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A review by readclever
More Than We Bargained for: A Small Town Romance by Fiona West
4.0
4 out of 5 stars for More Than We Bargained For by Fiona West.
I received a copy from NetGalley for an honest review. The author notes that the galley may be different from the published book, so please take that into account.
I loved the fact Starla was so independent and willing to start over, even if it was a pain in the butt. What I wanted to see more of was her fortitude when moving to Arizona. Less tell, more show, basically.
Also the discussions with Aiden were difficult because we weren't shown their resolution in any real manner. Clearly he had issues but it was ignored, it felt like, to push the romance at times. Because, for me, that was a major part of the family dynamic that Sawyer walked into. Aiden went through a lot in nine months and didn't really get any good closure before the next stage.
I think Sawyer was a great addition to the story line and it was nice to see positive disability representation as well. I just wanted to see more of his time outside the romance, I wanted to see him more at his new job, how it affected his moods more. Successes and failures. As someone without MS, but with a physical disability, that matters. More conversations as he integrated into Starla's family would have helped, too, I think.
For the romance, sometimes it felt a little too rushed. Pushing nine months into a small space with a lot of story lines made it slightly difficult to cheer for them as a couple. I wanted to watch their build up more as they went from friends to lovers to partners.
That's not to say I didn't like the book. Book fairy was genius, especially as Timber Falls seems to be a smaller place and every little bit helps. I found that really sweet and helped the community build a kind of network of taking care of each other. I also really, really enjoyed the friendships among the women. When Starla's family showed out, the friends stepped up. Or when Starla did the scene at the library, Ainsley stepped in.
The town reminded me a bit of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls. And Sawyer's Atlanta references and mountain areas worked, too. It felt like a small town without being cloying.
I received a copy from NetGalley for an honest review. The author notes that the galley may be different from the published book, so please take that into account.
I loved the fact Starla was so independent and willing to start over, even if it was a pain in the butt. What I wanted to see more of was her fortitude when moving to Arizona. Less tell, more show, basically.
Also the discussions with Aiden were difficult because we weren't shown their resolution in any real manner. Clearly he had issues but it was ignored, it felt like, to push the romance at times. Because, for me, that was a major part of the family dynamic that Sawyer walked into. Aiden went through a lot in nine months and didn't really get any good closure before the next stage.
I think Sawyer was a great addition to the story line and it was nice to see positive disability representation as well. I just wanted to see more of his time outside the romance, I wanted to see him more at his new job, how it affected his moods more. Successes and failures. As someone without MS, but with a physical disability, that matters. More conversations as he integrated into Starla's family would have helped, too, I think.
For the romance, sometimes it felt a little too rushed. Pushing nine months into a small space with a lot of story lines made it slightly difficult to cheer for them as a couple. I wanted to watch their build up more as they went from friends to lovers to partners.
That's not to say I didn't like the book. Book fairy was genius, especially as Timber Falls seems to be a smaller place and every little bit helps. I found that really sweet and helped the community build a kind of network of taking care of each other. I also really, really enjoyed the friendships among the women. When Starla's family showed out, the friends stepped up. Or when Starla did the scene at the library, Ainsley stepped in.
The town reminded me a bit of Stars Hollow from Gilmore Girls. And Sawyer's Atlanta references and mountain areas worked, too. It felt like a small town without being cloying.