Down a Country Road by Inglath Cooper is full of tropes, but combined in novel ways that added a lot of angst to the main character, as well as a few twists on familiar tropes, to create an interesting tale of love and loss.
Grier McAllister left her hometown of Timbell Creek, Virginia behind and never looked back. She went to New York City, and after a long struggle made it as an image consultant. When the TV studio wanted to cast some small town girls for a reality show "Date a Duke", they picked Grier, with the stipulation that they must be from Grier's hometown, and Grier can't pass up the opportunity, even if she had to go back and face some ghosts of her past, such as her mother, who had changed a lot... and her old boyfriend and his hot brother. But the hot brother comes with the baggage of a daughter and a divorced wife, and the daughter was one of the candidates (something daddy vehemently opposes, but mommy approves). As Grier helps choose the candidates and deals with ghosts of her past, she will come to realize that perhaps, this town wasn't just her past, but perhaps her present and future as well.
I find the idea that "girls must be from your hometown" rather forced plot point, as it doesn't logically make sense. I am not too sure about making Grier fall for the old flame's brother, rather than just fall for her old flame again. The chemistry wasn't quite there. But once the setup is complete, there were no dull moments. You get to see how the hot brother argue with his ex-wife (who's in town), the Duke's arrival, conflict with the daughter who is tired of the fighting between her parents, struggles with fame and publicity, and much more. Author was able to juggle all the bits into a coherent story. All in all, rather liked the story.
Category: Contemporary
Primary Plot: Woman who left her town years ago is now back to help do a reality dating show, and had to confront her past she thought she left behind
Tropes: small town, return, best friend's sibling, family secrets, single parent, family drama
Overall Rating: 5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment