Reviewed by Kristin
Ingrid and her boyfriend Cory have been together for eleven
years, since their literal first day of community college. They have never
dated other people, like EVER, and have settled into a life where they are real
adults who live together, but haven't actually considered whether marriage is
in their future. When Ingrid's sister announces her engagement to a woman she's
been dating for a mere two years, Ingrid and Cory decide they should explore
their options. In other words, take a month to see other people, and then come
back together to either move toward marriage, or...not.
Ingrid is a library clerk in a small branch in a North
Carolina mountain town. She enjoys her job, but possibly more because she
enjoys working the circulation desk with her co-worker Macon, rather than
having a true calling to be a librarian. Macon is her friend, but there has
always been something between them and Ingrid's mind goes straight to him as
soon as the possibility to date other people opens up. But of course, Macon is
way too much of a gentleman to take advantage of her.
Obviously, the story continues with Ingrid and Macon figuring
out their feelings, but to say more on that would be a spoiler.
This was good, but could have used some editing for length.
The audiobook was almost 13 1/2 hours long, and it dragged on in places. I never
was tempted to put it aside, but there were points where I was wondering how in
the world Ingrid could take the long way around the metaphorical block AGAIN as
her life took several twists and turns. This title is described as the adult
debut of a bestselling young adult author, so maybe she (and her publisher)
thought that adult books required more.
I do have one very specific issue with something that Ingrid
did. While scoping out potential dates in her time away from Cory, she checked
to see if the men had library cards, and if so, what were they reading. (At
this point, library people should be shocked and appalled!) We would NEVER
invade someone’s privacy like that for personal reasons. Borrower records are
sacred, and library staff will defend your right to privacy practically to the
death. The author’s bio says she used to be a librarian and a bookseller, so I
found this very much out of line with what I expected from the main character.
Overreaction on my part? Maybe, but you can rest assured that your reading
records are safe here at your local library.
I still enjoyed the book with its vivid descriptions of books,
libraries, bookstores, plants, food, paint colors, and Edmond the cat. Every
book needs a cat.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC in exchange
for an honest review.
