Sunday, November 10, 2013

Come Home - A Review of Down on Love by Jayne Denker


(Goodreads Blurb)
When it comes to love, she's a professional skeptic. Is it too late for a career change?

If there's one thing Georgiana Down is an expert in, it's bad relationships. That's what inspired her blog, Down on Love, where she gives snarky advice--usually along the lines of "dump him." In fact, George is abstaining from men all together. At least that's the plan--until she makes a trip back to her tiny hometown in the Catskills, where meddling is an art form. . .

George loves helping out with her new baby niece, but she's counting the days until she returns to Boston. Then she runs into Casey Bowen, her high school crush. The boy she once loved is now a handsome grown man--and suddenly George needs a little advice of her own. She's in the right place, because when she drunk posts on her blog, everyone in Marsden has something to say about George and Casey. It's like high school all over again--but maybe this time she'll get things right. 


Thank you to Netgalley for providing an ARC in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This is my second Jayne Denker book (My first was Unscripted) and once again I was enchanted.


The Story...
Georgiana Down is through with love.  In fact, she even started a blog dedicated to helping others get over love.  People write in with their stories and George gives them all the same advice: Dump him/her.  George's plan is to avoid men altogether.

Her plan fails when she is called back to her hometown of Marsden to help her sister with her young daughter.  Being back home comes with the familiar and unwelcome feeling of having someone in your business all of the time.  Having that feeling that someone is always watching you.  Being home also means running into Casey Bowen, George's high school crush, and he did not get the memo about George being Down on Love.

What Worked...
The story is very real and I love that George's reasons for returning home were well thought out and legit.  The relationship between George and her sister, Sera, is strained and uncomfortable and absolutely perfect for the way the story went down.

Casey Bowen is swoony and patient, but he lacks communication skills.  His actions confuse George (and to be honest, they confuse me, too), but they are perfect for the tension that is needed.  He is sweet and kind and very giving of his time and resources.  Plus, he is honest.  When George gets the guts to ask him some very real questions, he gives her completely honest answers that melt the heart and turn knees into jello.

The characters were great.  The townspeople were perfect small-town characters.  The story was cute and clever.

What Didn't...
I wasn't really sure why George moved back in with her ex-boyfriend (even platonic-ally) after all that she had been through with him.  Actually, her reasons for needing to go back to Boston were flimsy at best.  I know, though, that sometimes, even in real life, people grasp on to the flimsiest of excuses to justify the actions that they feel they must take.  Especially when they are scared.  And George was terrified of once again falling for Casey Bowen only to have her heart ripped out.

4 out of 5 Stars

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Book Links (Available November 21, 2013)
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