Author: Jennifer Crusie
Publishing Date: September 2010
Genre: Contemporary/Paranormal
Rating: A-
Sensuality: Warm
Book Disclosure: I borrowed a copy from the library.
Andie Miller goes to see her ex-husband North whom she hasn't seen in ten years to ask that he stop sending her alimony checks. After all, she has every single one he has sent over the years and not a single one was ever deposited. But seeing North is a shock to Andie's senses. She can't believe the overwhelming feelings that come rushing back after that brief encounter. Plus, she somehow finds herself the nanny to two unruly children who have recently been orphaned which North now has sole custody. When Andie arrives to whip the children into shape, she realizes it's not the children who are the problem, it’s the unruly ghosts that are haunting the house.
The last Jennifer Crusie book that I read earlier in the year, Wild Ride was a very big disappointment. I really wasn't sure what to expect with Maybe This Time, but I was definitely intrigued by the summary. It turns out that Maybe This Time is a huge score for me and I think fans of Ms. Crusie will delight in this latest release.
Where to begin...the characterization is great. Andie and North just jump off the pages. Andie and North are opposites. Andie is whimsical, flighty, impulsive and fun, whereas North is responsible, organized and serious. We get to see a lot of Andie through North's eyes and vice versa North through Andie's. These characteristic s are what attracted the other, but it is also what eventually drove them apart.
Even though these two aren't together through a lot of the book, we relive their past relationship through flashbacks including how they first met. I think this is the first book with the reconciling couple theme that I have really enjoyed. Ms. Crusie gets it right. This time I really do believe that they can make it work the second time around.
One little odd ball thing that I would like to point out with this book was that there were references to electronics that lead me to believe that this book was written a few years ago. For example, the little girl Alice likes to listen to her Walkman instead of an iPod and also there are references to them watching videos instead of DVDs. It just made the story seem dated. At any rate, this one was a page turner and it worked really well for me.
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6 comments:
For some reason, I think Crusie set this book in the 1980's. Maybe she wanted to isolate Andie and the kids in that house in a way that cell phones wouldn't allow? That would definitely explain the Walkman :)
Thanks for the link!
Jill, I loved this one, finally a solo Crusie! Although it's not my favorite of hers, still good though! I think this novel was set in the early 90's I think it says so at the beginnig of the book. Do you still have ur copy to check? If not I think I have a copy!
Hi Jen! You are totally welcome for the link! I didn't realize that the she might have set the book in a different time frame. It completely makes sense though, because the phone lines kept going out.
Mollie - I comepletely agree, yay a solo Crusie (although I did like Agnes). I don't still have my copy to check the time frame. Interesting stuff with the time setting and all, though. No?
LOL, Jill. I think if you read the first page, just after the title page, Ms Crusie states that she set the book in 1992... just because she could :) Which explains the electronics... Perhaps it was an old manuscript that she polished off or she simply really chose 1992...
The grade for this book won't be as high for me, but I'm with you :) I did enjoy this book and I was so glad!!! I really liked North and Andie. Seems to me, it could have been a bit funnier, but LOL, a real Crusie book! I won't complain too loudly :)
Nath - You know I think I did read that first page, but I didn't pay attention to it, LOL. Now that you say that it is all coming back to me. I am glad to hear that you liked it too. Sometimes you can be a tough sell! I thought the setting was very unique and Crusie had the "magic" for this one.
Walking around in blogland :)
Hm, I have read Crusie in the past and thought she was ok. This new one, I am thinking
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