3.5 Star
Marlo Spencer relishes all things retro. Old TV shows, classic movies,
and even the collectible lunch boxes to go with them. In fact, she’s
quite cozy in her Malibu apartment, surrounded by her treasured
knick-knacks and vintage memorabilia. It’s her best friend, Nik, who
doesn’t get her fascination with all that “old junk,” as he calls it. He
especially doesn’t understand why she’s so keen to get back to their
hometown of Napa when her high school sweetheart, Josh, suddenly returns
after twelve years in Paris and nary a single phone call, eager to
reunite with her. So, when Marlo heads up north to wine country to
rekindle her relationship with Josh, Nik tags along, claiming he was
already planning to visit his sister, Savannah, Marlo’s gal pal. Once
they reach Napa, however, dreams of a blissful reunion are shattered as
old secrets and past betrayals are revealed, leaving an unsuspecting
Marlo to pick up the pieces. Can she forgive and forget, or will true
love find a different path to her heart?
Lydia - 3.5 Star
I enjoyed True Love Way which is
about being true to yourself, following your heart and finding what is
right in your life, whether it is what you expected or not. Family and
friendship holds a huge theme in this light hearted read about pining
away for the one that got away and then discovering maybe he wasn’t what
you thought or remembered in the first place.
The
whole friendship dynamic in True Love Way made me nostalgic for Friends
and I wanted bury myself under the covers and watch reruns. Marlo has
two best friends. Her bestie from childhood, Savannah, lives several
hours away from Marlo and has a pre-teen daughter who Marlo helped raise
when she was a child. Savannah’s much older brother, Nik, has become
Marlo’s other best friend when they both moved to the same city knowing
only each other. Marlo and Nik hang out all the time. Now add Josh,
Marlo’s high school sweetheart, who shows up a decade after breaking her
heart by moving to Paris without her and whose return turns all their
lives upside down.
From
the outset, I could see how clueless Marlo was that Nik was completely
besotted with her (no spoiler – it’s pretty obvious) and I really loved
Nik. He was kind, courteous and loved Marlo’s great Aunt Margaret who
he always visited along with Marlo and helped her whenever he could. He
was nice. And lovely. And then there was Josh, who I hated. I wanted
to punch him in the face. And then punch Marlo when she didn’t listen
to the little nagging feelings of negativity that kept popping up.
I
couldn’t understand how Marlo would suddenly run back to an
ex-boyfriend. Having never had this inclination myself, I couldn’t
really relate to this aspect of the story and how she assumed they would
go waltzing down the aisle even though he broke her heart so many years
ago. Marlo and Josh had made a pact during a tender teenage moment and
she presumed it was all to work out now that the pact date loomed?
What? Just because they made a stupid pact, it negates her previous
broken heart? Wouldn’t he just do it all over again? Did she really
want to be his backup plan? I wanted to shake Marlo and show her what
was right in front of her and how much of a jack-ass Josh was.
At
the same time I could relate to how she wanted her happy ending so she
ignored some signs she probably should have paid more attention to. I
think all of us overlook some things in order to get our happy ending,
whether it’s things we should ignore or not and eventually I could relax
because Marlo slowly started to trust her instincts.
There
was such a strong focus on relationships in this novel – not just love
relationships - and I loved that. Even with a secret revealed that
threatens them (which was a bit obvious for my taste), all the
friendships and family ties were so strong and I think this was the
strength of True Love Way. I absolutely adored Marlo’s great aunt,
Margaret, and that Marlo and Nik had such a lovely relationship with
her, visiting, cooking and watching old movies with her. Even Marlo’s
relationship with her parents was strong and seemed realistic to me,
even though I probably wouldn’t share as much with my family, being a
little more private than some. Even Marlo’s relationships with her
friends was more like family. These connections are what will stick with
me most about True Love Way.
One thing that I want to mention is the title and cover. Unfortunately a book is often judged by its
cover and I wish it had been stronger to compliment this story which is much stronger than both. I didn't base any part of my review rating on this, but I wanted to mention it because I really don't think they do True Love Way justice and I wish more attention had been given to them.
As
this novel wrapped up, twinges of emotion wormed through me which says a
lot. Although not entirely original and a bit predictable, I enjoyed
Marlo’s path to self-discovery and especially loved the abundance of
close relationships in this novel.
We seriously have the same brain. I felt the same way about this one! I actually laughed out loud when I read that you wanted to punch Josh in the face - I did too! And Marlo! Bah. Clueless woman. :)
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