Publisher: Forever Yours
Publish Date: Out Now
How I got this book: NetGalley
Things Paige Morrison will never understand about Mirabelle, Florida:
Why wearing red shoes makes a girl a harlot
Why a shop would ever sell something called “buck urine”
Why everywhere she goes, she runs into sexy-and infuriating-Brendan King
After losing her job, her apartment, and her boyfriend, Paige has no choice but to leave Philadelphia and move in with her retired parents. For an artsy outsider like Paige, finding her place in the tightly knit town isn’t easy-until she meets Brendan, the hot mechanic who’s interested in much more than Paige’s car. In no time at all, Brendan helps Paige find a new job, new friends, and a happiness she wasn’t sure she’d ever feel again. With Brendan by her side, Paige finally feels like she can call Mirabelle home. But when a new bombshell drops, will the couple survive, or will their love come undone?
*Blurb from Goodreads*
I love small town romances, so I was excited to read this one, but unfortunately it fell short for me.
Paige lost everything she had in Philly, and finds herself moving back in with her parents, in small town Mirabelle. Thing just go downhill from there, until she meets the sexy mechanic Brendan. Then she finds a friend in town and things start to look up. Brendan helps her get a job, make some good friends, and start to really enjoy life in Mirabelle. But not everything is perfect for them, and even after they have it all, one secret might be enough to destroy them.
This book had a very chick lit feel to it. While the core of the story was the romance between Paige and Brendan, it spans much more than just their romance. While I like when my romances to have strong family ties and female friendships, this book just didn’t work for me in that regard. I’m not sure why, but I just wasn’t that interested in the chick lit aspect of the story.
I did like the romance though, as I felt like Paige and Brendan were a perfect match for one another. I liked that Paige was a little wild and free and that she refused to conform to the conservative viewpoint of the rest of the folks in Mirabelle. I liked that Brendan cared so deeply for her, and wanted nothing more than to make her happy in any and every way he could.
One other aspect that I liked about this book was that it didn’t just end with their “I love you.” The story continued on past their declaration of love, past a wedding, and into their ever after. It’s not typical in romances to see a relationship develop that far, and I liked that we got a chance to glimpse more than what is normal. I think that is one of the reasons why this book felt more like chick lit than just a straight romance. However, one of the aspects I didn’t like was that the big fight and misunderstanding that is typical in romances, didn’t come until after Paige and Brendan were married. I know that marriage isn’t perfect, but I was a little upset to see that Paige ran when things got tough, instead of working it out. Once a commitment like marriage is made, I have a harder time accepting Paige just walking out.
I liked many of the secondary characters in this story. Between Brendan’s group of friends, his sister and grandparents and the group of ladies that gossiped on Thursday afternoons, there were a lot of wonderful and fun characters to read about. I think that if the series were to have a more romantic feel to it, I would definitely be checking out the next books in the series.
The small town of Mirabelle was not one that I enjoyed. I am a big fan of small towns: Serendipity, Lucky Harbor, Fool’s Gold, Whiskey Creek and more. However, I found that most of the people in Mirabelle were old, cold, and nasty. I hated the pretentious nature of the older generation, and the way they so outright hateful to the younger generation.
All in all this book wasn’t what I was expecting or hoping to see when I picked it up. I was disappointed that it had a more chick lit feel, and it wasn’t an aspect that I liked. While I enjoyed the characters, I had a hard time connecting with the rest of the storyline.
I give Undone a C-
Still, it does sound like a good book. Thanks for the review Minn, i will put this one on my maybe list.
@xaurianx – If you get it, I hope you like it more than I did.