Thursday, March 25, 2010

Best Friends Forever--A review

You're going to want to sit down for this. Are you sitting? Good. I actually finally finished a book that I started over a month (possibly two months) ago. I LOVE to read, but my Three Little Lams keep me busy so I don't have much time to just sit and read. But I'm finding time, I'm carving out little bits of my day to just read a chapter or two. Or maybe I've stayed up a little later at night than I should to catch up on my reading. But, finally, I finished a book I've been working on. So, like I've said in the past, if you don't like book reviews, just click on the little red "x" and closer 'er on down...see ya tomorrow.

The book I finished was Best Friends Forever by Jennifer Weiner. It's a book I picked up at the library (they are probably wondering what happened to it--it's being returned today, I promise library people). I got it because I've like Ms. (or Mrs.-I don't know) Weiner's books in the past...In Her Shoes, Little Earthquakes, Good in Bed, etc., etc. They are quick, easy, chick lit reads. This was no different. It was not a deep, thought provoking book. It was about a childhood friendship that went off course in high school and came back together later in the girls' lives. It's totally predictable, yet some parts are completely unbelievable. The main character, Addie, who has a quiet, stable, boring (to her) life in suburban Chicago ends up going on a cross country road trip with her childhood best friend, Valerie, to help Valerie escape from what she thought was a crime. To me, from the development of her character, it didn't seem likely that she would take such risks. There are a few other characters, Jordan, the detective who is following the girls across the country. Jon, Addie's brother who was hurt in a car accident as a teen and has brain damage and depends on Addie's care. Dan, the guy whom the crime was committed against. His character could've been (should've been) a major player, but he was just mentioned briefly here and there and then at the end of the book has a life changing revelation--that the reader is never really let in on. That was frustrating, here's this guy who was a total, jerk athlete in high school, did something terrible to Valerie, was still a jerk at their reunion, but then has a life changing turn around? Come on, let us know what exactly made him turn that corner, because it was a little unbelievable that a guy like that would just instantly change.

Best Friends Forever would make a great book for a gal to take the beach or sit by the pool and read. Very light, just entertainment. Like I said, not thought provoking or world changing. What I did like about it was that at the end, the message was that you didn't have to have the perfect, cookie-cutter life to be happy.

If it was summertime, I'd probably give it a 4 out of 5 stars...like I said, it would be excellent beach/pool/airplane reading. But since I was reading it during snow storms and cold weather (when I like something with a little more depth), I'm going to give it 3 out of 5 stars.

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