Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

The author and publisher want to compare this book to a well-known iconic movie (which I will not mention because every other review will!), but setting up a book like that is asking for it to fail in the comparison. And I certainly felt that this one did not live up to that movie at all. In fact, the author and publisher might have served the book better if they had made no such comparison and simply let the book stand (or fall) on its own merits. As I began reading, the book felt just too cliched as events unfolded. I literally did roll my eyes at some of the happenings when it seems like every circumstance, from large to small, was just the worst that it could be for the situation, especially for Grace. When a story starts to veer that direction, it becomes melodramatic and farcical. Now, if you like melodramatic, farcical escape women's fiction, this may be your cup of tea. But, for me, this left me feeling little for characters who seemed so far from reality. I thought, too, that the bad guy was perhaps painted a bit too dark, making him a caricature melodramatic villain as well. I also didn't like that the book was told in third-person present for both characters. I don't like the present-tense viewpoint in general, as I find it more distancing than immediate (which is what I think authors believe it is). The author didn’t succeed in giving each woman a unique voice. The best part of this book was Skipper, an 8-year-old special needs boy who had wisdom beyond his age and difficulties while still keeping a boyish charm. All in all, I found myself disappointed in this book. I received a free copy of this book, but that did not affect my review.