My rating: 4 stars / I really liked it
Lucy Simpson just survived the worst day of her life. Rather than stick around to deal with the fallout of losing her accounting job and the betrayal of her longtime boyfriend, she makes a split-second decision to pull up roots and move to Hawaii.
She arrives with a suitcase, a reservation at a cheap hotel, and a whole lot of hope. Relieved to be an ocean away from her overbearing father, Lucy creates a list of experiences to help her explore what she really wants from life. Her new friends from the singles ward become her cheerleaders and help her cross items off the list one by one. As she does, she learns a little bit more about herself, about life and about love. But when a family emergency calls her home, will she be forced to choose between her old life and a new love?
My Review
I love Hawaii for the setting in a book, and this one was unique in that it showed the non-touristy part and some gritty situations that can be found in all parts of the world. It takes a lot of guts to up and move at a moment's notice, with no plans at the other end for housing or employment... either that or desperation. It's so out of character for Lucy, yet she perseveres and follows through with her new circumstances, even though it would be easier to run home. I liked learning about all the friends she made along the way, and thought it was interesting who she chose to be judgemental about; some cases were surprising. Her friendship that eventually developed into romance with Ben was my favorite part of the book, he was so patient with her. *Awesome first kiss* I appreciated that the main characters are members of the church I belong to, but was disappointed that there was little to no faith mentioned. I think it's too bad when authors avoid opportunities to share the faith of their characters which misrepresents how integral prayer and worship are in the real lives of the members of the church, as well as how we feel about God. In this book Lucy completely relied on herself instead of trusting God, and her interactions with the church were purely social. I could understand if there was a progression in her spiritual growth, but there really wasn't any, she just continued to struggle and basically ignore God. The main lesson she learned was to stop running from her problems and face her emotions.
(I received a complimentary copy of the book; all opinions in this review are my own)
About the Author
Rachel
grew up reading every book she could get her hands on and spending time
with her cat. At least, that was the report in every annual Christmas
letter. The humiliation was enough to spur her into action, and she
began writing and she never stopped. Rachel studied English at Brigham
Young University-Idaho and then wrote and blogged in between the births
of her six children. She currently lives in West Jordan with her family,
and while she no longer has a cat, she still reads every book she can
get her hands on.
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