Wednesday, February 7, 2018

Do Over by Serena Bell

I have this really annoying habit of NOT reading synopsis of books by authors I already know I love. It's not suppose to be annoying, it's just that when an author enters my insta-buy list I don't even bother because I BELIEVE it's going to be great no matter what the story is about. Yet there ARE things that are less than appealing to me.. so imagine my surprise when a 4 years old INVADED my book! ðŸ˜²ðŸ˜£

So basically most of my issue with this book is totally and absolutely about ME and what I prefer to read or rather prefer not to read in my books. For me, kids destroy the fun, the relationship buildup and insert all those cute-sy moments I cringe at. Not every book with a kid does that, but in this one, Gabe has quite a big part. So I say if you enjoy kids in your novels or you don't dislike it as much as I do - totally and absolutely give it a go! 




Jack Parker and Maddie Adams have been best friends growing up but things changed over the years and kept them apart for a while. Yet somehow in one summer vocation they find their way to one another spending a lot of it in each other's hands. When the summer is almost over Maddie finds herself pregnant and though Jack has made it obviously clear he isn't interested in kids, Maddie decided to keep it and raise him on her own. Fast forward 5 years later. Maddie and Jack aren't really friends anymore but Jack does have a little hand in raising little Gabe though mostly his mother and sister do the 'heavy lifting', leaving him to have fun with his little boy. Things change when Maddie and her boyfriends' relationship breaks apart, not knowing where to turn she goes to Jack who offers Maddie and Gabe to stay with him until she finds a place of their own. 

It's obvious both Maddie and Jack have feelings for one another but both rather not rock the boat. Maddie loves the fact Jack helps out with Gabe though she knows it's mostly his mom and sister, it still matters to her and though she wishes they could be a family she understand that Jack isn't ready and might never  be ready for a family life. Jack doesn't see himself as a family guy, he doesn't do much as Gabe's father, yet he cares for him and naturally for Maddie yet he won't ruin her life with promising her something he doesn't feel like he can deliver or keep up on the long run. So they stay in their place.


When Maddie (and Gabe) move in with Jack things change. Firstly their MAD attraction to one another makes them realize how difficult keeping the status quo is going to be unrealistic when they share a house together... and also when Jack's mother and sister are away he needs to actually take care of Gabe on his own and to his surprise he truly enjoys it. 


Now all is left is to find a way to bridge what happened in their past so they could build a future together. 


I won't say more about this book because I feel if I start ranting on what I want to rant about I won't finish in a week. I have a feeling there is a reason I mostly read MM now and not MF. With MF when there is a big gap between what I'm willing to accept as a woman myself and what the character does I sometimes lose my patience and frankly I really shouldn't - yet I do.. I rather not be able to truly relate than find myself in a spot where I'm exasperated with the MC because she doesn't make sense to me. Maybe she doesn't have to.. but it's hard sometimes to separate these things. We WANT the characters to be relate-able, right? so when it's not.. It tends not to work for me.. Which is mostly what happened here - Maddie's decisions were totally alien to me and not only because she decided to raise Gabe on her own (I swear NOBODY has EVER heard of abortion in a romance novel).


I have LOVED many of Serena's books in the past which is why she is an insta-buy for me. PLEASE give this one a-go if you are less annoying like I am about kids in romance novels ;) It truly isn't the book it's me and also I would admit I had high expectation especially since it's been a while from Serena's previous release and I missed her!



Rating:
E-Book
Edition
219
pages
Read on:
4-6 February 2018
     

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