Jennifer Lane Books

Fixated on This Story!

How does a woman move on after the death of her husband? Having two adorable sons and supportive parents helps. But what really does the trick is falling in love with a humble movie star who needs some fixing of his own.

So goes the romance of Kelly and Andrew, who meet when Kelly breaks down sobbing on a run. Andrew's in town for a film shoot, and he feels sad to learn it's the two year anniversary of Kelly's husband's death. They gradually get to know each other. Can a famous actor and a down-to-earth widow make this long distance relationship work? It'll be tough, given Kelly's lovable neuroticism, Andrew's shady past, and initial exchanges like this:

He fishes his cell phone and sunglasses out of the car. "Can I get your number?"
"You don't want my number."
"Yes, I do."
"No, you don't." Seriously, is he kidding?
"Do too." He shakes his head. "This is insane. Why not?"
"Look at you. Come on."
He stares at me with those very blue eyes. "Don't be ridiculous. Give me your number."

I loved the unique setting of Boise (said with an "s", not a "z"!) and the realistic characters. But what I loved most of all was the humor. MAJOR props for the mention of that Saturday Night Live skit "Master Thespian!" As well as these quotes:

Starting the first day I get little texts each day:
"Development meeting in 90210. Lady across from me has taken 'bee stung' lips to a horrifying new level."

"You'll fly down here. A quick visit. Now go, make the phone calls. Make it so."
"I will see what I can do, Jean-Luc Picard. You're a huge nerd."
"You're the one who knows the name of the captain."

The salesgirl is done giving me the up and down. "Size six is the largest we go."
"I'm sorry, I missed it. Did the sign above the door say Big Heads on a Toothpick R Us?"

If my life were a movie this'd be the part where the montage begins. You know, they'd play a kicky song like "Walking on Sunshine," and there'd be shots of Andrew and me getting ice cream, riding bicycles through the park, playfully doing lots of things as a happy couple.

Ha ha ha!

The only part of the story I didn't eat up was when Kelly reveals something about her deceased husband Peter toward the end of the novel. That part of the story didn't quite seem to fit as essential, unless I'm missing something.

Kelly and Andrew admire Ernest Hemingway, and it appears author [a:Beck Anderson|7178862|Beck Anderson|http://d202m5krfqbpi5.cloudfront.net/authors/1374114599p2/7178862.jpg] does as well, evidenced by her short sentences and overall clean writing.

Spend some time with Kelly and Andrew and you'll enjoy them as much as I do!