-that-deceased-first husband. They all see Christa in new ways, too—and we get the idea they actually understand her better than she does herself.

If you’ve read Waxman before, you know how well she depicts relationships between women. If you haven’t—just take my word for it, she depicts them in a way that you could just sit and read dozens and dozens of pages of it, even without much of a plot. When they’re working together on something (even if they don’t all agree on the way to do it), it’s just great. If Waxman just wants to give us a novella about the next Thanksgiving these women enjoy together (or something like that), I’ll be first in line.

I have largely complimentary things to say about the novel as a whole, but this aspect is the one I’ll spend the most time thinking about.

We Could’ve Faded to Black a Little Quicker

Like with the Sunshine Vicram series, at a certain point I couldn’t believe I recommended this book to my mother.* I’m sure she’ll enjoy it, but things get a little more spicy (and detailed) before Waxman fades to back on our couple. And Christa’s first-person narration is fine with talking about things that happen while things were faded to black.

* Note to Self: Finish Books before recommending them to her.

I don’t think we actually achieve the, um, levels of ardor that Sunshine does (not like that’s the most extreme I’ve encountered, I just think I’ve talked more about what the people that make up TV/Movie warnings call “adult situations” with that series than others). But we get close on a couple of occasions.

Is it too “adult” for most actual adults to read? No. Will many of you find it tame? Yes. Did it make me a little uncomfortable? Yes (I keep telling you I’m a prude). Does it really impact what I think of the novel? Nope. But it was noteworthy enough, that I figured I should mention it.

If only I feel better about things when my mother ends up reading the novel.

So, what did I think about Christa Comes Out of Her Shell?

According to my notes, the first 87 pages of this book might have been my favorite 87 pages this year. Maybe it went on longer, but that’s where I was when I wrote that down. Not every page after those were as good, but overall, I had a real blast with this book.

Christa is definitely a Waxman-brand protagonist. But she’s different enough to make it clear that Waxman has range. Christa is more abrasive—she also has more formal education than the others I’ve encountered and shows it (not in a performative or braggadocio way). There’s also a Bernadette Fox-ish vibe to her. The rest of the characters are easily the kind to shop at Nina Hill’s bookstore or hang out at the boardinghouse with Laura Costello and the rest. In other words, they’re complicated, fallible, and fun to spend time with.

Waxman’s voice is one of my favorites—and has been since I first encountered her work. I love her characters, her wit, and the stories she decides to tell. This seemed like a departure for her—not in ways I can articulate, nor in ways I can or want to criticize. It’s just a different feel from her last three novels—and more power to her for making those choices.

I laughed, I was moved, my heart was warmed—all the typical reactions to Abbi Waxman. I loved being in this world, surrounded by Waxman’s words and I cannot wait for the next excuse I have to do it again. I heartily encourage you all to do the same.

4 1/2 Stars

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.
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Charm City Rocks by Matthew Norman: A Tale of Second Acts and Second Chances

By HCNewton

On February 13, 2024

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature

Charm City Rocks

by Matthew Norman

DETAILS:
Publisher: Dell
Publication Date: June 6, 2023
Format: Paperback
Length: 339 pg.
Read Date: January 9-10, 2024

What’s Charm City Rocks About?

Billy Perkins is happy. Everyone knows this–he’s got his dream job (music teacher), he’s good at it–and makes enough money to keep going. He’s got a great kid, and a solid relationship with the kid’s mother. He’s well-liked in his neighborhood and at Camden Yards. Who wouldn’t be happy? He’s also got this newfound appreciation for cardigans, “the perfect garment, like, the convertible of sweaters”–and he looks good in them. If you can find pleasure in the little things like that…why not be happy?

Margot Hammer is a drummer best known as part of the all-female rock group Burnt Flowers*. Then as the wife of Lawson Daniels, the giant movie star, her fame grew even more. Then she dumped the cheater, quit the band in a dramatic fashion, and vanished from the public eye, becoming a “whatever happened to…” name. She was pretty satisfied with that until Burnt Flowers is featured in a documentary series, which renewed that itch to play again and generally reminded her of what she lost with her bandmates.

* Not for nothing, that’s just a great 90s band name. I would thoroughly enjoy hearing Norman talk about coming up with it and what some of the other contenders for that name were.

But after listening to his dad talk about Margot after seeing her on that history of rock documentary on Netflix, Billy’s son, Caleb wonders–what if his dad isn’t as happy as he could be? Is he maybe a little lonely? So Caleb does something harebrained, problematic in several ways, and destined to fail.

He brings the two together in a move straight out of a rom-com’s first draft, but instead of the meet-cute he hopes for–we get kind of a meet-ugly. Billy, being the almost-impossibly decent guy that he is, tries to salvage the time and make it up to her. Also…how often does he get the chance to spend time with his all-time favorite drummer?

Something strange ensues for Margot–she has fun. With Billy and in general. She also gets a little social media attention (which spills over into mass media). This is enough to get her old record company to try to capitalize on that. She’s not interested in doing that, but does decide to spend a little more time with Billy.

The pair have great chemistry–and maybe more. But will figures from their pasts derail them? Should they?

Baltimore

As they stand on Thames Street, he imagines the neighborhood from Margot’s perspective. Daquan is one block over, pounding away. The sun is moving toward the horizon. The twinkly lights strung around the outdoor eating area at the Greek restaurant next door come on, and people are out with their tattoos and interesting outfits and cool beards. Like always, there’s music everywhere.

“It’s not like how everyone says,” says Margot.

“What isn’t?”

“Baltimore,” she says. “I thought it’d be, I don’t know, more murdery.” …

“Be patient,” he says. “The night is young.”

As much as this book focuses on the love story between Billy and Margot, there’s a strong thread about love for Baltimore. I knew, on some level, that there has to be more to the city, but at the end of the day, I really think of Baltimore in much the same way as Margot in the quote above.

But that’s not Matthew Norman’s Baltimore–and it’s not the Baltimore of these characters. Frankly, if this Baltimore resembles the actual thing, I’d love to spend time there (you know, assuming I can shake the David Simon associations).

There are two neighborhoods (that don’t seem too far apart) that we spend most of our time in–and both have a strong sense of community about them. Particularly the area that Billy’s apartment is in, which also contains the place where Caleb’s plan was executed and the bar that the adults found themselves in to recover. The neighborhood figures from this area both grounded and sold the experience for me (and, I think, Margot). Too often people talk about the location of a novel/movie being another character–but when someone depicts their setting so strongly and so warmly, it’s hard not to resort to that kind of language.

Caleb

I’ve frequently talked about great Mother/Daughter and Father/Daughter relationships in various books, but I don’t think I’ve talked much about great relationships with sons. I also can’t think of many off the top of my head.

The relationship between Caleb and Billy, however? It’s a standout. Caleb’s relationships with his mother and stepfather are good to see, too. But man…the link between Father and Son here is something special. The lengths that Caleb went to in order to give his father a shot at happiness–and the life-altering choices he makes because of his parents (particularly, it seems, his father)–tells you a lot about this kid and the bond he has with his parents. I really can’t think of a better son in Fiction (not that I’ve spent a lot of time trying, but authors seem to do better at daughters).

He gets off a little easy when it comes to the shenanigans he got up to in introducing his dad to Margot, really the more I think about it, the worse it was (but consuming a large amount of edibles thinking they’re just candy is a pretty good justification for it). But, I think Norman is right to cut him some slack and not get into just how bad it was. Actually, most books (and almost every movie I can think of) would’ve allowed Caleb’s scheme to work for a bit, and would extend the nonsense for far too long before having it collapse for the sake of drama. I am so, so, so glad that Norman didn’t do that. He simply let the idea fall apart and then moved on, making lemonade out of Caleb’s citrus offering.

So, what did I think about Charm City Rocks?

I knew I should’ve read the book as soon as it landed on my doorstep in June. I knew I was missing out on something–and I was. But on the plus side, it’s a pretty good way to start off the year, too. This is just a fun book.

So I loved the whole super-star story and the debacle Margot made of her career and life–it’s a very VH-1 Behind the Music tale. All the behind-the-scenes show business stuff, both in the past and present, were great. But what sold me was the connection both Billy and Margot (and several other characters) had to music–listening to it, performing it, creating it–even just thinking about it. Strip away fleeting fame and money, that’s what counts. That’s why people care about musicians, it’s because of the music that they bring us and what it does for our souls and psyches. As Norman celebrated that, you couldn’t help but respond. (and as flakes wanted to twist that for their own benefit, you respond as well)

One shouldn’t overlook Caleb’s mother–even though I pretty much have–her arc isn’t pivotal to the book as a whole, but it’s so satisfying. She’d be an easy character to bring on for a few scenes as a plot complication, or just to add a little flavor to the world–but Norman fleshes out her character, gives her an arc, and gets the reader invested in her and her happiness.

There’s another ex- in the picture, and while you know how they’re going to complicate the characters’ lives almost instantly upon their introduction, I can’t bring myself to get into the details. I wanted to say something about a jealous toddler wanting their discarded toy just because someone else has it–but Norman wisely takes that option away. That’s not to say that the character doesn’t muck things up pretty seriously for almost everyone in the book…I’m just saying they’re not a monster.

I think the best way to sum up my reaction to the book is that I noticed that every time I put the book down for some reason, I was grinning. Not because I set the book down, but it just made me happy. Not Billy-happy, but happy.

A little cheesy? Sure. Generally predictable? Sure. Engaging, charming, witty, optimistic, and upbeat? Sure. If you’re looking for more in a rom-com, you’re not looking for a rom-com. This won me over in the beginning and kept my affection throughout. This was a sure-fire winner for me.

This post contains an affiliate link. If you purchase from it, I will get a small commission at no additional cost to you. As always, the opinions expressed are my own.

The Worst Man by Jon Rance: The Dark Side of the Springfield Song

By HCNewton

On June 27, 2023

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature

The Worst Man

by Jon Rance

DETAILS:
Publication Date: February 14, 2023
Format:  eBook
Length: 378 pg.
Read Date: June 14-16, 2023

…at the back of my mind, I have always held out hope – blind, foolish, irrational hope – that they will break up. When you find yourself desperately in love with your best mate’s girlfriend, blind, foolish, irrational hope is all you have. In fact, and not to put too fine a point on it, I have been banking on it.

What’s The Worst Man About?

The novel starts off with Dan and Lucy’s wedding going awry–the details are a little fuzzy, but we know it has something to do with our narrator, Ollie. Then we go back to twelve weeks earlier when Dan and Lucy tell Dan’s lifelong friend, Ollie, that they’re engaged and we see how in love/deeply infatuated/possibly obsessed Ollie is with Lucy.

For most of the book, it’s difficult to say exactly how Ollie feels–he tells you one thing, but his actions/thoughts may make readers reach other conclusions. So, I’m going to put the phrase in quotation marks (imagine me making wildly exaggerated air quotes as I type).

He’s been this way for three years–since he met her–and it’s only gotten worse from what we can tell. One friend knows about his hangup (and Lucy likely does, too, because she’s no fool).

The main plotline of this book is seeing Ollie try to shake it off, to try to force himself out “of love” with her–or it’s seeing him fantasizing about ways he can profess his “love” to her and scheming ways to get Lucy to break off the engagement.

Unsympathetic Protagonist

I really want Dan and Lucy to be happy, just not together.

Ohhhh boy. It was really hard to find a way to like Ollie. This was something I struggled with from the opening paragraphs right up to the last sentence–and, frankly, never succeeded at. This is a guy we’re supposed to find at least somewhat likable and appealing–we’re supposed to root for him.

But he’s an immature little twit pining after his best friend’s girlfriend and only stopped when she became his best friend’s fiancée–not because he grew up, but because he started pining after his best friend’s fiancée. We’re not talking best friends since college or something–we’re talking about a couple of guys who grew up together, and might as well have been brothers since childhood. And he’s so wrapped up in what he wants that he can’t be happy for Dan. He tries to be (or so he claims in the narration if you can trust him), but it fails.

He even gets this harebrained idea to make Lucy jealous–and that this jealousy will cause her to realize her mistake, break off the engagement, etc. The girl he uses in this scenario is a far better fit for him–if only because she’s single and looking (although there are many other reasons)–and Ollie won’t see it (or does, and still blows it off for Lucy).

As Sherman T. Potter would put it, this boy’s full of mule fritters.

The irony of it all is that Ollie teaches young teens/preteens–and ends up acting like one.

The Saving Graces

Here’s what kept me going. In the middle of all of this are three stories worth reading.

Ollie’s flatmate–another friend of Dan and Lucy’s–has a quirky little love story (and dog story) all his own. I don’t know if there’s a real Rom-Com in it, or if it’s just a good storyline from a Romance, because we only get glimpses of it as Wilf tries to talk some sense into Ollie. Regardless, watching that storyline was one of the pleasures of this book.

Ollie’s Dad has been alone for a very long time and he just may have found someone, too. This storyline brings a lot of the comedy of the book–and a decent amount of the heart. I’d have read an entire book on this story.

Ollie’s dad has been single for years because Ollie’s mother left them when he was pretty young. It’s one of those things that shaped the two of them–and you could probably make some sort of link between this and Ollie’s actions in the present. But whatever–the thing to focus on is that Ollie’s introspection about her absence in his life and the rest of this story are some of the most honest and moving emotional writing in the book.

So, what did I think about The Worst Man?

‘Then stop acting like a f($^@#g child and grow up,’ says Wilf before his phone rings.

That’s all the book needed, Ollie to listen to Wilf.

I was prepared to be very tepidly positive in this post because of its strengths, but Rance lost me in the last 9%. I’d have been tempted to discard the book over those events if I wasn’t in the closing chapters. I want to stress that’s with the exception of those arcs I mentioned in the previous section. But those three couldn’t save it.

The writing was clever enough–with some really nice lines and moments scattered throughout. For example, Ollie’s description of “possibly one of the worst dates in the world,” is both a. entertaining for the reader and b. a really bad date. You can’t help but have strong reactions to these characters (mostly positive)–there’s a student of Ollie’s that you will feel for in particular.

In the end, Rance did the best he could with this character and the premise–really he portrayed Ollie and the situation pretty well. Which was the problem for me, in the end. I’m definitely not writing off Rance for this, and will be happy to try something else from him (I’ll just do a better job reading the descriptions first).

Save yourself the time and check out something else by Rance, like The Summer Holidays Survival Guide.

2 1/2 Stars

Finding Felix by Jo Platt: A Charming Rom Com that brought a smile to my face

By HCNewton

On August 30, 2018

In 2018 First Reads Challenge, 2018 Indie-Fever Challenge, Fiction, General Fiction/Literature

Finding Felix

by Jo Platt

Kindle Edition, 258 pg.
Canelo, 2018
Read: August 28 – 29, 2018

‘Head buried in the sand,’ she said. ‘Typical Dot.’

I frowned but didn’t feel able to challenge the statement. I knew she had a point. My tendency to refuse to confront personal challenges and consider their consequences until my nose was pressed up against them was undeniable. In my defence, it was an approach that on the whole seemed to work reasonably well. It cut down considerably on the amount of time spent worrying and stressing about things, and, nine times out of ten, a last-minute fix was just as good as a lengthy, considered and, in my opinion, tortured approach.

However, like it or not, I had to admit that this was not one of those times. This was definitely the one in ten.

This is all thanks to Ian Patrick — if he hadn’t tweeted about this book on Saturday, I wouldn’t have heard about — much less read — Jo Platt’s book (or Jo Platt, come to think of it). The term “romcom” just didn’t seem like the kind of thing I should see coming from him. So I clicked the link, read about the blurb and decided to give it a whirl. There seemed very little chance that anyone would find a dead body, kill anyone or have to defend their lives — which seemed like a good change of pace.

I’m glad I took the shot on this — as you can see from the above, Dot Riley doesn’t think things through too often. And it probably seemed like a good idea to assure her dying grandmother (Nanny Flo) that, no, she’s not single; there’s no reason to worry about her at this time — in fact, she’s dating that old friend from childhood that the whole family loved so much. But faster than you can say Norah Ephron, Nanny Flo makes a miraculous recovery — and she credits the news about Felix for saving her life. Before she realizes it, months have slipped away and it’s time for Dot’s sister’s wedding. Which, naturally, her boyfriend will be attending with her.

Dot has a couple of choices here: come up with a lame excuse for Felix’s absence; telling her family the truth, which let’s be honest, would possibly kill Nanny Flo; or . . . she could track down the man she hasn’t seen since they left for university and get him to go along with the story. Because of the genre, it’s easy to guess which she’ll go for.

She tracks him down and he agrees to go to the wedding with her. You halfway expect them to hit it off immediately, or at least think about it — but Felix doesn’t seem that interested in anything about Dot as a person; and Dot is so thrown by the ridiculousness of her request and how Felix changed (as people do) in the decade or so since she’s seen him that she isn’t really that capable of getting past any of that.

You can pretty much plot out the rest of the book for yourself — but that doesn’t mean that Platt doesn’t have a curveball or two to throw at the reader. And even the parts you do see coming are handled with such aplomb, wit and charm that you’re not sitting there rolling your eyes and saying “yeah, knew that was going to happen.” Rather, you grin and admire how she did it.

The key, obviously, to all this are the characters, in particular, Dot. Platt gives us a great group of characters — whether around for a few paragraphs or for the entire book. Dot’s a mess of a character. But in a good way — she’s tardy, she’s impulsive, she’s frequently unintentionally thoughtless, and she has an uncanny ability to ruin any encouragement she tries to give anyone by poor word choice. But she’s got a big heart and great taste in friends. Thankfully, she’s got a good sister and an equally good best friend/business partner who can keep her from mucking everything up too badly.

Felix is . . . Felix is a good character, too. I don’t think I can say much more without spoiling some of the work Platt did in revealing him. So we’ll move on to . . . Dot’s mother? She tries really, really, really hard not to meddle in her daughter’s lives. Well, she thinks she does, anyway. She loves them, and wants the best for them — and will do everything she can to make sure that her daughter’s do what they need to do get their lives to work out for the best (whether or not that’s what her daughters actually want).

Dot’s father is a hidden gem — possibly the most valuable player here. He’s funny, he’s put-upon, he’s the voice of reason (and humor) working to prevent her mother’s emotional excesses from steamrolling their daughters and their daughter’s significant others.

The relationships that Dot has with her sister and partner — and their husbands — are just great. I’d have easily enjoyed another 80-100 pages of filler conversations between any of them and Dot just to enjoy their interactions. They are cozy, fun, and honest in the way you only can be with those closest to you.

This was silly, it was earnest, it was sweet, it was fun — I laughed out loud a couple of times, and even when I didn’t do that, I appreciated the humor. If you’re willing to buy into the conceit and genre (and I know some of you who wouldn’t be), I can assure you — you’ll have a good time.

Oh, yeah, and there are no killings, attempted killings or lesser crimes committed at all. It’s good to remember that you don’t need any of that to get a good story.

—–

3.5 Stars

I Was a Bitch by Emily Ruben

By HCNewton

On October 12, 2016

In Fiction, General Fiction/Literature

I Was a Bitch

by Emily Ruben

Kindle Edition, 401 pg.
Inkitt, 2016

Read: October 3 – 4, 2016

There’s a moment in teen comedies where the ugly duckling (who’s become the beautiful swan, backstabbed/betrayed/turned on/disappointed their life-long friends and become a real jerk) is forced to realize that what they’ve become and what they’ve done — from The DUFF to Can’t Buy Me Love and all points between (and probably points earlier), this is a standard and pivotal plot point. Can this be done in a tired and clichéd way? Yup, and regularly is. Can this be done in a creative and worthwhile way? Yup. But it’s hard to pull off.

And then Emily Ruben comes along and does this in a creative and worthwhile way — and makes it look like a walk in the park. Don’t get me wrong — making something look that easy takes a lot of work, I know this. But Ruben makes it look effortless. And one of the many creative things she does with this is who she has tell her protagonist that she’s become a bitch — herself.

Lacey comes out of a coma that’s lasted months and doesn’t remember the last couple of years. She starts using context clues, Facebook, utter strangers appearing in her hospital room, text messages, etc. to start piecing those two years together. What she learns about herself does not please her. She’s in shape — beyond that, she’s in great shape and dresses to flaunt it. Her “friends” are equally hot, as shallow as you’d expect and just nasty to others. Her boyfriend might as well be wearing a Kobra Kai uniform. She’s hidden some aspects of her personality — her sense of humor, kindness, clumsiness, intelligence, bookishness — and replaced them with, well, not much.

But there’s this Finn guy — who no one seems to know, but he sure seems to know her. Possibly more attractive than her boyfriend, definitely nicer than anyone she’s not related to. Just who is he, and what is he to her?

Lacey continues to investigate these questions (and more) while she recovers, goes through physical therapy, and returns to high school. And once she gets some answers — and some of her memories — about who she had become in the last two years, she has to make some decisions about who she’s going to be from now on.

We don’t get a full explanation of why Lacey took the steps she did to become who she became — but we get enough (and I think Lacey feels the same way). I like the fact that we are left with a few “i” not dotted and a handful of “t”s not crossed. Ruben had to resist a good deal of temptation to keep things vague at points — kudos to her.

I have a growing impatience for books who maintain dramatic tension through characters not having the guts to be honest with each other, to ask a question, to make a confession (not to a crime, but to something that’ll be uncomfortable) — but that’s just me. My notes are full of me complaining about Lacey ducking opportunities to have these conversations. By having her character take this road, Ruben doesn’t do anything that 97%+ of writers in all media wouldn’t do — sure, it’d be nice if she swam against the stream, but I can’t fault her too much for this.

Outside of those books where the parents/a parent/guardian/older family member turn out to be the villain, I can think of few worse parents than Lacey’s. I get that after a few months, they can’t afford to spend all day at the hospital — they have to work to pay the bills. But there are plenty of hours in the day for them to get over there after work — they regularly spend days without visiting her. And big brother comes back from traveling the world to be with her during her recovery — and he’s barely a presence. Sure, this gives time for her to deal the memory thing and the romantic problems, but it’s just done in a way that infuriates parents — there’s no way that any parent worth their salt isn’t around more. (it doesn’t get much better once she gets out of the hospital, either).

I loved Lacey’s voice, her interior monologue — who she really was. Her use of the phrase “Neville Longbottomed” to describe her physical changes is one of the best things I’ve read lately. I had a lot of fun reading this book and expect I won’t be alone.

As a forty-something father of four — I’m so not the target audience for this, possibly the furthest from it. But I gotta say, this was an enjoyable and entertaining read.

Disclaimer: I was provided a copy of this book by Inkitt in exchange for my honest opinions.

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3.5 Stars