HeatherAnne N. (hawchoo) reviewed The Perfect Comeback of Caroline Jacobs: A Novel on + 7 more book reviews
Caroline Jacobs has lived her life a quiet, shy wallflower, but that Mary Kate Danali just went too far picking on that working mom at the PTO meeting. Somewhere from the depths of two decades of hidden despair, a curse word burbled up and out of Caroline Jacob's mouth - in the middle of the meeting, loudly, with finger pointed shakily at Mary Kate. Tom, Caroline's loving husband, quietly guides Caroline out of the room and home. The next day, Caroline still doesn't feel like talking about it. At work at the Sears portrait studio, we learn that Caroline is a gifted photographer but she's too shy to ever show anyone her work. When a phone call comes in from school about her daughter, the adventure begins. Caroline never told Polly about the run in with Mary Kate and when Mary Kate's daughter confronts (and bullies) Polly about it, Polly punches her in the face! A storm of events finally push a painful memory of a high school bully to the surface of Caroline's mind and she "kidnaps" Polly to head back home and finally deliver the perfect comeback to the girl who hurt her so many years ago.
Caroline blames Emily Kaplan for many things - her awful high school experience, her shyness, and, to some extent, her sister's death! But old memories take on a new cast when exposed to the light of day so many years later. When Polly's daughter sets up Emily for the "perfect comeback", Caroline is forced to face her past. When Polly disappears in the aftermath of the comeback, Caroline has to reunite with her old foe in order to find her daughter. Caroline grows. Polly grows. Emily grows. This is a book about relationships and most redeem themselves in very genuine ways. The wallflower finally starts to bloom and the bully admits her mistakes. My main issue with the book is that I have a hard time believing that someone would hold a grudge for twenty-five years - one that continues to negatively impact her day-to-day existence. To compound the issues with that plot device, the same person who didn't grow for twenty-five years suddenly makes life altering changes within a matter of days. The book was an enjoyable read but that implausible (to me) premise dinged the star count to down to 3 stars for me instead of 4.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions shared are 100% my own.
http://www.foofynotfoofy.com/foofynotfoofy/2015/8/20/review-the-perfect-comeback-of-caroline-jacobs-by-matthew-dicks
Caroline blames Emily Kaplan for many things - her awful high school experience, her shyness, and, to some extent, her sister's death! But old memories take on a new cast when exposed to the light of day so many years later. When Polly's daughter sets up Emily for the "perfect comeback", Caroline is forced to face her past. When Polly disappears in the aftermath of the comeback, Caroline has to reunite with her old foe in order to find her daughter. Caroline grows. Polly grows. Emily grows. This is a book about relationships and most redeem themselves in very genuine ways. The wallflower finally starts to bloom and the bully admits her mistakes. My main issue with the book is that I have a hard time believing that someone would hold a grudge for twenty-five years - one that continues to negatively impact her day-to-day existence. To compound the issues with that plot device, the same person who didn't grow for twenty-five years suddenly makes life altering changes within a matter of days. The book was an enjoyable read but that implausible (to me) premise dinged the star count to down to 3 stars for me instead of 4.
I received a complimentary copy of this book in exchange for my honest review. All opinions shared are 100% my own.
http://www.foofynotfoofy.com/foofynotfoofy/2015/8/20/review-the-perfect-comeback-of-caroline-jacobs-by-matthew-dicks
