Reviewer: MinnChica
I was looking forward to this book because I’m a big fan of Hollywood/rock-star style romances. Unfortunately, this book felt a little more like a women’s fiction book to me, and I didn’t connect with the romance at all.
Ava never imagined she would be poor, living off her friends and the few jobs she can find. Being back home after graduating from Julliard puts her back in touch with old friends, but also in the same orbit as her ex-fiance, Eric.
Eric has a lot of leftover anger at Ava for the way she left him all those years ago, and being around her constantly is both a pleasure and pain. He leaves her so confused, constantly throwing her dirty looks all the while helping to build her up.
So, a lot of people are comparing this book to Jane Austen’s Persuasion, and I have to admit that not only have I never read that Austen book, but I’m not a huge Jane Austen fan, at all. Sorry guys!! That being said, there were somethings I liked about the book, but for the most part I found it to be a bit boring and one sided, from Ava’s point of view. I definitely needed more from Eric, and I just didn’t get what I wanted.
I thought Ava’s reasons for leaving Eric all those years ago were naive and immature, especially as they were engaged to be married. But, Eric’s wish-washy attitude to Ava annoyed me to no end. I desperately hated the cat and mouse game he had going on with her. He would push her away and then make her feel comfortable in the same breath. It was annoying and not a redeeming character for a hero, in my eyes.
Although I wasn’t a huge fan of the story overall, Stanford is a wonderful writer, and fans of Austen will probably enjoy this book a hell of a lot more than I did. 🙂
I give Sway a C-