Think the movie Groundhog Day. This novel uses the same repeating-day structure. I write contemporary romance and I read other genres as well. I found this book through a recommendation of another reader–a Twitter friend–and as is my tendency when I find a writer I like, I’m working my way through Ms. Escobar’s other offerings. I read samples, as that shows me writer’s voice and the cadence of their style, so I was prepared to enjoy her work.
This particular title is unique in the structure of the scenes, but the heroine’s issues are familiar to most of us. While the plot shares structure with the movie Groundhog Day, there are few other similarities. Kate–the heroine–is grieving and trying to protect herself from future hurt. This is the essence of the book. Played out against the backdrop of the wedding of a good friend and the heroine’s ex-boyfriend, the story explored many aspects of life. Kate must relive the week leading up to this wedding–sometimes in horrifying detail–and the reader feels her frustration and despair. After living this spin cycle existence for half a dozen rounds, she naturally begins to wonder if she’ll ever get out of the loop.
I liked that Kate realized pretty quickly that she needed to look at her own handling of various events in order to make the changes needed to move on. As I’ve said, I also found Ms. Escobar’s writing style comfortable and complex enough to keep me interested. While the plot involves an element of the paranormal, it otherwise focuses on issues that we all must face–friendship, responding to others and dealing with our own losses.
In recommending this book to friends, I would say that the heroine feels like someone I’d like to know–like a real, relatable human being. She drinks too much at times and she occasionally makes bad choices. That can be said of most of us. What’s most interesting is being able to ride along to see her journey.