Becca Kinzer

Charlottes life is a disaster. Her fiancé dumped her two years ago and he is now getting married on the same weekend that she was supposed to be married on. Her job as a music teacher is hanging by a thread and her mother and father are acting strangely. Charlotte worries that her mothers cancer might have returned. Somehow she gets wrangled in to being the maid of honor in her Ex's wedding party and pretends to be the new girlfriend of her Ex's brother Zach. It's all a bit much to take in. In order to raise money for her family and job she and Zach enter a 500 mile tandem bike ride challenge and take off together camping and biking across the country. Unfortunately the adventures they have on the ride were not believable for me. Zach and Charlotte fall in love on their ten day bike ride but at the end it takes them many weeks to actually decide to get together. I'm sorry to say this story just did not do it for me and the second storyline of Sophia, Charlottes sister in my opinion was unnecessary. 2.5 stars.… (altro)

I was happy to learn this author had another book out since I adored Dear Henry, Love Edith, her debut novel. Her new book caught my attention from the very first line. “It’s a terrible thing when a teacher survives an entire school year only to die the first minute of summer vacation.”

I found it intriguing how Charlotte got caught up in a tandem bike race. I wondered where the author would lead us next. Oh, the locations we traveled, adored every minute of the ride, and the people the author added to the mix were fun. What made me admire this story was learning the author went on a similar adventure with her fiancé.

I enjoyed the author’s notes where she shared how she biked from Nashville, Tennessee, to Baton Rouge, Louisiana, on a tandem bicycle borrowed from good friends. Neither one of them had ridden tandem before. They quickly got the hang of it, “(The author states, “Well, after we crashed into a bush at our very first stop,…) “..we knew one thing for certain – we were ready to pedal through more of life’s journeys together.”

This is a delightful diversion with lots of adventure, entertaining characters, and a deeper-than-expected plot. I adored it, and you will too!

Disclosure of Material Connection: I requested and received a copy of this book from the publisher, and NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission’s 16 CFR, Part 255 “Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising.”

Nora St. Laurent
TBCN Where Book Fun Begins!
The Book Club Network blog https://psalm516.blogspot.com/… (altro)