Sweet Memories

Okay, so I said I was going to read our next book club pick, but I knew that I would move through it too quickly and be left hanging before my book club's next meeting. So, I decided to pick up something else, that I would be able to complete in a week, so that then I could pick up my book club book with only five days or so until our meeting.

A friend had loaned me a bunch of books that she had read some time ago, and I try to work through them and my own bookshelf, intermittently. Sweet Memories by LaVyrle Spencer was among them. I do not typically like traditional romance books. It is not a genre that I care for. The books all seem to have the same theme or formula. Damaged girl, always pure, meets boy. Boy rescues girl in some way, whether it is from herself or from something or someone else. They fall in love and the girl's first time is so wonderful, end of book. Just change the names, setting and some of the circumstances. Sometimes the boy and girl like each other right away, sometimes they can't stand each other but underneath there are feelings...same old, same old. Usually reading such a book makes me angry. Why is the girl always damaged...why does she always need saving? Why is she always pure? Is there something wrong with a strong, normal girl who has had some romantic experience?

I have not read LaVyrle Spencer before. This romance did not disappoint. It was pretty much like all the others. The main character's issue was a new one...her body shape caused her to have inhibitions. Knowing someone personally who went through the same issue, this book was alternatively genuine and irritating. But I stuck with it. I have an obsession with finishing a book that I have started, whether or not I like it. I try not to give up; I try to see it through.

I suppose the book was entertaining, in the typical romance book fashion. Steamy scenes, lots of description, a frivolous read. It is not a book that evoked any emotion from me, other than the irritation at the plot line. It is not a book that I will remember for very long. But, it was a quick read that got me through, and the characters were likable enough. There is something to be said for that. And we all need a frivolous read every now and again. You would get terribly bored with meat and potatoes all the time. You need to throw in some candy every once and a while.

Happy Reading!