Saturday, December 30, 2017

One Pink Line

You guys.. this is book 103 for the year!! How many more can I finish?? We'll have to see.

This one came in one of my Bookworm Boxes months ago and I've read another book by this author and it was pretty OK so I figured I'd probably like this one, too. And I did but for different reasons.

One Pink Line - Dina Silver

Can the love of a lifetime be forever changed by one pink line? Dina Silver's tender, absorbing novel, One Pink Line, is a warmhearted, wry story of love, loss and family, as seen through the prism of one singular, spirited young couple who find themselves in a predicament that changes the course of their lives, and those closest to them. With heart, humor and compassion, this debut work of women's fiction is certain to stir anyone who relishes a good laugh, can stand a good cry, and, above all believes in the redemptive power of love.

This unique, contemporary story gives readers a dual perspective. Sydney Shephard, a sweet-tempered, strong-natured college senior is young, in love with an exceptional man, and unexpectedly pregnant. Faced with a child she never planned for, she is forced to relay this news to her neurotic mother, relinquish her youth, and risk losing the love of her life. Then there's Grace, a daughter, who believed she was a product of this great love, grows to realize her existence is not what she assumed, and is left with profound and puzzling questions about who she really is.

Spanning generations and every imaginable emotion, One Pink Line reveals how two points of view can be dramatically at odds, and perhaps ultimately reconciled. Simultaneously deeply felt and lighthearted, One Pink Line deftly mines how the choices we make are able to alter so many lives, and how doing the right thing and living honestly can bring unexpected, hard-won happiness. It's a must-read for anyone who craves a great love story, absorbing characters, and plenty of laughs along the way.

I feel like I should mention I'm kind of at war on whether to bill this as romance, contemporary romance, or chick-lit. It's a little bit of everything and I feel like the main story isn't really Sydney and Ethan, it's Sydney and her daughter Grace. But Ethan is important too, so... it's a toss up. 

In this story we have Sydney, living up her high school years pining over a boy who doesn't know her from a hole in the wall. She meets Ethan, who clearly has been pining over her, and they quickly fall in love. Sydney is constantly surprised at Ethan's dedication, his logic, his calm personality, and even though they go to different colleges, they maintain the long distance relationship. Until Sydney gets restless once she knows Ethan is graduating and taking a job in a different city and won't be able to come home like he used to, so she decides maybe she doesn't want to be tied down. Her childish decision lands her with a one night stand with a friend, she ends up pregnant, the dad abandons her, and she makes big decisions for herself.

She goes on to have the child, her and Ethan slowly reconnect, and surprisingly- he doesn't hate her. He wants to be involved in everything but she doesn't want him to feel obligated now that she's a package deal. The story flip flops from all of these dramatic years to present day when Grace (the baby Sydney had) learns that her dad (Ethan) is not really her dad. She starts asking questions and becomes flat out hostile to her mother. I actually felt like Sydney should have set that girl straight from the word go about what a loser her sperm donor was and how she should be appreciative that Ethan loves her like she's biologically his. All of the questions get answered, and though I almost gave up on the book, I'm glad I finished it.

Overall I'm giving this one 3/5 stars because it wasn't awful but I really wanted more romance since that's the kick I'm on, and this wasn't really that. Overall the story was good but I fear college age girls would read this and get their hopes up because let's face it, 9 out of 10 boys are jerks and wouldn't stick around like Ethan and take it all in stride.

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