Just Write for Me Book Review

Just Write for Me by Amy Edsanders

Just Write for Me left me with strong feelings of nostalgia and comfort while reading.

I chose this book because it was available for free on a Stuff Your Kindle Day that actually included clean and closed-door romance novels.

Summary: Rachel and Ben quickly move from long-time frien-emies to falling in love in this guilty pleasure read. Rachel is an esteemed writer for Denver Tribune when the Tribune decides to begin buying into small-town newsrooms and transfers Rachel unwillingly to her hometown of Amber Willows. She immediately runs into Ben, the handsome guy who made high school hell for her. Ben has been widowed in the last year and finds himself raising his teenage daughter, Julia, alone, who is in the throws of teenage rebellion. Shortly after Rachel's arrival, Ben makes a point to apologize for his past behavior which confuses Rachel's feelings about him. Together, Ben and Rachel, begin to work together to save their hometown and unexpectedly fall in love.

Review: I gave Just Write for Me 2.25 stars. The story as a whole was good. The main characters had decent development, but most of the supporting characters could have used a little more depth. Most of Ben and Rachel's point of views/narration was repeated and on a loop. It made the book hard to read at times. I would have liked to see the story develop more. It would have been nice to see more relationship building between Ben and Julia and Rachel and Julia. Honestly, more interaction and development between Rachel and Ben would have gone a long way too.

Several details of the story didn't track well and could have either used more explanation or should have been edited better. For example, Julia is said to be 12 at the beginning of the book, but is often referred to as a teenager and in high school. At 12 years old, assuming she didn't skip any grades, she would only be in middle school/junior high. The author also mentions in multiple places that the story is taking place during the summer, but in the 2nd chapter Julia is barely going to make it to school on time. Keeping in mind that Amber Willows is a small, rural town, its not likely that Julia is attending a year-round school. Finally the part of the book that bothered me the most was that Ben's mother, Ruth, was a born-Webb and not his father. Ben also held the Webb last name so unless the family was progressive (or dare I suggest, incestuous), Ruth being the Webb was confusing.

I really enjoyed the few scenes between Royce, Ben's grandfather, and Rachel. Their fast relationship was well-timed and seemed to be good for both characters. The friendship between Rachel and the bakery-coffee shop owner, Emily, was absolutely sweet. Emily proved to be a safe and soft place for Rachel to land as her feelings raged a war inside of her.

Quotes:

• During my high school years, I would often end up in this inviting place because it offered me a sense of escape. Today, I am not here for those reasons. I am simply enjoying the place.

  • This quote gave me sweet feelings of nostalgia for my own high school escape near the water too.

• "We all have our past. But how we move forward is what matters. We can't change the past. But we can write a new story for our future."

• "Since you love to write, don't ever give up, okay?"

I wouldn't be likely to suggest this book to friends. I had high expectations since I enjoy books where the main character is a writer, but the circular storytelling made it hard to get through.