I'm once again impressed by this award winner and the way she uses plot details to ask serious questions and talk about other issues that aren't romance.
Catherine "Cricket" has always been wary of words like "forever". They never seemed to work out as she watched her mom walk away from men time after time. Now that she's screwed up the only forever she's come close to, she begins to believe that it's not conceivable for either her or her mother, who's set to marry Dan Jax in only a week. As countless issues arise, from a pot-smoking inn owner to a future stepdaughter who goes to great lengths to make known how very not okay she is with everything her dad's new bride is doing, Cricket believes that her mom's definitely going to make a run for it. Enter Ash, who can put words to the insecurities Cricket is feeling about college and feels exactly how she feels about everything from her favorite weather (rainy) to summer flings (real relationships are a must). Now torn between what she could have with Ash and what she has possibly ended with Janssen, Cricket leans on her mother, her brother, Ben, and her lovable dog, Jupiter to get through the tough stuff. At every turn there is a choice between running away or facing the tough stuff. Will Cricket realize what she's giving up, or will reckless bravery push her into the arms of a new guy?
Caletti uses themes of family and commitment to ask two important questions: When families break, how are emotions affected? And how is sense of commitment affected? In Cricket's life, she sees her mom and brother being in her life forever, and also her dog, Jupiter, but it's hard for her to commit to anything further than that. College. Janssen. Cricket is scared of leaving her solid family behind because of the uncertainty she has faced in the past and definitely doesn't want to repeat in the future.
She struggles with emotional conflicts too. Cricket gets angry, hurt, frustrated, grumpy, and hateful towards here biological father in her flashbacks of the verbal and physical abuse that ultimately led to the demise of the marriage between him and her mother. This is where Cricket clings to Janssen, up until now, he's held all the pure and unadulterated hatred towards her father that she never could because he was just that: her father. Caletti has dealt with the issue of divorce in many of her previous novels, but never has she impressed me so wholeheartedly with her use of emotional confusion. The fact that Daisy, Cricket's mother, says in a conversation with Cricket, "I loved your dad. Sometimes it's not enough." holds significant weight. More and more nowadays, "love is not enough" is becoming cliche and overused as much as any other romantic, cheese-ball line. By adding it in when talking about a situation of abuse, it takes on a whole new meaning that emphasizes the person behind the abusive qualities. Ash is a child of divorce, dealing with some of the same questions that Cricket has, which is one of the things that draws her to him is their sheer similarity.
Needless to say, I liked it and really encourage you to pick it up!
Teaser Quote: “She would bring you some great book because she was a book matchmaker, because she loved books the way other girls loved clothes.” -Cricket describing her best friend, Natalie
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