Bests & Worsts Reviews from Amazon

I generally do not write reviews especially when existing ones cover the subject well, but I find myself increasingly mystified at books such as this one that have so many 4 and 5 star reviews, enticing readers like me to purchase them, then to be disappointed. Hence I’m adding my 2 stars, 1-1/2 at best. I would classify this as Women’s Fiction, or Romance, neither of which I care for. It is definitely formulaic. The protagonist starts out with personal pain and ends up with a brighter future. End of story. Of course along the way she meets a most amazing man who tolerates her confusing behavior, why, I have no idea. Many conflicts and interesting side stories are introduced, but they are never resolved in the end. What about those “bad boys” who disrupt the entire town but are never punished? “Boys will be boys” is what they say. Olive and Benencia are wonderful characters and at the end, we are just left hanging. I commend the author for her first novel, but I feel she did not have a clue as to where she was going with it.