Lovely Little Shelf

I am genuinely proud of myself for making it to day 5.  Julie and Super Librarian are right there with me. So fun!  I just got home from baking at the little cafe I used to work at and now I’m watching the clock as it gets closer to time for my wisdom teeth surgery.  To say I have a dental phobia is putting it lightly, so I’m kind of so scared I’m shaking. Also I wasn’t allowed to eat because they are putting me under… have you ever tried to make pies and cupcakes without eating? It’s maybe the hardest thing ever.  Anyway, keep me in your thoughts today around 2. Eek.

The Book: True Colors, by Kristen Hannah

The Story: Winona, Aurora, and Vivi Ann Grey are sisters and best friends.  They all live within miles of the house that they grew up in with their over-bearing father, and they are all perfectly fine with that.  They love being together and have a special bond that is maybe only shared by sisters, specifically sisters that lost their mom way too young.

When a stranger comes to town looking for a job on their family ranch, and falls head over heels with Vivi Ann, everything goes a little crazy.

When there is a murder in town and the farmhand is the only suspect… well… I think you know. The sisters fall apart and wonder if they will every find their way back together.

What I Thought: Let’s keep in mind that I read this on the heels of Old School, which was this kind of intelligent, literary read. I kind of did this on purpose because after all that I wanted something easy to read, but maybe I went too easy, ya know?

Here’s the thing: This book was alright.  I didn’t hate it. That’s about it.

Like most chic-lit, it was predictable from about page 3. The big “twist” at the end really wasn’t much of a twist at all and it actually was almost sad how predictable the different relationships were. The characters were pretty much cardboard cut-outs of “beautiful younger sister,” “chunky, smart bookworm,” “stern but passionate dark, mysterious man,” “over-bearing grief stricken father,” “unsatisfied mother/wife.” I mean, it was almost comical at times.  Don’t expect anything new or exciting out of this.  There’s none of that.  But it is readable.

I know it seems strange, but the best story here for me was not the sisters’ story.  Vivi Ann has a son named Noah who is kind of a wreck and I absolutely loved him.  He was born into this awful situation and kind of lived with a shadow over him.  Watching him grow and fall in love and learn who he was was by far the best part of the book.

Conclusion: A pretty decent beach read, although not much more than that.