And a special guest review!

[jennaria]

Wife just burst in with her current library book (No Judgements, by Meg Cabot) and Very Gently put it down on our To Be Returned shelves.

"Done?"

"No! I gave up! Because Stupid!"

"The book?"

"No! I mean, yes, that too, but the heroine!"

Apparently this is a romantic comedy, where the heroine has gone down to live in the Florida Keys. A hurricane is coming.
* Heroine's ex-boyfriend contacts her and offers to fly her (but not cat?) out with a private jet - and she says no thanks.
* Heroine's roommate offers to bring heroine (and cat) along, because Roommate is a city employee and they're all getting evacuated with Hot Firefighters and given free hotel rooms on the mainland, and it's no trouble for the heroine to stay with - but heroine says no thanks.
* Then Heroine's Boss invites her (and cat) to come stay at Boss's house, because it has a generator and is 20 feet above sea level - but heroine says no thanks, it feels weird.
* Then the handyman who's putting up her storm shutters offers to take her with him and his mom to Disney, but she can't bring the cat - so she says no thanks.
* Then the gay boys from down the street come, bringing jello shots, warn her that she'll be underwater, and offer to bring her along to the other place on the island that has a generator - and she says no thanks.

At this point, Wife gave up, because this really is supposed to be a romantic comedy but she wasn't expecting a novel version of that joke about the guy on the roof of his house refusing all rescue because 'God will save me.' Supposedly the romantic lead is heroine's boss's nephew, which argues that he's going to have to save her from the hurricane, and for fuck's sake no. Just no.

(Wife protests that she really is enjoying getting to read for fun again, and not just work! But not this particular book.)

Comments

[emrinalexander]

That book would go right on my "metaphorical to be burned" stack.

[jennaria]

I suspect the only thing that saved it from being thrown across the room was it being a library book.

[senmut]

As a former Florida resident, I'd've given up after the second offer since it included cat

[jennaria]

Oh, likewise! But we are not being manipulated by Author to make sure we get together with Designated Love Interest.

[dine]

she is literally too stupid to live!

[jennaria]

I'm pretty sure that was Wife's argument, too!

[misbegotten]

I did read the whole thing but yeah, it was very dumb.

[jennaria]

Oh dear. Good thing she gave up, then.

[kalloway]

I've absolutely not finished books because a character/multiple characters have clung too hard to the idiot ball and refused to let it go. I wouldn't have been able to deal with this one either.

[jennaria]

Sometimes, you just gotta decide whether it's worth your time. I mean, hate-reading is a thing! But sometimes even hate-reading isn't worth it.

[merit]

A hurricane is just a stiff breeze, right? ^^;;

[jennaria]

It depends on your experience, to be fair. Hurricanes in New England (which is my lived experience) are not the same as hurricanes on the Gulf Coast. ...however, a quick check of Wikipedia reveals that Meg Cabot currently lives in Key West, so she ain't got no excuse.