Lenore Kosinski
4 stars — Another thoroughly enjoyable read by Ms. Reid (and yes, I did that on purpose). I was so relieved because I’d become cautious about the Knitting in the City books since I was on the fence with Neanderthal. I think part of my problem with NSH was that Janie is a bit of an unreliable narrator, and since hers was the only POV we got, I was left a bit unfulfilled. When I realized that Ashley would be our only POV in this book, instead of the dual POVs I was getting in the other Winston Brothers books, I became a bit concerned I would have a repeat experience. I even lamented that fact, b/c I generally prefer them better. But in the end this book did a much better job of satisfying me than book one, probably I understood better what was going on with Drew just from Ashley’s observations (even if she, herself, didn’t understand what was going on with him). And in a bizarre twist, we’re given Drew’s POV for the epilogue and I realized that single POV was a blessing in this case, b/c if I’d had to read from his POV throughout the rest of the book, I probably would have DNF’d it!! He was just so complicated, and to take a phrase from my husband, there seemed to be a lot of purple prose…which is not something I tend to enjoy. I honestly should have anticipated it, b/c while I absolutely adored a lot of the beautiful things that Drew says to Ashley, I was also a bit conflicted b/c that’s not really my style. Both of our main characters were a bit odd, and probably not necessarily people I would hang out with in real life, but I ended up loving them despite that. I especially loved them for each other. Ashley was an odd mix of sassy and sweet. She was almost too oblivious at times, and I did find that a bit hard to handle. Drew was the epitome of withdrawn, but I loved that Ashley brought him out of himself (almost reluctantly). He was sweet, essentially a beta boy (and we all know how I adore betas), said some beautiful things, but I almost wished I knew his background better…the trials of single POV. It’s funny, b/c I did enjoy both of their characters, but I almost enjoyed the plots more in this one (which is unusual for me). I LOVED the story with Ashley’s family, it was simultaneously delightful and heartwrenching. I can wholeheartedly understand why the Winston Brothers series was formed, and if I hadn’t already read a few, I would have been clamouring for their stories as well. Having started in that series and moved backwards, I was surprised at Ashley’s opinion of her brothers. I wasn’t expecting that. But I saw that they must have changed, and I loved the way their relationships were mended. I also appreciated seeing how Drew had managed to find a place with the Winstons, and how he fit into their little world. While the story with Ashley’s Momma made me cry, I appreciated the veracity of the depiction of losing a loved one and the last few days…reminded me a bit of the last days with my Dad. Ms. Reid really gets to the heart of the family part of this story, and I fell even more in love with the whole Winston family. I appreciated learning the beginnings of the story with their father and the biker gang, as it pops up on occasion in the boys’s books. It was part of the reason I wanted to go back and fit this in before continuing on in that series. I loved the cameos from the KITC girls…all those interactions were just delightful, and made me want to go back and read their stories (even though I was reluctant after not enjoying Janie’s as much as all my reader friends). I’m glad at least I have some of the later books so I can dive into some of them. So yeah, another Penny Reid book that worked for me, can I get a woop woop?? Now to continue on and find out what’s going on with the rest of the brothers!!
1 person found this review helpful
