Title: Someone else’s love story

Title: Someone Else’s Love Story
Author: Joshilyn Jackson

This book was chosen for our book club by one of our members, who sold it as a “quick, light read” for the short month of February an unconventional love story, two strangers meeting in an unexpected way, and an ending we’d never see coming.

Overview

The story follows 21-year-old Shandi Pierce, who is juggling several roles: a college student, the mother of a three-year-old prodigy, referee between her divorced parents (one Catholic, one Jewish), and lastly, the keeper of a secret about how her son came to be a truth she’s been refusing to face.

The book opens with Shandi, her best friend Walcott, and her son Natty driving to Atlanta so she can move into a condo her father generously provides. It’s closer to her college and near a special school for Natty. On the way, they stop at a gas station because Natty gets sick and while inside, they become caught in an armed robbery.

Also caught in the hold-up is William Ashe, a brilliant, high-functioning autistic man grieving the one-year anniversary of the loss of his wife and child. In a moment of fatalistic conviction, he believes it is his destiny to die saving the others, so he steps between the shooter and Natty. This act instantly sparks Shandi’s infatuation with him and pushes her to finally confront the truth she’s been avoiding about Natty’s paternity. She recruits William to help her uncover Natty’s father, and he agrees.

What I Liked

I’ll be honest: nothing. Truly nothing. The closest I came to enjoyment was the moment I deleted it from my Kindle.

That said the member who recommended it did enjoy it. She found it a nice, quick read and liked the unconventional “love story.” And I’m genuinely glad it worked for her.

What I Didn’t Like

• Shandi. Whiny, naïve, and sex obsessed. Her inner monologue reads like someone with the attention span of a gnat and the libido of a romance-novella heroine. One minute she’s talking about her son; the next she’s fantasizing about William until her “nethers” are apparently engulfed in flames.
• Natty “Bumpo.” The nickname. I can’t.
• William as Thor. Every other page she describes him like some Norse god. I got it the first time.
• The best-friend-in-love trope. I dislike it in general, but here it’s painfully obvious from page one. No subtlety. No surprise. Just predictable emotional constipation.
• The “unpredictable ending.” I was told I’d never guess it. I figured it out as soon as William landed in the hospital.

I’ve read plenty of reviews praising this book some calling it one of Jackson’s best, with a compelling William and a strong Southern woman in Shandi. I didn’t see it. I saw a young woman who is deeply immature, wildly sheltered, and surrounded by people who make her life easy while she refuses to deal with reality.

Where, exactly, is this supposedly “strong Southern woman”?

Final Thoughts

This book gets 0 out of 5 stars from me.

No recommendations.

Others certainly disagree Goodreads and Amazon have plenty of positive reviews if you want a second opinion. Just be warned: lots of spoilers.

Much love from your Favorite Book Mistress,
Zen ❤