This was not my favorite of Jen Turano's books that I've read to date. I found it a bit silly and over the top with forced humor. There is a bit of intrigue included within the plot of the book which will keep the reader engaged to some extent.
There is a point in time where one has to outgrow the follies of youth and I found that Adelaide is a Peter Pan who never grew up. She did have some mature ideas, but for the most part, she stayed childish. There is a difference between childish and child-like and Adelaide never crossed the line. That was rather off-putting for me. I recognize that others will see her child-mindedness as endearing and this is only my opinion.
Because the setting is in New York and in the neighborhood of the Bleecker Street Inquiry Agency, Ms. Turano missed an opportunity to bring back some of those characters and weave them into the warp and woof of this book. I would have loved to have them come back and make another appearance.
Gideon Abbott is a most worthy hero in the novel and makes a compelling leading man. He is the redeeming factor in this book. He tries to do what is best for Adelaide, even though his attempts are misguided at times.
I am not sure how I would improve the book but some of the "fun" was a bit too over the top, FOR ME. Like every other reader, I go through reading moods where silly is just what I need, and at other times, I want something to sink my teeth into some meaty ideas that make me think. Maybe it was just the wrong type of book for the current mood. In light of that, I will give it 3.5 stars, rounding up to four.
Bethany House provided the advanced copy I read for this review. All opinions expressed are solely my own.
