Good points, Madeline. I think we felt pretty similarly about this one.

I had trouble from the beginning. The connection between the two narrators took a long time to come out. I kept wondering why I was reading two unrelated stories. Then there were a LOT of characters and names (Missy and Macey didn’t help) to keep track of. At the end I felt there were some plot elements that didn’t add up.

However, I enjoyed the story and liked the character development. And the writing, I felt, was very good. (But agree with you about Jason, I didn’t think his behavior made any sense at all.) Overall I had to give it only 3.5 stars.

I gave it 4 stars which is about the same as your B. Jason and his actions towards the end pushed the believability for me.

Wow! Thank you, Margaret. I can’t tell you how great it makes me feel to read comments like yours. Sometimes the blog feels like a lot of work, so it’s wonderful to know that it’s appreciated.

We definitely favor the same authors. I also love Backman. Hopefully, we’ll get something new from him soon. I’m happy to report that Ann Patchett has a new book coming out in September, The Dutch House. I haven’t yet read it, but probably won’t be able to hold out much longer.

Thanks again for making my day!

I look forward to hearing your thoughts, especially on the last 20%.

Thanks for honest review. (Setting expectations down a notch.)