Review Detail

Reader reviewed by K.W.

I loved the character Mara at the beginning-she's easy to identify with and very easy to sympathize with. The same can't be said of her "anything for attention" cousin V. V goes out of her way to be difficult and to make others uncomfortable. At first, I thought this was because she had problems forming bonds with people, but the book doesn't flush this part of the story out realistically. V defends Mara at times, but it never rings true. There is never any true motivation for her to do so, so that part seemed flat to me.

While I was initially into the Mara character, she "let me down" at the end by getting involved with the coffee shop owner, who seemd creepy for being into a high school girl, and for forgoing an great opportunity to spend time with her boyfriend. I wasn't sure why Mara had to do a complete 180-going from an academic-minded girl with her head on straight to a lovesick girl who puts "her man" first. Call me cynical, but that part of the story didn't work for me.